Work Versus Working Out

Cerutty railed against taking the easy way out physically and mentally. He wrote, in so many words, that the ideal life was one filled with challenges that were to be met and overcome. Jack Donovan has some thoughts on this and maybe it can serve as a wake up call for many of us.
"When I am doing a job that is truly tough and physical, I think of all the people in the gym paying personal trainers 60 bucks an hour to make them do squats with a 12 pound Nike medicine ball.
I think of all the schmucks doing lateral raises on Bosu balls to "activate" their "cores".
"Working out" is a substitute for work. It's forcing your body to do, what it's made to do. Modern life provides fewer and fewer opportunities to do real work. Hard work.
The next time you have the opportunity to do real work, take it. Take the physical challenge. Do the work. Don't try to make it easier so you can work "smarter."
It amazing how lifting heavy shit up stairs activates" your core."


Jack Donovan-- from an essay in his book--A Sky Without Eagles

Random Thoughts While Out On a Run

From the archives but never published on this Blog.
I'm sure you can all relate to how your mind wanders, ruminates and thinks about a variety of things while out by yourself on an easy run. As someone said, and I have mentioned this previously, "I do my best thinking when I'm running."
What follows are some thoughts I had while running down the beach the other day.
1. It seems that as each year passes I see more people,men and women, with bigger and more numerous tattoos covering their body. It's my belief that most of these people would be better off working on their physical condition instead of decorating their bodies with tattoos that fade and age very badly.Heaven knows, most people I see need to do some serious training.
But then again,conditioning takes dedication and commitment.
2. What's with the recent obsession with exposing Lance Armstrong as a drug cheat? Granted,my knowledge of professional cycling is not extensive but from what I understand is that no one reaches the upper echelon of this sport without some type of "enhancement." I am not condoning drug use but lets admit what goes on in their world..
With that said, you've got to appreciate Lance running 2:48 in his second marathon while running fewer miles in training than I'm sure most of us did before ours'.
3. Put the cellphones down! Forget the safety warnings, I was training on the trails last weekend and some of the other runners were wearing them during their run. Others went to their cars looking to check them as soon as the workout was over. At first I thought they were going to get water.
 Give yourself a break,that's part of the reason for getting out there in the first place.
4. I don't find many interesting articles to read in Runnerworld magazine but enjoy many of the things they post and offer on their website.
5. Most of you are probably too young to remember but the yearly U.S. vs. U.S.S.R.(Russia) track meets held yearly in the '60's were riveting.This was a time when the "cold war" was going on between us and them.Pride and nationalism,as well as tremendous competition captured the whole nation's attention. It surpasses any type of competition you see in the Summer Olympics these days. It was high drama. Someone should write a book about those meets.
6. A nice thing about the barefoot, minimalist shoe trend,besides more business for the companies, is that it validates what Lydiard advocated many decades ago. Arthur said runners need light,flexible shoes, not the "gumboots" produced by most of the companies. He also said that the shoes you train in should be no different than the ones you race in. Remember the school of thought back then that said you train in the heavier shoes and race in the light ones?
7. As a coach and runner I can't help but gravitate towards observing other people's running form. The most common mistake I see is, runners don't relax their shoulders. They need to loosen them up, drop them. Too many hold their arms too high which causes their shoulders to raise. This becomes more extreme and noticeable when the runner is tired or trying to go fast. I always say, drop your arms down to your sides, feel your shoulders drop and take it from there. Adjust accordingly.
8. I often recall these words: "there is nothing new under the sun."
I believe this applies to training in all sports. The fundamentals of training must be observed. Fundamentals that are in synch with our anatomy and physiology where we recognize the need to introduce more stressful work progressively. Only after the groundwork has been laid by "easier" training then do we step it up. If you think I am stating the obvious then I would suggest observing running coaches for starters, especially high school ones.
Ignore the hucksters that are trying to reinvent the wheel.
In closing--Be different, and the difference--"Dare to Be a Daniel."

