Warm Weather Running for Beginnners

Hot summer weather is taking its toll on my running efforts. I’m trying to train for the Burley Spudman Triathlon 2016 and prepare myself for the Grand Teton Relay 2016, but the heat is beating me! I’ve also had some travel and camping outings (a total of three weeks in June) that have interrupted my training, but I am pressing forward.

Monday’s run felt good – better than expected after a week of bounteous food and shortened nights at a church camp. I was surprised! Tuesday, however, arrived hot and slow. My attempt at a 5 mile run with a hill turned into a 4 mile run/walk/hike/complaining session. It was warm, but I also allowed my head to undermine me. Thoughts of heat exhaustion, my age, and my slow pace all worked against me. I think I may turn off the updates on my running app next time I know I’m going up against hot weather and hills. The slow pace reports can be discouraging.

I took the day off on Wednesday and got an earlier start on Thursday. I don’t like 5:30 am. The only thing I enjoy at that hour is sleep. However, the weather promised to be hot and The Mister and I needed a run, so we rolled out early and enjoyed a much cooler workout. It was the only way to beat the heat today. Unfortunately, my upcoming events promise to include some hot weather so I’m doing the following to prepare.

Try this:

• 

  This is how I felt on Tuesday!

  Do a few shorter workouts (1-2 miles) during hot weather.

• Use cooling cloths (I just purchased this one) and loose clothing during warm races.

• Plan to hydrate well before the workout or race and along the route.

• Expect slower times and take walk breaks if necessary.

• Long runs should be done during the coolest part of the day. That may mean losing some of your precious sleep!

Like a fellow runner recently stated, “Safe is better than dead!”

Running can still be done during the hot weather, but be prepared to adjust your workouts and your expectations. Warm weather running should be done cautiously, and remember - cooler days are just around the corner!

Do you have a warm weather training tip? Please share it in the comments below.

Happy Running!
- Carol aka Running Granny Green
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Morning vs. Afternoon. What works for you?

I have a busy day ahead so this morning I got out the door earlier than usual. When the weather is warm I like to get my run done early in the day before the temperatures climb. However, winter weather, wind, and lack of daylight are deterrents and I have found that my “wait until later in the day” practice is undermining my good intentions. I often have to abort the run because other needs, wants, and obstacles occur. I determined that today would not be one of those days. 

My morning run was short – again, I was on a tight schedule. It was good, though, to get out, get moving, and get it over with! Surprisingly, I had a brief break in that tight schedule. It wasn’t long enough to have allowed me to work in a run, but because the run was already completed, I have a few minutes to blog about it and share this cool picture of the sunrise, cloudy sky, and green blades of wheat rising to greet me. 

What works best for you? Are you an early riser with most of your productivity happening before breakfast? Do you take your time waking up and find afternoons the most productive part of your day? Are you still striving to find the secret to productivity? Don’t worry – a lot of us are in the same boat. Keep trying. Perhaps you need to look at the road behind to see how far you have come.

Happy Running!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

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Hope Above the Clouds

This photo was taken two summers ago on the morning of Grand Teton Relay 2014. It had been raining and looked as if we were in for a soggy experience. I have considered sharing it many times, for it seemed to speak to me. However, I wasn't certain of its message. If you look closely, you will see that the sun's rays are reaching up. It wasn't just peeking through the clouds, but rising above them.

That's just something to think about as you strive to rise above the clouds in your life.

Have a Hopeful Day!

P.S. The weather cleared and we had a beautiful experience!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

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Feeling Like a Runner Again!

I’m starting to feel like a runner again. It was a hard winter. I’m not talking about the weather. We’ve had much worse. I had trouble making myself get out the door. Most years I can force myself to run in the snow and even run through severe weather inversions, but this old lady was too tired, or too lazy, or too timid to stick to a routine. So I had to start over and that’s okay.

One problem with starting over is putting up with the loss of fitness that I experienced through my sedentary goodie filled winter. The first run was only two miles (with walking breaks) and it was hard! I’m feeling better now and acting more like a runner. 

Here are a few examples:

• I check the weather each evening before bed to find out what time of day will be best for my run on the morrow.
• The laundry basket is filling with sweaty workout clothes. I do that laundry first – not because it smells bad, but because I’m going to need it!
• I’m examining the treads on the bottom of my shoes and thinking about the day I get to purchase new ones.
• I’m using my running app – MapMyRun.
• I’m yelling at dogs and documenting dogs at large with photos on my phone. (I could go on a real rant here. Suffice it to say that leash laws should be obeyed BEFORE an injury occurs.)
• I’m recruiting Gang Green team members for the Grand Teton Relay 2016.
• And … I’m talking about running – a lot!

