Question for old timers

Too small for football, wanted to meet new people. Ran in bad shoes on a cinder track that was 360 meters long. A lot of quarters with too much rest. Four miles was a long run back then. Pre was big back then along with Virgin. I followed all the guys at the U (Minnesota) I ended up doing OK in our state 9:23 two mile, had a very bad state meet (9:59) Graduated in 71

Horacio Esteves was my hero.

Benfield409 wrote:

Too small for football, wanted to meet new people. Ran in bad shoes on a cinder track that was 360 meters long. A lot of quarters with too much rest. Four miles was a long run back then. Pre was big back then along with Virgin. I followed all the guys at the U (Minnesota) I ended up doing OK in our state 9:23 two mile, had a very bad state meet (9:59) Graduated in 71

When you graduated in '71 Craig Virgin was 15 years old.

As I recall, I just wanted to be on a varsity team. I didn't really want any part of football and I didn't make the basketball team. The baseball coach had a policy of not

playing anyone who wasn't a junior or senior so track and cross country were all that were left.

I had no ability for it but I just enjoyed going to meets and practices. It also became a way to have friends. I'm not especially outgoing so the sport became a way to get to know people.

I kind of make a point of not having heroes. I always reserved that role for my dad, but like all of us in those years really admired Gerry Lindgren and Jim Ryun, then eventually Ron Clarke as I got to know more about the sport. I was also a fan of a Villanova miler called Frank Murphy largely because I read an article in which Murphy said something about it being possible to run seriously and still enjoy a fiarly normal life.

What year is this? wrote:

When you graduated in '71 Craig Virgin was 15 years old.

I think you answered your own question.

Yes Virgin was big, in Runner's World and Track and Field News there were article and pictures of "the sophomore phenom" Virgin chasing Dave Merrick in cross country ('70 season) and indoor track ('71 season).

I ran because I was gay. My hero was George Washington. My trainingwas pretty much exclusively done with my man, we played some wild games.

i graduated in '73 (HS). Went out for XC as a way to do better at track (880) and because i was Too small for football. But i grew to like the fitness of XC, and my teammates were 'regular' guys, unlike football BMOC's w/ alot of attitude. I recall being intrigued w/ runners like Dave Wottle, Frank Shorter, Jack Bachelor, Kenny Moore.

Also, distance running had a certain counter-culture allure back then, which appealed to me.

I didn't record the mileage, but it wasn't alot back then: 8 mi was our longest run. Races were 2.25 mi. We did do alot of intervals on grass or a cinder track. Hardest workout i recall was 10x1mile on a cinder track. It was dark by the time we finished that WO.

i graduated in '73 (HS). Went out for XC as a way to do better at track (880) and because i was Too small for football. But i grew to like the fitness of XC, and my teammates were 'regular' guys, unlike football BMOC's w/ alot of attitude. I recall being intrigued w/ runners like Dave Wottle, Frank Shorter, Jack Bachelor, Kenny Moore.

Also, distance running had a certain counter-culture allure back then, which appealed to me.

I didn't record the mileage, but it wasn't alot back then: 8 mi was our longest run. Races were 2.25 mi. We did do alot of intervals on grass or a cinder track. Hardest workout i recall was 10x1mile on a cinder track. It was dark by the time we finished that WO.

Thank you. Virgin was big as you said in "71"

ran track all 4 hs years but did not run xc until my juinor year. To my suprise , IT was fun and I was pretty good.we ran 2 and a half miles.. Cant remember workouts , but they were hard at first.In hs we had 2 other guys who broke 4.03 mile in college, one was alternate on Olympic team so we were one tuff xc team and got first 5 places in our league meet; my best race ever, I got very close second .52 YEARS AGO, wish I had kicked just a little bit earlier.Race was at VAN CORTDLAND PARK IN nyc, Satch had turned 17 just 2 weeks before.Now I am old , the autumn of my years, but ran 2 miles this afternoon.

thank you...just about everybody

thank you for letting me remember my youth

I ran lots of 440s. It wasn't my idea; it was my coach's idea. He was also the football coach, and he thought that anyone could be just as fast as Jim Ryun or Marty Liquori with the right attitude. This was the prevalent notion in the early 1970's, especially in Texas, where quantity is important.