Running Recollections and How to Train

74 weak, however, and my friends wereextremely anxiouswith regard to the issue of the race— not so far as the eventual winner was concerned; that wasa foregone conclusion,but as to what damage I might do to my internal economy hy running somuch out ofcondition. The clay came at last; never had pedestrian such a preparation ; and the whole party arrivedin Rochdale overnight. We all went to the theatre thatevening, afterwhich to heel. The next morning Icontented myself with a walk round the track instead of participating in the customaryspin. I arrived on the scene ofbattle a fewminutes before the time. Bredin won the toss, and selected the inside berth, and to the crackof Hepplethwaite's pistol 1 went to the fiont, took the inside, and tried to get as far from my opponent as possible. At 200 yards Bredin came up to me, but Iwas not yet disposed of, however, for I immediately spurted and put a coupleof yards betweenus. He soon made this up, and again tried to pass me. I again retaliated, butmoit feebly, and in a few seconds I had the mortification of seeing my opponent get in front and gradually drawaway from me. A friend of mine rushed across thegrass to me when we had about 150 yards to go, and Bredin would be about fiveyards in front. " Stick to him, Alf," he shouted ; "he's beat as well as you." I didn't think so, but I managed to struggle blindly into the straight, and got within 20 yards of the worsted just asBredin wasbreaking it. How much further I should have run I do not know, but at this pointMr. Gibson ran on to the track andcaught me, and thus I suffered my first defeat in a match for money.