Challenge for middle-aged

Press, 7 June 1978, Page 16

Challenge for middle-aged

RUNNERS’ DIARY

By

John Drew

Scores of requests for training hints are coming from older persons. Some are husbands and wives with children off their hands. Some who used to take their cars to the corner store to collect the milk are now training up to five miles a day. No sociologist has come up with a full explanation as to why so many people have taken up running at family level. Some think it is a subconscious reaction against regimented transport and the tyranny of the motor-car, or boredom, or middle-aged hunger to share new adventure.

Men who have played no sport since their youth are writing for hints on training for marathans.

Among men of 60 or more asking for advice on training for marathons are farmers in outlying districts like M-r Pat Nolan, of Whataroa, whose family is famous for cattle rearing in South Westland. Mr Nolan is training for the 26-mile 385-yard Great Westland marathon from Greymouth to Hokitika next December.

Les Smith, aged 71, of Rangiora and Jack Waller, aged 78, of Halswell, are also training for the marathon.

Telephone calls asking advice on road shoes mainly come from family and fun runners who report foot and leg troubles; and nearly all of these say that they have been wearing sand shoes or hard soled footwear. These types do not give protection to the legs from road shock. Meantime “Runners’ World,” the top magazine

devoted entirely to running, has recognised the need to cater for mass family-level running.

“Runners’ World” devotes about 80 per cent of its editorial content to catering for the mass of runners and its circulation and advertising support is snowballing.

Some readers in Canter-

bury who take “Runners’ World” are unanimous that until you have read this publication you are hardly on the fringe of discovering what running is all about. It is published by “World Publications,” Box 366, Mountain View, Calfornia 94943. “Runners’ World,” like the excellent Christchurchbased “Run” magazine, is produced by runners for runners. Sooner or. later new runners realise the added fun to be had from club running, such as the excitement and adventure of the big inter-club relays in which the slowest of newcomers can find a place in a team. This is why the fostering of family fun running by “Runners’ World” and, nearer home, by “The Press” is making a con-

tribution to the sport

Fun runs here like the big annual “The Press” Park-to-Park are often a nursery for newcomers, and nearly every big interclub event has entries up by as much as 30 per cent — largely from among adult new runners. “Runners’ World,” because .of its huge circulation and the internationally recognised authority of its editorial staff, who are all runners, reviews without fear or favour the relative merits of internationally known brands of road shoes.

The publication recently gave a detailed 60-page four-colour review of the top 25 best-known brands.

In the United States where an estimated 11 per cent of the adult population are running, mostly over long distances, the manufacture of running gear, especially shoes, is a rapidly growing industry. In New Zealand, especially in Canterbury, which has more than 10,000 regular runners and where the proportion of family road and fun run followers to specialist track athletes is about 50 to one, running gear is also becoming big business.

If we were all able to run bare-footed on the soft surfaces for which our feet and legs are best suited we would have fewer foot and leg troubles. Now that most running has to be on hard sealed roads and other formed surfaces, road shoes are with us for keeps. Physiotherapists say that foot and leg injuries, mainly from road shoes that don’t protect from road shock, are increasing. In New Zealand the

“Radio Doctor,” Dr H. B. Turbott, has given a sound ruling on shoes. He said that the best shoes were those which conformed in shape to the human foot adding that the best way of checking on foot shape is to make an impression with it in wet sand. By the doctor’s criteria there are few shoes which are satisfactory. Most are produced on lasts which have toes to some extent pointed, and which lack a straight inside edge conforming to the natural shape of the human foot.

This has been largely because some manufacturers are unsure of their market and have produced shoes likely to attract sales among “hamburger bar athletes” rather than runners.

Furthermore, rubber used in the interval layers of road shoes is coming in batches of varying density, weight and softness. Some manufactures are disregarding the needs of runners by turning out a shoe which has an interval layer of rubber too hard to give road shock protection but adequate enough for the street strollers whom they think provide their biggest market. Now that some shoemarketing planners are recognising the huge swing to running here some are revising their marketing aims for runners.

While each person must find out for himself which style and design of shoes gives him the best running, a sound principle is to choose shoes which are good "shock absorbers.”

Go for a shoe which has a fairly thick runner on the heel, and a sole which

is resilient enough to take up the shock. Just a spongy insole does not do this.

If your shoes are too hard in the sole and heel just use them for mowing the lawn. Or, better still, drop them in the dustbin because even if they haven’t yet sent you lame they probably soon will. Meantime, the huge response to the Sedley Wells marathon and halfmarathon last Monday has underlined the move of fun runners to discover the challenge of longer distances.

Here is a good recipe for energy replacement on the run. Runners who tried it say here it is “wonderful,” hence the name: “Wonder Fudge.”

Here it is: Half cup of powdered milk

Quarter cup of soy or wheat germ oil Quarter cup ground sunflower seed

Half cup of chopped or ground dried fruit: dates, raisins, figs, prunes or any mixture thereof Quarter cup honey Cup of shredded coconut

Half cup of nuts Two tablespoons of brewers yeast Half cup of Sesame seed Quarter cup of carob or cocoa powder Combine everything in a large bowl and when the mixture sticks together press into a buttered pan, chill, cut into squares, parcel in clear plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will yield about TJlb. A nibble of this can give you miles more running after you have reached a rock bottom stop.