Success in Athletics and how to obtain it

LONG-DISTANCE RUNNING 43 By the end of the · first month the athlete should have had one trial over the full s,ooo metres, and, having in view the preparation Jor the longer race, he should also go once or twice over the full distance, and take a nice steady run of ten or twelve miles; but he must not hurry himself, the run being for endurance, not speed. During the second month he works from three miles to twelve or thirteen miles, with several trials at both the racing distances. As in the month before, he only has one run of a greater length than the greatest racing distance, and then only at a moderate pace. Indeed, none of the work at this time has been pushed to the utmost limit of either endurance or speed. If the athlete is only going for the shorter of the two races, he should learn to run well up on the ball of the foot all the way, but if he is going out for the w,ooo metres or beyond, it is admissible for the heel just to touch the ground. The arms are so carried that each of them comes out beyond the body as the leg on the opposite side shoots forward. In the third month the training becomes much more strenuous, and the athlete now works five days a week, but on the whole should reduce his distance, running from half a mile up to the s,ooo metres, with an occasional w,ooo metres spin, but not more than three of these in the one month. The fourth month he travels over similar distances, but by now he should be fit enough to stand the strain of running full-distance trials once a week against the watch. First he should essay the trial at the shorter distance, and next week go the Io,ooo metres, and so on, ~lternating the distances week by week.