Arthur Newton's 9 Laws of Motion

                             

    Newton's 100 mile run from Wiltshire to London in 1928

Bart and I are reading a fantastic book called "Tea with Mr Newton" by Rob Hadgraft.   Mr Newton is Arthur Newton, who in 1922 at 38 years old first began to train as a distance runner, his motivations to do this were very specific...

Arthur Newton wished to draw attention to recent decisions of the ruling government that, in his view, threatened his livelihood as a farmer in the South African province of Natal. To make his name and circumstances known to the public, he came up with a simple plan: 

1) To get attention and support for his cause, he would need to make himself famous. 

2) To become famous, he would turn himself into a star athlete. 

3) And to become a star athlete, he would go and win the annual 54-mile Comrades Marathon from Durban to Pietermartizburg.

The aging novice actually won the race, and in doing so, sparked the longest 'protest march' in history.  Mr Newton took up distance running full-time, covered 100,000 miles, and set world-best times over various distances.  Finally quitting at age 51, Newton turned to coaching.  His ideas evolved directly from his own experiences, and distance runners, Champions and novices, all came to him for advice.  

Arthur Newton's 9 Laws of Motion

Law 1: Train frequently, all year round

'What would happen to any animal which took a month's rest from hunting? If you want to be a good athlete, you must train all the year round, no matter what.  What is really required is a little exercise, constantly, this will benefit you permanently to a far greater degree than single, heavy doses at long internals.'

Law 2: Start gradually and train gently

'Nearly all of us dash into it, hoping for and expecting results which are quite unwarranted. Nature is unable to make a really first-class job of anything if she is hustled. To enhance our best, we need only, and should only, enhance our average. That is the basis we ought to work on, for it succeeds every time when the other fails. So, in running, it is essential to take to it kindly.'

Law 3: Train first for distance, only later for speed

'If you are going to contest a 26-mile event, you must at least be used to 100 miles a week...as it is always the speed, never the distance, that kills, so is it the distance, not the speed, that has to be acquired. In the early days of training you must endeavour only to manage as great a distance on each practised outing as you can cover without becoming abnormally tired... your aim throughout should be to avoid all maximum effort while you work with one purpose only, and that is to achieve a definite and sustained rise in the average speed at which you practise, for that is the secret of ultimate achievement... you must never, except for short temporary burst, practise at racing speed.'

Law 4: Don't set your daily training schedule in stone

'Don't set yourself a daily schedule; it is far more sensible to run to a weekly one, because you can't tell what the temperature, the weather, or your own condition will be on any day.'

Law 5: Don't race when in training, or run at race pace for distances over 10 miles

'I decry such things as time-trials...I am convinced they are nothing more than a senseless waste of time and energy. They can't tell you any more than the race itself should...Racing, then, should be the only time-trial, and should only be run every two, or preferably three weeks apart - six weeks between events would be suitable for a marathon runner, but once every two months is probably better.'

Law 6: Specialize

'specialisation nowadays is a necessity. Modern exponents have raised the standards to such a height that nothing but intensive specialisation can put a fellow anywhere near the top. Before the 1914-18 war, the marathon was considered an event for only the favoured few, who had unusual toughness and stamina.'

 Law 7: Prevent over-training

'Regulate your training so as to be sure of always being on the safe side. The least sign of overdose will surely lead to trouble. Go so for every day that the last mile or two becomes almost a desperate effort. So long as you are fit for another dose the following day, you are not over-doing it. But you must never permit yourself to approach real exhaustion; you must never become badly tired. A good way to judge whether you are over-doing it is by your appetite. A really fearsome thirst is a definite sign that either the speed or the distance has been too much. Not only are you unbearably thirsty, but your appetite disappears entirely, even for many hours after the event.'

Law 8: Train the mind

'When you begin training, you will find that the longest and most strenuous mental and physical exertions all come at the start...it seems to me that stamina is just as much a mental attribute as a physical one. Make your mind healthy and it will do the rest. If it is not normally healthy, you will never make a decent job of anything.'

Law 9: Rest before a big race

'Cut out all racing...during the last month of your training; you will need certainly three weeks to put the finishing touches to your stamina and reserve energy. When you consider what a vast amount of work you have already gone through, you will admit that a fortnight or so longer is a relatively trifling matter. Endeavour to keep all your spare time fully occupied with reading, writing, anything that will keep you still, anything to divert your mind from harping on the forthcoming event.'

Happy Running!