After my sophomore year of cross-country and track, and my first year on the team, I asked my coach, John Kurtz (but still to this day, 'Coach Kurtz'): "If I run a 1000 miles over the summer, will you give me a 1000 mile club long sleeve t-shirt to wear?" To this day, I wonder what he was thinking? Great? He won't hit the goal? He will be really good next fall? Of course, he said sure. York High school, The Long Green Line, had numerous athletes each year run over a 1000 miles, June 1-August 31. I had my 30 or 31 day calender in boxes on the Frig, and kept track of each run for the day, and total for the week. After running 9:21.7 and 4:31 for 2 miles and the mile that spring, I logged 1013 miles that summer.
Had a great white long sleeve t-shirt that I wore under my jersy in every race that year, and almost all the way through the outdoor track season.
I went back 6 or 7 years later, and ran some of my course. They were all short. I remember running my longest run, 63 mintues - 10 miles is what I counted. 25 mintues and change - hey, that's a five mile run. Looking back, my best guess is that I ran 800 miles. But most important, is that I thought I ran a 1000 miles.
Also, that was the summer of '76. John Walker wins the gold, in an all-black New Zealand uniform with beads around his neck, and long hair. Rick Wolhuter won the bronze in the 800m. I remember getting in runs, and then going downstairs in the basement and watching the Olympics. No, I never thought I would get there someday. But John Walker was my hero when they were over.
In 1983 in Stockholm, I raced the 1500m and won in 3:36, coming from 9th to win in the final 150 meters. John Walker was in the race. I had run 13:19 about a week earlier at age 23. That night after the dinner in the hotel, I was sitting at a table, thinking about the 5000 kroners I had won by winning the race (thinking around $1k), and $100 to be on the line. Big payday. And John Walker walks over to my table, sits down, and starts a conversation. Asking me about my training, my times, my coach. I bet I never asked him one question... what do you ask a former world record holder?!
4 days later, I was put into the Dream Mile at Oslo and finished 2nd to Steve Scott, running 13.1 from the 1500m to the mile finish line, and 3:50.59. I read in the papers, John Walker stating that one of the favorites to win the 5000m at the World Championships, was me.
What he did not know, is that was trained to peak, and I had started to peak running the 5k at Oslo. I was usually able to hold a peak for 4-5 weeks. Also, my mileage was in the 40-50 range, which is not good when you have to run a 5000m head on one day, two days later the semi, and two days later the final. I won another USA v Nordic 1500m in 3:36 about 2 weeks before the Games, then did not make the World 5k final. Doug Padilla did, and Jim Hill and I did not.
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