Crazy week!

Sunday, February 24, 2013 · Mike Davis

Wow what a crazy time in the running world! The weather has caused the cancelation of the Half at the Hamptons, people are scurrying to get signed up for the next opportunity and today the streets had runners everywhere! I honestly have not seen as many people running during the winter in New Hampshire as I have this year. Last year would have made sense as the roads were predominantly clear and the temperatures were mild. This winter has been less than desirable much of the time, but people haven’t been deterred. A quick editorial on the cancelation of the Half at the Hamptons: If the proceeds are going toward a charity, I would be okay with not returning the entry fee, but in this particular race I believe a majority of the proceeds are not going to a charity. That I don’t agree with, but that’s my opinion. Confession of a runner: Today I was determined to go easy as my legs continue to recover from Thursday’s interval training. My first mile was a 10 minute mile and that was perfect, from that point on I never looked down at my watch, instead I just took it easy as I ran the streets of Dover. My goal was to stay in my low heart rate zone and get through the run feeling good. I stayed with the plan and had no idea what my pace was until I downloaded my data to my computer. My heart rate averaged 135, which is probably on the high side of my low zone, but much to my surprise I ran a 9:23 pace overall. Not really a fast pace, but considering how I have felt lately, it was faster than I felt I was going. I attribute that to the weekly interval training as I am running a bit faster at a lower heart rate. I am using heart rate to help me train and I find that it to be helpful in controlling my pace. I am also using it to help one of my clients to control her speed workouts and she seems to like that she doesn’t have to figure out her pace. I will do more heart rate training with clients in the future as I feel that no matter if you are training for a 5K or a marathon, you can benefit from using zone training. Last week I was contacted by Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) the national running club that certifies running coaches, oversees local running clubs and is basically the face of running at the national level. They have a state representation for every state and asked if I would be willing to represent the state of New Hampshire. Essentially I would represent the running clubs in NH that are affiliated with RRCA and be a conduit for the state as far as RRCA. I was apprehensive at first as I am quite busy with coaching, but the opportunity to help the entire state running community is a great opportunity! I have accepted and I hope that I can further grow the running culture in the state. So today is the end of a crazy week for me and probably many of you. Keep running and enjoy the winter!