The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-11
How the Varsity Men Tpadn in En-
gland.
Pail Mall Gazette.
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Pel Mall Gazette.
A university eight trains for five weeks. A
Waterman would take three months for a
match, but then the university men have most
ly been in good exercise for some weeks before
actual training commences. They rise at 7 or
earlier, take gentle half-hour's walk, run
ming perhaps . couple of "sprnt" bursts.
They then come homo for bath and dressing.
They breakfast about a. m. on decently
cooked chops and steaks. sometimes q little
fish and not more than one egg if any. Two
cups of tea are the outside allowance to drink.
Stale bread is used or dry toast, and they wind
up with watercress. For lunch a small guam
tity Of cold meat, stale bread and half pint OF
old ale. For dinner roast beef and mutton (not
boiled) and perhaps fish or poultry on alternate
days as an extra course; now and then jelly
or plain pudding is added. A pint of ale is
allowed, aud glass Of port with an orange
and dry biscuits for dessert Half-past ten Is
the latest for bedtime. AT the university the
rowing is done only in the afternoon, but when
the crew migrate to other training quarters
they take morning rows as well. In the early
part of the training good deal of steady run
ming is done after the days row to get off
superfueus flesh; later on, extra muscle begins
to supply its place, and a well-trained crew
will train up distinctly in weight toward the
last. The third week is the critical period,
when men are prone to be weak, before new
muscle has replaced the flesh which hard OK
ercise has reduced.
For athletic spsrts the system of training
originally approxmated too much to that OF
running; men took too severe exercise and
lost their return OF speed. They "tried"
themselves too often; a man cannot do his
best every day in pedestrianism, and If he is
asked too many questions in his Preparations
he answers less satisfactorily when the actual
race comes off. The training for each distance
to be run is somewhat different; the diet is
much the same in all cases but the exercise va
ries. Runners eat more mutton than beef;
the latter If used too freely makes them too
heavy. In other respects their hours and diet
are much the same as those of oarsmsn.
A ranner wants no useless muscle to carry
A hundred yards runner takes steady walks,
IN thick clothing at first to reduce his weight,
and runs his distance about two or three times
in the day, generally little short Of
top speed. He especially practices starts, for
half the battle lies IN getting we'll away when
the word is given A quarter-mie man runs
distances of $50 yards to 200 at 95 per cent of
his pace on the majority of days, besides tax
ing walking exercise; he does not try his best
against time more than about once a week A
| mile runner tries himself even less ofteu but
| gets accustomed to his distance, and runs it, or
| the greater part OF it, daily at fais pace.
| A three-mile man, while reducing himself
| fully. does not run over his distance within at
| least week of his race, as he would not re-
| gain his full powers in time. Nevertheless,
though men thus resrain from OVERRIDING them
selves before the day Of tho race, they Take