Athletics

FLAT RACES specially fit, I alsodid some short bursts in the morning about nine o'clock. I did this on two occasions only—the week before I beat the 250 yards' record, and the week before the 1889 championship,and in each case the result showed that I must have derived considerable benefit thereby. I consider that bursts ofabout fortyyards arethe best training for any distance up toa quarter. At all events, this suits mebest, as it does notcause me to become stale so soon as running longerdistances, and with no other training I was enabled to do 49^ sees, in the 440 yards championship of 1889, when Tindall did the phenomenal time of 48^ sees. I diet myself very little, as I believe that it is. very easy to overdo thispart of the training,and nothing makes one stale so quickly as toostrict attentionto food. Starting. —Previous to 1889 I was one of the slowest starters in London, starting in the ordinaryfashion. Then I tried the " all-fours" way,and at firstcould not manage it at all, but after three or four attempts I got the knack of the thing,and from that time I was at least asfast a starter as any oneon the path. I do not say that all men would benefit as much as I did by the change; probably a fast starter in the ordinary manner would derive no benefit at all; but I should certainly advise any one who is slow atthe ordinary method to give it a trial. My way of starting is as follows:—I make a holefor the left foot about six inches behind the scratch, andanother for the right about a yard behind. Then at the caution to get ready, I drop my hands (or rather the ends of my corks) on to the scratch, as shown in the illustration on page 64. At the reportof the pistol, I pushoff with the right foot, at the same time lifting the hands, andI am into mystride at once. Some vary this position by starting with the left foot on scratch, instead of behind, whilstothers have the left foot nearly a