The Washington herald., 1908-08-23

distance runner. who is now racing in
this country. speaking Of pedestrlanisn
II connection with The great showing
made by the Americans In the Olympic
Marathon, says:
I certainly am no partisan Of those
who seem 10 be only TOO ready 70 bewau
the decadence OF British athletics. I have
myself visited most Of the American run
ming tracks. and have seen the majority
Of their leading athletes. with the result
that the only superiority which I have
discovered them 10 possess les n the
training methods commonly in use Not
that I regard these as being the best in
existence. for am inclined to fancy.
that one or two OF the English trainers
could give their best men several vaIu-
able points But I must confess that tho
American pedestrian. as rule, takes his
sport more seriously than IS the custom
here
OF late years it is undoubtedly true
that our amateur athletes have been con-
PEELED 70 acknowledge the superiority OF
American rivals at the shorter distance
races, a state Of affairs which has occa-
stoned no small duttering IN the critical
dOvecotes- British critics bewaIling the
cegeneracy OF our race and their Ameri-
can eonfreres growing very loudly over
the superiority Of their own
I Strange to say. the British Jeremtshs
nave neglected 10 comfort either them
selves or their readers with the equally
/ undeniable fact that our OLD superiority-
as long-dIstaace runners is stiu PRACTICAL
y unchanged although one or two OF the
more candid Americans viii occasionally.
II somewhat gEGdg.1gly. admit that this
IS 50. comforting themselves however.
with the reelection thar long-dfsrsuce
events form at most only Two or three
items n any possible programme amt
/ that. therefore. the sun Of their vic
tories at any international sports contest
must necessarily bulk bigger than ours.
Stamina VIII Tell.
7 have emphasized the word sum be-
cause. from a racial point OF view.
would sooner see the Iong-5Istance rec
ords stiH held in these lands. even If We
had 20 say good-by 20 all others STAN
ina tells in l0ng-dIstance running and s.,
long as Brttons can rest content thar
they can stay longer than any other
people WE'LL don't think We need have
any fear OF the race degenerating
Discussing preparations and early train
ing Tor q lonS-distance runner, Shrubb
proceeds:
However a boy may fancy himself.
would strongly advise him carefully 70
| avoid any iols-disIarce work. Al al
events. until past eighteen years OF age
One chapter deals specially with t's
| Champions ideas upon the best vvav oe
running a Iong-distGnCe race.
For those runnInE from scratch OF well
down the course Shrub writes as fol-
lows:
IN this position. OF IN any similar one.
your first aim viii naturally be 20 i'm
prove It There are q lot OF men in front
7 ~
or less acquainted You must set about
your work Of cutting them down n dou-
ble-quick style.
Quicken. but dou't straighten. YOUR
stride. and do your first mile in a few
seconds better than your average best Il
this hasn't accounted FOR enough OF
them get along for The second mile az
the same bat
They VIII possibly sprint and wait. ard
generally carry or as they were advised
above. but you mustn't let that worrv
seu- OF course. If you are fairly v-eu ,1n
70 man and can gallop past hiul-veII-
DO so and 20 ahead. but Z he tries the
spTlHting same willingly, don't have any
This IS long-drawn-out agony. reuen-
Der
Wear Down Rivals,
4 50 just keep pegging away, At a faster
pace than usual until you have given
most Of them the go by say YOU do
the first mile in minutes g seconds and
the first two in 9 minutes IS seconds and
can hang on and put three behind Won IL,
a minutes % seconds or thereabours- vo-1
must be aware that You are running
close on record time. and a good deal
better than any one has who has lad
himself out 10 cut The ten-miIe record
L on VIII have 10 pay for this later on
I OF course, and VIII reel your last mile OF
f~7 s.-r-
can ease your mind by rejecting thar IL
the other fellows are keeping their leads
7 that they are also baking themselves
I proportionately. and records are not the
4 things which are worrying YOU lust now
I All thai you are troubled about is those
fellows in front. and you don't want 70
Z have 20 overhaul the whole OF them in
I the last quarter mile
/ Some Of them may be still ahead then
( odt keep along cutting your best times
[ until you have reduced their number 70
as few as you conveniently can and then
/ lay yourself to a gradual edging I'D u
{ within such distance as YOU can co7ven-
iently cover In your final gaIlop.
For this is. or should De one Of your
strongest points In all practice spins
1 you ought TO 50 manage them that YOU
+. finish up the last 10 yards-aad some
/ times 200 or 800 yards evea-at a rreuen-
/ doUs pace II you make a regular habit
I u uo-l4S llliS you WILL md Ll1L YOU aur0-
natically save up the energy for this
Good Sleep Is Needed.
Always travel 10 the scene Of the race.
if FAR distant the day before. SO as to
/ insure a good nights rest following tha
| train journey before actually engaging IN
! the race itself
! Sh-ubb recommends ire following meth-
I Cd Of training for long-distance races
| such as the Marathon race.
/ The principal item IS walking Get out
/ for a 16-nlile walk three OF four times q
| week. and walk a good steady 4Iz-mIle-
I Waik-an-hour pace On the other days
90 miles only at about miles an hour.
saving one day for a Is-laile steady road
run.
/ Keep this uD for a month or six weeks
! and then go harder for the last month
/ Lengthen your run 70 - miles or even .
/ miles, and DO this either twice a week or
I three times in a fortnight Do all the
/ running practice on the road. 50 as 10
( harden your muscles
/ Lengthen out the walk also during
| these last four or five weeks. making
I them p or = miles twice a week and 2
I 70 Is miles on the other days Pace won't
matter so much. so you can leave all
/ sprinting practice severely alone
Il is the distance and not the Dace that
I is going 10 XIII in lOng-journey race
When q contest itself comes OF get
away at a long. slow. steady stride-ona
( that you can keep up Indefinitely.