Bredin on Running & Training

MY CAREER AS AN ATHLETE. 12,7 from Stilliard, I failed to quite reach Allen, who obtained the verdict by three inches. Five days later found me again on the Iffley Road grounds, this time at Trinity College sports, a level quarter bringing out the 0. U. A. C . President, A. Ramsbotham (who, with David Basan, and the Irishman N.D. Morgan, were probably three of the best men for their inches of latter days). During this race I made the pace, and ran myself out too soon, for although I held a long lead one hundred yards from home, Ramsbotham, :finishing strongly, caught me and won somewhat easily in fifty seconds. These two successive defeats taught me lessons that I have ever since found most useful in foot– racing. I learnt that making too much or too little use of myself for the first part of a race was alike equally poor policy, and I do not think since that time I could ever be correctly accused of showing really bad judgment. Perhaps this is rather a sweeping statement, but at any rate it is my belief that throughout subse– quent defeats, in level races at any rate, I owed want of success to meeting a better man on the day, and I think it most improbable that I could have turned failure into success by adopting any tactics other than those I did. I ran twice a day, even gave up smoking, and generally did all in my power to create improve– ment during the fortnight that intervened between the Trinity sports and the Inter-club contest, and was most disappointed to fmd that Ramsbotham had decided at the last moment to confine his attention to the sprint, with a view of reserving himself for the Inter– 'Varsitycontestlater on. Had he turned out and won the quarter, it would have given the victory to the