Announcement,pt.3

We've recently had a renewed interest in this blog---www.torunistolive.blogspot.com ---check the archive section at the right of this page--- I have 350+ posts on everything related to running, many are totally unlike anything you'll see on other running sites. A good place to start may be the very first post from December 24, 2010 entitled--What This Site is About.
Not to sound immodest but this site has been extremely popular over the years.

Another Stotan/Cerutty blog:
www.livingthestotanlife.blogspot.com
Although I have only had a few posts this year(2017--but now have 300+ in 2020). it is my plan to have at least two articles a week from here on out. This Blog will be an extension of my ToRunIsToLive one referenced above.For those who have followed me on the other site, consider doing so on this one. Thanks, Dave.


I am no longer on Facebook--The addiction has been overcome(ha-ha). Addendum---By popular demand, a minimally updated FB page called Stotans United
Update--Off Facebook forever --now sometime ago. Update--December 18, 2016--For those who are interested in emailing me with questions about running or desiring training advice--
--I can be reached at cavalldavid@yahoo.com--I do not use the gmail account--with 58 years of running and racing experience I have learned a few things along the way---I am not looking to be a paid coach, I'm simply happy to give free running advice to those who might be interested.
Oh yes--it has been pointed out to me that on Twitter and a few other social media outlets that there  are torunistolive 'addresses' (for lack of a better word), I am in no way affiliated with them.
Livingthestotanlife and this blog here are my only ones.

Announcement,pt.2

If you are new to this blog please read the post just below this one first. Before you do though--I would like to say that there are over 300 articles on this site that cover every aspect of running and more. You can see the archive section to the right of this page. A good place to start would be to read the very first post entitled---What This Site is All About published on December 24, 2010.

Announcement

For those of you who are new to this site,if you look to the right side of this page you will see an archive section,check out the articles that began at that end of 2010 and after.You will also see there are things  that you will never read on any other running website.Encourage your friends and those who live for the run to delve into the archives and read those past articles.The key is,they have to have a love for the run.I write for those who can't imagine a life without running.
I am also writing to say that today brings to a close new postings on this site.

I feature a pix of Steve Prefontaine for this last post because he was the last true charismatic hero of American distance running.He was one of those rare runners who provoked interest among people who wouldn't normally be considered fans of Track and Field. No one since his time time has ever captivated the American public like Pre,not Shorter,not Rodgers,not Salazar,not anyone.The fools that occasionally post "on the world's largest running forum" like to remind us that many Americans have run faster than Pre but they miss the whole point,Pre excited us,he got us involved,he showed us what running could be.
Let me leave you with with this:To run is to live. Feel free to contact me anytime at: cavalldavid@yahoo.com 
A thank you to everyone who frequents this site!!!!!!

On Dogs and Runners

I guess this is one of those soapbox kind of days. Before I begin I would like to say that I am a dog owner. I would also like to say that I view most bad behavior by dogs as being the result of their owners not controlling their pets.Over the years I've always ignored the articles that's appeared,usually in RW,regarding runner's encounters with dogs.Perhaps I should have read them. I say this because for the third time in three months I've been attacked by the same dogs.The first time  was nasty.The dogs came charging around the corner and hit me just below the knee,upending me,resulting in an injured elbow and hip.Thankfully,the owner was close by to call them off.They looked to be pitbulls or a mix of that breed.The owner was somewhat apologetic and explained that her dogs were actually going after the dogs behind a fence I was running by.Let me say this about her comment,why is it that dog owners seem to make comments like that after their dogs behave badly or they say other ones like,"he's never done that before." Maybe they should try this one,"You know,I really need to keep them on a leash." Well,a month later,they came charging at me again.Fortunately,I yelled and the owner called them off.Finally,the other day one of them came charging out again and it was scary.The owner appeared but it got a little tense as they say.It was at that moment I said to myself,"enough is enough." When I got home I called the police with the intention of filing a complaint.Now, some of you may be wondering why I just didn't find another place to run but you see this route is a perfect one,a little bit of country in the middle of the city.It's about a mile long dirt service road that runs behind my house with tons of foliage on either side.
Well,the policeman arrived and was sympathetic but said it was more a matter for animal control and he would call them and have them talk with me.All I could think was, can't he just go over there and tell them they need to obey the city's leash law? He said they'd be over in about two hours.A day later and still no animal control.It was at that point I called them myself and it wasn't just about me and my running that I called.In the past I've seen children walking and on bikes in the area where these dogs ran loose.
I knew things weren't going well with the call when the lady from animal control who was taking the report seemed to have alot of trouble distinguishing between my address and the address where the incident occurred.I had to repeatedly say,"no,I live at that address,the address of the dogs is....." She assured me that someone from animal control would stop out there to "educate" them. Oh yeah,I'm sure that was effective.A little education,yeah,that's all that's needed.How 'bout a ticket? How 'bout the owner being told to obey the leash law or else?
In closing,I finally decided to find another route to run.It's not quite as nice as the other one but at least I know I can run safely......for now!
Next soapbox topic--How can you call yourself a serious or hardcore runner when you do your long runs with your cellphone hung on your shorts?

