Great news!

Guest Bloggers coming soon!

 

I am happy to share some good news with you.  First, the Panther Girls Cross Country team earned first place at the district meet last night for the third year running.  Congratulations to them!  Hard work does pay off – a little talent helps, too. The boys’ team will also be going to the state meet after placing third.  Go Panthers!

In other news I am excited about something I am adding to this site.  I will be featuring a weekly Guest Blogger on Thursdays.  I have an interesting assortment of friends and I want to share some of them with you.  They are not all runners.  Some are exercise enthusiasts of a different sort, some are writers, and others might be great cooks!  This much I can promise – what they share will be positive and informative.  You might just find a new friend for yourself.

Stop by tomorrow to meet my first Guest Blogger, Jennifer, and learn what she has to say about “Me” time.

And in further news, I will be spending most of today writing, editing, and working on some cover ideas for my next book.  I promise to announce the title very soon! 

Happy Running!

Summer running by example

Come run with us!

Open summer runs for the cross country team began last night.  “Open” runs are optional – show up if you can, feel guilty if you can’t.  “Open” also means anyone can join us.  They don’t have to belong to the team.  We had as many adults present as kids.  That is great and here is why …

I learned a long time ago that a good leader, even a great leader won’t ask those he is attempting to lead to do anything he is unwilling to do himself. Let me word that a different way … Great leaders teach and lead by participating in the very thing they require of their subjects or students. 

This is especially effective on the cross country course.  An adult that has logged as many miles and traveled the same route as the young athlete, perhaps a little slower, gains the athlete’s respect and attention. Respect because they both know how difficult the task at hand, and attention because the athlete can be confident in the adult’s knowledge and experience. This holds true whether that adult is a coach or a parent. Surely, the adult knows what it feels like to want to quit, have lungs that burn, and legs that cramp. The adult also knows that the discomfort will end when the race is over and he can reassure the athlete that they are doing fine. 

It’s a simple concept and one we’ve all heard.  “Teach your kids how to work by working alongside them.” Yes, we’ve heard it, but sometimes we forget.  We want to dictate.  We want to make assignments and hope they get carried out properly. We justify by saying, “Do as I say and not as I do.”  Then we wonder why we have trouble leading.

To all the brave adults out there teaching by example I say, “Carry on.  You have it figured out!” And if you are a running adult I say,

“Happy Running!”

I'm still running ...

Boy!  Time slips by when you have a lot of projects underway!  It’s time for a Running Granny update.  Yes, I have been running, but I am in that lull between Cross Country season and Race Season.  Cold weather can be a deterrent, but that’s not my excuse.  I usually don more clothes and brave the cold.  It’s all the other distractions that make me struggle.  The Christmas season is always a distraction – busy, busy, busy!  I kept running, mostly out of fear that I would expand like a balloon what with all the reasons to celebrate with food!  I’ve been writing and editing and publishing.  Finally!  I took a little trip to the tropics.  You can get a brief overview with photos HERE.  While in Maui I found time for two runs.  I even used MapMyRun just to prove I was there.  We also managed to work in a nice hike to this waterfall.  Beautiful! 

Now I am back in the saddle again, as the old cowboy sang - still running, hoping to be skiing, marketing this new book, and gearing up to write the next one.  Readers of this blog might look forward to it.  I haven’t determined a title yet, but runners will be able to relate and I hope that non-runners will enjoy it, too.  I am hoping that it will inspire folks to push through pain a little more and learn from the uncomfortable experiences they have already endured.  I will keep you all posted on the progress. 

In the meantime, Happy Running!

Mrs. Green's Power Cookie Recipe Reveal



It’s here!  The big Power Cookie Recipe Reveal is here! It really isn’t a secret recipe and the power in the cookie is merely in the mind.  Power Cookies help you run faster because you “think” they help.  That and the carb boost you get from the oatmeal in them.  These cookies are a favorite of the Parma Cross Country Team and a staple in the Green Household.  Give them a try!

Mrs. Green’s Power Cookies

1 ½ C Brown Sugar
1 ½ C Sugar
1 C Butter Flavor Crisco (Do not substitute!)
3 Eggs
3 Tbs. Milk
1 Tbs. Vanilla
4 C Flour (Add more if the dough seems too loose.)
1 ½ tsp each of baking soda, baking powder, salt
2 C Old Fashioned Oats
12 oz. bag of semisweet chocolate chips

 Cream together sugars and the Crisco.  Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add one cup of flour, baking powder, salt, and soda and mix well.  Add oatmeal and mix until blended.  Mix in the rest of the flour and add chocolate chips. Bake for 11 minutes in 350◦ oven. Hide them!

*For “healthier” cookies you can substitute 2 cups whole wheat flour for two cups white flour and dried cranberries or raisins for chocolate chips.

 To learn more about the power of a cookie, read “Can a Cookie Cure a Cold?” in Gold Pans and Iron Skillets.

Enjoy!

Find more of my favorite recipes HERE.

Question: Do you have a favorite recipe to share?  Comment below.


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.

Tuning In ...

Dr. Seuss is credited with, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”  That is how I feel about cross country season.  In fact, there are days when I smile because it’s over! The changing of the seasons is always a challenge for me.  I am never quite ready for it to be this hot, cold, or windy.  Running doesn’t escape the challenge.  I have to adjust from the very social and consistent running of cross country practice to a solitary and admittedly sporadic winter running regimen. It isn’t sad, it’s just different and it takes me a week or two to adjust.

