On a recent trip to London I found myself in Richmond and for a bit of fun went down to Richmond Hill overlooking the river Thames to recreate the famous Mark Shearman photo of Seb Coe running hill reps (left). Ironically that stretch of towpath in the background and a more gentle path were a regular part of my Sunday runs in the late 1990s ago but I never ran fast up that path on Richmond Hill, let alone take photos (how did we survive without camera phones?).
Photos taken and legs reduced to jelly I contemplated my experience while recovering with an easy jog back to Richmond. The point here isn't about copying Coe's style per se (although there are some fantastic cues in high hips, straight back, full leg extension, relaxed hands) but it is about modelling the excellence of others. In this case running lots of fast hills, developing the most efficient and powerful style for your body type and training with focus to name just three.
We are surrounded by examples of excellence from all walks of life and yet so often we overlook them and the opportunity to model learn from them.
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