Bredin on Running & Training

4 RUNNING AND TRAINING. "did not think they cotdd do any good."-" Stuff and nonsense!" replied his athletic adviser, "what does your mother know about running?" There is a tale told concerning a sprinter in the flourishing days of the Sheffield Handicaps, who, after throwing out hints that any of these races lay at his mercy, asked one of the promoters to time him over roo yards, and, on finishing, inquired how he ran. " You ran very well," said the watch-holder, " very well indeed; but you took a long time over it." "What time?" said the panting runner. "Twelve seconds," came the reply. "Oh, bother the watch! " said the unabashed pedestrian, " just come and measure my strides." Sprinting may be regarded as the ability to cover a short distance at a very great rate of speed, and it differs from all other forms of running in one important respect, which is, that the improvement arising from a judicious system of training is quite out of proportion to that obtainable at all other distances. The sprinter can be taught to run, whereas the degree of excellence arrived at in other events of an athletic nature, apart from those, of course, in which" knack" forms an important item-such as jumping, hurdling, and weight-putting-is limited to the amount of fitness training provides. The majority of young runners, who, after a fair length of time spent on the track during a first or second season, can cover roo yards in eleven seconds, should, by following a correct method of training, develop into " quarter-second " men. The amateur usually spends his time on the track developing speed from a flying start. Scratching a line across the cinders, he trots up to this mark, and then