Posted: December 7, 2004

Athletics: Lydiard and Wetmore Draw Record Numbers in Night to Remember in Boulder

By Carl Kinney, BoulderRunning.com:

A man from the audience asked, "What about pain? What do you tell your athletes about dealing with pain?" Arthur Lydiard immediately and confidently replied, "My athletes don't have pain. They enjoy running."

The Boulder running community arrived in full effect Wednesday night December 1 at the Boulder High School auditorium to hear running legend Arthur Lydiard speak on his final U.S. tour. At just under 400 in attendance, comprised of everyone from high-school and collegiate athletes to those openly identifying themselves as "60 years old" in their questions to Lydiard, the number nearly doubled Chicago's record turnout of 220. The event, hosted by Fleet Feet and other sponsors, was considered a huge success.

Lydiard was flanked on the evening by Colorado University's Coach Mark Wetmore, barely more than one week removed from his dual-National Championship wins by his men's and women's cross-country teams.

"I think it is pretty safe to say that any athlete you see on this screen behind me learned to deal with pain a long time ago," added Wetmore. "They knew what they were getting into long before they toed the line."

"Just because you're a good runner doesn't mean you have to end up like me," Lydiard wittingly opened the evening. "As you can see, I've had a few strokes, and can't talk quite like I have before; but no worries, we'll get by." The Boulder community responded with laughter and applause.

Reflecting on his progression towards coaching, Lydiard conceded, "It wasn't that I was a great coach; I was simply running more than anyone else around."

Lydiard paid careful attention to how his body responded to his own training, applying what he learned to kids from the neighborhood. "I'm a very practical coach," claimed Lydiard. Many of these runners later earned Olympic gold.

A protégé of Lydiard's work, Mark Wetmore made it known, "I owe everything to Arthur." The backdrop featured a Wetmore quote, "I am just the delivery boy for Arthur's great message."

Wetmore apologized to the audience initially, "Excuse me if I sound hoarse, but I have a head cold." He continued, "Usually head colds are due to changes in the weather, but in my case, it is due to a change in attitude [towards me] on letsrun.com."

After a film featuring Lydiard-coached victories from 1960 Rome to early 1980s, Lydiard and Wetmore together commented on the PowerPoint presentation now occupying the backdrop. The very informative presentation showcased Lydiard's training philosophies and principles, which included:
* Strong aerobic base building - all Lydiard's athletes were capable of running stellar marathons. Athletes racing all distances from 800m to the marathon would train together until 4 or 5 weeks before race time.
* Periodization - Lydiard focuses on a specific muscle group or technique for a set period of time, then shifts the focus to the next phase of training. Wetmore employs this method for his collegiate athletes as well.
* Hill bounding to elongate calf muscles and produce speed
* Training in racing flats
* Long runs of 2 to 3 hours on Sundays at a steady pace
* "Lots and lots of honey" for carbo-loading

The evening concluded with a book signing and autograph session, and Mark Wetmore patiently awaited his turn as well.

"I haven't seen Arthur in 8 years," said Wetmore. "It is a shame I was out recruiting this week while he was here. I would have loved to have spent more time with him."

Lydiard signed a personalized message in Wetmore's book, and the two exchanged words closely as photographers snapped away in a paparazzi-styled frenzy. Wetmore reminded the legend on his way out, "Hey Arthur - you said last time you were here that it would be your last time through."

Only time will tell if this is Arthur's final farewell. This cold December evening, and Lydiard's influence, will not be forgotten.

Check out the Lydiard Boulder photo gallery at: http://boulderrunning.com.

Lydiard will be in California on the following dates with locations:

Tuesday, December 14
Santa Barbara, San Marcos High School Cafeteria at 7:00pm

Friday, December 17
Orange County, Orange Coast College Science Hall Bldg #40 at 7:30pm

Sunday, December 19
San Francisco State University Seven Hills Conference Center at 2:00pm

For more information on the Arthur Lydiard tour, contact Nobby Hashizume at: hashizumemn@hotmail.com.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.