Speedwork and Distance Running

Perhaps the biggest fallacy in distance training is that you have to do lots of speedwork to be successful.There is no denying you need to do work at the appropriate time that is harder and faster, but,the benefits of grinding out multiple reps and sets of 200's--400's--800's etc. are grossly overrrated.I recall in high school that it was a rite of passage to do all out 200 and 400 meter reps in track practice.Now,I am not saying that some runners will not do well if they go heavy on the intervals,I'm simply stating that they are not a necessity to achieve distance running success.
Joe Henderson,who know running as well as most anyone says this:
"At the risk of sounding like a heretic,I'll state right off that speed is the most overrated commodity in distance running.Speed doesn't come in appreciable amounts,no matter how many dashes a young runner puts in.Speed is there,inborn.Some have it,some don't. Training can only alter the maximum level by a few scanty tenths of a second,yet hours of effort are poured into the search for it.The paradox is obvious:the average four minute miler(or even five minute miler) does 10 times as much speed training as a 9:1 sprinter.Speed,the speed needed to race adequately at distances longer than a mile,anyway,is quickly sharpened down to the limits of our ingrained abilities.After reaching that point,additional speed training is of dubious value.And worse,it hurts.It hurries the inevitable rush of fatigue producing lactic acid through the muscles.And,it raises the risk of stress injuries."
Don't buy into the, 'if the training doesn't hurt, you're not going to get better' fallacy.

The Ideal Athlete Is

Perhaps the following would be most appropriate in referring to the competitive athlete.C.Al Huang wrote the following. The ideal athlete is:
"Individualistic.
Has the courage to risk failure,learn from setbacks and forge ahead.
Sees the event as a means to gain greater self-realization.
Knows his or her vulnerabilities and trains to strengthen them.
Sees success as one part of the process of sports.
Understands that performance is a roller coaster and has the patience to ride the ups and downs.
Enjoys the sport for the pleasure it gives."
The athlete who views his sport the way Mr.Huang details above is a thinking and sensitive person.Consider his reference to self-realization.You learn alot about yourself when you compete against others.Those who have seriously raced,or do so now,know what I'm talking about.You also become aware of your vulnerabilities and weaknesses along the way.
The runner who thinks his training and racing are strictly physical endeavors,something to push through with little thought,gain nothing in the mental and emotional departments.Consequently,this person loses out on the opportunity to grow as a person.
The ideal athlete knows failure and disappointment are part of the process,he expects it and deals with it when it comes from time to time.Who he is as a runner and a person is not determined by how he did at his last race(or workout).
The final entry says it all,"enjoys the sport for the pleasure it gives." The ideal athlete doesn't lose sight of that no matter how much success,or failure,he encounters.
The ideal athlete is a unique individual.

