Tucker’s Weekly Workout

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AN INTRODUCTION...... 3 A JOURNAL BY MARK TUCKER...... 5 MONA FARTLEK...... 7 LASSE VIREN...... 9 ...... 11 THRESHOLD RUNS...... 13 BELIEF AND HUMILITY...... 15 PERSEVERANCE...... 17 'PRE'...... 19 'DEEKS'...... 22 EATING BEFORE ...... 24 ...... 26 RUNNING DAY AND NIGHT...... 28 IN DEFENCE OF THE SIT-AND-KICK...... 30 FROM THE FRONT...... 32 JOAN BENOIT SAMUELSON...... 34 SPEED PLAY...... 36

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AN INTRODUCTION

There is no one size fits all when it comes to training. We all have different biomechanics, psychology, motivations, backgrounds, personalities and general life situations that it would be foolish to think that copying a successful runners training would insure your own success. For example, Emil Zatopek was an extremely successful runner and winner of 4 Olympic Gold medals –a champion! However, reported training sessions of 80×400 and the like would be almost suicidal to copy, even for the most seasoned and experienced runner who has trained for years at over 200km a week. Lisa Ondieki, one of our most successful distance runners, male or female and most well known for her silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, sums it up well when responding to Brian Lenton (from his insightful and excellent book: ‘Brian Lenton – Interviews’):

• You wouldn’t be more precise about the actual speed of those intervals and repetitions?

I don’t like to because people might try and copy them, which would be dangerous. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. If some young runner tried to reproduce the sessions, they might get into real trouble. You have to remember that what I’m doing now is based on a build-up over a decade. In fact two decades when you consider the time I spent as a sprinter / hurdler.

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To me, training incorporates not just the physical and mental sides of performance but also what you do outside the training track – life in general. If you are struggling outside of training and are stressed, not getting enough rest and so on, then this will have to have some impact on your training and racing performance.

Nevertheless, only you and your coach can decided what works best for you. I admit that I was never one to use technology (heart rates, altitude tents etc) and tried to keep it very simple, especially in the end when I did all my training runs from home and never needed to drive anywhere (living in South Yarra did help with this!). I wasn’t right or wrong, it just reflected what I thought suited my running, personality and life situation at the time. Others thrive with technology and use it as a major part of their training — again, they are neither right nor wrong, it is just what works best for them, their personality and their current situation.

Anyway, I will leave you with a quote from musician / philosopher, Bob Dylan, which could apply to training and life:

“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do”

END

More about Mark: Tucker has represented numerous times through World XC, to the World Championships Marathon (2009). Tucker was known for is toughness in training and races and consequently had many top wins. He also came 4th at the NCAA National XC representing Butler in 2002. He has broken the 4 minute mile with 3:58.37 in . For more PB's and results follow this link — http://www.all- athletics.com/node/25097

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A JOURNAL BY MARK TUCKER

When I first started to take running seriously, I read a book (borrowed from my school library), which would have a profound effect on my running and life during my formative years. The book: ‘How to become a Champion’ by Percy Cerutty, was truly inspirational and uplifting – if I trained hard, was stronger than others (physically and mentally) and believed in myself, success in running, and life, would be mine! If levels of motivation equalled your results, I might have been a World champion by the age of 20. Alas, I found out it wasn’t quite so simple – you also need to balance your motivation / inspiration with rest and smart training, as over-training can be a greater error than under-training.

Anyway, I devoured that book and any other book written by Percy that I could get my hands on – his forthright style and eccentricities had me inspired and laughing in equal measure: “It is only the weak who look up to the strong: the strong are usually too busy, pushing down the weakly, to look up to anyone!”

His initial rise came from his lowest point at the age of 43 — a nervous breakdown in 1939 that required 6 months of hospitalisation. One doctor at the time even told him that he had no more than two years to live. From this period in his life, he became determined to achieve great things and started to embrace exercise and the outdoors, with walks from his house in South Yarra to the St Kilda baths (where he swam,) one aspect of his recovery. Soon enough, he was exalting the virtues of being fit: “only the fit are fearless!”, and running over 100 miles a week in training. He also began to enjoy some success at the Marathon distance and beyond.

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Ultimately, he became best known for being the coach of Olympic Gold medallist Herb Elliot and for his famous Portsea training camp (beautifully detailed in his books). Images of Percy leading a charge of young men up the sand dunes in Portsea are legendary. This was in line with his belief of leading by example, not merely content to watch his athletes on the sidelines while barking out orders and smoking cigars, something he witnessed (and was repulsed by) on an American trip. An anecdote about Percy that I love, comes from an interview between Herb Elliot and Amanda Smith on Radio National (2001): “...on every occasion where I was running in a major race, Percy, the day before, would just absolutely belt hell out of himself running around four laps of a track somewhere, and he'd finish, and he'd stick his face that far from mine with froth-flecked lips, and exhausted. And he'd just sort of eyeball me, and he'd say, 'You might be able to run faster Elliott, but you'll never be able to run harder!' and then he'd go and collapse somewhere.” To be honest, there are so many anecdotes, stories and writings about, and from, Percy, that I could be writing all day about them and still not have half of them down. Suffice it to say, he was an extremely interesting man and ahead of his time, railing against, for example, ‘the trafficking in animals for food’ and advocating for the consumption of more ‘raw, unadulterated, unrefined, unprocessed’ foods. He even developed his own philosophy called ‘Stotanism’, a mixture of Stoicism and Spartanism. Nevertheless, he was certainly a controversial figure at the time (and probably still would be!) and could be off putting and upsetting to some. Cerutty certainly had his faults and imperfections, like we all do, but I encourage anyone to read the books that he wrote (how could anyone resist the title: ‘BE FIT! OR BE DAMNED!’), and were written about him (an excellent biography being ‘Why Die’ by Graem Sims). It is great reading, being entertaining, informative and inspirational. The best way to read Percy though, maybe by using the filter Herb Eliiot himself advises, in the aforementioned interview on Radio National: “I never had doubt about him, no. But I used to ignore some of the things that he said to me. There would be times where he would say something that was insightful for me, and it seemed to me to be genius. Then there'd be other times where he would say something, which I would think was ridiculous. But that never bothered me, I just ignored it. And so I was fortunate I guess, that I was able to select those things that he had to give me which helped me, and I was able to reject those things which I didn't think would help me.” Writing all this, reminds me of the days I went out training with Cerutty ringing in my ears: “Pain is the purifier”; “For truly success can be yours!”; “’Deeds’ are his argument — not words, claims, hopes, estates or ‘privileges’”; “You only ever grow as a human being if you’re outside your comfort zone”;” All the world admires the trier — and that is something we can all succeed at: be tops in, being a sincere and punishing trier.", amongst many other quotes. To finish with, I will leave you with a quote that I think epitomises Percy Cerutty, his optimism and fighting spirit. In 1975, with Percy facing death, having only a few weeks to live, and barely able to speak, he wrote this note to a visiting friend, Bill Stacey: “I am having a massive breakdown. I will come back BETTER THAN EVER!” (‘Why Die’ – Graem Sims)

