I will probably be doing a lot more Running Commentary posts for the next month and a half (or so), as I continue to prepare for the Utica Boilermaker 15K. I thought I was in excellent shape for it already, having run just over an hour yesterday. My feeling is if you can run one hours, you can run two; just don’t stop. And I have run the Boilermaker in under two hours each time I have run in. Then again (second guessing myself is apparently my favorite indoor sport), I took a three hour nap yesterday afternoon. Maybe I’m not in such great shape (although I still maintain that round and puffy is a shape).
Today I have a few things I would like to get done, and I will not have time for a three-hour nap, so I thought I would run less than one hour. This is not my normal M.O. Usually I make long runs on both weekend days, when I don’t have to work. However, this is a three day weekend. I can go for a long run on Memorial Day. I will wear an army t-shirt and run in honor of fallen soldiers. So today could be a shorter, easier run with no hills.
I made this plan while I was still in bed, knowing it would be a good idea to get up but really wanting to sleep some more. I finally talked myself into rising and immediately started drinking water from the bottle I habitually keep next to the bed. I got right into running clothes and was out the door before I had decided which direction to run in. I turned the opposite way from what I usually take, toward State Street instead of German. I had only gotten a block when somebody called a greeting. It was the owner of Chico and Bear, two neighborhood dog buddies of mine.
She was dressed for church and taking the pups for a business meeting. I stopped my watch and went over to pet the pups and chat with the person. I told her I had thought of going to church yesterday but woke up from my nap twenty minutes after mass started. When we finished our chat, I reset my watch to zero and started again. This time I ran down Church Street toward Main. I still had no idea where I would go but knew I could figure it out as I went. The sun was in my eyes, so I turned up Prospect and headed toward German.
On German, I turned left, so the sun was behind me. I decided to run up the hill by Valley Health. Yes, I had thought “no hills” but one hill was not so bad, especially compared to what I ran yesterday and what I hope to run tomorrow. As I got to Valley Health, I mixed things up a little by going around the building the opposite way I usually do. It’s the little things that add interest to my runs. Running in front of the building as I was, I realized I was on an upslope. I had never noticed it being a downslope when I ran on it in the opposite direction. And isn’t that a metaphor for life, I thought. We don’t always notice when things are a little easier, but, boy, let them get the least bit harder and wham!
I did not mind the upslope, nor yet the steeper hill. Soon enough I was running down the side I usually run up. The view is much better the other way, but I appreciated seeing something a little bit different. I ran down to the Jr/Sr High School, eventually going over the little footbridge.
I ended up running for 37 minutes, and I felt pretty damn good about it. I got tired by the end but concentrated on my breathing. I know how getting a VCD (vocal chord dysfunction) attack can rack me up later in the day. I felt truly awesome on my cool-down walk. I feel pretty pleased with myself that I have made my blog post already too. It looks as if I am not going to have a Wrist to Forehead Sunday. I hope everybody else’s weekend is going as well.
Mohawk Valley Girl 