In Memoriam: Colin Welland

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Jon Waldron

colin_welland

The working title of the script was originally “Runners” — about as boring as you could imagine.

In retrospect, the whole project seems beyond improbable. David Puttnam, who would produce the film, happened to be convalescing from a case of the flu in a rented house in Hollywood and, looking for something to read to pass the time, picked up a history of the Modern Olympic Games. In that book, he read a single paragraph about the Scottish runner Eric Liddell, winner of the 400m at the 1924 Paris Games. Intrigued, Puttnam wrote to the British Amateur Athletic Association for more information, and they eventually responded by sending him three large scrapbooks of historical clippings. From those scrapbooks, he would learn about Harold Abrahams, winner of the 100m in those same 1924 Olympics. Continue reading →

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Days of Reckoning

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Jon Waldron

“These are days of reckoning for track and field, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), and for fans of athletics everywhere, as details of systematic doping and well-paid cover-ups make their way into the public eye. It’s a familiar taste for the cycling fan, a cocktail of distrust and despair.” – Caley Fretz, Seven Things Track and Field Can Learn from Cycling  Continue reading →

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Youth and Its Discontents

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Jon Waldron

Were we tougher back then? Maybe.

It’s the first Tuesday in November and the last workout before the league championships. Today’s workout is a “T” run — team, tempo, and togetherness — and most of the team has, indeed, made its way to the big open field where we will run 2 x 2k at tempo pace, keeping each tempo group tightly together. It’s a gorgeous day, and not for the first time in the last few weeks, I shake my head in wonder at the Thoreauvian beauty all around us. The woods all around have hung on to most of their leaves, although the colors have faded from peak yellows and reds to more subdued hues. There are still insects flying here and there, enjoying what surely must be their last few days of existence before it finally gets cold and puts an end to all their late fall frivolity. Continue reading →

Posted in Coaching, cross country, High School Runners, Weather and Seasons | Tagged | 4 Comments

The 1983 Bostonfest Marathon

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Jon Waldron

Bostonfest

Last Friday, October 30th, was my son Loren’s 29th birthday. He was born just a few minutes before midnight, which meant that he just missed being born on Halloween. It’s true that by arriving on the 30th, he avoided having to share his birth anniversary with a major secular holiday dedicated to candy and costumes. But he did appropriate a day that had already had a special place in my memory. For it was three years earlier — October 30th, 1983 — that I ran my first marathon. Continue reading →

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Stress Test

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Jon Waldron

FP-12-17-exercise-comparative

“This is cool,” I keep saying to myself. “This is really cool.”

It’s Friday morning, and I’ve skipped work to be here, standing half-naked amidst hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of medical test equipment, with electrodes affixed to my chest, a blood pressure cuff on my arm, on oxygen sensor on my finger, and an industrial grade treadmill standing a few feet away that is capable of humming along at 4:00-mile pace and tilting the belt to a grade that would make a mountain goat faint. Nearby are multiple computer screens showing my heart rhythm and other vitals. I’m about to star in every runner’s dream role as experimental subject in an honest-to-god V02 Max test. Continue reading →

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From the Archives: The Gift of Gab

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Jon Waldron

1200px-Magpie,_aggressive“Magpie, aggressive” by Alexis Hilton Hope – Own work.

[At this time of year, fellowship is an important part of a runner’s life. I originally wrote this for David Polgar, a student at Newton North and former MA State mile champion, who was also one of the greatest talkers on runs I’ve ever known. Originally published October 20th, 2006]

“The easy wakers who found the morning workout a lark annoyed him to distraction, But the gentle conversation made it easier, a social occasion of sorts, for just as rank has its privileges so indeed does the barely comprehensible conditioning of good distance runners. They gab like magpies.” – John L. Parker, Once a Runner Continue reading →

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Marking the Course: A Fable

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Jon Waldron

cross_country_course

Once upon a time, there was a young and successful cross country coach. She was intelligent and energetic. She devised training plans that challenged and developed her athletes. She was up on the latest trends in using strength workouts to enhance running performance. This coach had a reputation as being tough, but only in the interests of pushing her athletes to be their best. Not surprisingly, her teams were perpetual contenders for league and regional championships. Continue reading →

Posted in Coaching, cross country, High School Runners | 2 Comments

Almanac and Race Report: Paddy’s Shillelagh Shuffle

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Jon Waldron

This past weekend marked the decisive and final farewell to summer at our house. Bowing to the inevitable approach of winter, we finally turned on the heat, acknowledging that for the forseeable future our comfort would depend on the hot air coursing through the heating vents. It was a melancholy moment, but when we woke up on Sunday morning to a warm house rather than a meat locker, we realized it had taken us less than 24 hours to take our central heating for granted. Continue reading →

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From the Archives: Those Who Run and Those Who Finish

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Jon Waldron

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[Last Sunday was the 30th anniversary of two of the greatest marathons ever run on U.S. soil, both in the same race at Chicago. The first was Steve Jones incredible wire-to-wire victory in 2:07:13. which still stands as the U.K. national record. The other was Joan Benoit Samuelson’s tough-as-nails 2:21:21, defeating Ingrid Kristiansen. Both were in the news again this week, Joanie because an illness kept her from her attempt to run 2:51 thirty years after she ran 2:21, and Jonesy for his tough-love comments doubting the value of mass participation in marathons. It seemed an appropriate time to dig up this post from six years ago, tackling that same question: should plodders run marathons? — originally published October 27, 2009.] Continue reading →

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Race Report: Bernie’s Run 3M

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Jon Waldron

bernies2

Along with several teammates from CSU, I headed to Dedham last Sunday, Oct. 4th for “Bernie’s Run,” the fifth race of the six-race New England Runner Pub Series. Even with a leisurely 11:30 a.m. start time, the morning felt early. It was definitely not summer, as cool temperatures, overcast skies, and a brisk breeze had me putting on layer after layer, digging out gloves I hadn’t used since March, and a knit hat I hadn’t worn since the snowpocalypse. Continue reading →

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