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MONA FARTLEK

The ‘Mona’ Fartlek is probably the most well known training session in Australia. Named after legendary Australian distance runner, , and devised by his well known coach (a dual Olympian, Education guru and all-round good guy), this is one session I am very familiar with. Memories of this session are numerous and include: running out and back, on a dirt road behind the University of (now Federation University) with friend, Ryan Mannix, when studying to become PE teachers, and trying to chase him down after turning around (at the agreed upon 9 minutes and 55 seconds, if memory serves me correctly); Being humbled by the inspirational and late Kerryn McCann at Falls Creek, when she beat me in a big group ‘Mona’ Fartlek session when I was younger (thinking that there was no way a woman could beat me in training!); and finally, the ultimate – like drinking Champagne in the Champagne region of ! – Starting the ‘Mona’ Fartlek with the man himself, at the original source — Lake Wendouree. I say starting, as my younger self strained early on to keep-up with ‘Mona’ and Troopy ( – who himself has a trail named after him in my hometown of – the’ Troop Loop’), who were somewhat surprised to see me up with them after the first couple of efforts. However, soon enough they were drifting off away from me, into the distance...

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THE SESSION

2×90 seconds, 4×60 seconds, 4×30 seconds, 4×15 econds. All efforts are done with a recovery that is the equivalent time of the effort completed (90 seconds on, 90 seconds off and so on). The complete time taken for the session is 20 minutes. The beauty of the session is the amount of ways you can complete it. Usually, in particular for the longer distance guys and girls, the recovery between efforts is none too shabby, and at its extremes is not too much slower than the effort that has just been completed. Going to the other extreme, the session can be done with more of an anaerobic focus, with hard efforts followed by a slow jog recovery.

It is assumed that as the efforts become shorter in time so too does the intensity increase. However, this is no hard and fast rule – whatever suits your needs. There are also other variations that include halving all efforts, halving just the 30 second and 15 seconds efforts (down to 2 efforts of each) and also finishing after the end of the one minute efforts (so 14 minutes in total), to name just a few. I have also used it as a freshening up session 3 or 4 days before a race, going roughly ¾ of my usual pace. Nevertheless, however it’s done, you will be joining the many runners before you who have completed this iconic session named after an iconic Australian distance runner.

For more information about ‘Mona’, his training and his life in general (up to 1996), I recommend highly the book: ‘In the long run – Steve Moneghetti’ (by Peter Howley).

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LASSE VIREN

Quietly spoken and introverted off the track, Lasse Viren turned into a mighty warrior on it, becoming one of the most successful Olympians of all-time. A dual 5000m, 10,000m gold medallist in both the 1972 and 1976 , along with a 5th place finish in the 1976 Olympic Marathon (where he became the closest athlete ever, to emulate the great Emil Zatopek and win the 5000m, 10,000m and Marathon gold medals at the one Olympics) and finally, a 5th place finish in the 1980 10,000m to round it all out, in his final Olympic Games appearance on the track. One of the most amazing things about his four gold medals was that the first one came after falling down, around halfway, in the 10,000m, after Gammoudi clipped his heels (with Gammoudi also falling down, leading to a DNF). He lost around 50 meters to the field but subsequently got back up to win in a World record time – something that is unlikely to be ever seen again at an Olympic Games, in our lifetime.

Viren peaked for the Olympic Games perfectly, not overly concerned about race results in the 3 or 4 years preceding the Olympics – as long as he was fresh and in the best shape of his life on the Olympic start line, nothing else mattered. One of his signature work-outs was a 50×100m session (100m hard, 100m float and so on: until 5000m completed) which he completed not long before the 1980 Olympics:

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“With the Olympics nearing, he did his favourite workout of 50×100 meters all-out. As had become a tradition, Viren climbed over the fence at the track in to do this session, as a kind of men- tal stimulus. Climbing the fence instead of walking through the gate was symbolic of getting over the problems he had faced.”

In the excellent book where the above quote was given: ‘Running with the Legends’ (by Michael Sandrock) it states that his best time for this session was 13.43 – an excellent time considering that, at the time, it would have been very competitive in most international races. Considering the time, we can safely assume that Viren wasn’t just jogging slowly between his efforts! Many athletes have, and still do, use this session as part of their training program. Some, such as athletes who compete in distances 5000m and up, would approach the session in a similar fashion to Viren – making the efforts solid, around 3000m race pace (or a touch quicker) with a steady float recovery. Others, wanting a faster more anaerobic session, would increase the speed of the efforts (1500m pace and faster) and decrease the pace of the recoveries.

In short summary, it’s a relatively tough session that can be an excellent indicator of your current fitness: climbing the fence to get onto your local track, before the session, is optional!

