Here, there and everywhere!

Friday, March 15, 2013 · Mike Davis

The slow grind to Friday continues…. Working in the NH Air National Guard is certainly a great job and a blessing but once a month when I have to work through a weekend and often 11 straight days can really be a challenge. As I get older the day after day of getting up seems to get a little more difficult. This particular stretch of days has also included some of my more aggressive runs and workouts as well, so that’s a lot for me. I dare not complain though as there are people out there that do some amazing things to make ends meet and certainly could put me to shame. This week has been a solid week of both running and strength training so far. Tuesday I was able to run 800 meter intervals outside along the streets of Dover. Interval training while quite challenging is a fantastic workout to add to any running plan. I try to do some type of interval run each week or at least Fartleks which are quite similar. Both help with building aerobic and anaerobic capacity, as well as burning some calories. My choice of 800 meters is usually my norm though often I will run intervals of time such as 6 minute repeats. 800 meter or 6 minute intervals are both helpful with my goal of maintaining a base of 8 to 9 miles. If I were trying to improve my 5K time I would probably cut the intervals down to 400 meters, but right now I am trying to get stronger in longer distances. My intervals this week were certainly more challenging as I ran through some hilly areas that give me some added benefit. Last night I met with Ashley to talk about the finial couple weeks of her March training and some strategy. She’s battling a sore throat and other flu like symptoms so I encouraged her to do nothing the remainder of the week with hopes of being healthy by Saturday or even pushing her long run to Sunday. Her training has gone so well that I decided to make her long run on Saturday a little more challenging and added a few more minutes to her next hill workout. Her determination is such that she is more than willing to take on the additional challenges I presented her. I have really enjoyed working with Ashley as she is willing to listen, trust and push when I challenge her. In fact over the past 6 months I have been fortunate to have some great clients that have made my job really fun! Yesterday I ran into Zoe who I have coached twice to the finish line of a half marathon. It’s such a nice feeling to see someone I worked with and enjoyed immensely. The great part of my job is seeing all the people around that I have worked with and enjoyed many great moments. Zoe is a proud mother who wants to be a great role model for her little baby girl. That’s what’s it’s about!