Friday Coffee and Chat

Friday, January 29, 2016 · Mike Davis

Good morning! Friday is here! Last week at this time I was settling in for a good ole blizzard and I would not be disappointed and a week later most of the east coast is preparing for near 60 degree weather! I am struggling because I pretty much put most of my running shorts in storage and yet I have needed them far more than I have not! So I had to add a couple pair of cheapies to my wardrobe. I am actually kind of dumb (probably don’t need to tell you that) because, knowing that I would be running on occasion on a treadmill should have made me realize to keep a few pair with me. So be it, I guess an active guy can never have enough running/workout shorts. This has been a weird week for my running because of the blizzard and it wasn’t till Tuesday that I finally able to find a place to get in a nice long run. Because that run Tuesday took a lot out of me I needed a recovery day Wednesday, I wasn’t back at it till last night. I could have easily run outside yesterday but, I wanted to do so repeats and without a track and knowledge of a good place to run repeats, I went to the base fitness center. It is a very busy place and people often have to wait for a treadmill but, I was lucky to get right on one. I like doing repeats, reason being I get my mile warmup done and then things move pretty quickly. My goal was to run ten 400 meter repeats around 7:35- 7:40 pace and that was pretty challenging. On my ninth repeat I felt a quick something in the groin that has been nagging me at times but, it seemed to be okay. As I did my recovery and readied for my final repeat I thought about the possibility of that next one being one to many and set me back again, so I happily cooled down and celebrated the success of doing 9 pretty hard repeats. Walked away feeling good and besides some tired legs, I feel great! As a running coach I prefer our runners finish when they feel great and even if that means listening to their body and cutting it short. Because my schedule is off a little I am thinking an easy 60 minutes on Saturday and then possibly back at the C & O Canal trail on Sunday for another 90 minutes. Unlike Tuesday I will be better nourished beforehand and look to have a better run both physically and mentally. It is not totally a bad idea on occasion to run hungry as it teaches our bodies to manage with less fuel and that can be valuable training for longer distances when fuel becomes an issue. While that was partly my strategy Tuesday, I also need to feel better right now about that distance so nourishment is important. This morning after I am done chatting I want to get on my strength training so that tonight can be a nice relaxing evening with no demands on my physically. I have enough equipment in my apartment here that I can do a nice strength training workout so it is very convenient for me and there are no excuses! If I am able to execute the next 3 days as I have laid out I will be extremely pleased. As I mentioned earlier it looks like we have some pretty mild temps along the east coast coming our way. Here in DC we are looking at the 60s and in the Northeast, you all in New Hampshire will enjoy a few days in the 50s. Crazy weather and while disappointing to some I am sure most runners will enjoy taking advantage of the no so winter running! I say take advantage of the next 10 days as we all know that February can turn to typical New England weather pretty quickly! I am going to get moving with my strength training before I tell myself I don’t have enough time this morning. Don’t forget the great opportunity to get a Pilates class in down at the Center on Tuesday (6pm). Pilates is so valuable and a great way to improve your running. Our class with Erica is definitely a favorite because it is low stress and lots of fun. Check it out and the drop in fee of $10 is also the best deal you will find! Time to get moving! Have a great weekend! God Bless! Mike