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BENITA WILLIS

Australia’s first World Cross Country Champion (winning in 2004; our only individual medallist to date), a 4 time Olympian and multiple Australian record holder (2000m, 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m and Marathon), Bronze medallist at the World Championships (2003) along with numerous other titles and achievements, Benita Willis is no stranger to success! Through all of this she has always remained humble, positive and friendly to whomever she encounters – a great role model for younger (and not so young) runners. Like many runners, she keeps (or has kept) a training diary which, for many past and present Geelong Region Cross Country runners, we were lucky enough to get a small peak into, courtesy of the numerous newsletters written by past Geelong running stalwart and tireless volunteer, Neil MacDonald (which can now be accessed online at: http://grcc.net.au/archives.html). Leading up to her 8th placing at the 2003 World Championships (an Australian record of 30:37.68), Benita gave us a look into her training prior to this race, in issue #36 of the aforementioned newsletters. One workout I will look at is detailed below:

Session leading up to World Championship 10,000m in :

Tuesday – 29 / 7 / 2003 Track Session @ Kingston Track (in racing flats). 3×1600m (lap jog recovery between)

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1. 4:44 (74, 71, 70, 68) – ‘kick down’ 2. 4:43 (74, 68, 74, 66) – 2nd / 4 th lap ‘fast’ 3. 4:44 (73, 72, 70, 68) – ‘kick down’ “Felt good” The above isn’t just a great workout to do physically, with it being a good 10 seconds or so faster per mile than her eventual 10,000m race pace, but is an excellent workout psychologically. ‘kick downs’ are a great way to be able to start a workout relaxed, knowing you will not be exerting yourself too much to begin with; they also let you work your way into a session, with the times becoming progressively quicker, which is an efficient way to race and train.

Along with this you gain confidence because you are getting faster as the workout progresses and finish with your fastest repetition instead of the other way around (which is common if an over eager first repetition is completed which then puts you into deficit for the rest of the workout). Her second 1600m repetition is completed with the 2nd and 4th laps being faster than her 1st and 3rd laps – again, good for confidence, finishing with a fast repetition and, more importantly, being able to handle pace changes that can occur frequently in championship races. Finally, the workout showed that she was in great shape and, no doubt, was an important piece in the puzzle that led to an excellent performance at the World Championships in Paris the following month.

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THRESHOLD RUNS

THRESHOLD RUNS

Talking about and completing a ‘threshold run’ can bring a roll of the eyes to some runners who find it a chore. It’s far from glamorous, there are no breaks to look forward to (such as in an interval workout or fartlek) and it can be tough, both physically and mentally. In theory, it shouldn’t be so bad as you are running slower than race pace and have no real pressure to get a result (such as a placing or time); that can also make it harder as it is nowhere near as important as a race so you aren’t usually as ‘pumped up’ or have any of the adrenalin and narrow focus that comes with a race. Also, for a lot of runners, you will be completing it solo (unless you have evenly matched training partners). Despite all this, it is an essential weekly workout for many runners: their ‘bread and butter’ or foundation, and can be excellent for improving and maintaining fitness. Through most of my own career I completed a threshold run weekly and found it very important, especially near the end when I raced the longer distances.

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WHAT IS IT?

In basic terms a ‘threshold’ run is a sustained effort where you are running slower than race pace but a lot faster than your easy runs; where you are on the ‘threshold’ of going into significant lactic acid (or lactate concentration in the blood starts to increase at a faster pace: e.g. starting to feel a bit heavy in the legs) without actually going into that zone. It isn’t an exact science, although you can make it more exact with the help of a heart rate monitor and staying on a heart rate that gets you in the ‘correct’ zone.

Loosely, if you are doing a 25–30 minute threshold run you might be running at a pace that is a little slower than your 10km race pace (if your best time is under 40 minutes). Personally, and for a lot of runners, it is done by feel. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t be overly concerned with yours, or your training partners, threshold pace (if completing the threshold with someone else). For example, you could have the exact personal best times as another runner and not be anywhere near each other in the threshold run – that’s just the way it is, as we all perceive differently what a ‘threshold pace’ run entails and we may be tired on that day, feeling great or whatever– no big deal and certainly not worth berating a training partner about because you assumed they went too fast for ‘their threshold’.

THE WORKOUT

Most runners (including myself) prefer to complete the threshold run on a flat and consistent surface. The main reasons are that this replicates most of your races on the track and road, it helps you maintain a steady and constant speed and it gives you more confidence compared to if you are struggling up hills during the middle of the workout and slowing down quite a bit as a consequence. However, if you are also working on strength and your , for example, then an undulating course will be beneficial.

After a warm-up of varying length (usually 10 to 20 minutes of jogging) the workout starts. You can either do the workout from your watch – a popular time is 20 minutes but you can vary it from 10 to 30 minutes (and beyond for longer distance runners) or you can run it over a measured course, e.g. 5km or 10km. It is preferable, in my opinion, to start the session too slow than too fast and to work your way into it – there is nothing worse than struggling and you aren’t even half way through yet, and then going slower in pace all the way to the end!

Other variations, for example, can include 2×10 minutes with a 1 to 5 minute jog recovery in between or 15 minutes of threshold, 2 minutes easy, then 3 minutes hard. Really, the variations are endless and depends on what suits you the best and what you want to get out of it. Finally, try to enjoy it – it’s essentially practice for a race, but a lot less intense, so keep relaxed and don’t overly concern yourself with goal times and pace.

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BELIEF AND HUMILITY

"To be a world-record holder in the mile, a man must have the arrogance it takes to believe he can run faster that anyone ever has at the distance; and the humility it takes to actually do it.” (Herb Elliot)

Running, and indeed life, can be quite a balancing act. On the one hand (if you want to excel) you firstly need to believe that you can achieve and reach the heights you have dreamt of; on the other hand, all the belief and confidence in the World (along with ability) will not give you a gold medal on a plate — you also need to put your head down and have the humility to get all the training done. That’s the core of Herb’s message in the above quote – belief (strong confidence) and humility (putting your belief into action and getting it done) are a potent combination; you can’t have one without the other if you have high hopes and goals. Herb Elliot was a perfect example of this: his confidence and belief in what he could achieve were unshakeable; his training tough and uncompromising (I can visualise him now striding up a Portsea sand dune with a look of pure determination!). The ultimate reward for all this was a gold medal and World record in the 1500m at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games (and 55 years later his 3.35.6 still holds up strongly).

