Special Addition of Quick Intervals

Saturday, March 15, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning and welcome back to “Coffee and Chat with Coach”. Thankfully this week my new computer was shipped to me and now I am back in business! So poor yourself a cup, keep it away from your computer and let’s get to those intervals. Tomorrow out at the Pease International Trade Port will be the “Fifth Annual St. Paddy’s Five Miler”. This is one of the funniest events in all of New Hampshire, Maine and northern Massachusetts, as it combines great food, beverages, attire and much more. This 5 mile race was contrived by local runners and truly represents the heart and soul of the running community on the Seacoast. The start time is 10:30, so by the time you have finished it will be the perfect time to enjoy your free ice cold beer in the signature glass that you can take home! Check out: http://paddysfivemiler.com/ for more information and as of right now there are still bibs available. Another race that is one of my favorites and also represents what the running community is all about is “Reds Shoe Barn Race for a Better Community”. This 5 mile race is full of hills early, but also full of fun! For me part of the enjoyment is that it is local, but I also enjoy the tradition of this event and all the familiar faces I always see. This year Kathy and I will be joined by our two youngest children for this race so it will be extra special for us. If you aren’t ready for “Paddy’s” tomorrow, you have nearly a month to get ready for “Reds”. For more info go to: http://www.reds-race.com/. Both of these races represent how truly special the running community is, in that we not only enjoy our running, but we also take pride in supporting multiple charitable organizations. In most cases a good portion of our entry fee indirectly assist those that are not as fortunate as others. Many organizations depend on annual road races to serve our local communities, so my hat goes off to all of you runners for all you do! With April nearly hear that means “Runners Alley” training groups are just about ready to begin. This year Kathy and I will be joined by Nicole Spirito as we help prepare beginner runners for the “Market Square 10K” in June. In Portsmouth and Dover there will be 5K training groups starting up for those novices that want to prep for the “Red Hook 5K” race. These training groups are great for those that need some help preparing for distances never run or need some introduction to running. We often get lots of repeat runners and that’s okay, but these groups are definitely geared toward the beginner level. For more information check out: http://www.runnersalley.com/, or go to Runners Alley Facebook and search training groups. You can also contact me as I have a little bit of knowledge! This week I did a free consultation with a women that contacted me with an email that said “I need a coach to kick my butt to a 5K!” During our meeting I listened to her circumstances and I broke one of the golden rules of business by encouraging her not to higher NFLR, but instead to sign up for the Dover “Runners Alley” 5K training group. While I am certainly in business to make money, I also strongly feel our first goal is to help each individual based on their needs and not our profits. This women needs a different type of accountability right now and her best chance for success would be to participate with a group of her similar goals. She was a bit taken back that I talked her out of signing on with NFLR, but she was excited at the idea of a group training. There may be a day when she needs a coach, but today she needs a group and Runners Alley training groups are the perfect fit. Don’t be sad for me, for every runners that I encourage not to work with NFLR, we get others that make sense to work with a coach. Remember a “running coach” is more than someone who just runs with you. Well if I told you how many times I have started this particular blog you would truly laugh, but it is time to wrap it up and get it out. You have a chance to comment below so take advantage of it and tell me what races you have coming up? Enjoy your Saturday! Mike