Another Year Older and Maybe a Little Smarter

Sunday, February 19, 2017 · Mike Davis

Good morning!

Pull up your chair and coffee and join me for a birthday chat.

Today, I turn 54 years of age. Hard to fathom on many levels and yet I am okay with it. I won’t reminisce about 53, but I will say that it was a year of amazing challenges and amazing growth. Year 54 will be a great year and one that I am excited about! Learning valuable lessons this past year, will benefit me moving forward. My faith, my marriage, continued education, and my fitness are all areas that I am far more in tune with and it is exciting to be me.

Yesterday, I set out for an unknown run and 75 or so minutes later, I slowed to a cooldown walk and I was quite pleased with my final run as a 53-year old. The overall pace was not particularly impressive, but the fact that I enjoyed every step of the run, made it perfect. Not to brag, but the weather was in the 50s when I started and nearly 60s when I finished. I honestly would have been okay if it were snowy and 20, but I will not complain. Much of my run was focused on my posture (check out Wednesday’s chat), keeping my head and back in alignment, as well as keeping my scapula down (no shoulder earrings). I was definitely far from perfect, but, it is a process that requires awareness and constant attention initially. I also worked on my cadence, which has been regularly around 171 steps per minute, which is not bad, but my goal is to get my average closer to 180. Not easy with my big heavy feet, and something that will take effort, both physically and mentally. Cadence is a good way of shortening your stride and being a little quicker off the ground and both of those are important in healthier running form. I am pretty good at analyzing others gait form and helping them to correct it, but I have to really work at my own.

The Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot was non-existent until around the 50-minute mark and even then, it did not bother me all that much. Last night I should have rolled with ice, but dumb me did not freeze any dixy cups of water, so no icing. I rolled it with a golf ball along the fascia before bed and that does help. The boot continues to be a challenge as I have been waking up regularly around 2:30am and tearing it off! For some reason about that time it really irritates my foot. I must get through a few nights with it somehow.

It is pretty cool that I better understand better how my muscles work and even the function of fascia. This understanding definitely benefits my overall exercise functioning and will also help with our NFLR clients. Monday, we have a test on the shoulder girdle, shoulder joint, and all the muscles, tendons and joints in the elbow, wrist, and hand. While the upper body is not as critical to running as the lower, it still is very important and relevant in healthy running. In the weeks to come we will be studying the lower half of the body and if I learn as much as I have about the upper body, I will be a better running coach. This is all a huge challenge to me, but I keep working at it and I have no doubt that it will be invaluable to me.

Getting back to my turning 54 today. I have always wanted to be in better shape when I blowout another bunch of candles and I haven’t always been successful with that goal. Today, I feel physically great and I am lighter than I have been in a few years, so am I in better shape than I was last year at this time? I honestly do not know, but I do know that I am eating smarter, I understand fitness better, but more importantly, I have a better appreciation for balance in my life. My faith, my wife, family and even friends, come before my need to run or workout and that’s an important improvement. Yesterday’s run, was going to be thrown off, as I agreed to have breakfast with a new friend and I was okay with that and even looked forward to it. He canceled at the last minute, and I ended up getting a run in, but I would have traded that great run for the breakfast. Being 54 is not a bad thing, I am much better equipped to value those that are important to me and enjoy all that I am blessed with. Who could ask for anymore!

Time to get ready for church.

God Bless and have a great Sunday!

Mike