Hold the Course, It's All Been Said

The following is from 2003 and was a type of "call to arms" for Stotans and others to commit or recommit to what they had learned in previous years.At the time I perceived a weakening of resolve in certain Stotans, who as they became older, had appeared to compromise the teachings they once believed in.
 Also,some were going after every new training theory that came around the bend.
In retrospect, what I wrote seems a bit extreme but the intention was well meaning.
Perhaps the following might provide some things for all of us to consider.

It's All Been Said---" Athleticism in my view is not a sport,it is a way of life. It is only the athletes who truly live and can savour life in all its aspects. Only those who excel in something physical yet exercise the mind can ever hope to be balanced and to live balanced lives. What profits a man if he makes a million and ends up dead at fifty. It is not the arrival that is important but the journeying to. The athlete lives now,right at this moment." The preceding quotes are from Percy Cerutty's, Athletics: How To Become A Champion.
Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder Herb Elliott once said that Percy was more of a philosopher than simply a trainer of athletes. This fact is what makes Cerutty still relevant today.
How many coaches these days are teaching that athleticism is life? Zero! As I have said repeatedly, you are either totally into it,or.....your not. There is no half-way here. The sad thing is that it seems as if the majority,including self-described serious athletes, are not. Acquisition of money,toys and possessions,plus satiating every desire, takes precedence over living the athletic life.
 Athleticism,as Cerutty taught it, is supposed to encompass all facets of one's life. There are far too many people who believe athleticism pertains only to your workouts and competition. How wrong they are! It is also about how you approach,view, and live your life. What am I getting at here? Folks, we've been shown the way,the search is over, it's all been said. Don't be like the rest of the world, doing what they do,wanting what they want,chasing after every new fad trend,idea and coach. Cerutty wrote about THE way in his books.
 Athletics: How To Become A Champion should be read and studied by every person who claims to be a serious athlete. Cerutty shows the hows and whys of the athletic life,we find that there are teachers, like Arthur Lydiard, who provide athletes with the fundamentals of training in every sport. These fundamentals are time tested and ageless.
 If you need to,go back and relearn what they taught, Stop wasting your time with those who say they have found a new and better way. And to you runners, Arthur Lydiard discovered the fundamentals of distance training. It could have just as easily been someone else who experimented and found the way. As fate would have it, a onetime shoemaker from New Zealand did the work and put in the time,thank God for that(and Arthur).
 Leave the complicated systems,the v-dots and the lactate thresholds for the running hobbyists. It appears that the rest of the world is ready to embrace every new,hyped idea that is sent their way,we know better,in large part because of the two men I've mentioned above,be thankful and content with that fact. In closing: The choice is yours. Nothing more needs to be said.
 Read,study,write and practice.

When Herb Elliott Speaks

Herb Elliott was asked this question by an interviewer: What is the key to achieving our very best performances in running?
 He responded, "We must realize we have much more strength in our body than we think. The key to that strength is the mind. The relationship between the mind and body is still something we are really just playing around with. We don't understand the enormous power that we have within us and that is touchable."
When Herb Elliott speaks on running everyone should pay very close attention. What he says above is quite similar to comments Yiannis Kouros has made in the past.
I would add that the majority of us are the ones who are most critical and pessimistic in regards to what we are capable of doing.
We must make it a point to stop imposing self created limitations on ourselves.

Runner, Know Thyself

The following is from a book by Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic Marathon gold medalist.It's called Olympic Gold: A Runner's Life and Times.
Much is to be learned from what Frank has to say. Most have forgotten that decades ago he led an effort to eliminate drug use from distance running competition, a noble endeavor indeed. Ironically,the '76 Olympic marathon champion Waldemar Ciepinski,whom Shorter finished less than a minute behind for the silver, was widely believed to be a drug cheat(since confirmed). Nothing ruins a sport's credibility more than illegal drug use. If you doubt that, then take a look at what it's done to baseball's homerun record for starters.
But I digress. Here Frank gives an insight into something that can't be stressed enough,especially if you desire racing success:
 "You have to know your body. It's part of the beauty of the training process,and once you've determined how much your body (and mind) can take, you can then begin to reach your potential. As intensely as I've trained over the years,I never felt I was training too hard. I always felt I had a little more to give. I think I've grown to know my body and exactly how it reacts to running. I can detect subtle changes in the way I run and feel, which better enables me to gauge the effort I put into running and the training effect I might derive. I know when I'm fit,and why; I know when I'm not, and why."
Again,serious training involves more than just lacing on the shoes and doing the workout.

