Konichiwa,
Today’s ‘hello’ comes from Japan – another place
on my list of countries to visit.
Konichiwa reminds me of the marathon I ran in 1990,
in Honolulu.
I was one of over 13,000 entrants in the race, and
two-thirds of them flew in from Japan. Don’t know if
this was the main reason, I doubt it, but I heard
twas cheaper for them to fly to Honolulu, spend a
week in a hotel, etc. – than it was to stay home.
Running a marathon in Honolulu, can be brutal.
Good news is that it started at 5:30 a.m. – in
pouring down rain.
I finished the deal with the uncanny rank of 1,101 –
how strange is that. My time was 3:35:52.
Not good enough to qualify for Boston – but good
enough to be in the top 10 percent of runners.
Honolulu was my first and last marathon.
A month after running it, I walked outside my gym
in Soquel, CA, and began my trot. After running
about 150 meters, I stopped .. asked myself, ‘What
in the hell are you doing this for,’ – then turned around
and walked back.
It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Long distance running, for the most part, is a horrible
form of exercise. It does more damage to the body than
good. Pounds the living crapola out of your ankles, knees,
lower back – you name it.
Hill sprints are ultimately much better for you.
Running a couple miles is much better than 5-6 or more. At
the same time, be sure to monitor how your body feels. My
brother, Sean, tells me that many of you have written to
complain of knee pain, ankle pain, back pain, and so on –
and after doing so you reveal that your run almost everyday
and that it hurts when you run.
Uh- duh. Stop the running, my friend. Build the strength in
your legs. Build the strength of your knees and ankles. And
yes, Combat Conditioning – http://www.mattfurey.com/conditioning_book.html –
does that for you.
Hindu Squats not only strengthen your muscles, but the ligaments
and tendons of the leg as well. That’s why so many people,
IF they follow my instructions (not their own ideas) – find themselves
eliminating knee pain with Hindu Squats. But it must be done
properly. Work into it gradually. Coax yourself along. Do NOT
force yourself along.
Road work is always preferable to long-distance running – and I’ll
have more on that in a future tip.
Yes, I realize that running is a requirement in many athletic teams
as well as in the military, etc. But it is the rare (and dumb) coach or
trainer who has the athletes doing more than 2-3 miles of running.
So don’t complain if that’s all you have to do. Just do it.
But in your spare time, crank out the exercises in the Royal Court
and your strength/endurance will skyrocket.
All for now.
Kick butt – take names.
P.S. Want 7 gifts from me, including 2 of my international best-sellers.
Then go to http://www.mattfurey.com/furey_inner_circle.html and see
what I’ve got cookin.