Sunday fun!

Sunday, January 05, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning! Compared to yesterday at this time the weather is downright perfect for a good run! I saw where many people used some good sense and moved their Saturday morning runs later in the morning or afternoon, while others even pushed it to today. Kathy and I went out on our lunch break at 11:00 yesterday and I thought it was great! You can check out Krazy Kathy's thoughts at www.nofinishlinerunning.com home page as also talks about post run hazards. This weekend is our monthly Unit Training Assembly, otherwise known as "drill weekend". It is nice to get this weekend killer out of the way as it's never fun to give a weekend up. Having been in the military for over 31 years with eight being on active duty and the rest as a fulltime member of the New Hampshire Air National Guard I am now faced with the decision of when to pursue other challenges. There are days I am ready to move on immediately and there are days when staying longer makes some sense to me. I have certainly been afforded many great opportunities while serving that have served me well, but the sacrifices my family has had to make have been numerous as well. Now I have to weigh the many variables and determine what makes the most sense both logically and mentally. Even as I write this I flip back and forth with my thoughts using logic and feelings. Being a guy, I definitely think more on the logic side of a decision but I also let my heart have some input. No doubt working with runners would be easier and could easily a fulltime job, so that is factor for sure. Currently I juggle a growing business and as well as a fulltime job, so life can be challenging! Yesterday’s run of 50 minutes was fantastic! My legs felt great, my running atire was spot on and the roads were just good enough to actually enjoy the conditions. I will say that my current attempt at "intermittent fasting" leaves me with a little less stored energy the closer 11:00 rolls around, so running in the late morning is certainly a bit more challenging. Yesterday I did grab a handful of almonds and walnuts at exactly 11 and then went running. My running continues to be a mental as well as physical challenge because of my desire to change my running gait. Thanks to my own personal gait analysis I have a much better idea of how I run and how I want to run, so each of my runs has a specific goal. I definitely long for the day I won't have think so much about my running, but in order to do that I have to think and work at it. It is easy for me to get lazy and fall back to my normal gait, so I really have to stay discplined and determined; especially when I'm tired. Yesterday I told myself that it would be okay to run using my lazy gait because of the road conditions, but my determination kicked in and I stayed the course. Big picture is important when you want to improve and for me I see the value in putting in the effort, so taking a run off from putting in the effort can't be an option. Finally I am into day 4 of my "Intermittent Fasting" plan and while it is not easy at times, it is certainly doable for a period of time. Long term I'm not sure it would work for me nor am I sure it would even be right for me. My resolve is to give intermittent fasting an opportunity and one, see if it helps me and two, share my experience with those that are looking for a change. So far evening snacking is probably the toughest part, as I find myself hungry around 8:30. I continue to look at other questions that arrise such as post workout benefits of protein. There are lots of questions that are somewhat clowdy at this point and it may take seeing the change through before I can answer these questions. If anything I feel like it will help me in that it is definitely a mental challenge as well as the obvious physical one. I feel like any time I can challenge myself to go outside of my norm, I become stronger mentally. Day 4 has been better than day one. Time to wrap this up and get on with my Sunday. Hope you have a great week! Mike