Arthur Newton: My New Idol

I read about the "old school runners and walkers" from the late 1800s and early 1900s, but I never read any of their books. I recently borrowed two books from the library that were authored by Arthur Newton--one of the greatest runners of all time. Several people have referenced his achievements and training philosophies, including a nice summary in Tim Noakes' book Lore of Running, but I had never come across his actual writings. He was way ahead of his time!  Kind of like a combo of Lydiard and Maffetone.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from his 1935 book titled "Running" (page 201):

"What most of us fail to realise is that it is always the distance, never the speed, that has to be acquired; just as it is always the speed, never the distance that kills. You may run yourself to a standstill in a mile or less, but you could walk or trot fifty times that distance if you were allowed sufficient time to do so. Except in the case of sheer sprinting, actual speed doesn't enter into the matter at all; every man already has all the speed he needs, the only difficulty being his inability to keep it up long enough."

I agree wholeheartedly. I forget this realization all too often. I try to incorporate a variety of tempo and interval training along with my easy runs. Too often this leads to injury. I have the needed speed...but I cannot sustain that speed over distance. My real shortcoming is stamina.  I need more miles and longer training runs...all at easy paces. No need to sprint. No need for intervals. No need for tempo runs. Lots and lots of aerobic miles with many long runs for endurance and stamina. Eventually, speed will come via the heightened aerobic fitness.  Sure, at some point, I may need to toss in a bit of speed (or racing) to get in peak form, but that time is way down the road.

For now, I plan on accumulating tons of miles all at easy paces. No hard breathing, no extreme sweating, no pain. I'm on the no-pain, slow-and-steady gain routine! My first test of this program will be this summer, specifically, the Howl at the Moon 8-Hour run on August 11. 

Here is a remarkable summary of Arthur Newton's 15 "Laws of Training."

The two books I found by Arthur Newton are:

Running (1935)

Races and Training (1949)

Happy reading. Happy running.

NOTE: Several years ago we adopted two gerbils and I named them Alf (Shrubb) and Arthur (Netwon). Those gerbils were pretty darn good runners!

Mt Baldy Healed My Calf

For the last few weeks, maybe months, I've struggled with a left calf strain.  Last week I went to California with two friends to hike various hills and mountains. Maybe a little beach running too. I was worried my calf would not get me up Mt Baldy (10,000+ feet). Uphill running, or hiking, can be brutal on a hurt calf. To make a long story short,  I made it to the peak on the first hike of the trip! We climbed almost 6,000 feet in about 6.5 miles. Trudged through long sections that had over 2 feet of snow, suffered warm and sunny conditions with less water than we needed. All three of us made it to the top and back down. My calf behaved. The next morning I felt great. The rest of the hikes went similarly well for me. I think Mt Baldy healed my calf! Is that possible? I'm back in Illinois and short runs are going well. I have a new treatment for hurt calves...don't baby them, beat the hell out of them on a big old mountain!

Ramblings of a Walker

Well, my calf is still hurting and I haven't run since last Thursday. You'd think a week off would heal me up!  I am about to head off to southern California with two running buddies.  Fortunately for me, we are scheduled to do long HIKES every day...but little or no running.  We'll go up 10,068 foot Mt Baldy (officially Mount San Antonio) once or twice, hike Catalina Island, and probably do a bit of beach running. Maybe hiking a mountain, drinking on the beach, and time away from work will miraculously heal my calf.  I can dream.  After skipping both the Land Between the Lakes Marathon and Potawatomi 50 Miler, I'm anxious to get back to training...and eventually racing. For now, I'm a walker, hiker, drifter. One day I'll be a runner again.

DNS at Potawatomi 50 Miler

This past weekend was the Potawatomi 50-100-150 mile trail race. I was signed up for the 50 miler. I didn't show up. A big fat "DNS" (Did Not Start) for me! It was the only real option I had. My left calf has started to bother me again--I can barely run 3 miles. I need time off from racing.  I need time off from running. Maybe some cross-training at the gym with just a touch of easy running will do the trick?  I'm in a "funk" due to stress at work...now running has become untenable. Without a place to recharge my energy stores, I feel drained all the time. I'm lazy, moody, and just feeling blah. Hope this passes. I have a trip to California later this week with a couple of running buddies...but I feel I should skip that too. Why go if you can't run...heck, I can barely hike. Maybe time away from the office, and away from running, will do me good. I sure hope so. Things look pretty dreary right now.