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Craig Mottram, while not an Olympic gold medallist, has had an excellent running career by anyone’s standards. World Championship bronze medallist in the 5000m, World cup gold medallist in the 3000m (twice) along with being the current National record holder in everything from the mile to the 5000m (just a lazy 12.55.76 if you don’t mind!) – impressive is an understatement. He also has (he’s still competing and going strong in events off the track) the ideal combination of belief and humility.

I was lucky enough to see this first-hand. Back in 1998 we both competed in the Australian Cross Country Championships in Canberra – he in the U / 20 schools division, I in the U / 20 (non school) division – the race was combined that year. At that time Craig ‘Buster’ Mottram was relatively unknown — a fellow Geelong runner who was transitioning from being a successful junior triathlete into an elite distance runner. So I was somewhat surprised when one of the other runners in the race informed me that Mottram — who to my knowledge was running in his first Australian Cross-Country Championship — was asking around about who the top two or three runners in the race were (Martin Dent and Alastair Stevenson being amongst them) as he planned to go out with the leaders with the intention of winning the race; the nerve of the man!

Come race day and he stuck true to his word – being in front of me for most of the race before pride took over and I made myself pass him; if I couldn’t win the race I was at least going to beat a ‘triathlete’ and be the first runner to finish from Geelong! I ended up 4th (Martin Dent won convincingly) with Mottram 6th overall but winning the National Schools division (just 8 seconds behind me) – The first and only time I ever beat the Big Mzungu! (On a side note, if I knew how successful Mottram was going to be, maybe — subconsciously — I would have just let him go and thus finished behind him?: the power of the mind!)

That’s a big part of why Mottram was so successful – his belief in himself was enormous and he knew what he wanted: to beat anyone he raced regardless of their credentials. In combination with smart and hard training and a huge talent you get an amazing runner such as Mottram. Simple isn’t it! Maybe not; but we can all learn something from Elliot and Mottram to achieve our own running goals – believe, aim high and... put your head down and get the training done!

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PERSEVERANCE

“Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” (Japanese proverb)

If perseverance was a national sport would be a World powerhouse. The above proverb neatly sums up a big part of the Japanese identity and the general enthusiasm given to the sport of distance running in Japan; effort, endurance and perseverance are valued highly. In some apparent contrast, Albert Einstein gave us his definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” While both concepts may seem incompatible at first, they can make an ideal combination if thought of correctly. Ultimately, ‘failure’ will happen in both running and life so what’s the best way to react?

Firstly, we can persevere by continuing on as before – with the knowledge that, in the long run, we will reap the benefits. This makes sense – there is no point in knee-jerk reactions to one or two bad races and training sessions — it happens. However, the hard thing is deciding how many bad races, training sessions and injuries before a major change is required? Of course, with most things that require judgement in relation to a particular situation, there is no one answer. It might be that only some minor tweaks are needed: a touch more speed added perhaps, an additional rest or easy day, less racing, more stretching... or, if there has been a major pattern emerging, a bigger change: focusing on a different event, making a

17 Tucker’s Weekly Workout significant change in your overall training programme or, heaven forbid, focusing more on other sports or other areas of your life. There is no simple answer. Obviously a lot of thought should be put into a major decision — between yourself, coach and other supporters – and even after that you may get it wrong; but that’s what can make life interesting and varied – there are no guarantees (death and taxes excluded).

Nevertheless, the ideal combination is to have both concepts working simultaneously – if you are fit, healthy and love your running, keep on going, despite any set-backs that may come your way: “Fall down seven times, get up eight”. At the same time, if you have been unhappy with your results for a significant period of time and haven’t seen improvement for years, it’s probably time to make some changes so that you can improve and ultimately achieve what you have set-out to do. “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”, would certainly seem bizarre in this scenario. It’s a balancing act between continuing on as before and making change, but get the right balance of both and you are well on your way to achieving your goals.

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'PRE'

“A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.”

The above is classic or ‘Pre’ as he was affectionately known – a running legend famous for his intensity, determination and guts – his relentless front running, extraordinary results, prodigious talent and work ethic. A runners’ runner: a hero.

Most running fans know the story of Pre: Prefontaine (1997) and Without limits (1998) are both movies about Pre’s life and premature death that are especially popular with distance runners. When he died at the age of 24 he held an incredible seven American records from 2000m to the 10,000m and had just three years previously challenged for the Olympic gold medal in the 5000m at Munich, where he put it all on the line to agonisingly just fall short and finish th4 behind the unstoppable Lasse Viren.

I’ve watched both movies many times, along with Fire on the track a documentary showing career highlights, rarely seen footage and interviews with friends, family and fellow runners. I was truly inspired each time I watched them and still clearly remember quotes such as the following:

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“How does a kid from Coos Bay, with one leg longer than the other win races? All my life people have been telling me, 'You're too small Pre', 'You're not fast enough Pre', 'Give up your foolish dream Steve'. But they forgot something, I HAVE TO WIN."

Pre has many memorable and inspiring quotes that have been attributed to him – a measure of his influence on athletics, even to this day.

Nevertheless, the reason I was prompted to write about Pre was because of a short passage I read from the excellent book written by Tom Jordan, titled ‘PRE: The story of America’s Greatest Running Legend’.

“An alert was broadcast, warning people with respiratory problems to stay indoors. It was not a day to run an all-out mile. But then there were those thousand fans, waiting expectantly. Pre ran 3.58.3, and coughed blood afterward.”

Amazing to think a thousand fans turned up for what was a one mile time trial (with the pacing assistance of some teammates). Unfortunately, this was a session that Pre later regretted doing – it negatively impacted on his next couple of races (resulting in the only DNF of his career) and he was finally diagnosed as having torn muscle fibres under his rib cage that had resulted from running that hard mile in the smoke filled air.

This got me thinking: firstly, our ‘strength’ (determination, bravery, taking things to an extreme etc) can sometimes also be our ‘weakness’ (that same determination, bravery and extremeness can turn into a foolish decision that can impact negatively on us and others). Going on from this, there are probably numerous occasions where we have made dubious decisions in our running careers that have come back to bite us.

One of my own that comes to mind was when I ran in a Word Junior Cross Country trial in the mid to late nineties, despite just getting over Chickenpox and feeling rather weak and unfit because of it. From memory I finished last. If I had not started that trial and instead had told the selectors of my situation, I would have had a much better chance of being selected for that team (my results all season had been strong). I ruined my chance by stubbornly racing the trial despite all logic.

