Just Go To The Pictures

Colin Youngson (Forres) has the story of the teenager who approached distance running legend Alastair Wood and said that he wanted to give up football and take up running, did he have any advice for him? Alastair who was known for being direct said "Son, running is harder than football - do yourself a favour - go to the pictures!" That running is harder than football is not in doubt. A local example is that of Gary Higgins who had been a professional football player before taking up running after a series of injuries. Within two years he was running 1:53 for 800 and 3:56 for 1500 and could do a good 4 x 4 relay leg as well as run cross country. He then just gave it up in favour of playing Junior football. When asked why, he said that to be even mediocre in athletics you had to train at least 6 times a week but you could do two nights of 'noddy' training (his words)and get your place in a team. You could of course do two nights of noddy training and try to be a runner as well but you wouldn't get very far. If all you want to do is keep fit then do your two nights, go for the occasional walk and eat properly and you'll be fine BUT...
if you want to be a good runner, it IS harder than football and you DO have to do at least six sessions a week. When Peter Fleming was at Langside College and just starting out as a senior athlete, he normally ran to College (two and a half miles) and back (two and a half miles) with a run at lunchtime as well and on one day a week he did four runs in the day. And of course there was the race or hard run on Saturday and the long run on Sunday. Donald MacNab Robertson of Maryhill who won the first ever SAAA Marathon Championship in 1946 and then again in 1947 is said to have done four 20 mile runs in the week and a 25 miler on Sunday. I could list the people who have done well in road and distance running and they all did some things that were their own but the one thing they had in common was that they 'got the miles in'. And strength builds speed - all the top runners said so and all the top coaches say so.
We are fortunate that we have in the club just now a couple of runners who also believe in that work ethic. Paul Carroll is running in the Tom Scott 10 this weekend and should do well - he has the strength for it and has run well in the Six Stage Relays being well inside his pb from last year and picking up four bodies on the way round. He then goes on to the London Marathon where given reasonable weather and, although you can never tell with the big one, the right pace early on he is capable of another pb. Gerry has had a good winter but does not have as many races under his belt as Paul but he should do well in London too. I don't know who else is competing at either race but I was impresed with the whole team at Livingston with Kevin's time jumping right off the page at me! The c;lub seems to be on the right track for some good distance running results and with the return to active service of Mark Rudzinski, the future's bright, the future has a big C on it!!!