Adding a little color to my routine

My next run may be the most fun yet.  That's what previous participants have said.  I am going to do my first Color Run this Saturday.   It's low key as far as performance is concerned.  It's not a timed race.  That will be a change of pace! I'm doing it for fun, and because I told a friend I would run with her.  We will probably be walking parts of the course.  Although I do have a competitive streak (who knew?) I am trying to give myself permission to go slow enough to enjoy, to stop and smell the roses, or at least take time to throw some paint! 
I am looking forward to it.  I need to find a white shirt to wear and I am wondering ... should I wear my running watch?

10 Reasons to go for a run today

Are you tempted to skip a running workout? Here are 10 reasons to go for a run today.

First these 5 things are more life altering than running.

• Heart Attack
• Stroke
• Type II Diabetes
• Depression
• Obesity

And these 5 things are more expensive than running gear ...

• Open heart surgery
• Long term health care
• Insulin
• Counseling
• Gastric bypass

So run! It might save your life AND your pocketbook!

Visit my Training Tips page to help you get started.


Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!

Happy Running!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The Season Winds Down

Cross Country season is nearing its end with only one more meet for the middle school team and the district meet approaching for the high school team.  Here are a few things I have observed over the season.

Kids are tougher than they think.  Although it takes time for them to discover, it is okay to experience pain for a few minutes.  It will surely end when you stop running.  The trick is to endure the pain long enough to finish the race.

Bribery can help kids run faster.  They don’t even need to know what the prize is, “If you PR, I will bring you a special treat next week.”  It worked!   Most of the team set a Personal Record.

Middle school athletes cannot hear their teammates.  This is apparent from their constant chatter at the coach.  I had to remind them often that I had only two ears and one brain; therefore they would need to address me one at a time.

I’m gonna miss them - their aches and pains, their constant inquiries about today’s workout, their need for encouragement, and treats – it all kind of entertains and amuses me!  Besides, I always love to see kids push themselves, even if it does take all season to convince them to do it.

Runners Unite!

 

I know, I have mentioned before how much I like Cross Country, but today was especially fun.  No school meant a rare mid-morning run.  A race yesterday meant an easy recovery run today.  Cool weather meant, “Hallelujah!”

None of those things were the best part.  Practice was optional because many students were out of town for the long weekend.  When Bart (the name has been changed to protect the slothful) didn’t show up for practice, the team was perplexed.  Nobody thought Bart was out of town.  A half mile warm-up was announced prior to the three-mile recovery run.  When the entire team failed to turn right on the warm-up course the coaches yelled, “Hey, where are you going?” (These two coaches were serious about doing an easy warm-up pace!)

The team answered, “We’re going to get Bart!”

That’s a Cross Country team for you.  They didn’t phone or text to nag Bart about practice, they simply ran to get him!

I love Cross Country!

The Underwater Window: A Review

A few weeks ago I was approached about doing some publicity for The Underwater Window by Dan Stephenson which I did here.  I was also asked if I would like to review the book and share it on one of my blogs.  Although I was flattered, I was also hesitant. I wanted to read the book before giving it my stamp of approval.  (There is a lot of junk out there!) One might wonder why I am using this blog as a vehicle rather than my creative writing blog, CMGWrites. Here are my reasons:

I am a swimmer. The Underwater Window is a work of fiction featuring swimmers and relationships.

I am a runner. Runners experience similar pain (minus the oxygen depletion) that swimmers experience.

I am a little bit competitive. The competition described in Dan Stephenson’s book made my heart race and my arms and legs ache as I read about it.  It is very well written.  Of course, it may have helped when I remembered my own swim racing experiences. (They were not very stellar.)

I believe that experience in physical things brings us strength in mental and spiritual things.  This book supports those beliefs.

Did I mention that the book is well written?  Yes, I read for entertainment; however, I also read with a critical ear. Is this story believable? Are fragmented sentences used for effect or are they used so much that it is apparent the author has a grammatical weakness?  You get the drift.

The bottom line?  I loved The Underwater Window!  It had depth.  It had character development.  It had conflict resolution. Above all, it kept my interest and that can be a difficult thing to do! 

Way to jump into the deep end Mr. Stephenson!

Here are links to The Underwater Window website and Facebookpage.

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!

Happy Running!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.