It’s good to feel like a runner. I feel stronger – not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Sure, it could be the warmer weather with sunnier days, or it could be that I am actually running – away from dogs! When friends say, “You love to run,” my response is usually, “Not really, but Running loves me, because it makes other parts of my life better.”

What difficult thing do you do that makes your life better?

Happy Running!

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Tuesday's Training Tip: When to Take Time Off

Find this cute cinch bag HERE.

Today's training tips examines when to take time off. While I am an advocate of enduring pain and discomforts. I also know there is wisdom in caution. The tricky part is discerning when to go and when to stop during a workout or training plan. I wrote an entire book about recognizing what kind of discomfort you are experiencing. Today’s discussion deals with knowing when to take time off.

I recently began following a training plan to help me be more consistent in my running. Unfortunately, the weather in Idaho in January is not consistent. The only consistent thing in Idaho’s weather is change.  I postponed a run on a sunny 45 degrees day because I was extra busy and knew I would have more time the next day.  To my dismay, the following day was dumping heavy wet snow! (We pray for precipitation around here, so I can’t complain about the snow – only the timing!) I have endured snowy runs in the past. In fact, I quite enjoy them. However, I spent last summer with an injury that nagged me for six months, so I decided not to risk injury on the slick and snowy roads. I am happy to report that today I am injury free!

When should you take time off?

• If weather conditions indicate injury is likely.

• If you have an injury that is aggravated by working out (Sore muscles are not an injury!)

• If your training plans call for a Rest Day

• If your running shoes are worn out. (See this running shoe post)

• If you are dead

When should you work out?

• If the weather is warm, cold, windy, or damp

• If you have an indoor gym, treadmill, swimming pool, etc.

• If your injury is not worsened by your work out (Not sure? Ask your doctor)

• If you have new running shoes! (Breaking them in is a fallacy. If the shoes fit, you’ll love your first run in them)

• If you are breathing.

Of course, there are other excuses that have nothing to do with physical abilities and injuries. Lack of time, lack of motivation, lack of a running buddy and more have an impact on our dedication. Keep visiting on Tuesday’s to get motivated and find more ways to keep moving forward!

Tune in every Tuesday for more training tips and visit my Training Tips page to find all the tips you may have missed.

Question: Do you have a training tip you would like to share? Post it in the comments below.

Happy Running!

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Tuesday's Training Tip: Dress in Layers

Today's training tip discusses what to wear during late winter-early spring outdoor workouts. Chances are you'll be cool and even cold when you begin your run or workout, but you'll want to shed a few layers when the workout and the sun (if there is any) warms you. Here are some head to toe tips to deal with changing temps.

Head - 

A headband is the best option because it will keep your ears warm and allow some of the heat your body generates from the run to escape through your head. When you get too warm, remove it and simply wrap it around your wrist twice. You won't know it's there and you don't need a pocket in which to stash it. 

Sunglasses, always. They will protect your eyes from sun, snow, sleet and the occasional bug!

Torso - 

Layers are the best bet hear. Wear a long sleeve wicking shirt next to your body another layer over it. A hoodie sweatshirt is great for temps in the mid and lower 30's. It can be removed and tied around your waist if you get too warm. A second long sleeve or short sleeve shirt is sufficient when temps climb into the 40's.

Hands - 

Wear a pair of gloves that are easy to discard or shove in a pocket. The $1 knit kind are my favorite. Cut a thumb out for cell phone texts and photo opportunities. They can be stowed in a pocket or easily carried along your route. Better yet, map your route with a loop about two miles into the run. You'll be ready to shed a few items and you can come back and pick up them up on your way home.

Legs - 

Legs can usually bear the cold with only a layer of running tights. The quads and hamstrings are big muscles that warm up quickly and generate a lot of heat.  

Feet - 

Unless it's below 20 degrees, your toes will be fine. Blisters are a bigger concern that cold toes, so make sure you wear socks that fit.  Shoes should be tight enough to prevent slipping and rubbing. Your toes will warm up in a couple miles. Blisters will plague you much longer!

Stop by every Tuesday for more training tips and visit my Training Tips page to find all the tips you may have missed.

Question: Do you have a training tip you would like to share? Post it in the comments below.

Happy Running!

