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A Few Special General Training Hints

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A FEW SPECIAL GENERAL TRAINING HINTS FOR ALL DESCRIPTIONS OF RACES, TOGETHER WITH A FEW ADDITIONAL REMARKS ON DIET, MASSAGE, BATHING, ETC., ETC., WITH WHICH IS INCLUDED A SERIES OF D0’S AND DONT’S

DIET.

I am inclined to fancy that I have more than once repeated myself over that vexed question of diet, in spite of the fact that I have endeavoured to avoid doing this as far as possible, knowing that all such repetitions must become dreadfully monotonous.

But, at the risk of being called to order on this account, I would again strictly recommend every class of runner to follow out as nearly as possible the rules and regulations in this respect laid down in Chapter III. I have mentioned that sprinters alone that is to say, 100 yards and 120 yards sprinters-need not strain themselves in observing these precepts. They will be well advised if they do follow them out, certainly, but can, if they care to unnecessarily shorten their careers, pass them by fairly lightly.

Nevertheless, they will not be able to keep thoroughly fit and in good condition if they wander very far away from the path I have laid down for them, and will suffer accordingly.

Sprinters, of course, stand apart from every other branch of athlete, inasmuch as their powers and qualities, save in a very few particulars, are innate. For if they were not born with the capacity to cover a short distance in very nearly even time, no amount of training will ever develop that quality. Despite this, they will, I believe, admit that their natural powers are sus-ceptible of improvement, and, further, that this improve-ment can only be brought about by a hard course of training.

Now no man can undergo this satisfactorily unless he is in the pink of condition, and to get into this desirable state, still more to remain there, he must exercise a certain amount of discretion.

For pedestrians at every other distance there is only one possible routine of eating and drinking, and that is the one I have laid down. It isn’t t my own discovery, needless to say, but is the result of centuries of practical experience. Numerous other systems have been tried, but this is now universally accepted as being not only the best but as being the only one.

Slight variations may be introduced. Cocoa, water, or weak tea may be substituted for coffee, but, personally, I have found the latter to be the beat, just as I have found Bovril to be the beat form of taking s con-centrated liquid nourishment.

In the face of the tea totallers I have recommended an occasional glass of old ale, and I am firmly of the impression that the athlete who indulges in an occasional glass of this will, other things being equal, derive greater benefits thereby than the man who preserves and adheres to a rigid teetotalism.
Never touch spirits of any kind. They are the worst thing an athlete can go in for. They are of no earthly use, and can only work serious harm.

Then the running man who doesn’t smoke is better off than the man who does. Smoking can never do one’s wind any good, but I would not like to assert that one or two cigarettes, or say one pipe n day, will do a man

any harm. Indeed, they may sometimes take his mind off training altogether for the time being-in the even-ing when he shouldn’t be worrying about it-and will in that manner prove of a certain amount of benefit; but when a man has cut himself down to one pipe or a couple of cigarettes only per diem-and no runner must exceed that limit-he will probably drop smoking altogether, and will benefit accordingly.

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