Bredin on Running & Training

II! ! ,.Lei RUNNING AND TRAINING. by those athletes who have a limited time to get fit in, and are therefore obliged to take a great deal of exercise each day. The runner is in a different position to that of the majority of rowing and boxing men, for his object in reducing flesh is simply to find himself clean inside and outside, and when the necessary reduction has once taken place it only remains for him to endeavour to keep in good bodily condition for as long a time as may be necessary. In training for the other sports to which reference is made, men are frequently compelled to keep their weight down, and there are no means of exactly knowing, either before or after the contest, whether a man was really fit or slightly off colour, whilst the athlete again can satisfy himself how training progresses by simply running a trial. It would be difficult to estimate how many, out of the number of professional boxers who climb under the ropes, to take their seats inside the magic square, are tired and weary before business commences, through being compelled to fight at too low a weight. But I recollect a very shrewd trainer informing me that he would, in future, have no more to do with a certain clever light-weight, owing to the fact that he (the trainer) was only possessed of the usual number of two eyes, and at least half-a-dozen pairs were neces– sary to look after this man. He related as an instance that he had recently taken the pugilist to have a Turkish bath, informing the operator not to be sparing with the cold water shower which terminates these proceedings. On leaving the baths he inquired whether his instructions had been carried out, and received the 1 r p p