Training

I promised in the last blog to start putting up some of the training that was being done in the not too distant past by Scottish marathon runners. Today it is Harry Fenion of Bellahouston because many of the men knew him and because he was so good! Harry was only four feet ten inches tall. A real patter merchant but also a really talented athlete who won Scottish Cross Country Championships. Harry took up marathon running and won the championship in 1957. He defeated lots of good runners such as Emmett Farrell, Andy Fleming, Hugo Fox and Ronnie Kane. His training as reported in 'A Hardy Breed' was as follows. "I usually averaged 130 miles per week which included running three times a day gradually adapting myself to run 5:30 a mile which was race pace. This was done with the help of a pal who came along on a bike. He used to time each mile which was good because I was able to increase the pace and settle back to 5:30. The longest run I ever did was 33 miles. Mostt of my runs were 20 miles which included fartlek sessions. Training was done at 7:30 in the morning before I went to work, then at lunchtime and then in the evening. During training sessions I never ever drank any fluids. I usually wore ordinary black sandshoes from Woolworth's and put insoles from Boots the Chemist in them. They didn't last very long as the roads where I lived were very rough." Harry's time was 2:25:44. "After the race I ate a couple of oranges, had a shower and had a three course meal." It was the fastest time in Britain and the second fastest in the world that year. So if you want to be as good as wee Harry, you now know what to do. And if you knew him you would think, "if he could do it, I could do it!" Only 4'10"