Galloway’s Book on Running

I was excited to see this retro (circa 1984) book on running during a recent trip to Half Price Books.  I have a collection of running books which I acquired several years ago.  They’ve all been found in a similar capacity: at Half Price books, at yard sales, or at a thrift shop.  I don’t know that I’ve ever paid full price for a running (or cook) book. 

I tend to shy away from taking the plunge and purchasing a new, “updated” running book, because the principles are the same. 

 

Here are some good points in the book…

 

The Five Stages of a Runner

1. The Beginner – Generally, this describes someone who becomes active through running.  Establishing the fitness habit, progressing slowly, and those that don’t put pressure on theirselves have an easier time with beginning. 
2. The Jogger- The joggers have a hard time starting everyday and become intimidated by “high achievers”, though don’t have a plan or a goal.  That said, though, the jogger pursues running for the health benefit.
3. The Competitor – The competitors plan their run around racing goals. Not all joggers reach this stage.  As your competitive drive goes, you start to feel insecure.  You no long value your daily runs for their worth, but think about how it will prepare you for your race.  Often times, the competitor get hurts
4. The Athlete – The athlete is not bound by times and wants quality effort put into their running.  Competitors search for races they can win.  Athletes look for competition, but are not intent on a higher ranking or better performance. 
5. The Runner – The final stage blends all of these stages and elements of life balance well.  The runner may revert back to one of these stages, but these are only passing bouts the runner is a happy person.  A race is the opportunity to pull out hidden strengths.  The race is no longer sacred.

• Going farther, before the race, slowly will help you avoid hitting “the wall”.
• Apparently, for every second you run too fast, in the beginning, you’ll run ten seconds slower in the end.  I agree with this, it happened to me in the half.
• Run a few miles the day before a race. 
• The exercise you’ve done for the past 7-14 days before a race, your body/muscles will remember.  Seems to make sense.
• Anything you eat 12-18 hours before a race won’t be processed in time to help you.  Instead, you’ll be carrying it along.  It’s best to carboload 24 hours in advance.  This makes sense.  No wonder I was so bloated for the race
• Combat negative thoughts by projecting yourself through the race.  Concentrate on the sites and sounds, intentionally, for the next few miles (or steps, or whatever)