I have rediscovered one of my forgotten running buddies, Alan Jackson.  Because I now have an iPhone, I use the MapMyRun app and have a very encouraging female voice in my ear every half mile to give me pace and distance updates. This week I changed things up a bit and included Brad Paisely in my tight circle of running friends.  Here is one of my new favorite tunes!

 

We can fight change, or we can embrace it.  The choice is ours.

To run or not to run?

I’ve been avoiding the run for a couple days.  I don’t know if it was the letdown after our trip to State Cross Country or if the change in weather had something to do with it, but I’ve had trouble getting out the door.  The fact is, now that cross country season has ended, I don’t have an obligation to run each weekday afternoon.  I have told myself that the afternoon practice kind of interrupts my day and I look forward to running in the mornings again. When the opportunity came, however, I was back to making a decision – every day. I decided to skip it for a couple of days! 

Parma Girls XC Team 2013

I made the decision last night that I would run this morning.  Morning came and I began to assess the weather and determine if I had a head cold that was bad enough to keep me off the streets.  This was silly because I have often gone for cold weather runs and I am a believer that a little exercise lessens the severity of a cold. I wasn’t completely committed to a morning run, but I chose to don my running gear while I went through the motions of my morning routine – making the bed, cleaning up the breakfast dishes, doing some laundry, checking to see how many views my recent blog post has earned, and so on.

Parma Boys XC Team 2013

I knew that this simple act would bring me closer to the front door.  Just as muscle memory workouts help us perform better in competition, the look and feel of my running clothes helped my mind prepare for the next step.  It worked!  I went for a run and it was great!  It wasn’t my longest or fastest run, but it was effective and I felt better afterwards.

I do this with other aspects of my life.  It’s often easy to talk myself out of any given project because I don’t feel up to it, or it isn’t convenient, or it might be uncomfortable.  When I simply dive in and get the job done, it often proves to be satisfying and not nearly as difficult as anticipated. Sometimes just going through the motions is the jump start I need.

What helps you tackle those things you would rather not face?

It's Fall. What's your excuse?

It's Fall! I don't know why I think I should have time to report about running during this busy season.  The daylight gets shorter and the work load gets longer.  Here is a list of excuses for my silence.

1. Harvesting the garden.
2. Canning - tomatoes, hot pepper jelly, mandarin sauce, and chicken
3. Lawn care.  Cooler temps and a little precipitation make for rapid grass growth.
4. Football.
5. Running - daily with the XC Team.
6. XC Meets.
7. Cookie baking - for the XC Team.
8. Examining toes for shedding nails.  They are still hanging in there!
9. Wondering what on earth I could possible write about!

That just about covers it. Now I am off to run in the rain with the XC Team!  Happy Fall!

I've been busy living life and neglecting the blog!

I realized the other day that life is what is happening while I'm not writing.  Well, I haven't been writing much so here is a bit of what I have been doing.

I have been picking tomatoes so I can eat this!

Tomatoes, Mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinegar!

 And removing my toe polish so I can examine the nails that are going to fall off.

This is what happens while training for half marathons

 

 

And covering them with blue polish so nobody can see the nasty nails!

Much better!

 

And running with these folks ...

XC Team ready for a trail run

So I can hang out with these guys..

 

And do this!


Yup, that's me!

 

It's a tough life!



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!

Running is Contagious

I think it is catching on! Our Cross Country team seems to be growing almost daily.  Four new runners showed up for practice yesterday.  We will see if they return today. I hope they do.  I will feed them cookies!

Maybe it is the lure of pre-race pasta dinners, or the success of previous teams.  Maybe they just want an opportunity to try something new without getting run over by a bigger teammate or hit in the face with a volleyball.  Maybe they like the other athletes on the team, or they simply love sweating for miles in the 90◦ weather.  Whatever the case, our team is growing and it is great!  They are learning healthy habits that, if continued, will benefit them for a lifetime. 

Oh, and they get to eat these cookies with chocolate chips instead of cranberries!

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.

Cross Country Practice Begins

Securing their timing chips at State Cross Country 2011

Cross country practice began today.  I’m not a coach, but I do volunteer to help with the team.  That means I run with them and try to encourage the stragglers.  The trouble is I am often one of the stragglers.  Running with high school kids is a challenge!  I am already looking forward to the day the middles school runners begin practicing in a couple weeks.  Some of them are more my speed.

It isn’t the mileage that gets to me.  I can go the distance.  The speed, however, is a bit more challenging.  We only ran a total of four miles today and my legs are already crying at me.  I know … it’s good to push myself.  (I preach that all the time.)

Something I enjoy most about cross country, aside from watching kids learn how to push themselves, is the camaraderie amongst the team.  Maybe it has something to do with mutual respect as each runner knows the effort involved in the sport.  Chatting with a teammate while logging miles and miles is sure to build a friendship.  Maybe it is an “us against them” attitude fostered by the lack of popularity and glory associated with cross country.  Spectators are welcome, but they, too, will be called upon to log a few miles if they hope to view much of any race.  Whatever the cause, cross country athletes bond together and cheer one another on towards achievement.  They become friends much like family and they take pride in the fact that while other athletes are punished with a mile run they can say, “A mile run?  That’s just our warm-up.”