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Tips from
Barry Magee Ten
Commandments for Champions The Power of
the Dream The following are some of the words. Yes friends, today's question is - Do you have a dream? - because we all need a dream! Runners need a dream! The good book says, "Without a vision the people perish". I say - "Without a dream, we fade away". Some of us I believe have lost the spark that allows us to dream. Through life's hard times we have closed down to avoid disappointments from previous failures or other reasons and when we do that something dies within. Runners can and do give up and lose the ability to dream, to train and strive for personal achievements. To set the goals and go for them, however small or large they may be. My challenge to you is to find within you that spark to ignite the power to dream, to train, to fly. Some of you have heard the story of Bob Whelan, the American
who has completed 2 marathons. Bob Whelan has NO legs! He does
it on his hands. Bob says - "You've got to have a dream,
and a good support team (Coach & helpers - Barry's definition). Start dreaming what sort of a season you can have for yourself,
your club, your country. GO TO IT! Get a coach. Get a
support team. Answer Whether conditioning for the summer or going for the longer races, mileage is crucial at this stage. I have found there are 3 levels of fitness with mileage that can be achieved. I will call them Level 1, 2 & 3. Social and enjoyable running can be obtained on levels 1&2 but serious runners must go to Level 3 to obtain maximum results. Level 1 is 50km per week or about 4 hours of running Level 2 is 100km per week or about 7.8 hrs Level 3 is 150km per week or about 12-14 hours. This would apply to runners of the male variety, 18yrs and over. Women can achieve the same result with 80% of the distance and time. The difference comes in the fat/muscle ratio. For younger runners, they need good advice. Remember it takes 8 weeks to condition the body for track and 10 weeks for marathons and ultra. With conditioning, once a day training of the above distances is needed although experienced runners can do an extra run most days if they can fit it in. About 10k or 45 mins is ideal. They can lift to 200K Also remember you do not mix aerobic and anaerobic training in conditioning. Aerobic builds up but anaerobic breaks down. We don't have to re-invent the wheel. The system is proven.
The system works, if we follow the balance of speed and distance
advocated by A.L.Lydiard. Ideal build up: Mon 1 hour 80% aerobic Best wishes. Barry Arthurs Boys for starters, did 3*30 mile (50km) runs each year. Usually in the build up for the summer season, over the last 3 weeks, there also was relays like the 2 man Auckland Hamilton Relay, later changed to the 2 man Auckland-Huntly relay. There were ultra runs on all the time over 50 miles (80km)- 100 miles (160km)- 24hrs and we were encouraged to run as far as possible in them. They were great for training and did wonderful things for the mind and body. At other times Halberg ran from Mt Albert to Stanmore Bay. I ran from Mt Roskill to past Pokeno- 4 hrs. Julian ran 2 Waiataruas back to back with no stop in between (44 miles). Ivan Keats
in 1963 finished 3rd in the New Brighton 50 mile (80km) in 6hrs-
38mins and ran a 2hrs 19mins marathon in 1964. During his term as President of the USA John F. Kennedy became concerned at the general lack of fitness of the average American and claimed they should be able to walk 50 miles (80kms) in less than 12 hrs. that year a Canterbury university student took up the challenge and without any distance training did the 50mile in 6hrs 45mins. A running friend of mine heard about his feat so the next day went out to see how far he could run and did 90 miles in 13hrs 7 mins. Ten days later he lined up for the Kennet Cup steeplechase in Christchurch and finished 5th for a career best. The best relay leg I have ever run was 1 week after the Auckland Marathon Championship. This was about August in the Waipu to Whangarei. Some of the ultra runners of the 70's would pass through the marathon distance in 2hrs 40mins in a 50 mile race. Not bad eh! So you guys and gals, how tough are we these days? Does this ring a bell or two with you? I hope so. Could "Real Distance" bring a real breakthrough with some of our members? So start looking at where some of the ultras are and when they are on. Try the odd long run. They are more mental than anything. You may be
surprised! Go for it! Answer: It does for most, so
there is no reason it would not for you. You may be surprised
at the improvement in your race performance, if you do it properly.
The main reason you should warm up is to increase blood circulation
to a pulse rate of 130-140 beats per minute so that you do not
have to go through the gears in the race. 15-20mins is long enough for distance races. You should begin with 7-8 minutes of good aerobic speed followed by some 50-100m windsprints. About 3 or 4 is enough. Then keep moving till the race starts. Don't lie around, or rest,
between warm up and race or you will lose all the benefit. Cooling
downor warming down is equally important 15-20 minutes of jogging
will stimulate the circulation of the blood to replace the acid
nature of the blood, caused by racing, which we call "lactic
acid". This helps to prevent sore muscles the next day.
The warm down also allows the body temperature to return to normal
slowly and lessens the possibility of colds and chills. Think
about warm-ups and warm-downs seriously. You may be surprised
at their results. World records have been set by athletes who
have got it right, as many runners take too long and run poorly
for it. Go for it! Answer: Probably not for most of us. Question : Can we get enough vitamins and minerals out of our daily food intake Answer : According to the world's leading sports and health nutritionists the answer is a definite NO. More so if you are an athlete who needs much more than normal people. We are different and need more. Question: Which vitamins and minerals do athletes need most. Answer: Drink milk if you can. Cal/Mag recommended in tablet form for economy or with vitamin D for absorbtion. 2) Vitamin C. Could be best described as an anti poison, anti-infection vitamin, along with vitamin A, Vitamin E and selenium. Helps the body to recover in half the normal recovery time from strenuous training and racing, particularly in association with calcium and electrolytes. 500mg min recommended per day. If getting cold or flu then 4000mg per day 3) B Vitamins 1-2-3-6-+12 are energy producing vitamin and B12 really gives athletes a lift. But we need them all. Unfortunately the B Vitamins are largely lost when foods are refined. I don't think any athlete can take the risk of not taking B vitamins. B Complex is the best way for most. 4) Iron assists in forming
of red blood cells Assists in providing energy for muscles. Helps
build muscle tissue. Helps our bodies absorb and utilise protein. Slow release iron tablets are generally acceptable. Ferro Graduate does the job. Will tell about the benefits
of antioxidants some other time. They combat injuries and diseases. Answer: According to Mike Ryan, the NZ marathoner of the century, it is the secret of achievement in running. Some of us were privileged to hear Mike a few weeks ago talking on the "power of the mind". He described how he used his most effectively in training and racing to achieve what most runners can only dream about. We know the mind is a funny thing. What we programme in sows the crop that comes out. If we sow worry, problems and negatives we reap depression. On the other hand if we sow joy laughter and positives we reap a healthy mind that brightens up our world as well as other peoples. Did you know that "worry" is the misuse of the imagination? Did you know that your attitude determines your altitude? Did you know that laughter is 200 times more powerful than morphine? Athletes need to feed in the right words to make them dream and to make them fly. Champions abound in positive thinking. They follow their dreams and
make them come true. They train more. They train smarter and
harder. They train when it is hot, cold, wet or dry. They set
the goals and go for them. He told us that it is about 80% mental and 20% physical to do great things in running. Many runners have similar natural abilities and physical shapes but it is the mind that makes the difference in the end. Are you training the right way? Some years ago I put together "12 Commandments for Champions" that I based on the men I have coached who achieved Olympic and Commonwealth games status. They won NZ championships and broke NZ records. They were winners. They never knew they were beaten and were champions in every sense of the word. They were an inspiration to others. They helped others to think positive and achieve. Yes sometimes it is a matter of mind over mattress. Particularly on cold wet winter mornings, when you would love to stay in bed instead of doing that extra 10k. So go for it you guys and gals.
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