ATHLETICS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 20 June 1936, Page 2

ATHLETICS

NELSON CLUB TROPHY WINNERS WINTER TRAINING The following were the winners of trophies donated during the past 19351936 season, to the Nelson Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club. These trophies were presented at the club’s annual dance which was the wind-up of a successful athletic season: — CLUB TROPHIES FOR SEASON Ladies’ Sprints Championship (Warehousemen’s Cup): Miss L. O’Callaghan. Ladies’ Sprints Handicap: Miss N. Ford. Ladies’ Field Events Handicap: Miss L. Howard. Men’s Junior Sprints Handicap: G. C. Wood. Junior Championship: R. Tiller. Senior Sprints Championship (Newman Cup): S. Chapman. Senior Sprints Handicap (R. W. Martin Cup): S. Chapman. Senior 440 yards Handicap: R. Tiller. Senior Distance Handicap (Retailers’ Cup): D. Holyoake. Senior Distance Championship (N.A.A. and C.C. Cup): D. Holyoake. Second in Distance Championship: B. Cox. Senior Field Events Championship I (Gilbey Cup): D. McMorland. Senior Field Events Handicap: P. M. O’Connor. I Senior Hurdles Handicap: S. Chap- | man. | Cycling Handicap (half mile, one mile and three mile): Ted Langley, T. Jarvis, Tom Langley. Girls’ Events (Burn’s Trophy): Thelma Burns 1, F. Ruffell 2. WAKEFIELD MEETING Ladies’ Sprints: Miss D. Campbell. Ladies’ Field Events: Miss L. Howard. Men’s Sprints: N. G. Blue. Men’s Distance (J. G. Ingram Trophy): S. McArthur. Junior Sprints: P. M. O’Connor, E. Crooks (equal). Field Events: A. M. Moore. Cycle Road Race: E. Langley 1, T. Jarvis 2. Fastest time, T. Langley. 1 Mile Cycle Handicap: A. Lummis. EASTER CARNIVAL Ladies’ Sprints: Miss N. Ford. Ladies’ Field Events: Miss L. Howard. Men’s Sprints: N. G. Blue. Junior Sprints: A. Smith. Open 440 yards Handicap: P. Phillips (Wellington). Hurdles Handicap: J. Phillips (Wellington). 880 Yards Open Handicap: S. McArthur. One Mile Open Handicap (H. R. Duncan Cup): S. McArthur. Field Events: Jumps, P. M. O’Connor; throwing events, C. Drummond. Cycling: Sprints, E. Langley 1, R. Robson 2. Cycling, 5 mile handicap: T. Langley 1, Les Sowerby 2. Ladies’ Hurdles: Miss L. Howard. Nelson Cup (to visitor gaining most points): J. Phillips (Hutt). WINTER TRAINING FOR ATHLETES At the beginning of the athletic season there must be the long, slow period of building up, then the season itself brings the strenuous period of intensive training and keen competition, and after that comes the slow jog-trot work which enables the runner to go out of training without endangering the regularity of his daily life. It is very necessary for a man to go out of training gradually. Think for a moment of an actual race—for instance the mile—as exemplified by the following paragraph, and there you have the perfect analogy to training. When great runners like Paavo Nurmi and Jack Lovelock are in competition, they come out and jog one or two laps to get the muscles supple, their blood flowing freely and their hearts beating at an increased rate before

they actually start the race. Then they give all they have, or, perhaps, all that is necessary, to the competition on hand, but they do not pull up dead at the end of a race; they jog slowly on for a further quarter mile until the regularity of breathing is restored and the action of the heart is steadied down.

Thus, after the track and field season is over, keep on running for about a fortnight and tone off down to slow jog-trots. Then for a further two weeks take plenty of walks, gradually decreasing the distance of the strolls. Then should follow perhaps a month of the normal “civilian’s” life, in which athletics play no part, eating, sleeping, and enjoying oneself with, of course, a moderate amount of exercise to keep one healthy. This programme will bring the athlete to about the middle of June, when, even for those who play winter games such as football or hockey, a certain amount of athletic preparation for the next season is already necessary. It is very important that the athlete should, during the winter months, strengthen his hesjt, develop his lung capacity, regulate his breathing, and build stamina, and for this reason walking should play an important part in any winter training schedule. The athlete’s training at this time of year, if he does not run cross-country, should be based upon long, steady walks, interspersed with jog-trot runs to ease the strain upon his muscles. Four to five miles at a good swinging gait will be enough to start with, but the distance can be increased after a [ week or two and will be governed thereafter by the event for which the athlete is training. Grown-up sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers, towards the end of July should be walking eight to ten miles twice a week, say Wednesday and Saturday, or Thursday and Sunday; middle distance runners from six to fourteen miles, and the heavyweight field events man from nine to twelve miles. All the walks should be planned to introduce some up and down hill work as well as the flat. Such training strengthens the legs and lays the foundation of a strong constitution. During the walk carry the limbs loosely and place the feet down with the toes pointing straight ahead, so as to induce the habit of taking the spring from the instep. The stride length should be varied occasionally. The athelete should accustom himself to breathing in on five and out on four strides to start with, but as his lungs become of better capacity and greater permeability he should build up his breathing ability by breathing in on eight and out on six strides, always two strides less for exhalation than the number during which he inhales. By the time this programme has been worked through, the athlete will be ready to get back on the track for preliminary track work, say some time during August. In all this winter training the runner should be giving particular attention to balance and proper body carriage, while the field events men can certainly be building up their technique by the use of appropriate exercises while they are strengthening the particular muscles, they will use in their own events.