Athletics of To-Day 1929

----- ~~- - -----= - 350 Athletics of To-day quickly in the human machine when the temperature is raised. This applies especially to the process of recovery, which is greatly expedited by the warmth preservation process practised by the Finns. Both the duration of an effort and the length of time neces– sary to recover from it depend upon its nature and the personal oxygen income and oxygen borrowing power of the individual. The sprinter has next to nothing in the way of oxygen income during his dash from gun-fire to finishing tape, and therefore creates a large oxygen debt, which must be paid off in the process of recovery. It is this consideration of income and credit which cuts down the sprint distance to not more than 300 yards. The distance runner, on the other hand, breathes regularly as he runs and therefore lives on his income as well as having his oxygen credit to draw upon. The time necessary for recovery should be understood, not only by athletes, but also by those who draw up sports pro– grammes. The athlete must be allowed sufficient time to eliminate all the lactic acid, otherwise fatigue will recur before he can complete his fresh effort, and, although one cannot say exactly what functions are performed, or changes effected, by the process of training, we do know that the trained athlete uses far less oxygen than the untrained man, and that he has a quicker recovery constant after exertion than a man who leads a sedentary life. After a violent effort, lasting under a minute, almost full recovery takes place in less than ten minutes, but the safety margin suggests that the sprinter should be allowed at least twenty minutes' rest between one race and the next. It may well be asked how Nurmi ran that marvellous ro poo metres cross-country race in tropical heat at Paris in 1924 and yet finished unfatigued, while other men lay at death's door from over-exertion. Or why Arthur Newton, having broken the London to Brighton running record, could light his pipe and stroll away completely unconcerned at the end of it. The answer is that both these great runners had solved the secret of running out of income. In other words, their powers