Some Characteristics of People Who Persist

 

Determination and persistence are the keys to distance running success.Consider the following by C. Al Huang,those who persist tend to:
"Create fun in the process of accomplishment.
Have a strong sense of self and feel that,regardless of the outcome,they will be still worthwhile.
Have the courage to act and take risks.
Make changes gradually and patiently.
Reward themselves periodically for small gains they make.
Seek the support of others when times get tough.
Like variety as a means of maintaining interest.
Expect positive outcomes.
Focus on the joyous aspect of the journey.
Know that progress is always two steps forward and one step, backward."

I really like what the above has to say.One thing that really hits home are the references to the joy and fun aspects that must exist in order to stay persistant.Why turn a great activity like distance running into an ego driven quest for success? Enjoy the journey.

Advice For the Long Run

Most of us who live for the run want to run till,well.....we're not around anymore.Consider the following:
"The runner who keeps going is one who is friendly with himself,who grows and adapts to changing conditions as he goes, and whose greatest pleasure is in where he is,not in where he has been or where he is headed."
The above makes me think of the song by James Taylor entitled,"The Secret of Life." The first line of this song goes,"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."
So many runners I've known refuse to face the reality of aging and continue hammering workouts in the desperate hope of delaying the inevitable drop-off in performance that comes with age. These runners are definitely not being "friendly" with themselves. They are opening the door to frustration,discouragement,and inevitably,a diminishing of the enjoyment that can be gained from running.Is anything worth killing our love for the run?
"Living in the moment" has over the years become a new age cliche but it is very applicable to aging and the running experience.Instead of mulling over the fact you are not running the times you once did,be thankful you are still able to run today and make the changes that will minimize "the passage of time."

Some Reasons Why We Love To Run

Why do we love running so much? Joe Henderson says it best when he writes that running is a "vital counter balance to the often oppressive weight of modern living."
Consider these other reasons as to why running is so appealing:
"1.The more we are burdened with mental work,the more we need to strike a physical balance."
And for those who don't seek the physical outlet,the more likely they are to seek solace in unhealthy activities like overeating,drugs or alcohol.
"2.The more we meet with collective repression,the more we need individual expression."
Most of us are controlled by others in the workplace,not so in our running life.
"3.The more we're alienated from one activity,the more we need strong attachment to another."
I don't know about you but with some jobs I've had,if I didn't have running I would have lost my mind.
"4.The more complex our lifestyle,the more we need a simple uncluttered routine."
Running should always be a return to all things simple and basic.As Cerutty said,running should never become regimented work.
"5.The more we become civilized,the more we need to revert to a more primitive state."
What do you think the reason is that you feel so good and free when you are running the trails deep in the woods somewhere?

Qualities Needed and Not Needed

Much has been written about what is required to be a successful distance runner. Cerutty's classic, and best book was entitled,Athletics:How to Become a Champion.Over the decades of my being involved in this,the purest of all sports,distance running,I have found some qualities you need, and some you don't need to become successful. By successful in distance running I mean either competitve success or becoming as fast and fit as you can be.Obviously,determination and persistence are essential but everyone should know that,let me present a few that are frequently overlooked. Here goes:
1.A love for the sport of distance running is an essential quality needed.This love, that is a part of your being, takes you through the years,the injuries,the changes in your life,the times when you feel you are getting nowhere and every other obstacle that arises along the way.For instance,I'm sure you've seen  runners come and go over the years,some have enjoyed varying degrees of success only to abandon the sport after the success fades,the injuries arrive or they move onto some other activity.When you really love something you stay with it because you....love it.
2.You don't need to be born with natural talent to do well in distance running.Buy a used copy of The Self-Made Olympian by Ron Daws,look up an article I wrote entitled,The Lesson of Ron Daws and you will see how true this statement on talent is.You will find you have to pay more attention to details than the naturally gifted runners but Ron wrote the textbook on achieving much after starting with less.By the way,The Self-Coached Olympian is on my top 5 list of greatest running books of all-time.
3.You must be organized.Having a training program with an accompanying racing schedule is a must.The schedule must reflect work and family demands.More on this below.
4.You need to be goal centered,some may call it self-centered,others maybe selfish.What I mean is,if you really commit to excellence in distance running,you lay out the plan that includes training and racing,you go over it with your significant other or family and then you work your life around that.There are 24 hours in the day so I hardly think taking 2 hours out of 24 is being selfish but.......On a related note,I still haven't figured out why self-described hardcore runners marry people who don't respect their love for running.I mean,it's a part of who they are,it's what in many ways makes them the kind of person their partner finds appealing, so why does this person resent their degree of involvement in running? For far too many significant others it's about control and doing what they want,it's not just about the running.
A refusal to be methodical and organized indicates a questionable desire to succeed.The proof as they say is in the pudding,what you do proves what you say you want.It's easy and fun to lace on the shoes to do a run; for many,it's less exciting to sit down and write in a journal,lay out a schedule or any of the other seemingly mundane tasks that you need to do sans training shoes.
I could go on, but for me,the above are the essentials. I think of other things like you don't require much money to be a runner.I have a friend who has spents thousands of dollars on being a triathlete.His bike cost more than the used car I bought a year ago. I guess that's one of the reasons I refer to distance running as the purest of all sports.It's natural simplicity is what makes it so great.

