Coffee and chat with the coach

Wednesday, August 06, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning and happy Wednesday! Do you ever feel like you are a character in the Twilight Zone? Between life as a fulltime Guardsman, working with the Runners Alley 10K training group and coaching a sizeable group of individuals, I am struggling a bit to know what day it is! I would like to say it will get better, but I just found out last night that the Runners Alley Half Marathon training group will be starting up a week early, so that means next week we will have 10K training Monday – Wednesday and half marathon training Tuesday – Thursday! Holly Cow is right! No worries, my energy level is up to the task and excited about meeting a new training group. No doubt we will have some familiar faces and that’s always great, but I also look forward to some new faces as well. If you need some guidance to your first half marathon, come on out to Runner’s Alley Portsmouth next Tuesday night and join in! This year’s training groups have been fantastic, with many super runners that have been a blast to work with. This group that we are training for the Saunders 10K has been so much fun to work with. Attendance for the most part has been 90 percent or better and effort has been 100 percent. Each group that we work with teaches me something and with this one I am learning much about acts of appreciation. While most runners express their appreciation for the help we give to them, there are a few in this group that make it a point to thank us every time we get together. That is so sweet and if I think back to my beginnings as a coach, that enjoyment I got from helping others is what led to my coaching career. Having worked with well over 200 runners now, I find such great reward in helping people become the runners they desire to be. This morning I was up early and at the track with Sarah who was adding another element to her marathon training and Sarah’s attitude just blows my sox off! Last week Sarah reached out to me and wanted to discuss her current training. This one particular comment was one that I will never forget and meant a lot to me. Sarah relayed how she had been doing her own thing as far as training and then compared what she was doing with some others that are training for the same event. Suddenly she became panicked that she was not preparing adequately and instantly thought “I need to contact Mike!” What a cool honor it is that people I have worked with in the past have such great belief in me that I come to mind when they need help with their running. I am so fortunate for all the opportunities I have had to work with runners of all levels and when I get someone that comes back it is really something special. I even feel honored that I have current clients that have been with NFLR for multiple years and still find value in the services we provide. In the end NFLR is totally about the individual runner and how to help them succeed. For me another part of it is the great friendships that come about as we work with each runner. That can make it difficult as friendships can compromise smart decision making, but we try to advise our clients solely on what is best for them. Well time to get a moving. Mike