I’ve always been a breakfast girl, but I’m trying to move beyond toast (I still love toast. Yum).  I like this recipe for granola from The Blue Rock Bed and Breakfastin Millersville, Pennsylvania, but I think the addition of dried fruit – either diced apricots, cranberries or raisins -would make the dish even healthier and definitely heartier. Dried fruit and nuts are important in a runner’s diet due to both their nutritional content and the healthy fats they possess.  Those fats equal longer-lasting energy, which is vital on long training runs.

Breakfast Granola

Ingredients:
Mix together in large bowl:
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seed
1 cup wheat germ
½ cup sesame seed
1 cup peanuts (or chopped walnuts)

Bring to a boil:
1 cup honey
½ cup oil
1 Tbl spn cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Instructions:
Poor honey misture over try ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spread on two greased cookie sheets or cake pans.
Bake 30 minutes at 325 F. Stir mixture every 10 minutes (for even browning).
Allow to cool UNDISTURBED FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
Then break apart and store in an air tight container..

Makes 2 quarts.

Recipe credit: Blue Rock Bed and Breakfast and BnBfinder.com

Post from: Blisstree

Runner’s Fuel – Homemade Granola

When the Olympics opened on 08/08/08, one of the first things that I heard was that the marathon event might be canceled due to poor air quality.  What a relief for the athletes that they were able to compete. To qualify and then not be able to compete, well I can’t imagine how much that would suck.  All those years of work for nothing.

I’m a runner, not a marathoner or an elite athlete – I run local events.  I spent the first 12 years of my life running everywhere, usually in some form of play, because it was fun.  I spent the next 28 years doing my best to avoid running. It was harder to run as I got older, it began to feel less like fun and more like work. 

I decided to try running again 4 months before my 40th birthday.  I was out of shape and a trainer I talked to at my health club suggested a walk-to-run program.  Every step was a test of my willpower – I wanted to stop and on every run the words, “This might not be a good idea,” ran through my head.  I worked very hard to replace those words with, “Just keep going, just keep going, just keep going….”   I ran my first event, a 10K that November.  As I approached the finish line, my then 8-year-old ran out to meet me and we crossed the line together. It was pretty cool and the whole thing made me cry (as many things do).  I was so proud of myself.

If you are a runner and single, think about joining your local running club.  It is a great place to meet other like-minded men and women in your area.  Many people say the same thing, “I don’t want to meet someone in a bar.” Running is about as far from bar hopping as you can get, unless of course, you are looking for a running event that features beer breaks, because some areas offer those, as well.   

Running clubs and running events attract people of all ages and although I know I will never be an Olympic athlete like Dathan Ritzenhein or Ryan Hall, I do hope that if I hang in there and keep running, eventually my age bracket will thin out a bit and someday, I just may place.  Somebody has to win the over 70 class, after all. 

Post from: Blisstree

The Many Benefits of Running