Coffee and Chat with Coach Dj

Wednesday, December 21, 2016 · Mike Davis

Weathering the treadmill.

We experienced some pretty crazy weather here in the Northeast over the past week.
Extreme cold, followed by heavy snow, and then freezing rain meant that getting outside to run over the weekend was just not a safe option.
After having to cancel our Winter Pacers run Saturday morning due to heavy snow, Sunday morning we awoke to freezing rain - but I managed to safely make my way to the local gym because I knew I needed to get a run in. I put in an hour at Conversational Pace on the treadmill accompanied by another NFLR runner, Jeanette Brown. More on Jeanette a little later on...

While I was on the treadmill, I was thinking about how much easier it is, for me personally, to have someone else to run with to pass the time, especially on the “dreadmill” as some may call it. Now I might still have said to Jeanette “Have we really only been going for 30 minutes?!” etc., but regardless it still made the hour go by much easier than if I had been there by myself. Some runners love the feeling of running solo, which I don’t mind at times, but my love of running first started in a group setting and since that first spark of running-love, no matter how much I love to run I still find that my strongest motivation is within a group setting and that is just fine with me.
I recently listened to a running podcast that featured actress Andrea Barber. You probably know her as Kimmy Gibbler – the annoying neighbor next door on the TV show “Full House”. In the podcast, “Andrea talks about how she became a runner, how it helped her cope after her divorce, and how the sport has given her so much in return—confidence, community” and so on. Her running story is like my own in a few ways, one of which is that she also started running solo, but soon found that that the community and group setting was a great addition to her life.
No Finish Line Running has certainly been a very big part of my life for the past few years, and hopefully many more to come! At NFLR we pride ourselves on the fun, community feeling of our training groups that may be the only local program led by RRCA certified running coaches. We truly love running. Personally, I enjoy sharing my love of running with others and I love having someone else to enjoy a run with, whether it’s on pavement or a treadmill.

Ah, the treadmill…
So Sunday morning I made arrangements with one of our Winter Pacers, Jeanette, to meet at a local gym for a “group” treadmill run. Jeanette previously joined NFLR as a part of our corporate training group with Stonewall Kitchen, led this year by myself and another of the NFLR coaches, Amy. This was Jeanette’s second year in the Stonewall Kitchen training group – which runs through the spring/beginning of summer and wraps up with the Saunders 10K in Rye, NH. Jeanette finished her 10K strong and with a huge smile on her face, taking 6 minutes off of her time from last year. I must say that I was and still am very proud of her finish that day and I continue to be proud of her as she progresses as a runner. After the Saunders in August, Jeanette continued on with NFLR’s White Mountain Milers Half Marathon and Relay training group, and ran her very first ½ marathon in North Conway on October 30th. She is a dedicated runner and it has been great watching her make big strides in her training. She certainly helped keep me going on Sunday morning while we ran our 60 minutes on the treadmill. It was nice to not only have a partner to run with, but when we run outside together Jeanette and I typically run at different paces and we and don’t get to run and “converse” with each other, so it was great to catch up with her also.
I know I’m not the only runner who would prefer the outdoors over the treadmill, but the treadmill does have its advantages, and getting to catch up at conversation pace with a friend is only one of them!

While we have 2 more group runs with the Winter Pacers before Christmas that I am excited for I am also looking forward to my yearly solo-run on Christmas day.
The past few years the weather has been unseasonably warm on Christmas Day here in Maine and New Hampshire, giving me the chance to take a break in the festivities (while the rest of my family naps!) and get outside to have some time to reflect on the previous year as I get ready to welcome a new. Right now the forecast is calling for temps in the 40’s so I may just get my yearly solo run in once again!

I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a joyous New Year!
Just keep running!

-Dj