Athletics

72 ATHLETICS. during the winter through want of exercise. When they run they oughtto reduce this by sweating it off in running, not by starvation, which brings them below themselves. Chops, steaks, chicken, fish, and joints, with plenty of vegetables—cabbage, and especially spinach—followed by plain milk puddings, willbe found to allowscope forplenty of variety, which isanother littlepoint to be noticed. Brink. —Last,but by no means least, try and restrain as much as possible the craving of thirst. Half a pint of liquid three timesa day ought to be made sufficient, unless a cup ofcocoa be added inthe evening. Exercise. —Turning now to the exercise to be got through in training, I don't think too much could be said in favour of getting a short spinor walk before breakfast. If a walk, one sprint ormore of about twenty or thirty yards should be run; this opens the lungs well, and breathes out all stale night-air, leaving a foundationof fresh air to start the day with. With regard to the running, Ithink a little, if possible, ought to be done every day, and a long walk on Sundays. When running every day, fast and slow work ought to be alternated, and so arranged that the slow may improve form, stride, and staying power,while the fastis to develop pace chiefly, but of course staying power also. The waymentioned above as "slow and sure," wasone I found gave me great confidence as regards being able to finish a race. It wasas follows :—The first week of training, while the muscles of the calf are soft and elastic, doonly gentle running, with no long striding, going a fair distance each time. When the calves are once incondition, for the next week alternate slow and fast work; but remember, when doing the fast work to start off at what you imagine tobe the right pace for the distance you are going. Keep this