The Perfect Mile: part I of II

Just finished a fun read called The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb. A few quotes from the book and some thoughts that relate to the team.

"Training techniques looked like they would never move beyond the arcane and bizarre unitl Captain Barclay of mile fame set down his ideas in writing in 1813... he also advised a rigorous regime of exercise that started at five o'clock in the morning and lasted throughout the day...

• Sprint half-mile up a hill
• Walk six miles at a moderate pace.
• Eat breakfast at seven o'clock.
• Walk six miles at a moderate pace.
• Lie in bed... for a half-hour at twelve o'clock.
• Walk four miles.
• Eat dinner at four o'clock (same meal as breakfast).
• Sprint half-mile immediately after dinner.
• Walk six miles at moderate pace.
• Retire to bed at eight o'clock.

Barclay had little understanding of why his regime produced results, but it had worked for him, so others suspected they would benefit from it as well... Barclay's theories had provided a solid foundation."

If you ask me, that's some pretty interesting training for a distance runner. We have come a long way over the years. What does this mean for you? It means to believe in what you are doing. People who followed this training at the time believed it would make them better... so it worked. As a runner, if you believe in what you are doing will make you faster... it most likely it will. Trust us!