Julian Goater - Art of Running Faster, The

THE ART OF
RUNNING FASTER

Julian Goater

Don Melvin

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Goater, Mian, 1953-

The art of running faster / Julian Goater, Don Melvin.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-9550-1 (soft cover)
ISBN-10: 0-7360-9550-0 (soft cover)

1. Running. 2. Sprinting. 3. Speed. I. Melvin, Don, 1953-II. Title.
GV1061.G6 2012
796.42 --dc23

2011041295

ISBN-10: 0-7360-9550-0 (print)

ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-9550-1 (print)

Copyright 2012 by Julian Goater and Don Melvin

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E5185

The 1970s and 1980s were indeed a Golden Age of middle and long distance running throughout the world, with British athletes very much at the centre of the drama and excitement which surrounded the sport in those days. The current dominance of African runners can be traced back to this period, but other nations such as New Zealand, USA, Australia, and several European countries were also producing outstanding distance runners who could match, and often get the better of, their African rivals.

This book is based on the legends and running lore which developed in these exciting times, and is dedicated to the numerous coaches, athletes, rivals, and training partners who helped, encouraged, inspired, and influenced me throughout my running career. Some of them are mentioned in these pages, many are not; but it was a privilege to know them, run with them, and briefly share experiences with them that have remained indelibly etched in my memory ever since.

This book is dedicated to all these unwitting contributors, most especially to Bob and Dave, Harry and Steve, and my team-mates and rivals from school, club, university, and RAF days.

Finally, and most importantly, this book is for my remarkable wife Sue who has lived through many of these events, suffered the trials and tribulations of the inside story behind them, and yet has stood by me through thick and thin. She is indeed a saint.

Julian Goater

And with love to Rodica, whose support was vital to this project, from beginning to end.

Don Melvin

CONTENTS

PART II Sharpening the Knife

Ive been a fun runner most of my life. I have no particular talent, but I love running, and at various times Ive worked hard to run the fastest times I could. And virtually all the runners Ive met, including those working to break an hour for the 10K, take pride in their times. Ten seconds faster than last year. Yes!

A few years ago, I joined a running club. For the first time, I ran wearing a club vest and raced as a member of a team. My performance could affect the finishing position of the entire club. So I tried as hard as I could to get my 10K time back under 45 minutes, where it had been in my 30s. But I was stuck at 48 minutes, maybe 47-something on a good day.

Then I began to work in a small group with Julian Goater just once a week. The workouts were no more than an hour, including warm-up, stretching, cool-down and rests for recovery in the middle. Unlike the long runs I kept pounding out to get fitter, the sessions with Julian left me invigorated. Each workout taught me something new about running and about myself.

I became stronger, more supple, and better able to cope with being out of breath. And, miracle of miracles, at age 53 I broke a personal best for 10 miles Id set 22 years earlier. My 10K time dropped from 48 minutes to 43-something. And I broke my personal best for the half marathonby six minutes.

When a middle-aged runner breaks PBs he set in his 30sand on less mileage, toosomethings going on. The principles Julian has developed apply to all runners, young and old, talented and less so, novice and experienced. I know this firsthand, which is why I was eager to work with him on this book. These are principles runners everywhere need to know.

Don Melvin

A State of Grace

This book is about something that many people dont realize exists: the art of running.

The way you move, how you structure your training, how you prepare for races, how you build confidence and determination, and how you develop your tacticsall of these elements are part of the runners art.

Yet runners often feel their results depend on just two factors. One, of course, is talent. And its taken for granted that the other is sheer, pig-headed determination, the will to churn out miles week after week. Nothing else, it is thought, will make a runner fitter. Nothing else will help a runner reach his or her potential: Just spend more time on the roads. Grit your teeth and grind it out. And if you dont have time enough to do that, you cannot improve your 10K time or achieve your goal in the marathon. Youve reached your limit.

The thing is, thats not true.

Sometimes people, for reasons they cannot explain, achieve performances far superior to their previous bestsfar better, even, than their most optimistic expectations.

How does this happen?

In running, as with most sports, craft and hard work can take you a long way. Planning, testing, and monitoringthe scientific approachhave their place. Sebastian Coe and his father, Peter, took a rigorously scientific approach to training, and it helped Seb set 11 world records and win two Olympic golds. Clearly, your training should be based on sound scientific principles.

But Sebs family also had an artistic bent: His mother was an actress; his sister danced with the Royal Ballet. And Seb managed to harness mind and body to achieve a state of grace where timing, balance, relaxation, and concentration worked in perfect harmonyand that was something more than science. Technique, intelligence and the ability to unleash the power of the mind can help take you there, as well.