My Running

Sunday, December 11, 2016 · Mike Davis

Good morning, grab a hot mug of coffee and pull up a stool.

This past week was my best weeks of running in all of 2016. It looked like this:

• Monday 60-minutes (easy)
• Tuesday 50-minutes (intervals)
• Thursday 60-minutes (intermediate pace)
• Saturday 70-minutes (Intermediate pace)

Running has been a struggle for me for the past 2 years. Between injuries and a lot of being by myself, I have not really enjoyed running. I know that it sounds bad; the running coach slash mister runner, Mike Davis does not enjoy running!

I have chatted mercifully about injuries quite a bit and they certainly have challenged the enjoyment of running. Thankfully I never gave up the faith that I would work through the various injuries and get healthy enough to run. The past week I ran more mileage than any week this year, and I am proud that my faith was rewarded. I still have arthritis in my hip and lingering plantar fasciitis in my left foot but, neither is preventing me from running. I certainly am not as strong of a runner as I once was but I am accepting of what my body can do. I am grateful that I can run without worrying about either my knees or with fear of my calf popping.

While the injuries have been a deterrent in my running enjoyment, the other challenge has been my life. Between my schedule and locality and an injury to Kathy, I have had to run alone most of 2016. While I always enjoyed a long solo run, I have come to realize that I miss the companionship of running with partners or groups. Being alone I have often bypassed runs many times, not because of lacking in discipline but, just because running alone is not fun. That does sound kind of sad I know. There was a time that I was motivated regardless of my circumstances but as I get older, I feel having a running partner is an important part of “keeping it fun”. Certainly, there are times when running solo is fine and even enjoyable, but at the core of NFLR is the belief that running must be fun or it will not be sustainable.

This past week I ran over 28 miles and while I am proud and even excited, I can honestly say, “I did not enjoy a single mile.” I am motivated to maintain my progress for many reasons and will use those to get me out on the road or even on the treadmill. However, I also know that if I want to look forward to running, I need to find partners or groups. There are groups that I will seek out and hopefully they will be helpful. Kathy has been injured and other circumstances have prevented us from partnering, so finding a running partner is another goal. The beauty of Kathy was that we motivated each other and we understood each other’s running so well and finding that type of partnership is not easy.

So, there is my running confession. I am struggling with my running from a fun standpoint but am running better than I have in a few years. Weird how things work. I will continue to work toward “fun” in my running because while I like the physical benefits, I need it to be enjoyable.

Time to get ready for church. Have a great week and keep it fun!

God Bless!

Mike