Paul's Comment - Part Two

It is interesting and encouraging to see two responses to the last reply to Paul's query. This time, I'll go round the subject like a crab before answering it. If we look at what makes for success as a runner my own philosophy is basically that the best training for running is running. As a Scottish National Coach marking examination papers a few years ago I had a chap who wanted to be a club coach for 5000/10000 metres answering a question which asked for a weekly programme in October/November for an athlete who wanted to race 10000m the following summer. The marking was 3 points for every day's training that was appropriate for the event and time of year and 21 for a good week's work. Well he had the athlete doing short hill reps one day, weight training on another, circuits had their place and so on. The longest single run was 5 miles. Not one of the days was wrong but the totality was useless for the purpose of developing a 10000 metres track runner. So, you can be doing everything right and still be wrong! A distance runner needs to run distances.

As you run distances, the body soon finds out that two short steps are more efficient and get you further than one long step. On the other hand if you do lots of trackwork, you tend to have a longer stride and run higher up on your foot. The function determines the form of the stride. If you do the running you gradually perfect your own most efficient way of running for your own events. Graeme Getty was a Bellahouston runner I coached to a sub 2:20 marathon. He had the most unusual running action - if you look at the back cover of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' by Simon and Garfarkel, the picture of Simon on the back cover walking with Big Art was a dead ringer for Graeme sprinting flat out. When he went to England he was told by a guy from one club - 'Your action is wrong - it's because of your weak back. I can give you exercises to strengthen it.' and another said that the problem was that one leg was stronger than the other and he could give him exercises to change his running action that would make him even faster. And you get the picture - what they had in common was that they wanted him in their club.

A Scottish National Coach once told me that the Institute had discovered that a very well known Scottish sprinter (ie sub 10 seconds) was not extending a particular tiny muscle right at the top of his thigh and they were working on changing his style to cure it. The guy was soon injured and didn't race much afterwards.

Back to Paul: If you have a running action that you have developed over the years that works for you, and the build that you have inherited from your parents and altered by your daily work over 30 years, don't try to change it immediately without a lot of thought. Sometimes in trying for a tiny improvement you lose a whole season. Now ask me what's an active foot?