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A Lesson from the Ski Hill

I'm sharing this snow skiing story today from Milk Cans and Quilt Blocks. It's the season for skiing and it's always the season to learn a life lesson.  Enjoy!

Lucky Friday

An excerpt from Milk Cans and Quilt Blocks

I was only trying to show my niece and her daughters a good time at Bogus Basin Ski Resort.  The mountain I learned to ski upon.  The mountain we frequent a dozen times every year.  My Mountain!

Spring skiing is so great!  The weather is enjoyable.  Nobody cries to go indoors because they are freezing.  You can get a suntan.

Never mind there was a plane to catch.  Never mind there was a track meet to attend.  Never mind the snow was rapidly turning to slush.  It was Spring!  Spring skiing is so great!

Never mind I’m pushing fifty.  Never mind I decided to take an alternate route and six-year-old Shyan decided to go with me.  Never mind my cell phone was losing its charge.

Never mind I misjudged my location!  Never mind my brother-in-law is Director of Mountain Operations and would kill me if he had to send search and rescue!  Never mind, never mind, never mind!

But mind I did when I realized we had two choices.  We could take the path of least resistance and slide down into a gully that must come out somewhere.  I minded that I had seen others in that gully and I knew I didn’t want to be stuck in there.  Or … we could climb ever so slightly and come out on my favorite run.  Or so I thought!

Never mind my favorite run was two crests away!  Those crests were separated by ravines.

So up we climbed up … and down.  Then up … and down.  Shyan was beginning to show signs of panic.  This apparent from the ascent up the music scale and increase in volume of her cries of “Aunt Carol, where are we?” and “Aunt Carol, are we lost?”

“No Shyan, we aren’t lost.  We’re at Bogus Basin!”  That was all I was certain of – we were at Bogus Basin and Shyan had a plane to catch to visit her father in Seattle.  Oh, and I was also certain I didn’t know how I had led her to the place I had, nor how I would lead her out!  I hoped Shyan couldn’t hear the panic rising in my own voice.

When things seem really bad, they usually find a way to get just a little bit worse.  That’s how it was when I triggered a mini avalanche sliding fifteen feet down an extremely steep slope.  I had been attempting to lead Shyan to safety, coaxing her to sing “Do as I’m Doing, Follow, Follow Me!” an old Sunday School song, in an attempt to keep her panic at a manageable level. 

The effort required to climb while lugging six-foot-long skis and ski boots on my feet was beginning to exhaust me.  I was hot, so I opened the zipper to my jacket, removed my gloves and hat, and made a fruitless attempt to use my cell phone.  It probably would not have found a signal if the battery had been charged.  We shall never know. 

After my unfortunate slide, I could not see Shyan for she was positioned above me and behind a tree.  My legs began to tremble and I feared that I was exhausted.  Shyan was crying that her leg hurt.  I did not know if she was safe or injured.  I began to panic.  We were alone in an area other skiers were unlikely to venture and I had no way to signal our location.

I could not call for help, and yet I did.  I cried out loud, “Father!  Help me!”  There was no need to explain my predicament, for HE surely knew!  Calmness came over me and my thoughts were clear.  I knew what to do.  I removed my skis and used them much as one would a tree limb hanging over a river bank.  I jammed one into the side of the mountain and then the other pulling myself up and jamming the toes of my boots into the snow with each step – a little higher - slowly climbing to safety.  I slipped a time or two, but never so far back as I had begun and I continued to progress. 

When I arrived at the origination of my decent, I rested a moment, still unsure as to where we should go.  We were lost at Bogus Basin.  I continued to assure Shyan that we were inside Bogus and we couldn’t be lost because Uncle Steve would find us as long as we were still inside Bogus.  I dreaded the moment I faced Uncle Steve!

As I stepped into my skis – a monumental task considering the degree of my fatigue – Shyan pointed to a small rise and asked “Aunt Carol, can we go up there?”  There was a large outcropping of rock on a small knoll.  It looked as good a place as any.  I still had no idea how to get to the safety of the ski lift at the bottom of the hill.  Only one problem, it required a little more climbing!  The snow was very loose and the going precarious but we carefully made our way to the top of the knoll.  I stopped to rest.  My trembling legs welcomed the reprieve.

“Lucky Friday!”  Shyan shouted.

“Huh?”  I panted.  I think it was a Thursday.

“Lucky Friday!” she repeated.

I followed the direction of her outstretched arm and beheld a black ski run sign that read “Lucky Friday.”

