Sunday morning chat

Sunday, June 05, 2016 · Mike Davis

Good morning! The past week I was absent from my typical coffee and chats as I am settling into a new job. Hopefully once I have a new norm, I will get back to my regular chat over a cup of coffee. Another challenge to my mornings has been my desire to workout early and that certainly adds my time crunch. Previously I was most fortunate to have allotted time available in my work schedule to workout, so that made it a bit easier on my morning schedule. I will figure it out. With turning the corner on spring we are pretty much headed into summer and the challenges of running in the heat. Nothing exemplifies the challenges of this better than a week ago this time up at the Vermont City Marathon. Temperatures in the 80s wreaked havoc and eventually led to them shutting down the course early and preventing some runners from finishing. New clients to NFLR, Mark and Jennifer Knowles were both up in Burlington with Mark running the marathon and Jenni the marathon relay. While not running as fast as they might normally have run, both finished their distances. Having saw a few pictures and reading some reports of the race I am tremendously impressed with these two runners. Running the distances they did in those conditions is a testament to both them. To the south on the Seacoast a group of NFLR runners posted a Facebook picture noting how cold it was prior to starting the “Runners Alley/Redhook 5K”. Go figure! Speaking of the “Redhook” race, a couple of NFLR runners (as well as being my sister and brother in laws), finished sub 10 minute mile for the distance. These two have taken up running later in their lives like many now are and I am so impressed with how far they have come. Their improved speed is not all that important to me but it is indicative of their consistent running throughout the past year as well as through the winter. Lori and Gerry can often been seen running around Dover and various races proudly wearing their “NFLR” shirt. They are certainly fixtures in all of our local groups. Fact is; Lori probably owns more “NFLR” than anyone but me! Nice job Lori and Gerry! This morning I am hydrating and drinking coffee as I am going to go run for 40 minutes before getting off to church. I am not exactly wear I would like to be with my running, but my calf injury requires a lot of patience. This past Thursday I ran 40 minutes non-stop and while that was a positive, my calf was tight after so that tells me that I need to proceed smartly. My goal is to come get to 60 minutes by the end of June and free of my calf issues. Hard to believe but I have to actually think about preparing for “Reach the Beach” in September. While that may seem like a ways off, it always comes on me so quickly with all the other running stuff I typically have going on. Soon “NFLR” will be starting up our advanced Dover 10K training group! While “advanced” sounds a bit exclusive to certain runners, it really is not. This group is for those runners that are between 3 and 4 miles and want to improve their overall running. One night a week we will be at the track while Saturday’s we will be at the Center running. This is a great group for those that want to push a little and challenge themselves. Be looking for more information soon! Time for me to get running! Have a great week and make sure you hydrate and wear your sunblock! God bless! Mike