Still, mistakes are inevitable – there are going to be poor decisions made, especially considering the extreme nature of most distance runners, particularly at the elite level (again, that extremeness is probably a major factor in the elite runners’ success and, unfortunately, also one of their weaknesses). Anyway, it is best just to be aware of all this and to remember that there is sometimes a very fine line between bravery and foolishness.

To finish, I will leave you with some classic Pre quotes from a legendary man and runner – a man we can all find inspiration from:

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“Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative."

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

“Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it.”

END

Winner of the competition—

Did Ron Clarke ever receive an Olympic Gold Medal and when?

Winning Answer: Matthew Menegazzo

Yes. Ron Clarke received a Gold Medal, not for winning, but from Emil Zatopek in 1968. It was a gesture of recognition as Clarke was clearly of gold medal calibre, he just hasn't performed on the big stage.

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'DEEKS'

Once upon a time, back in the eighties, (or ‘Deek’) was known by just about everyone in Australia. The iconic moustache, tree-trunk legs and warm personality all beamed forth into peoples’ lounge rooms around Australia, as he conquered the World, culminating in his World Championship gold medal at Helsinki in 1983; this success came not long after his amazing 1982 Marathon victory in Brisbane, where he came from behind to beat the Tanzanian .

Deek still holds our National record for the Marathon, running a superb 2:07:51 to win the famous in 1986. All this, along with numerous other successes during his long career, firmly puts Deek into a very small club of Australian runners with claims for the title of our greatest distance runner of all-time.

One of the foundations to this success was Deek’s sensible approach to training, guided by his coach . The year round system used (and still used by athletes in various guises) emphasises the alternating of hard and easy running, with work-outs being intense in quality but conservative in duration. The long run is of utmost importance, along with a weekly hill session and track work-out for speed and variety. In the excellent book ‘DEEK: The making of Australia’s World Marathon Champion’ (Robert De Castella with Mike Jenkinson), Pat Clohessy describes this training as:

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“… a functional system which allows you to run well all the year round.”

It is maybe no coincidence that two of our greatest Marathon runners, Robert de Castella and Steve Moneghetti, have thrived off this system of training.

A common work-out they both shared was the 8×400m weekly track session. On paper it looks easy; in reality it is anything but.

The ‘traditional’ way of completing this session is to run the 400’s at around your 5000m race pace, or a touch quicker, and to complete your 200m floats (done in-between each 400m) at a brisk pace: roughly at your marathon race pace (faster than simply ‘jogging’).

In this way the session becomes progressively harder — the lactic acid becomes more noticeable the closer you get to finishing it. Essentially, the session combines speed with an anaerobic threshold run; while not being overly time consuming or taxing on the body. Of course it can be modified to include faster repetitions with slower recoveries, if speed is more your focus, or it can be shortened to only include six 400m repetitions instead of eight.

The beauty of the session, for a longer distance runner, is that it balances out the longer runs and sessions completed during the week, while also keeping you feeling fresh and speedy. However, no matter if you’re beginner or elite; an 800m runner or Marathon runner, there is a lot that can be gained by incorporating this little session into your training programme.

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EATING BEFORE RUNNING

“Strenuous exercise should not be taken until two and a half to three hours after eating” (C.W.H. Grant – The Australian Amateur – October 1951)

How much? How long before? And what should we eat (and drink) before a race and before we train? These are questions that most runners have grappled with at some stage of their career, with most finding — through trial and error – what works best for them and sticking to that almost religiously; not daring to change just in case it contributes to a poor result and subsequent regret.

Of course, food and drink consumed before a race (or hard training) may only be seen as a minor issue in relation to overall performance, but get it wrong and it can be the difference between running a PB or running off into the bushes half-way through a race because of ‘stomach issues’.

Reading from some of my more obscure and historical sources (specifically: The Australian Amateur – from the early 1950’s) has provided me with some interesting information in regards to the pre-race meal and it seems to be not that far removed from what runners currently consume (minus the ‘chops’!). One of the writers from The Australian Amateur – C.W.H. Grant, ‘Honorary Coach, V.A.A.A.’ writes in the October 1951 issue on the ideal race-day eating / drinking routine:

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“Breakfast (7.30 a.m to 8 a.m) Same as ordinary days but making doubly certain to chew the food well. Lunch (to be taken 3 hours before competition) – One glass of fruit-juice with plenty of sugar. Two slic- es of dry toast with butter to taste. One or two chops (well done). Weak tea with plenty of sugar.” In regards to specific athletes from the past and their eating habits, the great Emil Zatopek is profiled (by J.H. Galli) in the November 1951 issue of The Australian Amateur:

“Emil’s training is done after five o’clock in the evening, and he eats nothing between the morning snack and dinner, which, in the summer, is invariably a cold meal. He is fond of sweet dishes, mostly fruits... The Czech, to use his own expression, eats by instinct. He eats when he feels like it, and not to any time schedule.” Seems sensible enough, however, I wouldn’t go out copying Zatopek’s routine of having “nothing between the morning snack and dinner.” In the same issue of The Australian Amateur, (‘G-Man’) tells J.H. Galli that he “eats his last meal in which jelly largely figures, four to five hours before a race.” (The late Fred Wilt was an FBI agent, distance runner and coach who ran impressive times over a number of distances — at the time of publication in 1951 – including 4.10 in the mile, 8.12 in the 3000m and 14.26 in the 5000m). How about more present day runners then? Well, nothing much has changed in regards to how long before a race food is consumed (anywhere between two and a half to five hours) and also the habit of bread / toast being part of the pre-race ritual. In his excellent self-published book: Caffeine Conversations Neil MacDonald puts together an impressive list of his interviews with elite runners and coaches from the newsletters he used to produce for the Geelong Region Cross-Country team. In this book, describes his routine before he raced in the 2004 Olympic 5000m final () – where he subsequently finished 8th — which includes what he ate and drank about four hours before the big race (as per his usual routine):

“Just had some bread and banana and sports drink. Have stopped having toast as it takes a little lon- ger to digest than plain bread.” One of Neil’s questions to his interviewees (included in their profiles), was food eaten before a race. Toast and Banana were the most popular foods consumed with both and both stating that they had this combination before a race. Some other runners included: Lee Troop – Toast and Vegemite; Steve Moneghetti – Tea and toast; Kerryn McCann – Toast and honey or jam; Benita Willis — Crumpets and honey. So nothing too exciting or adventurous and no chops or steaks to be seen! Being conservative and consistent seems to be the key. Anyway, I will let C.W.H. Grant finish (as he started) with some wise words in relation to food and the athlete:

“Remember that you cannot feed the stomach and heart on sweets and gassy drinks and expect them to function 100 per cent ., any more than you can fuel a car with inferior petrol and oil and expect it to give 100 per cent service.” (The Australian Amateur: January–February 1952).