“Aunt Carol, can we go there?”   This time she pleaded!

laughed, relieved that we were indeed still at Bogus Basin and we had actually discovered a marked run.  It was a run I dreaded because I knew its location, the black double diamond marker, and the condition of the snow combined to create a challenge I would not welcome even if my legs were fresh, but it was a marked run and it would eventually lead us to safety.

I could not keep up with Shyan as she sped as quickly as her short skis could carry her through the trees to where she knew her mother was surely waiting.  I picked my way through the maze stopping often to rest and make a very ugly, very novice-like turn to avoid a tree.

Much laughter ensued when we emerged from the trees at the bottom of the hill.  It was the nervous laughter of relief, followed by a few tears.  Uncle Steve was nowhere to be seen, for which I was extremely grateful.  The search and rescue had not yet been activated.  I would live!  My nephew, Nathan, Uncle Steve’s boy who grew up on the mountain asked, “Did you see Castle Greyskull?”  Castle Greyskull was the name he and his brother had dubbed the outcropping of rock that Shyan had determined we should follow. 

“Yeah, I guess we did.  And we came out on Lucky Friday!”  I added.

“Did you actually see the Lucky Friday marker?” he asked a little amazed.

“Yeah, we did,” I panted.  “I didn’t know there was a run called Lucky Friday.”

Nathan shook his head and quietly stated, “I’ve never seen the Lucky Friday marker.”

How often do events occur that prove both comical and very earthshaking at the same time?  The family had a lot of laughs about Aunt Carol getting Shyan lost at Bogus Basin.  It is a story that will be told for years amongst the skiing and non-skiing relatives alike.  What a joke!  Carol got lost at Bogus and Shyan had to find the way out!  Yes, we all make light of it.  But for me, it was sobering.  How quickly did I turn the wrong way when I felt certain I knew what I was doing?  How scared did I get before I turned to the only source that could help me?  And even after that, I continued to slip, never so far down as the first time, but it took increased effort and many attempts before I reached my goal.  And what of the child?  In the Book of Mormon it states, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”  (2 Nephi 21:6)  How often does one overlook the faith, optimism, and humility of youth?  I was fortunate.  On that “Lucky Friday,” or Thursday, I was reminded of several lessons, most especially to remember to exercise the humility of a child.

If you enjoyed this post, you can find more essays like it in Milk Cans and Quilt Blocks and Gold Pans and Irons Skillets, available in my Etsy shop and on Amazon.

Happy Running!

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Book Excerpt: Winter Survival

 

 

This one is for my family and friends in the east.  We've got blue skies and promises of spring here in the high desert of southwest Idaho, while many are still battling snow and freezing temps on the other side of the country.  This excerpt from Gold Pans and Iron Skillets is for you.

 

Winter Survival 

Winter survival is not a Boy Scout Merit Badge. It is a fact of life that long winters must be dealt with. There are a number of ways to do this ranging from hibernation to leaving the country. Neither of these options is very practical as one is not a bear, nor can the entire northern half of the country reside in Arizona. Suggestion? Don’t beat winter, enjoy it!

In the land of the Rocky Mountains in the winter there are two things a little girls needs—a pair of ice skates and a pair of snow boots. Oh, and quite possibly a couple of bread sacks to slip over her shoes enabling them to slide into her rubber snow boots. Those were the days!

Water does freeze and remain frozen long enough for outdoor ice skating entertainment. This can be done on a designated ice rink provided by flooding a vacant lot, or by skating on the frozen water remaining in the local irrigation canal, and sometimes on the street if the snow has been packed hard enough! First, one must don a coat, hat and mittens, then pull the bread sacks over her shoes, and stomp them into her snow boots. Then sling a pair of ice skates over her shoulder and brace to face the bitter cold outdoors.

If she is fortunate the trek to the ice rink will be short as her nostrils begin to stick together shortly after venturing outside. Upon reaching the rink she must locate a seat, usually a log or rock, on which to perch while removing her gloves, snow boots, bread sacks, and shoes. Then she must untie the knot joining her ice skate strings together. At this point she may need to pause to insert fingers into her mouth in order to thaw them enough to maintain dexterity. Inserting foot into ice skate, she then laces her skate and secures it with a bow. Again, she pauses for finger thawing then puts on the second skate. After skates are secured she quickly inserts her hands into mittens and puts her shoes and sacks into boots for safekeeping.

