Quote

"Some people can't understand why a man runs. They don't see any sport in it. Argue it lacks the sight and thrill of body contact. Yet, the conflict is there, more raw and challenging than any man versus man competition. For in running it is man against himself... The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability, with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions."

A great new running quote.

"Our sport is simple. It is beautiful because it is simple. If you want to get good, run a lot, eat food, and drink water, and when you get tired, rest."

Tom Derderian - Coach at Greater Boston Track Club, and a 2:19 1975 Boston Marathon runner.

This is part of a great column Tom wrote a while back. He shared it with a friend of mine that is now living in Boston and only a couple of weeks from running to qualify for Boston. I recommend you read the whole article. You can find it here

Enjoy!

Quote

" I also eat cheetos... and pizza... they keep me smiling, and when you're smiling, you can do anything and everything." A 2009, Mike original.

Article about Lydiard training...

An article I found… with Barry Magee won the Bronze in the marathon in Rome Olympics 1960. He trained under Arthur Lydiard and now coaches the same methodology.  Which coincidentally is the backbone to my training.  Here are some excerpts.

Runnerstribe: Barry, great to have you on board for a chat, can you tell us a little bit about what the experience of the Rome Olympics was like?

Barry Magee: The Rome Olympics were an amazing experience as we saw Snell and Halberg win golds within 1 hour of each other - which absolutely put The Lydiard Way in the forefront of middle and distance coaching. Lydiard had 5 in the team - for 3 medals.

…

RT: What was it like having Arthur Lydiard as a coach?

BM: Arthur Lydiard was a genius of his time, and they are still figuring out how he knew so much that has changed the world of middle and distance running.  He was like a father and friend to all of us and treated us all like family. No one had any doubts that he was truly the master coach. His schedules had runners right on the day mentally and physically - so it was absolutely fabulous to have him as my coach.

RT: Can you tell us a bit about his methods in your own words? How did he revolutionise distance running training?

BM: Lydiard's revolutionary methods were all based around the fact that we ALL conditioned like marathon runners regardless if training with Halberg and Snell, training for 800m or the marathon. Snell's training for 800m for Rome had heaps of training with me who was going to race the marathon. In 1964 Snell did 10 weeks of 100 miles (160k) in conditioning and much of that with me (who ran the marathon). Snell is a good example also with him running a 2:41 marathon 7 weeks before his world record 1 mile and the 800m/880yd records that followed a week later.

RT: Was there much competition between the three of you?

BM: There was plenty all the time as we all competed in the same races every winter in harrier XC and road racing. Halberg was one awesome competitor and the score after 10 years would have been something like 95 to him and 5 to me out of 100 races. (Keeps one humble.) Snell and I came out fairly even as we were racing different events a lot of the time but on his day he could do awesome stuff up to 10k cross country and sometimes beat me.

RT: You now coach many athletes yourself, do your methods differ from those Lydiard used with you?

BM: The simple answer is no. I have been described as being more Lydiard than Lydiard - so all my schedules are following all the Lydiard principles and adding a few of the lessons I learnt from my 12 years with him; all my experience of my years of running that helped produce an excellent balance, and that helped me to be rarely beaten in 29 years of Masters racing. E.g. 2:29 marathon at 49 years old, and 11 National Titles as a Master out of 16 attempts with 4 other top 2 or 3 and only 1 nowhere - that I can remember.

RT: Lydiard used to say that he could turn anyone into a champion, or at least into very competent and competitive runners; such was the universal success of his methods. Do you think this was true?

BM: Lydiard's statement about turning anyone into a champ was one he made with the stipulation that he needed 3 years to do it - but I do not know the percentages of how it worked out. But it was amazing what he could do for most as he turned B-grade runners into National Champions - and I did the same using the same schedules as he did.

RT: Some famous quotes have been attributed to you over the years. "Train don't strain" - very interesting words. Can you explain what you meant? Is that how you trained?

BM: 'Train don't strain' was a Lydiard quote really, that I have always used myself and taught others to use it also. All the champions I trained with knew how to train within themselves and not turn their training into racing, like many others did, but could not produce the goods in their races. We did not leave our efforts on the training track.

RT: You also said "Anyone can run 20 miles. It's the next six that count." What tips do you have for people looking to attempt a marathon?

BM: Most of the training for a marathon is to carry them over the last 10k - as I call the 32k mark the halfway in a marathon, and the real race begins there. My advice is what I did myself - with the main thing having say 8 runs of 2.5 hours and 2 of 3hrs done in the 11-12 weeks out from the marathon. The long runs are the most important of all .The speed work is the least important and we know that fine cardiac and respiratory efficiency is built up with lots of aerobic running and getting right the balance between aerobic and anaerobic running.

*mike comment: Note that when he says “8 runs of 2.5 hours and 2 of 3hrs done in the 11-12 weeks out from the marathon”, he’s referring to himself who ran 2.5 hour marathons in racing.

RT: What are your thoughts on the current state of marathoning in the world, and the incredible times we are seeing?

