Manual of British Rural Sports by Stonehenge 17th Edition

TRAINING FOE BUNNING. 645 inch thick, and a slipper heel, with a few " sparrow bill" nails in it. If socks are worn they should be of best chamois leather, merely covering the toes, and not showing abovethe shoe. From eleven till two, orhalf-past two, his first walk should be keptup without stopping for a moment—that is to say, after the first week, during whichtime he has been gradually increasing the time from an hour and a half to the above lengthened period. In any case the pedestrian should be accom­ panied byhis trainer, who should amuse him as much as possible by anecdote or other mode of conversation. After din­ ner, one or two hours should be allotted to rest, in the recumbent position, ona hard mattress or horsehair sofa ; and then a short distance, accordingto the length of the race, should be gone over at top speed. It should be borne in mind, that according to the intention of the pedestrianmust be the distance over which he is trained ; thus, if he is only preparing for a short race, either running or walking, he need only get himself into good health, and keep in that state by themeans I have already described; and, in addition, take two or three hours' walking and miming exercise per day. More than this has a tendency to diminish the speed, though if the intention is to train for a long distance, that quality must, to a certain extent, be sacrificed. Thereis no question thatspeed is, to a great extent, lost, if the work is kept up more than three or four hours a day—that is to say, speed for one hundred or two hundred yards. But if the object is to attain the highest speed for ten or fifteen miles, then the powers of endurance are to be tested ; and the training must be not so much at a top speed for that distance, as at a less pace with occasional spirts for five miles farther at the least. The trainer should be a good walker him­ self, and should draw out the powers of his pupil by walking against him, taking care not to disheartenhim, even if he lias the power, by -walking ahead ; but just stimulating him by competition, and yet keeping up his spirits by allowinghim to beat him in the amicable contest. Everything in many cases depends upon mental treat­ ment, and many races are lost by the anxiety which is felt for many days and nights prior to the day of trial. In other animals there is not this knowledge of what is to come ; but this is the worst difficulty met with in training men, many of whom will lie awake night after night from a nerv­ ousness as to the result. Hence, the trainer should by all means encourage his man, and endeavour to do away with this fear of losing, by inspiring confidence in his powers on all occa­ sions. TRAINING FOR RUNNING is conducted on similar principles to that for walk­ ing, except that it is necessary to avoid too much running work in short matches. Here walking mustbe made the means of improving the general health, and running only adopted for about the length which is to be run. Beyond this, long-continued running makes a man slow, and he is apt to get his hands down, a habit which is fatal to running spirts. The trainer will, in preparing his man for these short matches, make him run daily two or three times over the distance intended ; and either run against him with a start of a few yards in advance, which gives him confidence, or time him exactly, keeping the result to him­ self. When the distance is a longer one, it must not be done more than once every other day, according to its length, but at a good speed, and with all the encouragement and excitement of competition with the trainer. In all cases of training for long distances, at least five or six hours a day must be spent in walking and running, changing from one to the other as a relief during the early part of training. Two golden rules to be observed are, never to let a man do his utmost until the actual race itself, andto give him immediate rest for a few days if he appears jaded, as by this means his spirits will be revived and elasticity of body restored. Man, however, bears severe work in a wonderful manner ; and if the appetite continues goodand the sleep is sound, without dreaming or starting, the trainer need not be apprehensive thathis man is doing too much. REDUCTION OF FAT .—It will, I think, generally be advisable, before com­ mencing strict training, to take an ordinary dose of aperient medicine. This may be either castor-oil or Epsom salts and senna, commonly known as black draught; or the connpo'mcl