It is now time to enjoy the ice. Wobbling carefully onto the rink she soon finds herself caught up in the flow of skating traffic. So long as she remains upright and those around her do the same, she will continue to move in a counter clockwise direction, enjoying the glide of her skate blades across the ice. However, as with any forward moving traffic, there is inevitably a crash. It may be self inflicted or the result of another’s mishap, but the fall will come. If lucky, her feet will come out from under her and she will land on the padded most part of herself. Otherwise, her hands and knees will be the first to make contact with the ice, causing excruciating pain! She will pause to inspect the ice for indentations and cracks before returning to a standing position. When the joy has been had and she can no longer feel the pain of cold in her fingers and toes, it is time to return home. She must first remove her skates.

She removes her mittens as finger thawing must once again take place. It is not as effective as prior to skating for the girl is anxious to get home, and her fingers are much more frozen. Hopefully, she did not tie her skate strings too securely. She unlaces her skates and pries them from her frosty feet. Now, she must insert same feet into chilly shoes, bread sacks, and rubber boots. This process takes much longer than it did indoors prior to her skating venture. Her hands are cold. Her feet are cold. Her shoes, sacks, and boots are cold, thus refusing to slip easily into place. She attempts to tie her skate strings together, but aborts the effort as her fingers are now curled into a scratching claw-like position. She slowly pulls on her mittens, tucks an ice skate under each elbow, and trudges home.

Upon returning home the girl removes all of her outerwear and drops it conveniently just inside the front door where it warms and pools thawed ice all over the floor. Nose running, fingers stinging, and cheeks aflame, she heads immediately to the kitchen sink where someone has convinced her that running her fingers under cold water will warm them. When she can stand it no longer, she dries her hands, as best she can given the fact that they are not very cooperative, and proceeds to find some quiet indoor activity such as a nap.

Similar procedures (minus the skates) are required for snowman building, snow fort construction, and snowball fights. The outdoor gear must be donned and the thawing process occurs after the fun has been had.

What value this outdoor activity? Exercise, fresh air, sunshine, all of which are key to a healthy, happy existence. Esther swears that the winters she sent her children outside to play each day, they never experienced colds or flu. We justify our season ski passes as part of our overall health regimen. (Too bad the IRS doesn’t see it that way.) And it works. We are happier and healthier because we get out in it. Don’t ignore the cold. Don’t fight it. Embrace it. Experience it. Enjoy it. And send me the money saved on doctor visits.

 

Buy it here.

 

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Happy Running!

A little more about Niagara

That's a lot of water! We could use some of it in the Treasure Valley.

If you  read this blog very often then you know that I write about perspective on a regular basis.  If you've followed this week then you know that I visited Niagara Falls recently.  It was breathtaking, both for its beauty and the biting wind!

Ice everywhere.

The riverbed below the falls was full of ice and the mist coated everything in a smooth layer of ice.  It looks like snow, but it is solid! The sign below was found in the visitor's center.

 

Easy directions to follow as this one won't open.

And the ice conditions were truly a problem for doors.  This is a view of the ice filling the pathway outside the entrance.  It's about four feet high - a buildup of ice from the mist of the falls.  Pretty cool, even if it does present "an inconvenience."

 



It's all ice!

 

So ... take a minute and think about the things in your life that are inconvenient.  Perhaps they are just pieces to a bigger, more beautiful picture.

 

Question: What adverse conditions have you experienced that have caused you to grow?

 

Happy Running!



Niagara Falls and Ice!

I wanted to share some of the beautiful wonders of this earth.  The Lord has truly blessed us.  We had an opportunity to visit Niagara Falls for the first time.  It was winter.  It was COLD! It was such a beautiful sight, even amidst the freezing mist. Ice was everywhere.  Here is a view from the Canada side.

All that white stuff in the foreground looks like snow, but it is ice. The second view explains itself.  

I am reminded of a hymn ...

 "For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,"
Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835-1917


I am grateful for the varied landscapes and climates, even the sagebrush desert where I live, that beautifies this place we've been given to live out our mortal existence.

    

Mountains, beaches and deserts make this an interesting and wonderful world! 

Question: What are some of your favorite places? Please feel free to sound off in the comments below.

Happy Running!
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A few words about cold weather running

Cold weather running has taught me to be patient during times of difficulty. Either the trial will pass or I will gain strength to overcome it. Unfortunately, unlike running, it is difficult to measure how long patience must be exercised during life’s difficulties. When I run in the cold, I can expect that by the time I have completed the first mile, my digits will no longer feel frozen. Life experiences are not quite so predictable, but if you keep running or enduring, sometime the pain may become bearable.