Ron Daws On Beginning Track Work

Those who are familiar with this site recall that I have referenced Ron Daws previously.He was a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic marathon team.His list of pr's prior to making the squad would be at best be described as unremarkable. Ron was an example of what persistence and determination could accomplish.He also wrote one of the truly great books on running,The Self-Made Olympian.Here he gives some sound advice on how to begin training on the track.Track work has to be approached carefully and with a certain degree of restraint at first. Four sets of 4 --400 meter reps all out,for most,is not the way to begin but you see people doing this all the time. Here's what Ron says:
"When first going on the track,capitalize on what you have most of, endurance and stamina.Therefore, do not start with fast runs or sprints,no matter how anxious you may be to test yourself after two or three months on the roads.Track training should evolve from high volume,relatively slow work with short rests to faster,shorter workouts with more rest,and finally to fast workouts with little rest.Cutting out all rest from an interval workout leaves a time-trial or a race.
The best introductory interval workout I've devised is the following:
Two mile jog; two x 220,two x 440,two x 660,two x 880, 220 jog after each;1320(3 laps),880 meter jog, two x 880,two x 660,two x 440, two x 220,220 jog after each; two mile warm down jog."
You can tell the age of this schedule by the fact yards are used instead of meters.
Daws does not recommend using a watch the first few times you do this workout.The reasons why should be obvious,one,you don't want to be so preoccupied with time that you run too hard before you are ready,and two,you avoid becoming discouraged when your initial times don't meet your expectations because this is a new phase of your training.
Take a look at what the total mileage is for this workout,this type of training is going to make you fit and ready to race.

The Quote That Says it All

The quote that says it all about distance running was written by Kenny Moore,perhaps running's greatest writer.Not surprisingly,he was an excellent runner himself.If you have not read his books and articles I would highly recommend that you do.Begin with Best Efforts for starters and then search out the Sports Illustrated archived article on  marathoner Mamo Wolde( a link to that article is in the comments section below). Whoever said winning is everything didn't know distance running.
Kenny Moore writes:
"The enduring satisfaction of distance running is not in in records that will inevitably be broken,not in knowing that you were the best on a given day.It lies in knowing that you have learned how to be brave and to do something better than you first thought you could,and perhaps in knowing you amazed a few people along the way."
Not much you can add to that.

Now Is the Time

"The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause; who at best know the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Quote by Theodore Roosevelt.

If you haven't, now is the time to really challenge yourself physically; consider shooting for a sub 3 hour marathon, try a 50 or 100 mile road,track or trail race. For that matter, consider any challenge that makes you a little nervous when you think about it.
It might take a few years or more to get there but as Roosevelt says, it's in the commitment and striving that we truly feel alive and grow as people.

