George Young On Speedwork

The following is in the spirit of Cerutty--

OK, here we go again,who out there remembers George Young? For those who don't recall this great runner I'll give you a little background. He competed in 4 Olympics from 1960 to 1972 where he participated in a total of 3 different events. In the 1968 Games he won a bronze medal in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and placed 16th in the marathon. George at age 34 became the oldest man,at that time,to run a sub 4 minute mile. The following is for the runners I'd call seasoned or experienced, ones who are seeking ways of doing speedwork without getting on a track. The advice given below is not intended for a runner who isn't fit.It's for the runners who've been around for awhile and always seem to be just a little ways' away from achieving what I call optimal fitness. George had this to say: "There's no better way to get in speedwork than by running a race. You talk of speedwork in terms of repeat quarter miles and all those other things,but you don't get the speedwork there that you gain in a race. You just never really reach the pain barrier,or whatever you call it,in any other way than running the race and hurting that way." Young really makes a good point when he speaks of the pain barrier in practice as compared to a race setting.