The joy of running

Sunday, February 28, 2016 · Mike Davis

Good morning! Well last time I chatted with you I was in San Salvador El Salvador and have since returned and am now back at the airport waiting to board a plane for Dallas and then on to Wichita Kansas. Like San Salvador this will be a short 5 day stay and then thankfully I can return to New Hampshire and unpack! The weather looks mild and windy out in Wichita hopefully my schedule will allow for some running. Running and working out have certainly been a struggle the past few weeks with my traveling and I have not exactly overcome to get it done. I did have a pleasant surprise on my bus ride from Dover to Logan as one of my favorite people, Lindsey Gee got on the bus at the Portsmouth stop. Lindsey has been in multiple groups that I have worked with through Runners Alley and someone I have always enjoyed chatting with. We were able to sit across from each other and chatted pretty much the entire ride to Logan. It is always nice to run into people that I have had the honor of working with in the running community. Lindsey is a bit older than I and he certainly “gets it” when it comes to running and working out in general. Talking with Lindsey reminded me of a Facebook post my daughter (and NFLR coach) Jennifer reposted a while back. Something to the effect of “Never out run the joy.” I am sure that the verbiage is not exact but essentially the meaning is that we should never run beyond a distance that we do not find fun or enjoyable. As a running coach I deal with so many different runners and some truly embrace challenges that are far greater than what others would find enjoyable. I enjoy working with all runners no matter whether they want to run 3 miles or 26.2. However, I really enjoy working with runners that understand that running is meant to be enjoyable. Of course what is “enjoyable” is different to each individual and that’s why we have races of various distances. The frustration for a coach as well as not enjoyable are those runners that push distances that we can tell are not enjoyable nor healthy for a runner. Runners often have “bucket list” or feel compelled to attempt distances because of others and the training tends to be beyond challenging or fun. It is always difficult when we are trying to help someone that is obviously struggling and yet for various reasons they are unwilling to give in and accept that at the current time the distance is not appropriate. I understand all too well as a runner as well and I would say that experience has helped me to grasp the concept of not “out running my joy of running.” Lindsey certainly gets that concept and as he rebounds from an injury he has added swimming to his workouts and he now has a great balance of running, swimming and strengthening. Very smart, enjoyable and fun! Great weather for running so go on out and “enjoy a run!” I am going to get on a plane! God Bless! Mike