Steven’s Comments (group member since Jun 14, 2010)

Steven’s comments from the Running, Track and Field group.

I'd be interested in reading "Again to Carthage." I was a fan of "Once A Runner" back when it came out, and would like to see what author John Parker has done with a sequel.

Also, another point for those who favor John Walker (as Tom does) is that John was the first man to run over 100 sub 4 minute miles.

Thanks for these links Doug. Really stirring emotional stuff. I took the liberty of posting the first one to my Facebook profile for other folks to see.

Just a note for everyone. Today is the 57th anniversary of the first sub 4 minute mile. For anyone who hasn't read " The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal Bascomb I strongly recommend it.

And there is a new bio of Thorpe out, which I'd like to try to read at some point. Native American Son by Kate Buford.

Douglas wrote: "Abel Kiviat and Jim Thorpe were roommates on the ocean liner transporting the American team to the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.

Both were extraordinary American champions."

I wasn't aware of this, thanks for pointing it out. Neat fact.

Hi everyone,
Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Hope you all are well. I've recently finished reading The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal Bascomb and heartily recommend it. It's basically the story of the main three runners who were chasing the goal of being the first to break the 4-minute mile barrier: Roger Bannister of Great Britain, John Landy of Australia, and Wes Santee of United State. I thought it was an excellent book!

Douglas wrote: "As anyone who knows Glenn Cunningham's story can confirm, Glenn had few toes remaining after the explosion and fire nearly burned his legs off. The Life magazine story mentioned above contains a c..."

Cunningham's life remains proof that courage and spirit can overcome almost any obstacle.

Doug,
I found this information on this link:
http://www.runningmovies.com/c.htm

"Champions Never Quit"
This 1973 biographical production lasts 77-minutes and tells the story of Glenn Cunningham, who was badly burned at age 7 and was not expected to walk again. He overcame the odds and was the fastest American miler during the 1930’s setting a world record in 1934 of 4:06.8 that stood for three years. In the 1936 Olympic 1500 meter race Cunningham finished second and two weeks later set a 800 meter world record of 1:49.7. The first 10-minutes of this film was released under the title "Dream Big". "

Also of interest to me is Rafer Johnson's The Best That I Can Be.

There are several running related books on my "to-be-read" list at the moment. Glenn Cunningham's Never quit is on the list, as is David Maraniss's book Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World.
A link that might be of interest to some is an interview with New Zealand's Peter Snell (gold medal winner in the 800 in the 1960 games) in which coach Arthur Lydiard and fellow New Zealand runner Murray Halberg ( gold medal winner in the 1960 5000 meters), which I'll link here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/david-legga...

A belated welcome to my facebook and goodreads pal John, and a welcome to Julia as well. Looking forward to whatever comments you wish to make. Hope both your running and reading (and writing) all go well.

I just completed Carlisle vs. Army: Jim Thorpe, Dwight Eisenhower, Pop Warner, and the Forgotten Story of Football's Greatest Battle by Lars Anderson and found it to be excellent. While it is mainly about college football's early days, Jim Thorpe's track career and Olympics are detailed in the book as well. I'm highly recommending this one to anyone interested in sports, history, and reading about people who triumph over tough odds. As I say, a very good read.

Just a note to let fans of US runner Alan Webb know. He ran the equivalent of a sub 4 mile this weekend, so he appears to be coming back from injury. Here's the link:
http://www.letsrun.com/2010/alan-webb...
I'll probably set this thread up as it's own topic if that's ok.
Also of note, the world 800 meter record was broken for the 2nd time this year by Kenyan David Rudisha. He now has it down to 1:41.01 - Knocking on the door of 1:40 - which seems almost superhuman, since that's 2 50 second 440's or 400 meters back to back. Anyone who has ever run a 400 m or an 800 m will know what I'm talking about, I think.

Some quotes by Owens about his two track coaches:

"I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping." *
–on junior high track coach Charles Riley

"Every morning, just like in Alabama, I got up with the sun, ate my breakfast even before my mother and sisters and brothers, and went to school, winter, spring, and fall alike to run and jump and bend my body this way and that for Mr. Charles Riley." *

"He was constantly on me about the job that I was to do and the responsibility that I had upon the campus. And how I must be able to carry myself because people were looking." *
–on Ohio State University track coach Larry Snyder

These quotes are posted on the website JesseOwens.com

Neat way to make a "teachable moment" regarding Owens by adding his image to your team's registration form by the way! I think young people remember things (both good and bad) that they're exposed to via their youth and school coaches to a great extent. You're planting seeds that you may never see down the road, but rest assured that doing things like the coaching will help shape the future as much as anything else you do. I believe this with all my heart.
One of the points that Schaap mentions over and over in his book is how Owens two coaches, Charles Riley in high school (who actually started working with JO in earlier grades) and Larry Snyder in college were so influential in Owens's life.

Thanks for that information Doug! Now I'm interested in reading about Owens' life after the 1936 Olympics. My local library has Jesse: The Man Who Outran Hitler (Owens' autobiography) and also Heroes Without a Country: America's Betrayal of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens - I think I'll check both out here soon.

I'm currently reading Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics by Jeremy Schaap.

The book opens with the events of May 25, 1935, when Owens broke three world records (long jump, 220 yard low hurdles, and 220 yards) and tied a fourth (100 yard dash), all in the space of a single hour. The long jump record lasted for twenty-five years.

We haven't really debated who is the greatest sprinter of all time, I may post that question in a different thread, but regardless Owens one day accomplishment will probably never again be equalled.

The book itself, written by ESPN journalist Jeremy Schaap is pretty good, and I'd suggest it to anyone wanting to know some history on the 1936 Olympics and the state of track in the 1930's.

High school mile record holder Alan Webb is training but still not ready to compete for the 2010 season apparently.
Here are some links for those interested:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_rea...

http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfie...

I've been out of the loop on this for a while, I'm going to check with some friends who are more currently involved and get back to you and the rest of the group on it.
What I do remember is that intervals were still being used in the early 90's but nowhere near the amount that Lydiard suggested. Maybe one day a week, with more long distance aerobic work in the beginning and then decreasing distance work and increasing speed work as the season progressed.