Seacoast Half Marathon Hangover

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 · Mike Davis

What’s next in the coaching world? Yesterday a group that I coached completed the 13.1 miles they set out to train for nearly 14 weeks ago. Half marathon training is a great time and a wonderful experience for those that have only run up to 10Ks. Not to say that others don’t get the same experience, because many people find team training helpful and fun, but for someone who has never accomplished a distance of 13.1, training with a group is amazing. The camaraderie, accountability and friendships that are forged help to make it an experience that most runners find priceless.

Fourteen to eighteen weeks ago men and women from various towns around the popular seacoast town of Portsmouth NH stopped into the distinctive running store and signed up for a half marathon training group that would cumulate with the running of the Seacoast Half Marathon. To some this was a repeat decision as they found satisfaction in previous groups or enjoyed training with this particular coach. For others that signed on it was possibly a need for accountability. Yet for many it was the desire to get help, motivation and direction to accomplish a distance they could never have imagined. Combined you had a group of people that desired the help not only of coaching, but just as important; other people.

The first weeks are during late summer, yet the temps are still on the high side, the runners are still trying to figure out each other’s names and the coach struggles to do the same. By the end of the second week the runners start to segregate by comfort and speed, mostly the latter. Ideally as a coach you want there to be someone for everyone to group up with, but some prefer the low stress of running their pace without concern of a partner. As a coach I encourage the advantages of running without earphones but in the end it’s an individual choice. Much to my delight, most go earphone free and open themselves to the sounds around them. The most challenging part of the training is that there’s a great disparity between the speeds of the runners and being all things to all runners becomes difficult.

Runners Alley, the store that sponsors this training begun this training many years back with “beginner half marathoners” in mind, however the local running community has evolved and this particular training has become a combination of novice runners and more seasoned runners. There are certainly other half marathon training groups and options, but this particular group has grown a great deal in popularity for all levels. As someone that has been involve d for over 5 years I take great pride in the success but also understand the challenges that come with the growth. Previous years we had one other person working with me and this year we actually had 3 others helping out. This helps to provide greater coverage, but I still get frustrated by not being able to spend quality time with each runner on a given run. Instead I change it up run to run as to the speed I go so that I can spend running time with all the different runners. I think I ran at least once with every runner for some period of time, but probably not as much as I would have liked. It’s tough, but it’s something I am aware of and always need to work on.

A great example is Sam (Samantha), Sam has attempted the training in the past but because of an accident she was unable to finish. This year she took up the run/walk strategy, alternating 7 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking. A great plan based on her physical challenges, but in running with a group it left her somewhat on her own. Sam is a wonderful person who understood her strategy would mean that she wouldn’t get some of the same benefits of the group as everyone else. She was quite inquisitive before and after runs, but pretty much on her own during the runs. Finally on one 50 minute run night, I met up with Sam and did the run/walk thing with her. We had a great talk and I learned a great deal from her as well as gave her some things to think about for her running. That may have been one of my most enjoyable experiences.

Now the group training is over and I am focusing mostly on some individuals I am working with. I may be taking on a new client that will offer some new challenges and I am excited about how I believe I can help this woman. I will miss the group, but I am ready for some opening in my schedule especially with the holidays coming on. I am thinking of opening up a group opportunity for the “Half at the Hampton in February, but I have to figure out how that will work. For now I will breathe some, work with my current clients, get my new website up and running and hang out with my wife. Never any quiet time in my life!