Learning From the Legends, pt.1

Herb Elliott was the 1960 Olympic champion in the 1500m, as well as a world record holder at that distance and the one mile run. His 3:35.6 at the Olympics set a world record that lasted for over seven years.He lost only once in his career and that was at age 14. As Percy Cerutty's most famous student, Elliott became the ideal of what a real athlete should be (see Coaches and Coaching, pt.2,Percy Cerutty).He retired at a young age and went on to be very successful in his post athletic life.Articulate and insightful,Elliott always has much to offer when interviewed. Here is what he said in response to an interviewer asking him if there is anything that runners can learn from his career: "Running is a tool by which you can learn alot about yourself and develop yourself both physically and spiritually as a person. That's the way it should be viewed. People who focus totally on the evident achievement of winning races or winning gold medals often are the ones that run into all sorts of psychological problems when they retire because they haven't fit it into their life.They shifted it out of their life and made it a selfish focus."

May we all learn from what Herb Elliott says above. There is more to be gained from running than just the physical benefits but we must be open and receptive to looking deeper.