More Words of Wisdom From Arthur

"Your schedules are only for guidance.Study your reactions to training from day to day and if you feel jaded or suffer from any soreness allow time for recovery.
Never do speed training when your muscles are sore or you are feeling very tired.Just jog easily,irrespective of what is on the schedule for that day's training.You can never do yourself any harm by jogging and it will usually help to overcome the soreness or tiredness.
Control your training so that you are not racing it,except when full efforts are called for in the schedules.Run strongly and easily in effort,always keeping something in reserve.As you feel improvement,gradually increase your training tempo but never use that reserve." Quote by Arthur Lydiard.
A common mistake by rookies and  runners who can't control their anxiety is not being able to back- off. They believe that any letting up on, or changing a workout to accomodate their physical condition, will negatively effect racing performance.This of course is nonsense.Easy jogging when feeling overly tired or sore, in place of "gutting out" a training session that will  ultimately be debilitating instead of constructive,allows the body to recover and come back strong.As a sidenote,studies have shown that a conditioned runner will lose only 5% of his fitness if he does no running for a week.I would quickly add that this percentage increases if the inactivity goes into 2 and 3 weeks.
It's a cliche but we must "listen to our bodies" and not treat them as if they were machines.

Is Your Racing In a Rut?

Early writings by Joe Henderson are filled with much relevant and useable info.Joe was a runner first and then he was in on the formative days of Runner's World when it stressed mileage and performance.Consider the following self-evaluation which helps to determine if your racing or training has bogged down or is in a rut.Sometimes we runners just don't see or ignore the fact that we are.This of course will prevent us from improving and fully enjoying our running experience. Ask yourself:
1. "Do you insist on matching to the minute the amounts of training ordered by the schedule?
2.Are you nagged by chronic low-grade aches and pains that you must not allow to interfere with your program?
3.Do you frequently get bored with your training but still run your daily quotas?
4.Do you often find yourself dreading and delaying the start of your runs until you can psych yourself up to do them?
5.Would you stop training as you do if the races races didn't require it of you?
6.Before races,do you magnify every minor physical complaint into a race threatening crisis?
7.Have your racing times stopped improving even though you work as hard as ever?
8.Are your confidence and enthusiasm badly shaken by any racing slump?
9.After races,are you more likely to complain about what went wrong than to bring up what went right?
10.Have you come to expect better results from yourself than you can produce?
The more you answer yes,the more sure you can be that you have raced yourself into a rut. If more than half of those questions describe you,ease up on yourself. The training and the racing are running you--rather than vice versa."

How true that last line is, 'The training and racing are running you---rather than vice versa.'
I can relate to #'s 3,4, 5,6 and 9. I know runners who have driven themselves crazy because they just don't recognize that they are in what Henderson aptly describes as a rut. How 'bout you?

More From Bruce

Those who excel in other sports often have much practical advice to offer those in distance running. Bruce Lee was much than just a martial artist and actor.He was a deep thinker who throughout his life challenged himself physically and mentally, not unlike Cerutty.
Consider the following:
"The doubter's said,
'Man cannot fly.'
The doers said,
'Maybe,but we'll try,'
And finally soared
Into the morning's glow,
While nonbelievers
Watched from below.

The doubters claimed
The world was flat.
Ships plunged over its edge,
And that was that!
Yet a brand new world
Some doers found,
And returned to prove
This planet round.

The doubters knew
'Twas fact,Of course,No noisy gadget
Would e'er replace the horse.'
Yet the carriages
Of doers,sans equine,
Came to traverse
All our roads in time.

But to those who kept saying
'It can't be done,'
Never are the victories
Or the honors won.
But,rather,
By the believing,doing kind,
While the doubters
Watched from far behind."

Lee added this to the above,"I warn you that negativeness very often unknowingly creeps up upon us.It helps occasionally to stop all thoughts(the chattering of worries,anticipations,and so forth,in your head) and then once more refreshingly march bravely on."
So much is determined by what is in our head and by our attitude.

