Friday Morning Coffee and Chat: No sympathy for North Carolina's low temps!

Friday, February 10, 2017 · Mike Davis

Good morning!

Put down your shovel (if you are in the Northeast) and pull up a chair.

Holy Cow, I cannot say that I miss New Hampshire at this time and with your forecast looking relentless, I truly am sorry for you. Yesterday it was pretty freaking cold here and yet I find comfort in the fact that I did not have to push through a bunch of snow to get into my door. Blame it on the Groundhog I guess!

This week is not going particularly great as far as my running/strength training. Thankfully I got a really good run in on Wednesday with Kathleen, because that has been the extent of it so far. Today I am going to get some cardio in on the rowing machine and then follow that up with some strength training. Tomorrow I am signed up for a 5K, so that will be fun and something different. The last race I did was back in the fall with Kathy, so it has been a while. I would like to blame my past couple of weeks on school and working, but it is totally on me. I will get back on track, all I need is to find my direction.

Wednesday’s run with Kathy was out at the reservoir and that was great! We did an out and back, but the terrain was a nice mix of hills and various surfaces. Kathy even coached me some, which I now appreciate more than ever. It is easy to get lazy and having someone to remind me to use my arms, or get my heals up, really helps. In the past I could be pretty stubborn (prideful) about my running and I now realize that it is good to have someone letting me know what they see. We ran 6 miles and it was a wonderful day to run. Also, it was great to get out and run after sitting through 2 classes.

Good news (and relief), I passed the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Level II Certification test! Still have to complete 12 modules (the requirement is 14, but I’ve completed 2), before I get my Level II coaching certification. My goal is to complete the remaining modules by June and be officially a Level II certified running coach. The test was not easy for me and I was quite nervous when I hit submit test. Thankfully that is done! We have a test next Wednesday in Exercise Science, so having the RRCA test behind me is a huge relief. Now I am trying to not only focus on my 2 classes, but also my ACE certification material. I need to make some head wave with that real fast. All good things that will make a difference in my ability to work with runners as well as NFLR. Beyond these current classes, I am not sure what is next as far as my education, that will hopefully become clearer over the months to come.

It saddened me to see Penny University close down earlier this week. This wonderful coffee house was a staple hangout for NFLR and had become our launching spot for our Saturday morning runs. More importantly, the owner (Jason Hendrickson), was a great friend to myself and all the NFLR coaches and we will miss him. However, NFLR will stay with the coffee connection and move our Saturday runs uptown in Dover beginning at Bagel Grounds, which is located just off Central Ave. It is a great location and will enable the coaches and runners a place to hang out after. It also provides opportunity to run a lot of great routes around Dover as well. If you are looking for a great Saturday morning run, join NFLR at 8:30 and plan to stay for coffee and a bagel after!

Time to get myself over to the Pinehurst Fitness Center and work some upper body muscles as well as get some cardio. Have a great Friday and do not forget to use your legs when you scoop up snow! Ha ha Ha Mike, no doubt you are not laughing! Seriously be safe, and be careful!

God Bless!

Mike