Bredin on Running & Training

IO RUNNING AND TRAINING. trials at which of the distances that figure on an ordinary programme he was most likely to possess a chance. Being in those days solely a sprinter, I found considerable difficulty in shaking him off at a mile, so that his entry for that event was duly posted to the various secretaries. My knowledge of training being then in its infancy, I gladly altered my work to suit my friend's, and we commenced training together by running a mile every afternoon. Shortly, however, we doubled the dose, also covering a like distance in the mornings, by no means in a half-hearted manner ; in fact, we raced, and returned to our respective parents in such a state of fatigue and perspiration that I feel confident it is due to my appearance on those occasions that some of my relatives have ever since looked sideways on the subject of athletics. Taunton was, I believe, the first meeting we competed at. I was already on a rather short mark of about three or four yards in the sprint, and was excessively surprised at finding that all the other starters ran away from me in my heat. I had, not unnaturally, lost all sprinting ability, but staying power appeared in its place, for, if I remember rightly, I won four out of five quarters, and in the one I suffered defeat, from four yards start, was second, and only just beaten in 5I! ths, the race being contested in a storm of wind and rain, which flooded a great portion of the track. Some men-even amongst those who devote them– selves almost entirely to running at short distances-are not sprinters in the proper sense of the word. Though a great improvement can be made by a correct method of training , there w ill a l·ways be found a cla ss who run