Be Who You Want To Be--Dare To Be A Daniel

In one of Cerutty's books he once advised readers to, "Dare to be a Daniel." It was a reference to the biblical Daniel who refused to compromise his beliefs and was thrown into the lion's den.
The following that you are about to read by athlete, writer Dave Draper made me think of Percy's quote about Daniel.
Courage to be yourself and going against what you are being told, and in some cases ordered to, is not all that common these days. Consider the following by Dave Draper.
"This is not a startling revelation to you and to me. but it's worth repeating to our neighbor: The best thing we can do in a continuing effort to enhance our apparently declining world is to take control of our lives, personally, individually. Forget war, pandemics, crime and immorality for a minute and notice we are surrounded by masses just poking along like life was a chore, the late shift, a bad habit or a dull pain and not a fragrant gift.
Wake up friends, wake up. We're broken, we need fixing and it's in our control. It's simple, yet it takes courage and work.
Can you hear me? It takes personal courage and it takes hard work.
I'm losing most of the population, I can tell. 'Courage and hard work' do not ring a bell in the town square; they don't register on the scale of Popular Daily Behavior and I do not see them on today's list of Currently Applied Qualities in Vogue Magazine."
So well said.

Vulnerability and Weakness

The following is very Ceruttyish


Vulnerability Is a Synonym for Weakness
By Jack Donovan


Whenever a man brags that he is “not afraid to be vulnerable,” I picture that scene in The Hobbit where Bilbo notices the dragon Smaug’s missing scale.
That’s what a vulnerability is.
“Here it is. This is how you get to my soft tissue. This is how you could ruin me, if you wanted to.”
I’m vulnerable. We are all “vulnerable.” We are monkeys made of meat. “If you prick us, do we not bleed?” Acknowledging that you are fallible and “vulnerable” is simply recognizing reality.
The life-loving and strong-willed response to recognizing a weakness is either to accept it and build strength in other areas, or to attempt to protect it or eliminate it. To don armor and raise ramparts. This is what one does if one wants to assert his interests in the world.
Another survival strategy is to roll over and display that vulnerability openly. But this is not a position of strength. This is how you communicate helplessness and show that you are not a threat. It is submissive, surrendering behavior that begs for mercy and relies on the kindness of others.
We find this endearing in creatures whom we want to help. My dog rolls over on his back because he is at home in his “safe space” and he knows that I would never hurt him, because I’ve built that trust with him.
But then, every farmer has had to kill an animal that trusted him, so it’s never quite a sure thing.
Men have always been the protectors of women and small children, so they naturally want to help them. When you offer your help to someone who needs it, and they graciously accept your assistance, it feels good. Men find some measure of vulnerability endearing in women, so women experience a more positive feedback loop when it comes to displaying vulnerability.
When someone encourages a man to “be more vulnerable,” or to talk about his fears and weaknesses openly, it makes sense tactically for him to be suspicious of their motives. Those who appear to be friends often turn out to be…farmers.
When cultish therapy groups or feminists tell men they “need” to be more vulnerable, men should ask “for me, or for you?”
As I watch various men’s improvement groups evolve, I see a lot of all-embracing affirmation language creep in from the social frames of women’s groups. Weakness is strength, obesity is healthy, ugliness is beautiful, losers are winners. “Every conceivable negative is a positive if it makes me feel good in the moment.” How magical it must be to live in a world of lies where all of your faults are re-framed as talents. I can certainly see the allure…
It is not insane to want to be identified by your strengths instead of your weaknesses. Refusing to carelessly share your problems with anyone who will listen is not the same as refusing to acknowledge that you have problems.
Stating your problems aloud is merely catharsis. Fixating on them is poisonous. Talking about problems without discussing an action plan for overcoming them may actually prevent progress.
A more productive approach to acknowledging a problem or a weakness is to think of yourself as an employee who is trying to increase his value in the eyes of his employer.
If you want to advance and take on a leadership role, you don’t just go to your boss with problems. You say, “I see a problem here and here’s a plan I came up with that I think might help solve it.”
Imagine a leader who announces to the public that, say, the economy is about to collapse, and then shrugs his shoulders and turns his palms up. He wouldn’t stay a leader long.
Be your own leader. Take responsibility for your own life.
If you don’t want to be your own leader, I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone willing to tell you what to do.
Establishing any kind of relationship means opening yourself up. You give or share something, the other entity reciprocates, and if that works out, you move to the next level.
This is how you build trust, and sooner or later you’re going to have to trust someone more than you’d trust any stranger on the street.
But even if you trust someone, it’s better — at the very least it is better for you — if you open yourself up in the context of solving a problem, or coming up with a plan for handling or mitigating your own weaknesses. Otherwise you’re just whining (at best) or giving someone easy ammunition (at worst). And you should never be proud of your weaknesses and shortcomings. To take pride in weakness devalues pride itself.
So, by all means, if you want to build a relationship or solve a problem, be “vulnerable” and expose a weakness.
Build trust with someone.

