Hard Training - Dawn (Hilly) - Page 105 - Training

Mike Gratton 2

04/12/2004 at 17:40

I think that will come out in the training book Hilly as it will by its nature be based on my experience.

In a nutshell, I was pretty good from an early age. When I was 12 I ran 800 in about 2.10 to finish 2nd in the British Forces Schools Germany champs and sub 60 for 400 (I also finished 3rd against the local army teams in an orienteering race, which must have looked odd cos at 12 I was a tiny kid against fully grown squadies).

At 13, having moved to Folkestone from our miltary home in Germany and joined a club I finished 144th in the English Schools XC, progress was gradual from then and I won the English schools 5000m in my last year after being around 6th or 7th consistently over 1500m. 3 yrs at teacher training college didn't help progress much, but I ran with Brighton & Hove and trained with Steve Ovett while I was there. It wasn't until I moved to Canterbeury with my first teaching job that I made any progress - and it was basically that the runners at the club there (Invicta) were all preparing to run a marathon at Essone near Paris - I did all the heavy mileage with them and decided at the last minute to run it - I did 2.21 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Hilly

04/12/2004 at 18:43

When is the book out Mike?

I was a good teenage runner, not quite as good as you though!!!:o) I often wonder what I would've achieved had I not given up and started smoking etc!

Mike Gratton 2

04/12/2004 at 19:05

I was aiming at getting it out for Xmas - maybe FLM Expo. It's getting the time to get things done at the moment.

Stranded in Turkey

04/12/2004 at 19:21

The book you are referring to above Mike - take it that is different from the one you were talking about earlier by John Bryant.

Simon

Mike Gratton 2

04/12/2004 at 19:35

Yep Simon, Johns will be a history of LM - mine will be about training for road running. I might just happen to mention LM a few times though!

Hilly

04/12/2004 at 19:49

I look forward to getting both books!

Simon-can you recommend some good autobiographies or other running type books, seeing as you've read a few?

40 minutes

05/12/2004 at 09:15

hilly - Going back to 1 Dec - Representing a country with less competition for places.

Hilly

05/12/2004 at 13:09

90 mins-I had to go a few pages to remind myself what you were on about. But with it now!:o)

Did you get a picture from Cheddar? I got a sample one with me, you and yl running together. Don't think i'm going to buy it though.

40 minutes

05/12/2004 at 14:39

What? You don't want a framed picture of YL & I to grace your mantlepiece?

I got that one & another of me somewhere on my own.

Hilly

05/12/2004 at 15:22

Well I might get it!:o)

The quality of the pics last time I did Cheddar were very good. In fact the one on this thread was from Cheddar.

Stranded in Turkey

05/12/2004 at 17:48

Hilly,

Have tended to enjoy most biographies of marathoners and the ones I have enjoyed most have been the Ron Hill two set books, the Bill Adcocks and Bill Rogers books. Also really enjoyed the Steve Ovett biography. Most with exception of the adcocks book out of print so ordered from abe books. Also really enjoyed the fell running book feet in the clouds. Read also Joan Samuleson Benoit but enjoyed less and a few others Coe, Cram, Jim Alder etc. Hated every word of the Liz Mcolgan biogrpahy, the Ovett book by Simon Turnbull and the Zatopek book.

Simon

Hilly

05/12/2004 at 17:55

Thanks Simon. I tried a search for Ron Hill books, but no luck! Where did you get yours? Also, why did you hate every word of Liz Mcolgan?

Stranded in Turkey

05/12/2004 at 18:02

Hilly,

Have a look at the bookfinder.com site or abebooks.com. On abe books you can set up a wants list and often just a case of waiting ill the book you are looking fo comes up at a price you are willing to pay.

Both the Mcolgan book and Simon Turnbull's book on Ovett were biographies written by people who had no access to the ethlete and as such were bland and really did not give you any insight into the training or the person. Completely opposite to the Hill, Adcocks and Rogers books.

Simon

Hilly

05/12/2004 at 18:06

Thanks for that, I'm looking forward to a nice lot of reading in the next year!

Stranded in Turkey

05/12/2004 at 20:24

One other book I really enjoyed also was running with the buffaloes. Superbly written about a season with the x-country team of Colorado University.

Hilly

06/12/2004 at 07:16

That sounds interesting. I've written all these books down. That's a lot of reading you've done this year:o)

Stranded in Turkey

06/12/2004 at 07:50

A lot of time Hilly as have had nearly 7 months with no running and 2-3 months with low distance only buildign back up from injury. One more for your list Running with the legends by Michael Sandrock. Superb 400-500 pages covering the training and racing insights of 21 great runners male and female.

Simon

Hilly

06/12/2004 at 16:05

Definitely like the sound of that one! It must have been a very frustrating time!

ceal

06/12/2004 at 17:23

Hi MikeG & hilly,

I completed my trio of races yesterday and finished with a bag of PB's, so I am one happy ceal. But rather tired, I must say. I think it was expecting a lot of myself to target 3 races in a row, with one in the middle being a 10 miler, but I got there and that is what I was aiming for. Next target race Reading Half in March, just lots of hard training to fit in before then!!!!!!!! Thanks for your advice Mike and your encouragement hilly.

ceal

06/12/2004 at 17:27

hilly I sent the above posting before I saw your posting on Over 60's thread. We posted within minutes of each other on same subject, it must be great minds think alike!!!! Thanks again for your good wishes.