Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-17

| combining himself solely to one form Of athletic
| exercise. At every outdoor athletic meeting We
| see runners with pc )rly developed arms, while
| In the gymnasium we see athletes with under
| sized legs. 1t may be safely stated, however,
that in no case are men Of such physique nrst-
| class performers, while on the o. her hand, can
| recall no champion runner who has not, in ad.
| dition to his strong legs, stout pair OF arms.
! in athletics he must like the specialist in medi-
| cine, have a general basis for his future work.
The first thing. therefore, that the boy
shGp efc. in NAV desfe to eTde
to build himself up by general athletic work,
and so insure the most perfect development OF
| the whole system. Let him take part in foot
| ball and baseball; let him and swim. and
| not imagine that if he wants to become runner
| putting big pair of arms and shoulders on
| just much extra weight to carry in s race.
| These sports for. summer. Then in winter he
! jump and vault, turn and swing, and use Indian
clubs and dumbbells. My own experience has
satisfied me that this is the best course, and I
am as regular an attendant at the gym IN
winter l am the track in spring and fs.!,
And even while training for the Eastern cham.
pionship at Traver's island, used almost daily
to row four five miles.
So much for the ''all round work. which ia
to give us general strength. In addition to thls
we are OF course to take certain amount Of
practice in running itself. To begin with, YOU
will want what is by courtesy termed q suit. The
running suit consists of cotton or knit wooden
Quarter-sleeve jersey and 8 pair OF muslin Or
silk running drawers reaching to the knees, the
whole weighing about four and one hail ounces
my ''suit' weighs quarter ounce less. linen
with pair Of running shoes-the most impJE-
tant part of your dress-your outfit is complete
The shoes should be the regular spiked article
worn by all athletes, aud it will be good idea
for you to get accustomed to them, after which
they will be found q wonderful improveTneu
over slippers, preventing you from sLpplDs
keeping you your toes, and lengthening your
stride. You can get good pair ready made tOs
IS or 81. Made 10 order they will cost s. or S..
A pair should last you at least four mouths, but
when you once begin racing you will want a ne.
pair for nearly every race. My BIZ for running
and jump ng shoes in the course Of year usu-
ally amounts to about $50.
II you practice on a regular running
track, where you will have the benefit of dress
ing rooms, baths, etc. much better, Dut
these are not absolutely necessary. have
trained in level field where there wasn't any
thing like q runring track, and have also
taken my practice breloot on The beach along
the seashore. While this training affords suiil-
cient preparation for distance running, 1t IS
likely to make one tribe slow, adding strength
at the expense of speed. For ''sprintins,' that
is, rapid, short-d distance running, a firm,
springy track must be used.
Natural inclination Will determine for Won
whether you are likely to do best sprint
running, which includes all distances up to 80
yards; middle distance running, which IN
cludes the quarter and hllf mile runs; OF at the
longer distances, mile and over. Remember
that II you elect sprlntinG you must CONNIE
yourself to that form of running exclusively,
heavy work, that IS, running on heavy
ground, or running long distances, having this
same effect on a Splinter that handling heavy
dumb bells would have acrobat-muscle
would be cuItivai Q at the expense of speed and
activity. You will find spriuting the easiest
kind of running, but you should not attempt
more than forty or fifty yards At first. and
should never, even after considerable training,
attempt more than 10 or $50 yards. Few OF our
best athletes even after years OF practice can
run 40 yards dash through at top speed.
For long distance running endurance IS, OF
course, the all-impOriant factor, speed alone
not being sufficient to win mile race. But in
the middle distances both staying power and
swiftness are required, and it is the unusual
mir mat lion Of
auired to run quarter or half mile that makes
this form of running more difficult than either
Of the others.
While, as 1 have before stated, training for
the sprint should exclude heavy work,
we must bear in mind that in distance race
when runners OF equal endurance anu PLUCK
meet, he better Splinter of the two Will win. It
is excellent idea, therefore, to cultivate your
speed, however ordinary it may be, to as high
point as Is consistent with your distance WORK.
/ have seen more than one race won in the last
twenty yards by athlete who, though not as
strong as his opponent. had Just q sumcieht
striking confirmation OF these two facts thst
performance in the distance. while too much
heavy work detracts from one speed IS afforded
by the series of races which have run with w
G.. Downs of Harvard. Last year Downs won
the inter collegiate championship in the half
mile, and the champio nship OF the Eastern
United States in the same event while at the
same meeting l took the quarter mile runs.
When the present season opened Downs, whose
weak point in qUarter-niile runnings had been
speed by continuous sprinting. And l, who
thought that could run fast enough, but kcd
only my rivals staying power, developed en-
DURANGO by long distance work. Imagine the
result When met at the intercollegiate
and Eastern championships again, Downs de-
feated me in the quarter, taking the verY
championships which 1 had won the year be-
fore. while turned the ia bIes on him by -Gking
both his half-mllers.
The amount of work you arc to do on the track
should be small running being one OF the most
arduous forms OF exercise. Twice, or three
times week on the outside, is sufficient. AMI
then sprint only short distances; run the quarter
and half only At a moderate pace, and il you at
tempt much as q mile make the gait SO slow
that there can be no possible chance of over
e1ertion. II you find yourself firing, and the
finish Is yet distance off, don't let pride
pluck keep you running, but stop, and mex.
time you attempt it let II be at even an easier
pace.
ard what you shall drink IS ons with which you
need not concern yourself for some years to
come. ANY kind OF well cooked, healthful food
may be eaten, and all you need avoid is such
rubbish candy, pastry, and the like.
| do not at all approve of . boy running in
unless he is at least sixteen o. seventeen
years old. He is to look upon his work
simply preparation for running later on,
and not consider it part of his career
athlete any mere than he looks upon his work
at school as part of his business OF professional
life.
A word more and I have finished. Don't get
discouraged il You are not successful in winning
prizes and breaking records. Remember that
the end and aim of athletics is not to run 100
yards or half mile a fractional part of q
ond faster than some else, but TO insure
health and recreation, and this object YOU can
attain, though you may not be able to become
even third-class performer on the track.