CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22358, 23 March 1938, Page 14

CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING

SEASON TO OPEN ON SATURDAY

ATHLETES ALREADY IN TRAINING

[By WHIPPER-IN.]

The 1938 cross-country season will open on Saturday. By the end of next week practically all the city clubs will have begun their pack runs and athletes intending to race will have their training well under way. The first half of the season’s programme will end with the Takahe-Akaroa relay race at the end of June, and the second half with the Canterbury championships in August. For those who intend to race, training is at this stage most important. The first step a cross-country runner takes in preparation tor a season’s racing is to go for long walks, preferably on the hills. This walking gives the solid foundation of general fitness and stamina upon which the athlete will build his speed. Walking is the surest way to fitness, and it makes also for the steady breathing which is essential to the long-distance athlete.

It is advisable for runners who go walking not to attempt fast times over given distances. It is desirable to start at a normal walking pace and travel at that pace. As more walking is done the speed will naturally increase, but it is foolish to stride across the country breathless and at a feverish pace, in futile attempts to reduce weight or take more minutes off a record time. That type of training is dangerous. Along with the walking, preliminary runs are usually taken. They should be done on grass tracks, and when the muscles of the feet become “runin,” running on the hard road surfaces can begin. It is essential at this stage of the season that training should be done moderately, and not overdone. A runner cannot see the season out if he tries to travel too fast over the early stages. The first pack runs are therefore no occasion for compe-