Training Diaries

Following two comments today (including Cliff's posted below) I'll quote Robert McWatt's Diary now but not before taking up a point made about Allan being exceptional. He isn't - except that he wants to be good. As a 17 year old he was fifth of five in the Scottish Schools 5000 metres, safely fifth with no danger of being challenged for the position. Two weeks later he filled the same position in the SAAA Junior 5000 metres at Meadowbank. No danger of being fourth. Allan worked for what he got and built up the work and sought out good races until he became the athlete you know. He is really quite inspirational - if he could do it, you can.
Robert McWatt was an unlikely distance runner - over six feet tall and built to match. His calves were bigger than my thighs. He lived in Auchnacraig Road in Faifley and went to Braidfield HS. He became a Scottish Internationalist over the country in 1978 in the rain at Bellahouston when Said Aouita was also running. When the following Diary extract was written, he was just nineteen years old.
He had best times of 1:53 for 800 and 2:30 for the marathon. His biggest miles in 1977 were in the week starting 18th September when he hit 73 Miles.
Sunday: Cross Country run from home - 25 miles in three and a half hours!!!
Monday: Acceleration run over the golf course from home.
Tuesday: Fast road run with Cyril O'Boyle. 9 Miles in 55 minutes.
Wednesday: Fast road run with Cyril and Douglas McDonald - 14 miles in 91 minutes (he says that Cyril put the boot in three times on the roads).
Thursday: Easy jogging over three and a half miles.
Friday: Fairly brisk road run of six and a half miles in only 38 minutes (Felt 'Sluggish.')
Saturday: Cross Country Running with lots of hills. 9 miles in 60 minutes.
So that was a 19 year old 32 years ago. How does it compare with our Under 20's now? How do our Seniors compare with what he was doing then? Have we progressed? Comments, please. Ewan Calvert next!