Still Running (weakly). Issue 94

PAST – inspiration – “This was the hardest and best training session I have ever seen in my life,” said Dave Stephens, the Australian who himself set a world 6 miles record in 1956, and who died at the age of 95 in November 2024.

He was talking about Volodymyr Kuts (1927-1975.) And what is interesting is that a couple of days previously the Ukrainian had looked anything but great. Training in Australia for the upcoming Melbourne Olympics, Kuts had run hard for the previous two days, and always rested every third day, but Stephens had invited him to a training session, which he found too tempting to refuse. He and his Australian companions ran a few 400s in 75 to 80 seconds, before the Kuts pulled out, labouring heavily.

The next day he rested completely, and the day after that, Stephens witnessed the session he eulogised about above. “We wore spikes and shorts, just as through it were a race. Kuts did 25x440 yards in 63 to 67 seconds, jogging 110 yards in 30 seconds after each. I could only do 12.”

Kuts, running for the Soviet Union, went on to dominate those 1956 Olympics, winning 5,000 and 10,000 gold medals. But, as I say, what I find fascinating is that even he could be tired and slow, if he did not give his body enough rest between hard sessions.

PRESENT – perspiration – The golden rule of balancing effort with rest is true for every age-group, not least when an athlete is still developing.

Sam Ruthe is a hugely promising New Zealand athlete – with a British pedigree. His maternal grandparents, Scottish Rosemary Stirling and English Trevor Wright, were 1970 Commonwealth 800 champ and 1971 European marathon silver medallist respectively. And both of his parents, Ben and Jessica, have won NZ middle distance titles.

Sam has run 3:41.25 for 1500m, 4:01.72 for the mile, and a remarkable 7:56.18 to win the New Zealand 3000m senior title. And he is still only 15!

But…… no one is pushing him too hard. His training consists of between 40 and 50 kilometres a week of running, plus some swimming and biking.

FUTURE – suggestion – Our bodies are marvellous contraptions, capable of amazing feats – if given enough practice and rest, practice and rest, practice and rest – i.e. enough time to get used to the idea of what we are asking them to do!

My own battle in the aftermath of a stem cell autograft – which reduces the blood’s oxygen-carrying capability – has once again taught me such patience. Now free of treatment, and hankering after the running achievements that are seemingly such a large source of my feelings of self-worth, I have had to restrict myself each week to one hard run, two easy ones and a parkrun test. It is a regime to which I must adhere, otherwise overwhelming fatigue will ensue.

Nevertheless, the hour-long 5km strolls of early January morphed into the sub-50 walk/runs of February, until March has brought my first sub-40 run/walk! 2025’s target of a sub-30 run/run is still distant, but at least it is on the horizon! Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning!