Surround Yourself With Good People

Friday, October 05, 2018 · Mike Davis

Good morning

Over 10 years I was talked into joining a training group for a half marathon, and today I am a Level II certified running coach, ACE certified personal trainer and a race director. Never would have envisioned this path, but it has been quite a journey. I am not exactly sure where the journey will take me, but for now I will continue to accept the opportunities afforded me.

One of those opportunities will kick off in about 24 hours and in roughly 27 hours I will decompress. As I have chatted about, NFLR is race directing the Apple Harvest Day 5K for the third year. Thankfully we now have a pretty good handle on the execution of managing a successful race, but you cannot really relax until the last runner crosses the finish line and all the post-race activities are complete. I am also thankful to have a team of experienced coaches who make my job easy. DeeJ Swallow is really the key cog, as she will be overseeing the volunteers. In my 10 years of experience as a race director, I can say without a doubt the volunteer director is the most important person. In the past I have been blessed to have my wife Kathy manage the volunteers for our Pease Relay race, and then Julie Butterfield managed the volunteers for the first 2 years of Apple Harvest, and now DeeJ is doing a great job for this year’s race. As the race director, I truly know that these people were the key’s to successful races.

Tomorrow’s weather looks fantastic for the race, so I would encourage everyone to come by Henry Law park tonight and register for the race. Our current registered number of runners is looking good, so the race will be large, fast and fun! This year we have some great prizes for 1st and 2nd in each age group, so there is some incentive to come give it your best. Without a doubt the Apple Harvest Day 5K was my favorite 5K when I ran it, and I still believe it is the best fall 5K around. If you are looking for a wonderful New England race, this race fills the bill.

Today I will be all over the Seacoast with my final checklist in hand doing last minute preparation. Then at 5pm tonight we will be at Henry Law Park for bib pickup and registration. If you have not registered, come on down to Henry Law Park, sign up and chat with me. I always enjoy this night as I get to see a lot of familiar faces.

Race directing was never one of my goals, but I have embraced the opportunity and am lucky to have great people that make my job easy. Hope to see all of you over the next 24 hours!

God Bless!

Mike