No Limits

"Bruce had me up to three miles a day, really at a good pace. We’d run the three miles in twenty-one or twenty-two minutes. Just under eight minutes a mile [Note: when running on his own in 1968, Lee would get his time down to six-and-a-half minutes per mile].
So this morning he said to me “We’re going to go five.”
I said, “Bruce, I can’t go five. I’m a helluva lot older than you are, and I can’t do five.”
He said, “When we get to three, we’ll shift gears and it’s only two more and you’ll do it.”
I said “Okay, hell, I’ll go for it.”
So we get to three, we go into the fourth mile and I’m okay for three or four minutes, and then I really begin to give out.
I’m tired, my heart’s pounding, I can’t go any more and so I say to him, “Bruce if I run any more,” — and we’re still running — “if I run any more I’m liable to have a heart attack and die.” He said, “Then die.” It made me so mad that I went the full five miles.
Afterward I went to the shower and then I wanted to talk to him about it. I said, you know, “Why did you say that?” He said, “Because you might as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”

The above was recounted by someone being trained by Bruce Lee. We runners can learn alot from the last seven sentences.

Tom Osler on Runners Negative Obsessions

I have referenced Tom Osler many times on this blog before.For those who don't recall,he is a former outstanding ultra runner who back in the mid-60's wrote the now legendary booklet,The Conditioning of Distance Runners.Written in a time when precious little sensible distance training info was available, Osler provided the kind of guidance that runners needed.
Tom Osler has an insight into running that isn't as common as one would think.It is a fallacy to believe that former standouts become outstanding coaches and writers in their respective sports.When asked about negative obsessions runners develop in running and racing he ofered the following observations:
"Some runners make a fetish out of never missing a day's training.Their streaks of continuous days running can number into the years.There is probably no direct harm in this. However,it distracts the runner from his legitimate concerns.He should first concentrate on listening to his body.Take a day off  if the body needs it. There is no loss but actually a gain in such actions.
Another obsession runners succumb to is the minimum mileage for the week syndrome. Runners will kill themselves to make that magic 60 miles,or 100 miles,or whatever it might be.Again,this distracts the runner from his first concern.He should be monitoring his training according to how he feels and not according to some preassigned silly number.
A dangerous obsession is the refusal to quit in races.Of course,there is no honor in quitting simply because you are being beaten.There are however times when continuing poses a real threat to your health.At such times,it is the wise runner who quits."
I don't know about you,but I've been guilty of all of the above at one time or another.As I look back, I recognize that it was almost always related to fear or anxiety.I believed that by backing off I would lose "my edge." Foolishness it was!

Yiannis Kouros Requests

http://www.yianniskouros.com/oldsite/records.html
It's not very often that I begin a post with a link to another site but there is a reason why I have. A startling number of self-described fanatical runners still don't either know who Yiannis Kouros is, or aren't aware of the number of records he has set.
Quite simply,Yiannis Kouros is the greatest runner of all-time.Now, I recognize that determining who is the best is a somewhat subjective task but Kouros' records are spectacular. Another thing,the link above doesn't note the numerous point to point victories he's had.
I recall reading on one of the running forums awhile back that someone viewed the ultra running stars as people who ran slower,longer.Interesting comment, made in an era when,as I saw recently in a major metropolitan city, that the 20th place male competitor out of three thousand plus runners ran a time of 20 minutes and change for a 5k. These kind of times are going on all over the country. Thirty-five years ago 20 minutes would have maybe gotten you into the top 100,maybe.But again,I digress.
Suffice to say that most of the running public does not understand ultra running. Factors besides extreme aerobic fitness are needed to be great, and not surprisingly,those factors are all mental.
Recently I came across a set of conditions that Yiannis' handler says must be met before he will compete in a race.Not surprisingly,they mostly relate to keeping the event honest and accurate.Kouros is very zealous about maintaining the integrity of the sport.He has "gone off" on those who are called ultra superstars because they do what some call ultra stunts instead of winning true ultra races.By ultra stunts he means things like running x amount of marathons in so many days or running without stopping for extended periods of time.
Yiannis is now 57 years old and has recently returned to the ultra scene after a long lay-off. He recently set some age group records and last month ran from Athens to Sparta and back in 61 hours.By the way,that's a distance of around 306 miles.So for any of you race directors out there, if you'd like Yiannis to appear at your race,consider the following, it is most interesting:

