Consider Arthur Lydiard’s perspective. His contribution to modern distance
running is so overwhelming, yet so basic, that his
once-revolutionary
insights now belong to the common vocabulary. "Base building"? That’s Lydiard.
"Train, don’t strain"? His classic aphorism. "Long aerobic running"? He started
it in the ‘30s.
The soundness of the Lydiard approach has been demonstrated by wave after wave
of champion runners, starting with Lydiard himself (he was New Zealand’s top
marathoner two generations ago) and continuing through last summer’s World
Championships. Lydiard has always been on top, and from that vantage point has
watched running "boom." The puzzler is that so few people have gone to the
source.
Those who have know that although the Lydiard programs were designed for
champions, the fundamentals apply to anyone who wants to be a better runner. One
needn’t train like Peter Snell (Lydiard’s first and greatest Olympic champion)
to put the precepts to work. Lydiard has often been regarded—perhaps even
dismissed by some—as an elite coach for elite athletes only, but that’s a
shortsighted view.
In fact, Lydiard has been a "people’s" coach for decades. He started running
program in his own country and in Finland years before America’s movement took
hold. His travels have taken him nearly around the world, and while he has been
involved with the elite athletes of many countries, he has always attended to
the larger, and slower, masses. America, where the running boom hit bigger and
more manic than anywhere else, is something of a final frontier for Lydiard.