Athletics of To-Day 1929

The Short Middle Distances 75 (see Dr. Peltzer's action, No. 2, Plate g), but, as Lloyd Hahn shows (in No. 3, Plate g), the lbow should not be checked at the side as the arm swings back. Breathing and striding are closely related, and both hould be long and regular. The half-miler must be at pains to develop the strength of the small muscles of the toes by means of heel lifting exercises, for he will need this strength for his starting and finishing sprints. The pace at which half mile races are run has become so terrific nowadays that one need hardly consider the old– fashioned type who had little sprinting power and so were content to plug along at an even pace all the way. Th Boo metres final at Stockholm in Igi2 brought into the fi ld four men, all of\ horn could do 440 yards in 4g secs., and the first lap was terrific. Wh n Peltzer beat Lowe in Ig26 th first quarter was run in 54} ecs. and the second quarter in 57 s cs. Lowe, incidentally, has always fini hed a winning race on the left foot. Having regard to pr sent conditions, I think the mod rn half-miler will hav to consid r his race in four phases. He must, of course, be a first-rate judge of speed. If he aims at a 2 mins. half mile he should work to this chedule: ir t 220 yards, 29 s cs. ; cond 220 yard , 30 secs. (440 yard in 59 ec .) ; third 220 yards, 3I secs. ( 6o yar in I min. 3 s cs.) ; and fourth 220 yard in 30 secs. (88o yards in 2 mins.). Th real ''crack," capable of I min. 54 se s. for half a mile, would do approximat ly 27 ecs., 2g~ s cs., 2gi ec ., and28secs. for his r pective furlong . The fact that th first furlong is th fa t t of the four is accounted for by the initial sprint for po ition. Nowadays all good half-mil rs use the crouch start (s e hapt r II) an carry th ir speed for 50-60 yards to cur the inside berth. I£ th sprint is h ld longer there is a dang r of upsetting the br athing, and this 1 ads to undu muscle tension. L arn to change quickly from the sprint action to the 1 oose swinging strid , which is maintained until you jump your field with a quick bur t of sp ed and str ak away for the tap . Each man must det rmin for hims lf the 1 ngth of his finishing burst, for this depends entirely upon his own strength. Never