Tom Osler On Runners Negative Obsessions

I have referenced Tom Osler many times on this blog before.
For those who don't recall,he is a former outstanding ultra runner who back in the mid-60's wrote the now legendary booklet,The Conditioning of Distance Runners.Written in a time when precious little sensible distance training info was available, Osler provided the kind of guidance that runners needed.
Tom Osler has an insight into running that isn't as common as one would think.It is a fallacy to believe that former standouts become outstanding coaches and writers in their respective sports.
When asked about negative obsessions runners develop in running and racing he ofered the following observations:
"Some runners make a fetish out of never missing a day's training.Their streaks of continuous days running can number into the years.There is probably no direct harm in this. However,it distracts the runner from his legitimate concerns.He should first concentrate on listening to his body.Take a day off  if the body needs it. There is no loss but actually a gain in such actions.
Another obsession runners succumb to is the minimum mileage for the week syndrome. Runners will kill themselves to make that magic 60 miles,or 100 miles,or whatever it might be.Again,this distracts the runner from his first concern.He should be monitoring his training according to how he feels and not according to some preassigned silly number.
A dangerous obsession is the refusal to quit in races.Of course,there is no honor in quitting simply because you are being beaten.There are however times when continuing poses a real threat to your health.At such times,it is the wise runner who quits."
I don't know about you,but I've been guilty of all of the above at one time or another.As I look back, I recognize that it was almost always related to fear or anxiety.I believed that by backing off I would lose "my edge." Foolishness it was!

Words From Warriors

The following is from Japanese samurais and Chinese sages.Athletes can gain much from what they have to say. These are people who "walk the talk." Personally,they help me to focus and be totally committed to the task at hand. Consider the following,after each quote I give a comment
"One should not torture himself over a single mistake.What is essential is one's presence of mind hereafter. When one makes a mistake,he should not be hesitant to correct it. Making a mistake and not correcting it,this is the real mistake."
Evaluate and re-evaluate,be introspective.I see the same athletes repeatedly getting injured while others can't understand why they are not seeing improvement in their performances.
"Do all things with patience."
The impatient athlete tends to be a self-defeating one.
"Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind."
For most of us that takes awareness of how we are and the desire to acquire mastery over ourselves.Again, being introspective is the key.
"We do not rise to the level of our expectations.We fall to the level of our training."
Great quote here,positive thinking and Jerry Lynch affirmations are only as good as the training you've done.
"Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price."
How true,but for those of us who live for the run,it is a labor of love.

Evaluate Yourself

Part of the process of becoming a champion,or at least achieving some degree of personal athletic success,is having the ability to look at ourselves in a critical way.Are we really who we think we are? Have we  been doing the necessary work or are we just "been playing the game?" Of course it's easy to find fault in others but not so easy when it gets personal.
Consider the following: how active are we in trying to improve ourselves? Except for the fact that we workout,are we basically living the same kind of life as the guy who is a spectator watching endless hours of television, eating and drinking whatever they want?
When was the last time you read a book,did some study on the science of your sport as it pertains to you,went to a seminar or did some disciplines that could improve you physically as well as mentally? I've known alot of people who thought they were much more committed to running then they really were. I know there was one point in my career when I did. It took a look at the stopwatch and reading Cerutty's writings to wake me up to reality.
 In many ways, for those who seek athletic excellence,it's almost like a calling. Why else would you pursue something that offers,for most at least, no financial gain and minimal amount of recognition? It's because there's something deep inside of you that wants it.and it's as worthy to you as any goal that's out there.
Cerutty touches on this subject as he tells us that we must evaluate ourselves in order to adequately evaluate our rivals.
"Thus it is far better to study oneself than to study others.When we have mastered ourselves as persons:accepted our weaknesses ,and tried seriously and conscientiously to overcome them: when we have discovered by trial and error(such as by tests,pitting ourselves against standards) we can then have a chance of reasonably evaluating ourselves as against our fellows."
"When we have mastered ourselves"---that's a process that takes time and effort,but,it's a labor of love if you have a love for what you are doing.

Internal Motivation

 Canadian coach Brent McFarlane answers the question as to where an athlete's internal motivation comes from.
He says: "Each athlete is responsible for providing his own internal motivation.And nothing can compensate for the lack of will to fight when the situation demands. In every race,there may be one moment(or more) when the runner wants to quit and needs internal motivation to survive the crisis.Otherwise,the penalty is defeat.There is no defeat,no failure like ceasing to try."
Two thoughts come to mind when I read the above:first,the internal motivation,to some degree, can be developed and nurtured through workouts,time trials and races.Ideally,the athlete keeps in mind that this is what he wants to develop via those three scenarios(workouts,time trials and races) before he starts them.
Secondly,very insightful and perceptive is Mr.McFarlane's statement that,"There is no defeat,no failure,like ceasing to try." How true!
Ever have the realization that you just sort of gave up at some point during a race? Losing or racing below expectations is bad but knowing that you didn't give it your all makes you feel like more like a failure than a loser.