Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-11-13
Training for a Foot Race.
From Harper's Young People.

From Harpers Young People.
In aiming at the removal OF superf1u-
| Gus fesh-the training off of which vir-
tually reduces the weight which one has
ct as will add strength but not weight to
the body. With this object in view, |
carefully avoid all fat meats, soups, but
ter, starchy foods, potatoes, sweets, etc.
[ eat great deal OF rare lean meat, and
only the most easily digested at that,
such as beef and mutton. Eggs -espe
cially poached-poultry, fish and game,
may be eaten plentifullv, but such meats
as veal and pork are to be avoided.
Stewed vegetables are to be partaken of
| freely, as are also green's, such as let
| tuce, crosses, etc. Fruit is a necessity,
and is to be taken at breakfast. What
| toasted or used when about forty eight
| hours old. For desserts, jellies are
| probably better than anything else; but
all pastries, such as pie, and cake. and
| the like, together with all rich puddings
and sauces, must be abstalned from.
| For beverages [ use weak tea and coffee
| in small quantities, and but little water.
| Stimulants of all kinds, and alcoholic
| drinks especially, are to be Stunned, as
| between the use or these and that of
tobacco in any form whatever it is hard
to decide which is the more injurious.
By adhering to such a system of diet,
and by inducing perspiration by exer-
else, the weight may be gradually re-
duced to the required point. AS to the
| form Of exercise, it is, of course, to be
Of such nature as will best secure en-
durance and muscle. The best exercise
for this purpose is running. Beginning
gradually, | do just 80 much as will make
me feel that some demands have been
made on the muscles. Great care must
| be taken not to do too much at first, else,
unaccustomed to the exertion, you may
| become stiff and sore, and more harm
will be done than good. AS training
progresses the work is increased, either
| by running further or doing the same
| distances faster. At the end of two
weeks the entire distance at which you
| intend to compete may be run over at
racing speed, and this may be repeated
| as often as once every week thereafter.
On the day previous to this effort
would do no work whatever. and as [
ALWAYS run these trials on Saturdays,
do nothing on the day following either.
| All this work will be found to have i'm
proved the "wind'' also. With each
day g work GU will find that you breathe
more and more freely as you run, and
in very short time you may run hard
race with little or no discomfort to the
breathing. Judgment in pace can be
acquired only by constant practice.
Many races are lost by selecting at the
start a pace which is either too fast or too
slow. If the former be the case, the
runner finds himself when near the fin
ish too exhausted to continue running,
and is therefore beaten by man who,
has perhaps, not nearly his ability. If.
on the other hand, the pace of the start
be too slow, there is danger of the other
competitors acquiring greater lead
| than he can overcome. A device to
which | resort to study my pace accu-
rately is to take one-half or three-quar-
tiers of the distance at which am to
compete and run it at my regular racing
gait. At regular intervals along the
course I have timekeepers stationed.
| who inform me as 60 by OF the time
| which / am making. Suppose, for in
| stance, am able to run a half-mile in
two minutes. Instead of running the
full $50 yards, which would be very ex-
hausting, I run three furloRgs, and at
the end Of each furlong, or go yards,
the timer there stationed calls out the
time. II this be less than thirty Sec
onds at the end of the first furlong,
know that l am running too fast, and
can decrease my pace until | get to the
next timekeeper, where, being again in
formed of how I am running, can reg
ulate my pace accordingly. Besides the
excellent practice which this gives in
Judging" pace, there is no better way
of developing those qualities which
are ne 9ded for success in racing.