-Ernst van Aaken
Ernst van Aaken was a great German running coach who was advocating aerobic running way back in the 1940s. He was way ahead of his time. Too bad he is currently glossed over in favor of Lydiard, Bowerman, Henderson, and other proponents of long aerobic distance training. The quote comes from one of my favorite running books: Van Aaken Method: Finding the Endurance to Run Faster and Live Healthier. You can find used copies of the book at several book stores on the web. It's worth a read.
I suppose my running streak thing fits in nicely with van Aaken's philosophy. We should run every single day, keeping it easy. He stresses that our heart rate should remain below 150. The guy even lets us drink (German beer?). Just don't eat like a pig! Pretty common sense approach. Run a lot, eat a little. We often ignore this advice. Obviously, there is more to fast racing than simply running easy every day. The book delves deeply into training approaches, but the foundation is always lots of easy miles. There is a chart that lists the daily miles one should run for each race distance. It ranges from 6km per day for a 5K runner to 40km PER DAY for a marathon runner! He does allow walking breaks, but it's still serious mileage. What are you waiting for? Get out and run...make it an easy run...maybe even with some walking...follow it up with a beer...but don't load up on too many calories.
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