Many men go fishing all their lives not knowing it is not fish they are after –Henry David Thoreau Specialisation nowadays is a necessity. Modern exponents have raised the standard to such a height that nothing but intensive specialisation can put a fellow anywhere near the top. Before the 1914 to 1918 war, the marathon was considered an event for only the favoured few who had unusual toughness and stamina. It takes anything from 18 months to 3 years to turn a novice into a first class athlete. You will have to drop the bulk of your present recreations and spend the time in training; anything from 2 to 3 hours a day will have to be set aside. Athletics must be your major engagement for at least two years on end, your business or means of … [Read more...]
Law 6: Achieve As much As Possible on a Minimum of Training
This is another law that has been included by Noakes although it wasn’t one of the original laws set out by Newton. I remember having a very animated debate in a running forum over exactly this point. I am strongly in favour of what Noakes is saying however unpopular it may be among some members of the running community. When Newton was running, there was little or no information about how other runners trained. Nowadays, there is a huge amount of information – how accurate it is can be a matter of debate. Recreational runners see the schedules, and more particularly the mileage, that elite runners are covering and think that this is the best way for them to train too. There are several crucial factors they have … [Read more...]
Law 5: Alternate Hard and Easy Training
This was not one of Newton’s laws but has been introduced by Noakes. There is the temptation just to pile on the mileage and that fitness will increase as mileage does. Even those runners with perfect running form who are remarkably resilient to injury will find that there diminishing returns with this approach. The point at which this occurs will be different for each runner but it is safe the say that once past a certain point, each additional mile run will not accrue the same fitness benefits. By alternating hard and easy training, it is possible to keep pushing fitness limits during the hard sessions. The danger with this law though is in the interpretation. There is a tendency to interpret it as 1 hard day, 1 easy day and so on ad … [Read more...]
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~Jim Rohn
When I first started competing on the track, my main event was 400m hurdles. To get some insight into the event, I read David Hemery’s biography hoping to get some good tips about training. Hemery had spent the winter of 1967 at university in Boston before competing at the 1968 Olympics in the altitude of Mexico City. Hemery set a new world record in winning the gold medal – by the largest winning margin of any Olympic sprint event for 50 years. As well as his running training, Hemery spent time in the weights room. What really struck me though was the amount of time he spent on mental rehearsal. He was prepared for any type of race in any lane come the Olympic final because he had already replayed the scene many times in his … [Read more...]