BM: The incredible state of marathoning is amazing to say the least - but what saddens me is the statements made by some coaches that do not believe that there are any or many clean records on the books today. I do know that they are doing times that even Lydiard thought could not be done. If it is true it is a very sad state of affairs, but we do know that some sports are drug riddled to the uttermost, and the stakes so high that the athletes are prepared to take the risks. So I still enjoy all the major marathons and the wonderful times that they are running them in, and hope that they are achieved with good training and natural talent. We know that many train 4hr a day or more but that is not new. Nurmi trained 6 hrs per day and Zatopek 6.5 hour a day and they won 11 gold medals between them!

Another great Sheehan quote...

... that shouldn't be lost in my comments only.  Thanks, Amy!

"Trust in the magic of the day"

George Sheehan quotes

George Sheehan is kind of a legend in the running world.  He was the first 50+ year old to ever run a mile under 5 minutes (4:47).  He was also a writer, and for 25 years, he wrote a weekly column in his local paper.

I just recently discovered him. ( i know, i know... where have you been, Mike?)  I am really enjoying some of his quotes.  Maybe you will too:

About running the Boston Marathon:

" Everyone who finishes the Boston Marathon has their own great moment in sport.  Each of us on this day has achieved greatness. "

This quote below can be found in this great short essay here: 

""The runner is not in a game; he is in a contest. … When you race, you are under oath.

When you race, you are testifying as to who you are.  

The distance runner understands this. He is the mildest of men. Quiet and even-tempered and rarely given to argument. He avoids confrontation and seeks his own private world, but in a marathon he becomes a tiger. He will go to the end of his physiology to find who he is and what he can do. Put himself deeper and deeper into a cauldron of pain. What is necessary becomes possible, however absurd the effort may be."

and this one is from that essay too:

"marathons can make memories like no other event in your life. And that could be an argument for running one every month. When the rocking-chair time comes, you'll be all set."

Some more: 

"Sweat cleanses from the inside. It comes from places a shower will never reach."

"Life, like it or not, is a handicap event, and the winner may finish deep in the pack."

And the ending of "The Beauty of the race" is so good:

"... And now comes Cemetery Hill with its easy winding approach. And then 100 yards straight up. The legs are gone, the breathing impossible. Your face is at your knees. Your thoughts turn to survival. But finally there is the crest. But not before an additional rise not seen below. The incredible oxygen debt is finally paid off in a halting downhill stagger.

           The flats once more. The finish in sight but you are beginning to come apart. Pain is now your companion. It warns you to a point that must not be passed. So you wait and endure until the moment for the final drive to the finish. Now! Now there is no tomorrow. The world and time have narrowed to this agony. Where the legs hurt, you hurt them more. But the chest can't be helped. The light is starting to go out. And then you're over the line.
           Ten minutes later, you wonder why you didn't push harder going up Cemetery Hill."

You can read many more essays and excerpts here.

The Daily Run - a great quote

My friend Chuck posted this quote on his blog, I love it.  It is so true, and has such great meaning, and hits the nail right on the head on answering the question of : "Why do you run so much?" 

"At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine, a fine marriage, or air. It is also a free pass to friendship."

BENJAMIN CHEEVER, Strides

(I'm posting it too, so i don't lose it.)  Thanks, Chuck!

Quote

"After all is said and done, more is said than done." - Aesop

Obama Speech Quote

I like this the most:

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

quote

"If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos." - Edward O. Wilson

Monday rest day - Quote

Arthur Lydiard, during a speech in Osaka said the following about Lasse Viren.

"When he took his shirt off, he looked like a plucked chicken. There is no muscle at all, just ribs sticking out. He won four gold medals."

This is a great article

Kara Goucher's post NY Marathon interview

Being 25 days away from my marathon, a few of the quotes in there really hit home for me. She ran a 2:26 marathon and finished 3rd female, and it was her first ever marathon.

“I figured I’d do what Gete (Wami) did last year and just tuck behind whoever was leading and just gut it out as long as possible,” she said. “I got broken, with maybe 8 miles to go, and I kind of slipped back into fourth or fifth, and then I had to regroup because I was telling myself, 'It’s 10-K, you can do this, pull it together.'”

Goucher learned the lesson many first-time marathoners receive: that your body will hurt in places you never knew existed. “My body felt awful,” she said. “My hamstrings and butt and lower back are still really, really tired, and I felt nauseous and awful. I was having a hard time getting my fluids down the last part of the race, but that’s kind of exciting because I felt so bad and still ran pretty good.”

and...

"...When I hit 23 miles, I was like, 'Wow, this is the farthest I’ve ever run.' I’ll go away from this much more prepared the next time.”

(I am much more prepared for CIM!)

and...

"I wanted to stop and give them all a hug. Even though I was cramping and can barely walk right now, I loved it. It was awesome, so awesome.”

: )

Quote

“It comes down to how much you want it. If you’re in the middle of nowhere, with nothing, you are going to find your way out. You will find a way to become a champion.”

That quote is fantastic in so many ways. And taken out of the article it's in, you'd never know where it came from. It's that good.

Brownie already posted this on his blog, but I know I tend to have a different audience... Here's a cool article from the NY Times about the Incline in Colorado Springs.

Someday I'll go run that thing, and probably will sit down on the side, half way up and puke. Brownie will laugh at me, but I'll keep going. Until that day comes, I'll keep running hard up the piddly hills we have. I just got the urge to go run Stratford repeats! Anyone?

Seneca, the philosopher said:

It’s not that you don’t dare to do things because they are difficult. It’s that they are difficult because you don’t dare to do them.