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DEREK CLAYTON

“I had broken 2:09. I forgot my exhaustion. Within a couple (of) hours, the agony of a world record run would manifest itself. The elation would be replaced by fear. I would be urinating quantities of blood and vomiting black mucous. The race left me so totally spent that it took six months to recover. But for now – standing at the finish line – I felt only elation.” (Derek Clayton)

I love this quote. Given by Derek Clayton from his memorable, honest and informative book: ‘Running To The Top’; it is extreme – just like the man. And this extremeness is what draws me in and, simultaneously, inspires and horrifies me – Clayton’s sheer bloody mindedness to become the best Marathon runner in the World is inspiring; although the way he achieved it, at times, seems a touch horrifying (but something we can learn from).

Nevertheless, Derek Clayton was truly an amazing runner. The peak of his career came when he ran an astonishing (at the time) World Record Marathon time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 33 seconds in Antwerp, (1969); a time that still ranks him 3rd on the all-time Australian Marathon rankings — one of only five Australians ever to break 2.10 in the Marathon. Amazingly, nine days before this World Record, he had won a Marathon in Turkey (in less than ideal conditions) in the solid time of 2:17.26.

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Along with this remarkable performance, Clayton was the first runner ever to break 2 hours and 10 minutes for the Marathon, achieving this when he convincingly won the 1967 . He also achieved many other outstanding results throughout his career, which always seemed like it could end at any moment:

“He underwent nine major operations – four on the Achilles tendons, two each on the knees and nose, and one on his heel.” (‘Running To The Top’)

Wow. Not surprisingly he counted his surgeon, Dr. Kingsley-Mills, as a close friend.

It brings to mind some of the light hearted discussions that distance runners have, to pass the time, when on a long run together:

‘Would you be prepared to go through or lose (insert scenario or body part) if it meant running a World Record or winning an Olympic Gold Medal?’

And I can say with some confidence that nearly all the runners I have ran with in the past would choose to go through what Clayton did if they could have his career and World Record.

“Sure I needed an operation, but that would have meant giving the Games away. I told them I’d run even if it meant losing a leg” (Derek Clayton on running in the Mexico Olympic Games – 1968)

However, we don’t need to make that choice. To become the best runner you can possibly be you don’t need to smash yourself in training and ignore pain and soreness – it is actually counterproductive to do so. Clayton was a notoriously hard trainer – in both quality and quantity – readily admitting that he had sometimes pushed on in training despite experiencing soreness and pain. Unfortunately, for every Clayton there will be many more runners that have trained similarly to him that have failed miserably – resulting in serious injuries and a premature end to their careers. Clayton recognised this himself and gives some wise advice learned from hindsight:

“If you hurt, slow down. If you are in agony, stop. It’s better to miss a few days of running than be forced out for weeks – or even months – through foolishness.” (Derek Clayton – ‘Running To The Top’)

Be extremely determined, have a huge amount of desire, but temper this with wisdom. Derek Clayton we salute you – An Australian running legend.

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RUNNING DAY AND NIGHT

By Mark Tucker

“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day” (Henry David Thoreau)

And so is a run, as all of us runners well know. Not just in the morning, mind you, but anytime of the day and night – midday, afternoon, night or even midnight if we so choose. It’s a beautiful thing to enjoy such a simple pleasure as going for a run: Get your shoes on (or not, if barefoot running is your thing), open the door and simply start by putting one foot in front of the other; going out into the fresh air to be greeted by the sounds and sights of nature. It can revitalise and inspire or simply be something that gives a little time-out from a hectic day; it really can be a ‘blessing’ as Thoreau so wisely pointed out way back in the mid 19th century.

That’s why, at the risk of offence, I cringe when I see people running with their mobile phones in their hands or glued to their ears: it feels like the antithesis of going for a run – to escape the rat-race and our increasingly technological world, even if it is only for a few moments. If the main purpose of the run is purely for fitness reasons, you are still missing out on the potential side benefits that come from giving your entire focus to the run and whatever comes your way as the run progresses. It could be a sunset, a flock of galahs, reflections from a lake – who knows, but I’m pretty sure it will be infinitely better for you than any phone call you could receive. Anyway, I digress...

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Henry David Thoreau, the author of one of my favourite books: Walden; or, Life in the Woods tells us of the time he spent living in the woods (in 1845) by himself in a cabin near Walden Pond for a period of two years, two months and two days because:

“...I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived...I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan — like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms...”

It was essentially seen as an experiment by Thoreau and one that he greatly enjoyed and learned from.

Common themes that come out of the book are: self-reliance, simplicity and nature; which are core qualities that are also found in running. It’s a sport that requires self-reliance and dedication: when you are out competing or training there is nowhere to hide, no teammates to take up some of the slack if you are struggling; it’s raw and individual. Simplicity hardly needs explaining: there’s no sport that is more simple and natural than running.

That leaves nature. It’s a broad term but when I think of it in relation to running I think of running on trails in the mountains and forests; running beside great bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and the sea; inhaling fresh air with a hint of eucalyptus; wild birds flying overhead, native animals grazing nearby taking no notice of the humans racing past in a hurry.

A romantic and idealistic view for sure, but that is what I currently love about running – getting outside and enjoying nature. My younger self went out the door for a run with the explicit purpose of getting as fit as possible for the next race; the nature I encountered on my run was just a bonus.

