My Past Week

Sunday, September 11, 2016 · Mike Davis

Good morning. Grab your coffee and pull up a chair!

This past week was awesome; 4 days of running, 1 day of strength training, daily push-ups and a week full of push-ups! By no means was it the perfect week as that would have required 2 days of strength training but, nevertheless it was an awesome week overall. Now let’s chat about the details.

I am really thrilled that 2 out of my runs were alongside my wife. It is really good to see her back running regularly again. While her ankle is not completely recovered from the golf cart incident, the fact that she was able to run 3 times this week is a good sign. As for me it has been a challenging first few months of running here in North Carolina. When I got here in May I battled a calf injury through July and when I got past that, the heat became the obstacle. I worked hard to find ways to run in near 100 degree temperatures or humidity levels greater than 90 percent. With being 5 days out from “Reach the Beach” I am not near where I would like to be distance wise but, I am in pretty decent running shape. Overall I may not have covered as much ground as I would have liked but, I did my best considering and that is all I can ask of myself.

I am also excited about my personal strength training program I have developed for myself. Despite having only done it once each of the past 2 weeks, I believe it will be a great addition to my weekly training. The strength training is a combination full body and running strength focus that will give me all of what I am looking for in strength training. The other nice thing about my personal plan is that I perform it as “high intensity interval training” (HIIT) or I can slow it down. I am most definitely a proponent of HIIT and it is an awesome high when I am done! No Finish Line Running continues to develop the full runner and part of that will be strength and conditioning to go with their running. When we roll out our new website we will also roll out our strength training options for those that work with NFLR. Now I have to make time for a second day of strength training during the week!

While I have to get a second day of strength training in, I have at least been getting in daily push-ups. Thanks to a friend who challenged me through a “Veterans Suicide Awareness” challenge I am supposed to do 22 push-ups daily for 22 consecutive days and I am also supposed to challenge a different person each day to take on this challenge. Today is day 11 and I have enjoyed trying different variations as well as doing them alongside Kathleen. She was one of my initial challenges and so now we do them each day together and she is great for giving me suggestions for variations. Obviously this challenge is more about the sad existence of those veterans that are tainted by their service to our country and are unable to get beyond the hopelessness. I have sadly known 3 fellow airman that took their lives and one in particular after just coming back from Iraq. The fact that so many are taking their lives is devastating and hopefully this challenge becomes more than just a daily push-up ritual. May God bless all those that serve with great peace and comfort with their struggles. You can go to #22kill for more info and an option to donate if you feel so inclined. If you would like to take part in the challenge itself, please drop me an email.

Yesterday Kathy and I ran an 8K race for support the cure of breast cancer. Another great cause and event to participate in. While it was humid as all get out, it was great to be out there with Kath. Overall we ran a decent pace for me but, for someone (Kathy) who is still recovering from being run over by her husband, it was an amazing pace! Definitely a fun local race for a great cause.

With only 5 days left before “Reach the Beach” I am eager and unsure. I am not prepared for distance at this point but, I am ready to get it done. RTB is a great event and having an “NFLR” team participating is a no brainer but, it is a very difficult event to train for. Running 3 legs of various distances at various times of the day is not exactly typical running. Add in the fact that most of the Northeast has been dealing with heatwaves all summer and that inhibits training properly, so all said it is a challenging 24 to 28 hours. I enjoy the comradery and fun with the others but I will be glad to get back to focusing on my normal routine of training. RTB is about people first and foremost with running is just the activity that brings us together. Sharing this event with my daughter is what keeps me returning and I am grateful that we have these types of opportunities. I am not a night person either, so that dynamic always gets me a little apprehensive. Like always you can follow our journey from Bretton Woods to Hampton on Twitter!

All the while and definitely right after RTB, NFLR will be working on the Dover Apple Harvest 5K road race. As I mentioned last week we are directing the race and I am officially the race director. This race is one of the best 5K’s on the Seacoast and I highly recommend that you register and run! Go to: http://www.lightboxreg.com/apple-harvest-day-5k_20... and sign up now! We are really excited about being a part of such a great event and hope to see you all there!

Time to get ready for church. Hope you have a great day and see you on the roads!

God Bless!

Mike