Mid week coffee and talk of Ms. Lori

Wednesday, April 02, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning! Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair. With April in full swing and the warmer temperatures finally with us, that means that it is training group time! Last night was our first beginner 10K training group out at Runners Alley Portsmouth and while that was going on Dover runners were enjoying their first night of beginner 5K training. Not to exclude the Monday training group that also started up in Portsmouth, preparing many new runners for the Red Hook 5K in late May. Good stuff and always fun to see new faces as well as familiar faces walk in ready to get it done! This year we have added a third member to our coaching staff and I truly believe this addition is huge for the runners! Many already know Nicole Spirito from her volunteering last year, but this year Nicole is officially part of our staff and her addition will benefit every single runner. While being young certainly gives Nicole a great deal of energy, but truth be told she will probably never lack for energy no matter her age. So between her never ceasing smile, her love for running and love for runners, Nicole will make the perfect coach. The only problem now will be that my abrasiveness will stand out even more! Yesterday may have been the best running weather we have had since some time back last fall. I got out early and ran a bit before the group met and despite the remnants of my cold, I could not have enjoyed the run more. The sun shone as I ran along the streets of Portsmouth into New Castle with no thoughts of pace or distance. Right now all I concern myself with is getting back my endurance while continuing to think about my running gait. Keeping it simple keeps it enjoyable. In a couple of weeks a few of us will be running "Reds Shoe Barn" 5 miler, so for me still trying to recover from a 3 week illness is my only focus. Thankfully this race is purely about enjoyment and not trying to run a PR. I have been working with an older woman by the name of Lori Truman, who came to me last fall asking for help in becoming a runner. Ms. Lori had been heavily into Cross Fit and for some reason wanted to jump right into running. Well her jumping right in without any direction led to some not so great running experiences as well as some pain. Initially I didn't discourage her from Cross Fit, but did discuss the importance of a running routine which can be challenging if she was pulled in different directions. Cross Fit is a dynamic workout and a story for another day, but for someone that wants to run as well, it can be difficult to do it all (for many reasons). Immediately I could see that while Ms. Lori's electric personality and eagerness would be a plus it would also be challenging. She is well aware of her 100 mile per hour attitude so that helps, but learning the discipline required is a constant challenge for her. Because of her eagerness and lack of discipline early on she quickly had to deal with injuries and for someone like Lori, that's not good. We pretty much had to shut her down for a period and work on other stuff while her feet recovered. Next we started her back with a walk/ run program and are just now letting her run longer and further. Meanwhile all along Lori also took hold of her diet and just last week I had an early morning text letting me know that she had lost 10 pounds! Now Lori is setting her sights on the Red Hook 5K and I am confident that she will be ready. There will be challenges with her no doubt, but Ms. Lori has such a huge heart and a great desire so I love working with her. Her success to this point is such a tribute to her and I am proud of her! The great thing about NFLR is one day I can be helping someone get a PR at a marathon and the next helping people like Lori. Runners are great! Time to workout, so thanks for having coffee with me and enjoy your day! Mike