Bredin on Running & Training

BRITISH AND AMERICAN TRAINING. 8r To sum up·-and in so doing I will leave Australia out of the question, as we scarcely see a sufficient number of her athletes to enable us to form a reliable compari– son-! should consider that an American, after having resided in this country long enough to become acclima– tised, and by that time reaching his best condition, would run any distances up to one mile at a slightly slower rate of speed than he would have been able to do, equally fit, in his own country; at a mile there would be comparatively no difference; but if long-distance running was his forte, he would here accomplish times that were quite beyond his capabilities in his native land. The American system of training differs principally from that in vogue on this side of the Atlantic owing to the fact that by its methods general athletic ability is developed. The amate.ur here trains with the object of becoming f1t for one or perhaps two different dis– tances. Practising running daily, with occasional walking exercise, completes his training. His own master, he spends the remainder of the day as it pleases him-like the Tommy who appeared in the orderly room under arrest, when his commanding officer ques– tioned the sergeant in charge of the prisoner as to the crime he was accused of, and the non-com. replied, "Well, he comes into barracks when he likes, goes out when he likes, gets drunk when he likes-in fact, sir, he's a blooming officer." I have already pointed out that the American athlete voluntarily places himself under the command of a man whose knowledge and experience he can rely upon during his training. This is the case with men whose ability develops during their residence R.T. G