Cross country at PCHS, my senior year, was primarily conditioning for the coming basketball season. We all wore our basketball shoes, Chuck Taylor All-Stars when we ran. (Chuck Taylor was from Columbus, In and I think a new pair cost $6.95 in 1959.)
We had a big meet at Vernon and Coach Arlin Hooker had a master plan to win the meet. Vernon had a very, very good runner in Roger Vawter. Coach Hooker told us his plan called for Gary Vaught to be a "rabbit" and run as fast as he could as long as he could. This plan would sucker Vawter out and when he wore out, Ralph Davis, who was our best runner, would catch him and we would win the meet.
The gun sounded and Gary shot out as planned. Vawter ran with him as planned. Gary quickly tired and slowed down. Vawter didn't slow down and went on to set a new school and meet record!!!!
Coach Hooker used negative motivation on me. At the half way split he would give us our times and try to motivate us. At one meet he said, "Peck, get that piano off your back. If you drop it you are liable to hurt somebody!" I ran that much harder. He knew my hot button.
At another meet, he said to me at the split, "I am going to the car and if you ever get done, come to the car." I put it in high gear and ran even faster!
As I recall, my best two mile time was a little over 11 minutes on a flat course at Austin High School with near perfect conditions.
How I wish I could get back in better shape. During my last year , 1983, in the USAF, I ran 3-5 miles M-F. We had a couple of marathon runners at Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH. They ran in all of the big marathons, Boston, NYC, Chicago, etc.
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