Running Fast And Injury Free
“Running fast and injury free” is partly biographical (Gordon’s early years, experiences at Adidas – he developed a new generation of spiked racing shoes with the late Adolf (Adi) Dassler – and the White City, Olympic participations, world records etc.), but it also outlines the training schedules that Gordon followed, including (in some detail) Interval Training, and sets out detailed training programmes for aspiring athletes to follow (of whatever level). In typical Gordon fashion, the book is highly controversial and radical (e.g. comments on running shoe design and running technique), whilst remaining very entertaining.
For example:
“Incidentally, Windsor Castle was the starting line for the 1908 Olympic Marathon, so that King Edward VII could view the start. From there it was 26 miles and 385 yards to the finish line at the site of the ex White City Stadium – the marathon distance which has survived to this day”. I bet you didn’t know that!
A quote from the book’s Introduction, illustrating Gordon’s accomplishments:
“In the last 45 years, I have participated in three Olympic Games (winning a Silver Medal in the 5,000 metre race at the 1956 Melbourne Games), and have set five official world records (and a dozen or so more unofficial world bests). I have faced and beaten most of the greatest athletes of my time, and have run to date nearly a quarter of a million miles. Along the way, I have coached several of Great Britain and New Zealand’s best runners some of whom have set their own world records. In addition, I aided the late Adolf (Adi) Dassler (founder of Adidas) in developing spiked racing shoes, on which most of today’s good designs are based. This brief list of some of my accomplishments is presented in order to lend credibility to what follows”.
Is the book radical? Oh yes. For example:
“There are three basic reasons for the injury epidemic currently sweeping the running world, which is making life unpleasant for millions of runners, and destroying many more who are lost to the sport forever. The first is the most basic – very few runners know how to run correctly. Improper technique puts undue strain on the feet, ankles, knees, back and hips, and makes injury inevitable. The second reason is more subtle than the first, though closely related to it. Most running shoes today are designed and constructed in such a manner as to make correct technique impossible (and therefore cause chronic injuries to the people who wear them). It is a common misconception that a runner should land on his or her heels and then roll forward to the front of the foot with each stride. In designing their shoes, most shoe companies fall prey to this incorrect assumption. The result is that running shoes get larger and clumsier every year. Far from protecting runners, these shoes actually limit the runner’s ability to run properly, and as a result may contribute to the injury epidemic. The third factor accounting for the current plague of injuries is an over–emphasis on mileage in training, especially “long slow distance” (LSD). Without the constant maintenance of a proper balance in training including sprinting, interval training, weights, hills and long–running – a runner’s body simply will not adapt to the stresses it encounters on a day to day basis.”
SOME INTERESTING FACTS
“Guinness Book of Records 1998″ entry for Gordon Pirie (p.276): “GREATEST MILEAGE. Douglas Alistair Gordon Pirie (GB), who set five world records in the 1950s, estimated that he had run a total distance of 347,600km (216,000 miles) in 40 years to 1981.”
THE BOOK’S TABLE OF CONTENTS:
FOREWORDS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PREFACES
GORDON PIRIE’S LAWS OF RUNNING
CHAPTER ONE Introduction
CHAPTER TWO Why Athletes Fail
CHAPTER THREE Injuries, Technique and Shoes
CHAPTER FOUR Training
CHAPTER FIVE Weight Training
CHAPTER SIX Diet and Vitamins
REFERENCES