am--5 Running around BHNP before, during, and after the time trial. The kids ran pretty well. My thoughts on time trials have changed a bit. Rather than all-out race efforts, they serve training better as benchmark tests and training tools.
pm--2.5 Dirt-road miles at Deer Haven. The altitude (9,200+) hits me pretty hard. It was fun to take this week as it presented itself and get to know some of the kids I don't normally run with a bit better. Not sure on most of the miles from this week.
I finished another book, an interesting one, The Golden Mile by Herb Elliott. The '50s and '60s are slowly becoming my favorite era in running history. This book is a frank recounting of Elliott's short career, culminating w/ his gold medal in the Rome Olympics. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
Quoting Percy Cerutty, his nutty coach, "Thrust against pain. Pain is the purifier. Walk towards suffering. Love suffering. Embrace it" (38).
"Most athletes imagine themselves at the end of their tether before they're even seventy-five percent exhausted. I was so determined to avoid this pitfall that if at any time I thought I was surrendering too soon to superficial pain I'd deliberately try to hurt myself more" (50).
"We cannot hope to win races without the kind of aggressiveness that enables us to accept a challenge from which the timid shy. . . It is important that we become confident in ourselves as men before we can even hope of being a success, not only in athletics, but any walk of life. Confidence grows if we overcome our tired bodies, running harder when we want to slow down. With confidence comes character and strength of body, will and soul" (143).
"The pain in a mile race extends over one-and-a-half to two minutes. It starts in your chest, sweeps down through the arms, stomach and legs until your whole body is distressed and you feel like stopping. It is a mental, rather than physical, torture. In my case, concentration and the emotional content of a race carry me through the pain in much the same way, I imagine, as an Indian fakir walks through fire or sleeps on a bed of nails. Invariably, all distress vanishes within thirty seconds of the finish of the race" (144-145).
"I rarely go into a race with any preconceived tactics. If I do, it means I'm not particularly hopeful of my chances. Athletes who resort to tactics have no real confidence in themselves and lose as many races as they win" (145).
I really enjoyed this book and a look into the makings of a world champion.
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