Frank Shorter Winter Training

doesn't matter the details. The message is what matters. If you want to be good, you gotta work with what you got.

Like I know a guy who in college once had a 2 hour long run but there was tons of snow and too much snow out to run. So he had to drive to a store parking lot. He got there at 530am, store opened at 8am(wanted to finish before parking lot gets filled up with cars). So he ran for 2 hours around the part of the parking lot with no snow (a 30 second loop). 240 loops later, he finished his 2 hour run then stretched and went home.

Are you thinking of Rodgers? That sounds up his alley, training in Boston and all. I feel like I've read something like that about him.

I bet that was detrimental to his training. He didn't go to the Olympics. Just imagine if he had taken the day off.

Ho Hum wrote:

Are you thinking of Rodgers? That sounds up his alley, training in Boston and all. I feel like I've read something like that about him.

Could be, although it's Shorter that's stuck in my head for some reason.

agc5k wrote:

doesn't matter the details. The message is what matters. If you want to be good, you gotta work with what you got.

Like I know a guy who in college once had a 2 hour long run but there was tons of snow and too much snow out to run. So he had to drive to a store parking lot. He got there at 530am, store opened at 8am(wanted to finish before parking lot gets filled up with cars). So he ran for 2 hours around the part of the parking lot with no snow (a 30 second loop). 240 loops later, he finished his 2 hour run then stretched and went home.

I agree, which is actually why I want to verify the authenticity of the story in my head. Right now I'm challenging myself to be more consistent with running as I'm getting back into shape and I know the winter months will be a new challenge.

Well if you want more authentic weirdo stories, Emil Zatopek trained in his basement and also ran in place in a bathtub when he was under house arrest.

The winter months are a challenge. Our club has a Winter Series, and this helps to "winterize" folks. I had not done much winter running, but once I was winterized, I felt fine. I think it really made a difference in my training and fitness...and the toughness aspect alone goes a long way.

raiderxc99 wrote:

Trying to track down the source of an anecdote I have in my head. I seem to remember hearing a story about Frank Shorter (possible I could be confusing him with someone else though) going out for a run in a snowstorm and basically just doing loops on a small patch of yard/grass somewhere because the conditions were so bad. I've looked through many of my books with Shorter info in them (Running w/the Legends, Pre by Tom Jordan, even his mentions in Once A Runner) but can't seem to find it.

Anyone else familiar with this? Am I thinking of a different runner of that era?

You may be thinking of Salazar. In HS, he was sick and it was snowing. He jumped out of his window, ran around the neighborhood and scared the crap out of his mother when she answered the front door when he came home from his run.

[quote]agc5k wrote:

doesn't matter the details. The message is what matters. If you want to be good, you gotta work with what you got.

Exactly. My wife was training for a hilly trail run a few year ago, but before the race we had to go to New York City in August, where it was brutally hot, humid and crowded with people on the streets. The gym in our hotel was crowded. But there was a 15-story internal stairwell in the hotel. We ran repeats up and took the elevator down, it was a good workout. Always easy to make excuses why you can't work out.