Friday coffee and Chat

Friday, August 30, 2013 · Mike Davis

Good morning and thanks for sitting down to coffee with me. Joyfully today is the beginning to a 4 day weekend for me at the base. Not necessarily 4 days off as I have another job and that would be the running coach business. Not that I view being a running coach as a job but it still requires much of my time even if I am enjoying it. This morning I slept in till 6:15 but have to be up to go to physical therapy in Saco. I must say the work I'm doing with the great folks at Orthopedic Associates is making a difference on my gait and my hip. I'm also learning a great deal about how everything works. Last night we had a guest visitor that spent 30 minutes with us prior to our group run and talked about nutrition. I always try to schedule a nutritionist at least once for every group as most people (me included) fail that part of our training. Despite what we would like to believe we can't out run what we eat. Meaning; the food we put into our bodies directly impact our weight, moods and running feel. Running feel might technically be "running performance" but I will use running feel because it might be easier for people to relate too. The importance of eating good carbs, proteins and fats bares itself out when we start moving those running shoes. Optimal performance (feel) is directly related to just a few factors with a huge one being how we fuel our body. If you want to feel energized and lighter having a good amount of glycogen (carbs) and some protein in your body will do the trick. The flip side would be the effect of sugar that only spikes your energy and ultimately leaves you short of fuel rather quickly. So you end up feeling tired, sore, depleted and leaves you seeking more sugar. Another bonus of a good nutritional diet is how you feel daily. Are you feeling tired a lot, you might want to look at what you're eating? Again sugars may give us some joy as we eat them, but they ultimately drag us down and we get into of a cycle of wanting more. This not only works against our moods and energy level, but also helps to add on those calories. Think fruit, nuts and other snacks that will help your body feel good, as well as improve your desire (motivation) to workout or more importantly "run!" Make some slight changes to your diet and pay attention to how you feel. Running can feel much better if you are fueled and feeling good. Easier to be motivated if you feel strong, energized and fueled! Enjoy that coffee! mike