But how life has turned! Quite fittingly, like a changing of the seasons.

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IN DEFENCE OF THE SIT-AND-KICK

You can run a race a variety of ways, but there can be nothing more polarising than the tactics of front running versus the sit-and-kick. Front running is associated with nobility, virtue, bravery and good morals; while the sit-and-kicker, who patiently waits until near the end to unleash their final burst, is often seen as the villain — how dare they let the other runner do all the work before taking all the glory at the end!

Watch the 1993 Men’s World Championship 10,000m and you will see a good example of this thinking — the ‘villain’, , outkicks the front running ‘hero’, Moses Tanui, after Gebrselassie accidentally steps on Tanui’s heel, leading to Tanui losing a shoe and subsequently running the last lap of the race with only one shoe on. It was an accident, and Gebrselassie was well within his rights to run to his strengths (sitting and then kicking near the end of the race) but try telling that to everyone who watched the race!

Of course, I will freely admit right now, that I was more of a sit-and-kicker than front-runner (even though I’m extremely wary of labels. However, I will use these labels for ease of writing) – my finishing kick was my strength and my main aim was to win races; it was a no-brainer really. Nevertheless, I no doubt lost some races due to this predictability and by not mixing it up enough; if I had my time again, I would certainly include more front-running in my races (especially the longer races).

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Runners race the way they do for their own personal reasons; if someone doesn’t have much speed, and therefore has a poor ‘kick’, of course they will be more likely to race from the front. If someone has superior speed, vice versa — they will be less likely to take the lead. You aren’t a better person one way or the other and you certainly aren’t ‘gutsier’ or ‘braver’ if you run from the front (being a devil’s advocate: Is the sit- and-kicker the braver one, by risking the criticism and negative judgement of others for their tactics?). It can sometimes be a lot harder to sit-and-kick than to take the lead. The runner ‘sitting’ can easily lose contact for a split second and therefore give encouragement to the front-runner to push-on, running hard and scared to the finish line; meanwhile the ‘sitter’ drops off the back discouraged. Most sit-and- kickers also have the unwritten rule of: thou shall help out your fellow runners by taking the lead or else risk incurring the wrath and fury from these same runners and their supporters in the back of their minds and may feel uncomfortable ‘sitting’ on someone because of this. Why does the front-runner get to race the way they want with the subtle (or not so subtle) moral backing of the running community, while the sit-and-kicker is seen as a parasite? It would be ludicrous for a sit- and-kicker to complain at the end of a race that the front-runner was being unfair because they should have ran slower to give them more protection and a chance for the sit-and-kicker to sprint at the end. However, the front-runner is seen as well within their rights to complain when they have done all the ‘work’ and then been subsequently beaten at the end by a sit-and-kicker; never mind the fact that the front running was done in their own best interests, just as the sit-and-kicker was racing for his or her best interests. If the front-runner wanted a fast time, it surely can’t be seen as the moral responsibility of the sit-and-kicker to help them out with the lead (to the detriment of their own goals). Moreover, when it is important for fast times to be achieved (for example, in the big non-championship races), ‘rabbits’ are employed anyway, to help set the pace. There are also times when runners will get together before a race and work-out a plan to have multiple runners take the lead to achieve a fast time — that is great and highly commendable, especially if all the runners are happy with this arrangement. In the past I have only been too happy to take the lead, or run from the front, if that’s what suited; I actually prefer racing from the front, as the race can be decided well before the end, one way or the other. And for the longer races it is usually in everyone’s best interest to share the lead – you are not just racing your fellow competitors’, you are racing the distance and the clock. If a runner says that they just prefer to run from the front, regardless of it being the best tactic for them, they are usually benefiting in other ways from their front running – it makes them feel good about themselves; it’s part of their identity; the race is being used as training, etc. If they say they are running from the front (and leading) for purely altruistic reasons, tell them (if they are rude and critical of you) that their extremely noble intentions would be much better suited to helping out at the local charity shop or homeless shelter on the weekend instead of racing – they could be really helping out others instead of just running a race. Having said all this, I love front running and front-runners. I just think it’s time that the sit-and-kickers of the world get some credit where it’s due – both tactics are legitimate ways to race and both should be celebrated. Race the way you want and let others do the same.

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FROM THE FRONT

“Three steps past the line, for the only time in his career, he lost consciousness. When he awoke a few minutes later, an oxygen mask was pressed over his face. The Australian physician attending him was cursing the IOC for having permitted the Games at that altitude. ‘Oh, God,’ he railed. ‘Look what the bastards have done’.” (This, and subsequent quotes, come from the brilliant book: ‘Best Efforts’ by Kenny Moore)

Much has already been written about one of the greatest distance runners of all-time – Ron Clarke; A runner who honourably attacked, with unflinching commitment, his races, training and life. The opening quote typifies these qualities, describing an iconic moment in Australian sporting history when Clarke collapsed after bravely giving it his all at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games. His well known achievement of setting seventeen World records over his illustrious career is truly remarkable, along with the fact that it took over thirty years for his National records, in the 5000m and 10,000m, to be broken.

Although I didn’t know Clarke personally, I can remember one night in particular where his presence was felt. In 2003, the National Men’s and Women’s 10,000m Championships were being held at the Runaway Bay Super Sports Centre (Gold Coast, QLD), a centre in which Clarke had an integral hand developing. It was a special treat for all of us lucky runners to have Clarke in attendance, especially having him stand on the infield near the finish line, shouting out encouragement as we ran past him. Soon enough in the

32 Tucker’s Weekly Workout men’s race though, as the race became tactical and slow, Clarke could be clearly heard, in no uncertain terms, lamenting our lack of pace and urgency (I won’t repeat the exact words here!). Nevertheless, it was a fair call and one that we immediately responded too – Lee Troop in particular reacted and injected some much needed pace through his front-running efforts (with the eventual winner). That passion and honesty was part of Clarke’s many great qualities and appeal.

It was with great sadness that I found out about Clarke’s death last Wednesday. This was followed by a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach when I realised that my article: ‘In Defence of the Sit-And-Kick’ had come out on the same day. I had written, and submitted, the article well before Wednesday (without Clarke or anyone specific in mind) but it was horrible timing to say the least. However, that’s the absurdity of life sometimes...

