Wednesday morning coffee and chat

Wednesday, October 12, 2016 · Mike Davis

Good morning!

Wednesday morning Coffee and Chat with the Coach will be a little later on Wednesday’s as I have joined an early morning men’s bible study. I would get up even earlier and chat but, I rather have a clearer head when I chat! The nice thing about this men’s bible study is that we have it at a local restaurant that is one of my favorite breakfast places. Nice to start my day with some men trying to grow in their faith and have my choice of pancakes or eggs!

This week is pretty exciting for No Finish Line Running as we roll out our new website. I am not sure Doug is ready for the public to navigate around the site but, you can certainly see the gift wrapping and it is kind pretty! This new site will continue to develop with new material and resources for runners that we believe will benefit runners of all levels. All of us runners have been to the usual running websites and while each one has some material that is helpful, I do not feel there is one that truly serves the runner and the running community. Our goal is to serve everyone in the running community no matter their skillset or running level. We most definitely would like to hear from you all as to what you would like for us to include? Our large team of coaches have a lot of great ideas that we want to implement over time but, we certainly are interested in what others would find helpful on a website?

Before I sat down at my computer to chat I put on my workout clothes. This little trick will increase the odds of me going right to my workout once I finish chatting. It gets easy to lounge or find something else to do but having my workout clothes on encourages me to get right at it when I finish. Monday I ran for 60 minutes and that was my first run in about 10 days! I was pleased with the run from a conditioning standpoint as I felt strong. However, my desire to get train my feet to accept a more minimalist shoe is not working. I have run in two 4mm drop shoes now and the burn in the bottom of my left foot has been considerable. Back at Reach the Beach I struggled mightily with what felt like plantar fasciitis in my left foot and Monday it was there as well. I also feel like the outer side of my foot was bruised quite a bit as well. I spoke with our NFLR partner, physical therapist Carrie Jose about it and it certainly seems like the lack of flexibility in my ankle is probably a large contributor, so I certainly will work on some of the great exercises she suggested. However, I am going to go back to the Saucony Triumph for now, while also working on improving my ankle mobility.

This past Sunday NFLR had a couple really nice success stories. One was Gerry Chassie who has been a part of multiple training groups over the past couple of years. Gerry has a challenging schedule driving a C&J bus which does not allow for him to get in all of his weekly runs. Despite his schedule and having to sit in a bus for many hours a day, Gerry ran great Sunday at the “Great Common Island 5K.” Both he and his wife Lori continue to improve unbelievably and I am so proud of their efforts. Gerry once upon a time did not think he would ever be able to run because of his knees and other concerns and now he is not only running but, improving upon his times! Nice job Gerry!

The other great story is one of my favorite couples, Jeni and Mark Knowles who ran the Portland Oregon marathon Sunday. They have been training with NFLR for the past 5 months in preparation for the Portland marathon. This would be Jeni’s first while Mark had just come off of Vermont City. Between the challenging heat of the summer and an injury, the training was certainly difficult for both of them. We worked closely together, adjusting their training as we dealt with the various obstacles and then we devised a race strategy that was based on their training levels. Each of them finished in what I would consider to be exceptional times but most importantly they finished healthy. Running a marathon is extremely hard and the effort they put into it reflected. I have no doubt that one if not both might have hoped for a faster finish but as I said the obstacles they encountered made just getting to the finish line a huge victory! Congratulations Jeni and Mark I am proud of you! I also enjoyed working with this couple as they truly “get it” and were a pleasure to work with.

NFLR training is all about the individual runner and being able to work closely with a runner and knowing when to adjust the training is critical in the runner’s success. The problem with a training plan that is found in a book or on the web is that it does not take into account the uniqueness of the individual as well as obstacles that beset them. We design our training plans on a week to week basis and even sometimes change the plan on a daily basis. This personal approach insures the right training is taking place and as I said, this results in a far better chance for success.

Time to get my strength work done. Have a great Wednesday and finish your week strong!

God Bless!

Mike