Weekly Summary (April 2-8)

Here is a brief recap of last week's running via Garmin Connect data:

Count:	6 Activities
Distance:	43.42 mi
Avg Distance:	7.24 mi
Time:	7:53:08 h:m:s
Avg Speed:	5.5 mph
Max Speed:	9.6 mph
Avg HR:	122 bpm
Max HR:	158 bpm
Avg Run Cadence:	75 spm
Max Run Cadence:	93 spm
Elevation Gain:	999 ft
Calories:	5,355 C

Overall, not a terrible week. The running pact with Jeff is broken, but I plan on accumulating lots of aerobic miles over the next weeks and months. I'll supplement with several bouts of gentle strides each week--barefoot on grass. My trusty Garmin watch and HR monitor will be with me all the time...but not telling me what to do...just documenting the journey.

The Pact is Over

The running pact with Jeff is over. Jeff slipped up last week, I failed to meet my goals this week. It's not meant to be. Right now work sucks, life sucks, and running sucks. Can't control much, but I can try and turn my running into something enjoyable. I'll still track all my running data, but it won't control me. I will simply run and see where that leads.

I'm done with the pact.  I wish Jeff the best in his weight loss endeavors.

I Would Run to You

Would you run across the country for love? Cute idea for a Nike commercial...



One of these days Nike will produce a true minimalist running shoe (not that cushy Nike Free gizmo).  One day.

Think Easy, Light, Smooth, and Fast

From the book Born to Run, I remember a quote from Caballo Blanco:

“Think Easy, Light, Smooth, and Fast. You start with easy, because if that’s all you get, that’s not so bad. Then work on light. Make it effortless, like you don’t give a shit how high the hill is or how far you’ve got to go. When you’ve practiced that so long that you forget you’re practicing, you work on making it smooooooth. You won’t have to worry about the last one – you get those three, and you’ll be fast.”
 
Yes, first easy, light, and smooth. Speed will follow. Your stride and foot fall should be short, quick, and easy. Smooth and gentle. Fast will follow. Easier said then done. Try running barefoot and you'll automatically run light and smooth. You'll touch the earth lightly. Gently. Not sure I've ever achieved the fast part...but that is secondary. Easy. Light. Smooth. Those are important.

Thanks, Caballo Blanco. The "white horse" had this one right. May you rest in peace (1954-2012). Those words of wisdom have changed my running life.

If you are interested in continuing Caballo Blanco's mission of helping the Raramuri ("Tarahumara" Indians of the Copper Canyon region of Mexico), check out this information and donation page:

Norawas de Raramuri
http://www.norawas.org

Hope the Copper Canyon ultra race will continue as well.

Week One of the Pact

Jeff and I finished the first week of our new pact (March 26-April 1).  You can read about the pact on my last blog post. Looks like Jeff's week was a tough one with an irregular schedule and out-of-town responsibilities.  He may have slipped slightly from his diet.  Let's call it a mulligan and move forward!

How did I do?  Very well, thank you for asking. Here are my statistics:

Total miles: 54
Total runs: 9
Total Time: 9:58
Average pace (with walking): 11:06 minute/mile (5.4mph)
Average HR:123
Peak HR: 153 (but it was clearly an anomaly and lasted for only a second)
Calories: 6642

I'll add more statistics next week when I can figure out all of the reporting features of SportsTrack. I plan to track time in each Maffetone zone (MAP, MEP, and SAP) as well as proportion of walking, jogging, and running (I'll define each of those next time).

While my overall pace was fairly slow this week, remember the statistics include the walking portions too.  And, in ultramarathons, there is walking!  For a 100-mile race, if I can maintain a 14:24 pace, I'll finish in 24:00.  That's quite a feat. In my training, I'd like to keep the average for the walk/runs under 11:00. Eventually under 10:00.

Overall, a very successful week for me.  The most weekly miles I've had all year. Without a race, it's the most weekly miles I've had in about 6 months!  Well done. My left calf survived and actually feels better than last weekend.  Regular easy running may be the recipe for overall health.  And after several weeks, maybe race fitness too!

In the future, while I will still incorporate the walking segments, everything should be quicker at the same heart rates. My walking pace will improve (good for ultramarathons) and my running segments should be quicker. The goal is still a minimum of 50 miles per week at a heart rate of 150 or less. One week done!