Track Athletics in Detail (extract)

t h e m i l e wa l k THIS event is the least athletic of any on the in­ tercollegiate or interscholastic schedules, and will doubtless be dispensed with entirely in a year or two. There are few exercises for the general run of men any better than walking—walking across country, at a natural gait, head up, chest out, toes turned out, and arms swinging easily at the sides. Such walking is natural and healthful. "Ath­ letic" or " heel-and-toe " walking —exaggerated stride, heel pounding, toeing in, and all that is artificial, and of no particular benefit. It is not harmful, of course, because it is exercise, and all normal exercise is beneficial. The muscles that require the greatest develop­ ment for walking are the abdominal and the-fore- thigh muscles. Training shouldbe begun as soon as the snow is off the ground by taking walks across country. Begin, of course, by taking short walks, in order to inaugurate a general hardening process, and each day when you come to a good stretch of road, try two or three hundred yards of strict heel- and-toe walking, giving especial attention to the