Standards that should apply in order to invite Y. Kouros to a race:

by Yiannis Kouros admin. on Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at 11:37am ·

1. The race director or the first in charge person for the race would have achieved an exceptional and outstanding performances in distances longer than 100 miles or 24h. Otherways, how can we could communicate, when I speak the language of real Ultra-running and they speak the language of fun-running, or the language of the spectator, or the language of marketing/media etc?

2. Judges should be present at the entire duration of the race in every spot that should need to be controlled. Beyond that extra persons from at least two other nation should be present, checking out the lap scoring area and/or other critical spots by shifts.

3. The course should be measured according to international rules.

4. If it’s a road race the distance of the loop should be 1, or 1.5 or 2km and nothing in between.

5. Competitors who have taken part in events with cheating history should NOT be allowed to take part, unless they have reported in written form whatever they have experienced, plus the evidence can be considered by supporting in practice the fair play by not taken part again to that event.

6. Anti-doping control should be available according to IAAF rules.

7. Minimum competitors should be 6 and, for maximum the following should apply: if the course is 400 meters, 40 competitors, if 500meters 50 competitors, if 1000meters 100 competitors and if 2km 200 competitors.

8. Competitors who do power walking from the beginning of the race should not be allowed to take part, as (on top of the fact they belong to another sport) they bother those who are after great performances and who are trying to pass them from outside lines, something that is repeated more frequently and, therefore, they cover extra distance which can’t be considered –not even measured- and, so, their extra effort is wasted.

9. Among the lap-scorers, crew members and other people involved with any activities on the venue of the event should NOT be SMOKERS.

10. Movable/chemical toilets should be placed only there where Yiannis Kouros will suggest.

Competitors who do not sweating or do not urinate should be an alarm for drug testing…

 

I love the #1 standard and #8.The list of potential race directors is significantly reduced by #1.As for #8,it only makes sense,it's an ultra race,not a walk.

Some have said Yiannis is being unreasonable but it's all about the integrity of the sport to him.

The 11 Elements

According to Arthur Lydiard there are eleven factors(elements) that determine how fast you will race.He writes"You must always be realistic and understand your limitations in running certain distances and,within that context,consider all the following principles,particularly that of basic speed."
Arthur writes:
"1.The athlete's basic abilities and development.
2.Basic speed or the ability to sprint.
3.Endurance
4.Ability to maintain a fast steady pace.
5.Ability to vary speed in a race.
6.The most suitable distance for a finishing kick.
7.Ability to exercise control during a race.
8.Consideration of opposing runner's abilities.
9.Ability to observe,assess and exploit any strengths and weaknesses in the opposition.
10.Ability to relate one's own weaknesses and strengths to the opposition.
11.Ability to judge pace.
My first thought on the above is that it takes an intelligent and well-conditioned runner to understand and implement several of the above elements.But,that's all part of achieving optimal running performances.
Another thing,you were born with a certain amount of speed,or lack of it.As I used to say to my students,the reason you are running distance instead of the sprints is because you don't have the natural speed. I could have you guys do wind sprints and speed drills all day and you would still not be able to race the 100 or 200.
The beauty of distance running is that you can become faster by doing the work,intelligent work, as Cerutty called it.I should add here that I'm not referring to endless sets of 400 meter intervals on the track.That's foolish work. You want to know yourself as a distance runner and implement some of the elements Lydiard is referring to? Then build up your aerobic base as far as you can, do it over varying courses,distances and terrains.Do fartlek runs, also, run the same courses each week as you build up your maximum aerobic threshold.You do this for a long time and you will know yourself as a runner,you will become highly conditioned,you will be able to switch gears as you run and race.
The beauty of distance training,contrary to what the nouveau running theorists will tell you, is its simplicity.
Go long Sunday!