Jack Daniels for Runners

Sunday, November 08, 2015 · Mike Davis

Good afternoon! Another whirlwind stretch for the coach. Thursday I returned from a short trip to Ohio, spent one night in Dover, left the next day (Friday) for NY City where I spent the night and spent Saturday at a Jack Daniels seminar/ certification. The class ended around 5:45 pm and I jumped in my truck and trekked mostly 95 south, eventually pulling into Joint Base Andrews in Washington DC. I am now unpacked and settled on base where I will work for the next 30 days or so. Certainly a hectic few days however, it has all been great! Of course my priority was to get my coffee maker up and running and with that done I can sit and chat for a few. As I said, I spent yesterday in NY City at a Jack Daniels seminar and certification course. When most people hear the name Jack Daniels they more often than not think about whiskey and not so much about running. I am definitely not a whiskey drinker and for me the name “Jack Daniels” insights a considerable amount of reverence. Mr. Daniels is arguably the greatest running mind and coach in the history of the sport. His resume is not filled with the top runners in world so much but, he has impacted many of the great runners as well as numerous collegians. He himself was an Olympian, not in running but in the Pentathlon where he won a bronze medal. Besides being a great coach, Daniels is also a science guy that studies the sport of running from a level that fits perfectly with the No Finish Line Running “Intelligent training” philosophy. Today when you read or hear that 180 steps is the ideal cadence for runners, that number came from Daniels. His studies of runners dating back to the early 60s has enabled him to determine many conclusions that are now basis for many coaches today. As I said, I personally revere Mr. Daniels and being able to chat with him twice was awesome! I have studied his books constantly from my early days and having the chance to pick his brain was so helpful. Over the next few weeks I will go into greater detail various aspects of what I picked up at the Daniels seminar. While NFRLR has already embraced much of the Daniels methodology, there was still a great deal of knowledge to be gained. Having the opportunity to get firsthand teaching while also being able to talk with him Daniels will not only benefit me but, all of NFLR coaches and runners. I know a couple of runners that will be thrilled at some of the specific questions I got answered and I am excited to put the new knowledge into action. The NFLR mindset is to “continuously” educate ourselves on every aspect of running and days like yesterday are perfectly aligned with that mindset. By now the 2015 Seacoast Half Marathon is in the books and no doubt there are a lot of NFLR friends and even a couple of our runners who participated. I hope all of you had a great race and took some moments to take in the scenic course. This week: Pilates is back on Tuesday after a week off. Come on by the Center at 6 pm and do something that will benefit you in so many ways. $10 drop in is such a great deal! Next Saturday is the official start to the NFLR Winter Running group. This group will meet Saturday mornings at 8:30am and Wednesday nights at 6pm from at the 7th Settlement Brewery in Dover. The participants in this group will have some challenging weather throughout the winter but, together with NFLR we will help you stay motivated and have fun doing it. Check out www.nofinishlinerunning.com for more information. Thanks for sitting down with me today. I may be out of the local area for a month but, we still have our other great coaches that will be taking care of business while I am out of town. Have a great week! God Bless! Mike