At Rome in 1960 the world discovered that a New Zealand coach called Arthur Lydiard actually knew what he was talking about; two of his brightest pupils, Murray Halberg and Peter Snell, won gold medals on the Olympic track and a third, Barry Magee, ran the fastest marathon ever recorded by a white man. From Rome, Lydiard’s runners went on to nine world records.
Run to the Top, 1962
The intention of going through this study of Running to the Top was simply so that I could revisit the principles of Arthur Lydiard. Too many times I get impatient as a coach and want to jump to the sexy workouts, or expect the results too soon. Run to the Top is simply a reminder that you have to be patient and you have to build the base.
It’s been fun going back through this book…but now I am ready to put these words into action! We’ve got a big Fall and Winter lined up for athletes and these guiding principles from Arthur will help me guide my own runners!
Phillips Running 