Thoughts On Why Some Have This Passion For Running

Why do some of us have a passion for running that many would say borders on the fanatical? Over the years essays,books and articles have been written on this subject.
The following was taken from a 1998 issue of my newsletter The Stotan News and gives one man's view on why he loves distance running so much. Due to the fact that I could only find one page from the article,I am missing the name of the person who wrote this. I believe,but I'm not entirely certain, that it was written by Olympic gold medalist (in the marathon) Frank Shorter. He says:
" I am seeking an inner satisfaction that only I can determine,not the recognition of applause,headlines or alot of money.Running is not my job.Running is not, for me,working,though surely it is at times hard work.Running for me is a form of self-expression.Though I don't necessarily intend it as such,it is a statement of who I am and a lot of what I hope to be,even if what I become takes me away from running.Running is the absolute in my life,and I admit to its control over me--a control that may not always seem to be in my best interests,but then,who is to say? Above all else I run for fun,for the expansive feeling I get from running,and while that feeling is enhanced by winning,it is not enhanced by the prospect of being paid for it."
So well put---I particularly like, "above all else I run for fun,for the expansive feeling I get from running."

Personalize It!

It's the how to train books that take up most of the space in the running section at your local bookstore.Readers to this blog realize that a "one size fits all" approach to training is not always a good idea.
 Lydiard recommended that runners take his schedule, which build strength and fitness progressively, then personalize it to fit their strengths and weaknesses.
Bill Bowerman,Nike co-founder and great Oregon running coach offered these related thoughts on the subject: "If someone says, 'Hey,I ran 100 miles this week,how far did you run?' Ignore him! What the hell difference does it make? The magic is in the man,not the 100 miles."
 As far as the mindset that further or faster is always better he offered the following:
"Runners tend to think the farther and faster they run in training,the better it's going to be for them. A runner can have just as much success,if not more success,by finding what his limit is in relation to his progress.It just doesn't make sense to think,'I'm going to be successful because I have run farther than anyone else.' "
The go to guy on running physiology,Dr.David Costill, sums it all up in this excerpt from 'What Research Tells the Coach About Distance Running', "It is unlikely that any one type of training will produce perfect results for all runners since the combination of anatomical,physiological and psychological factors which compose the distance runner are too divergent."
What Costill and Bowerman recognize is that slavishly following someone elses training regimen or a schedule taken as is from a book is unwise and can be counter productive to a runner's development.
The answer lies in the runner evaluating his progress and discerning his needs along the way. This requires an athlete who is not only knowledgeable but thoughtful and patient as well.

Away From the Traffic, Distractions and People--Cerutty On Aloneness and the Athlete

"Those persons who cannot work alone,who must always be surrounded by companions,who do not instinctively prefer to train and practice alone,or as near to being alone as possible,such persons can never expect to achieve the successes that otherwise could be theirs," a quote from Success in Sport and Life by Percy Cerutty.
The above brings to mind a few things as it pertains to people who are seriously committed to running.
First, I think we've all known people who would rather not run then go for a long run alone. Some have told me it gets "boring" when they're out there for several miles and they don't have someone to talk to. I believe a statement like this shows, to a certain degree, a lack of mental toughness and discipline.
We are increasingly becoming a society that is continuously surrounded by sounds,be it music or someone talking. It should be a welcome relief to be able to engage in something where you can be alone in your enviroment and thoughts. I've heard runners tell me that they do their best thinking when they are out on a long easy run.
Others have told me that long runs,alone and away from traffic,provide a contemplative aspect to their running.
If you are indeed serious about your running,do not ignore the necessity and benefits that can be gained from running alone.