Clarke, a well known and admired front-runner, once said:

“It makes me sick to see a superior runner wait behind the field until 200 meters to go and then sprint away. That is immoral. It’s both an insult to the other runners and a denigration of his own ability”

It’s an inspired, no nonsense quote, said with great conviction by Clarke. And it’s only fair, after the extremely unfortunate (and completely unintended) timing of last week’s article, to show another opinion on running tactics: the positives of front-running and the reasons for it, using the great man’s own words:

“I loved testing myself more than I feared being beaten and front running is the ultimate test. You need a total, irrevocable commitment to see the race through to the end or it cannot justify your effort”

He also gave a great insight into the mind of a front-runner when he said the following:

“No one knows the fear in a front-runner’s mind more than me. When you set off at a cracking pace for four or five laps and find that your main rivals are still breathing down your neck, that’s when you start to panic.”

“There is fear. I usually didn’t think I’d be able to finish until I got into the last lap.”

I, and many others, admired his commitment, belief and amazing will power. And it was heartening to see the many recent tributes posted on the letsrun.com message board in Clarke’s honour, with one in particular poignant in relation to Clarke’s attack on a race:

“His ethic of giving all you had, not waiting for the kick, holding a crushing pace the whole way, is a dying art”

Truly an amazing, unique and once-in-a-life-time runner and person. Ron Clarke, you will be sorely missed.

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JOAN BENOIT SAMUELSON

The first ever winner of the Women’s Olympic Marathon. The first ever! For any distance runner that would be an absolute dream sentence to come after your name. For Joan Benoit Samuelson, it’s reality.

In the heat, humidity and smog of Los Angeles in 1984, Benoit Samuelson made history when she ran into the Coliseum to win the first ever Olympic Marathon Gold medal on offer for women. What made the run even more remarkable was that she lead from the front for close to 23 of the 26.2 miles, pushing the pace relentlessly, not letting any of her fellow competitors ever have a chance of winning.

By-the-way, she had arthroscopic surgery on her knee just 17 days before the 1984 United States Olympic Marathon Trials. Of course (as you do!) she won the trial in 2:31:04, beating her next rival, , by over 30 seconds. Three months later, she was Olympic Champion.

When I was younger and first read about this, I was amazed. Reading it now, I’m still amazed! A Marathon is no picnic, so to even contemplate running one, less than three weeks after having surgery, is mind- boggling! That was Joan Benoit Samuelson. (She had also recovered quickly in 1981, after having surgery on both of her Achilles tendons).

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From her first major Marathon in 1979, the famous Boston Marathon, she seemed destined for greatness. In winning the race in a time of 2:35:15, breaking the previous course record by over eight minutes, she became the new American record holder. Four years later she would repeat her Boston Marathon triumph, this time breaking the World record. To top it all off, in 1985 – one year after her Olympic success – Benoit Samuelson won the Marathon in an American record of 2:21:21.

And she’s still running! Since the great heights of her career she has still been competitive, over a variety of distances, with women much younger than her, whilst also winning numerous Masters’ titles. In 2010 she ran 2:47:50 for the Marathon at the age of 52 (). And three years later she still ran 2:50:12 at the Boston Marathon!

Quite truly an inspiration for all, young and old, to maintain a lifetime commitment to running and healthy living. Joan Benoit Samuelson: an absolute legend!

Here are some of her memorable quotes over the years – an insight into the person and runner:

"As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are."

"Running is such a part of my life. If I were never to run another marathon, I would still do two-hour runs."

"Those long runs cleanse my system, physically and mentally."

"Just like I hope to be a mother for the rest of my life, I hope to be a runner for the rest of my life."

"Every time I fail, I assume I will be a stronger person for it. I keep on running figuratively and literal- ly, despite a limp that gets more noticeable with each passing season, because for me there has always been a place to go and a terrible urgency to get there."

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SPEED PLAY

A runner hurtles towards the start of the next house, running close to maximum speed for thirty seconds, before reaching their target and resuming an easy jog. A couple of minutes later they’re doing the same thing, this time running hard for close to three minutes before reaching a prominent tree and once again easing off.

This would have been a common scene in parts of Sweden in 1937, when the Swedish coach, Gösta Holmér, started giving his athletes ‘speed play’ sessions (what we now know as ‘fartlek’) to increase their speed and overall fitness. These sessions were largely unstructured and were mostly left for the athlete to decide how fast and long they ran before resuming easy running.

The fartlek has become a popular session amongst many current middle distance / distance runners. It essentially requires a continuous easy to medium running effort, interspersed with harder intervals that usually vary in length. In its most common form it is structured so that the intervals and recovery are precisely timed and accurate, as in the extremely popular ‘mona fartlek ‘. It is safe to say that there are a huge amount of structured fartlek sessions out there that a runner can undertake if sufficiently interested. However, I am now going to very briefly focus on the original and unstructured fartlek session (cue the chariots of fire music accompanied by scenes of running and frolicking on the beach!).

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Occasionally throwing out the watch and running free and uninhibited while ‘playing with speed’, can be healthy and liberating. Much of a distance runners training programme consists in organised and regimented schedules that require timed and measured efforts. So why not change it up once in a while and run through the woods, sprinting here and there, jogging for a few minutes and then suddenly deciding to run like your life depends on it towards the flowing river in the distance – just because you can (while pretending you’re a Swedish athlete from the 1930s – or maybe not!).

It can be particularly uplifting if you have been feeling a bit tired – mentally and physically; you are free to run how you feel, without the usual worries of time and distance. You can be totally spontaneous — choosing a start line and then just running; putting bursts of speed on when the feeling arises, over a range of distances and speeds. Or you could have a set overall time in mind to finish the session, along with various landmarks that you will run hard towards — a house, a car, a tree – before taking it easy and jogging until you get your breath back again.

As long as it is fun and relaxed, involves varying speeds over the course of your run, and doesn’t leave you feeling exhausted – the unstructured fartlek will be well worth your time: especially if you don’t know the time!

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