Still Running (weakly). Issue 40

PAST – inspiration – “The best bloody medal I’ve ever won,” said Ian Stewart on winning the European Indoor 3000 in 1975. (I was reminded of this watching the World Indoors last weekend.) He had won European and Commonwealth 5000 golds in 1969 and 1970 respectively, but “only” a bronze in the 1972 Olympics – “I was bloody choked. I was no more interested in that medal than a fly in the air. First is first and second is nowhere.”

A week after his indoor triumph in 1975, he was out in Morocco for the World Cross Country Championships, run over 12km. He completed a remarkable double by claiming gold in a star-studded field, which included everyone from marathon champs Bill Rodgers (won Boston a month later), Frank Shorter (1972 Olympic gold) and Waldemar Cierpinski (1976 and 1980 Olympic golds) – to John Walker (later that year to become the first man under 3:50 for the mile), Mohammed Gammoudi (Olympic 5000 gold in 1986 and silver in 1972) and Gaston Roelants (1964 Olympic steeplechase champion)!

PRESENT – perspiration – Josh Kerr reminds me of Ian Stewart. Apart from both being Scots, they share an uncompromising attitude and a confident approach, which stand out even in the home of the Positive Mental Attitude brigade that is elite athletics. Stewart’s accounts of his best races are littered with phrases like, “I knew I’d got him,” “I could see he was done,” “I easily took him off the last bend.”

In the wake of his gold medal run on Saturday, Kerr said that he knew he was going to win. His secret is no real secret – just consistency – and he said he’s not a big mileage guy – “6 days a week, 70 miles” – but he does the hard work. Characteristically, he has been laidback in the wake of comments by Jakob Ingebrigtsen, whom he beat to World Outdoor 1500 gold last year: the Norwegian dissed Kerr’s world two-mile record in February, saying he would have beaten the Scot, “blindfolded.”

Asked what Ingebrigtsen might say about his latest win and Josh replied, “I don’t think Jakob watches BBC2!”.

FUTURE – suggestion – Consistency! It’s great to do the really hard sessions, but consistency is what will see you fulfil your potential. I have always said that, if you can do most of the sessions most weeks, then that is enough to ask of yourself.

That is why, if you miss one session, don’t miss another. If you miss a week, don’t miss two. If your consistency is consistent enough, it will carry you through.

No one ever has a 100% perfect build-up to a race, but get most things right and you give yourself a chance of achieving that personal best.