Greetings and hello, again. Before we start, however, maybe you can answer this question posed by my wife in 1987; “why would anyone in his or her right mind seek advice on running from someone who waddles like a duck and trots like a turkey?”
I’ve already informed her that running is not for the birds, but come to think of it, the very first story I ever heard about running had to do with a tortoise and a hare. I bet you remember that one, too. At this stage of my career, I find it increasingly more difficult to believe the tortoise won.
So much for Animal Farm or the New Zoo Revue. However, if you happen to run into this turkey trotting through Clove Lakes Park, just remember the No. 1 rule of all coaches: “Do as I say and not as I do.”
As I recall, former St. Peter’s and Tottenville HS coach John Tobin and Artie Evans, Staten Island’s greatest half-miler, were both coached at Manhattan College by George Eastman, one of track’s most brilliant minds, but a man whose arthritic body forced him to attend his final races in a wheelchair.
Nevertheless, Eastman will always stand tall in the eyes of Jasper track men and of those who ran against his teams.
FIRST THING’S FIRST – by Bill Welsh and Joe Stasi
- Everyone should have clearance by their physician before starting.
Coach Welsh’s “countdown series” is for beginners; Coach Stasi provides workouts for advanced runners that have already been training and racing.
- Wear a good pair of running shoes.
- Get motivated.
If you, my readers, will take care of your responsibility with regard to the first two items, I will try to inspire you and coach you through July 4th, when you can take part in a 5k. This course will take you from inertia to being a body in motion, one that hopefully will tend to stay on the move after our training period ends.
Legendary Coach Bill Welsh – Editor of the 80’s Advance Countdown