You can read more about the lessons I've learned while running in The Hard Run: Painful Lessons from a Running Granny.

Happy Running!

Adversity

 

 

This photo was taken after a thunderstorm during the Grand Teton Relay 2014.  The weather cooled a bit and the light patterns were beautiful.  The quote is from The Hard Run: Painful Lessons from a Running Granny. I thought the two went well together!

 

 

Enjoy and Happy Running!

 

Keep a Candle Burning

This Christmas Eve I am sharing a story many of you may have read before.  It was included in my first book, Gold Pans and Iron Skillets.  This is a true story from Christmas in 1983. 

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Keep a Candle Burning

Candles have been used in the modern era mostly for ambiance. I don’t recall mood candles during my youth. Mostly, candles were used during power outages, a common occurrence in Southeast Idaho—the wind, you see. It seems it was after I moved away that Esther developed an affinity for candles. (If she had in fact used them previously, I in my self-absorbed teenage existence had not noticed.) Whenever I returned home for a visit, there would be a candle burning, often in my room.

A candle has many uses other than lighting. They are also valuable for mood setting, covering odors of deep fried foods or camouflaging mouse infestations, and message sending.

Message sending. This is not in reference to smoke signals, although a candle may suffice in a pinch. The messages sent by lighted candles are simple unspoken words of love. For me, a candle communicates, “Welcome Home.” Never was Esther’s lighted candle so appreciated as it was Christmastime 1983.

Bonnie, the Baby, and I were traveling home from Southwest Idaho to Southeast Idaho for Christmas. Young, single, and not very wise nor well-prepared, we were anxious to hurry home for the holidays and left Boise at 5:00 pm in a light snowstorm on December 23. The trouble with light snowstorms in Southwest Idaho is not only Southwestern Idahoans’ lack of winter driving experience, but also the fact that the storm’s counterpart in Southeast Idaho is most likely a blizzard.

The light snowstorm increased in severity as we traveled eastward. Halfway between our point of departure and our destination, at about 7:30 pm, the storm became so vigorous that the gas line in Bonnie’s Mustang began to freeze up. When this phenomenon occurs, the engine behaves as if the fuel tank is empty and the vehicle comes to a stop. Being quite familiar with the behavior of empty gas tanks, I proceeded to berate her for neglecting to fuel the car. She assured me this was not the case and we began to strategize. Hazards on. Wait patiently for help. Surely someone would come to the rescue. One problem. Folks don’t like to stop on freeways in blizzards at night. Second problem. Folks have difficulty seeing in blizzards. Third problem. Hazard lights don’t last long in blizzards.

The whiteout was severe enough that we could not determine our exact location. Not that it would do any good as this was in the days before cell phones. We waited. Our only hope was to attract attention and communicate the need for help. We began taking turns standing behind the car and waving the only signal item we had, a white grocery bag! We prayed. As the hazard lights were beginning to dim, we prayed some more and gave up on the white flag waving.

We were becoming most discouraged when not one, but two vehicles transporting Good Samaritans stopped to lend a hand. We were offered a ride to town, where we enlisted the help of a garage and tow truck. Bonnie then returned to the scene, accompanying the tow truck driver in an attempt to locate our abandoned vehicle. Several hours later the gas line was thawed and we continued our trek across state. As we reentered the freeway, we discovered that the blizzard was continuing to rage. The white out persisted, but we miraculously arrived home about 2:30 am December 24. As we pulled into the drive, I caught sight of a candle still burning in the window. What a relief! Its flickering glow seemed to communicate, “I’m waiting.”

Esther’s version of the story is quite different as she was the lighter of the candle. She has spoken of the relief experienced when she observed the glow of the Mustang’s headlights coming up the road. She saw the lights and knew we were safe.

Now I don’t know if those burning candles were used to set a mood, cover up the odor of a seldom used basement, or send a message, but they were a comfort to me. My own children are maturing and have occasion to be away from home. I have taken up the torch, as it were. A lighted candle now burns while I await their safe return. Mood setting? Maybe. Mostly, I burn the candle in remembrance of the relief it granted me, as a connection to my own mother concerned for the safe travel of her offspring, and to foster a tradition that I am certain my children will not fully understand until they have youngsters of their own venturing forth into the world. Maybe they too, will say a prayer and light a candle to beckon, “Welcome Home.”

I wish you all a safe and Happy Christmas!

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

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