TRIVIA: True or false: an Eastern Michigan University student or graduate has competed in track at every Summer Olympics since 1960?

Great Outdoors. I couldn't help myself. The lyrics came to me spontaneously from, arguably, the most-influential and durable LP/CD of all time:

It was twenty years ago today Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play What happened to me 20 years ago, as I looked through my 1985 training diary, was ordinary compared to the splash release of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" made in summer '67. (Little did I know my running career would begin a month after purchase of the Beatles' masterpiece.)

My entry for March 4, 1985 reads, "Big snow and rain storm overnite, rain all day. Run indoors first time in years. Go 60 minutes." I recall being fed up with a long, miserable winter and ran that eve at the University of Michigan's indoor track. I've not run indoors since, and the entry is a footnote to all the days hooked together since that I've coped with winter's changing moods.

I've run through every winter since '69, and, except for a handful of exceptionally-cold days, the thing I've dreaded most, by far, is bad footing.

Dressing right is key to staying comfortable at any temperature and I've found it easy enough to layer correctly for winter. Before decent nylon coats and wicking fibers, my first dozen winters in cotton apparel left me chilled at times, but wasn't a deterrent.

No, from the beginning, footing has made the biggest difference in my winter running experiences.

My favorite winter running surfaces are dry or 1 to 2 inches of snow that compresses and squeaks with each step. I also enjoy trail running, but for months at a time stay away because snow gets packed down by walkers, turns to misshapen ice and takes forever to melt in the backwoods.

What I dislike most about winter are unshoveled sidewalks/bikepaths, the occasional snowstorm and nasty ice. I've fallen badly on ice a few (too many) times, but regard uncleared walks as the most annoying and dangerous of winter hazards.

I'm sure every community has a law requiring property owners to have walks cleared within 24 hours, but it's rarely enforced. You'd think mail carriers would have raised a considerable stink, but obviously the problem isn't improving or going away.

Winter wind is vexing on the run, but nothing like it is while cycling. If you think winter wind is painful, miserable and tiring while running, saddle up and face it a few miles. Or don't and spare yourself the discomfort.

The general rule is to start a run into the wind, but I rarely consider its direction. Unlike bad footing, I've made my peace with wind and view it as an invisible inconvenience. For something you can't see, it IS a ubiquitous and potent force, but bad footing is more of an overall energy burden.

I laugh at some of the conditions I've run in. I recall too many days when pace became secondary to safety, and coping skills were stressed as much as my legs.

The goal of running on poor surfaces is to seek the path of least resistance. On snow-lumpy walks I run a bit flat-footed, and on unplowed roads try to run down the tire track trails. Either way, the going is usually slow, messy, awkward, inconsistent, aggravating and draining.

No sense sugar-coating it: sometimes winter running is less than pleasant. It's always pleasing but not always pleasant.

Winter running is an acquired taste. Against the seasonal odds, a great deal of my best running occurs between November and March. I can't fully account for this. It could be that life seems to slow down, things seem quieter, more relaxed with fewer distractions.

Whatever the reasons, winter running satisfies me more than it appeals, and somehow that works. Do You Think? In the February issue of Northwest Runner magazine, JoAnn Dahlkoetter, Ph.D., offered "a five-part toolbox for better running." Dahlkoetter is a sports psychologist and regularly provides good advice in her NR column "Head Medicine." Her toolbox is really five simple techniques to help others perform their best. "Concious breathing: By changing the way you breathe, you can change the way you feel. Breathing abdominally helps you relax and expand your conciousness.

"Ask empowering questions: Turn everything that happens to your advantage. Whatever happens, turn it around and ask, 'How can I use this? What's the next step? What can I learn from this? How can I move on?'

"Focused attention: Think about the process, not the final outcome. Look only at what you need to do right now. The final time or place will take care of itself. Beware of distractions. Focus on your immediate target. Break your target into small, manageable pieces.

"Affirmations: Make positive self-statements continually. Negative thinking is common; we all have an inner critic (that says we aren't good, fast, brave or smart enough). Become aware of these thoughts early. Don't fight them; acknowledge them and substitute a positive affirmation. Instead of saying, 'This hurts too much,' think, 'This feeling is connected with going faster and doing my best.'

"Relax and enjoy: Practice being in the present. Let past and future events fade into the background. Let your body do what you've trained it to do. Remember your goals are realistic and all you need to do is perform to your capabilities. (There's no such thing as giving 110 percent.)" The goal is to remain positive and not let negative thoughts or results cloud your outlook. Dahlkoetter also suggests compiling a set of phrases or words to repeat to yourself to prevent negative thoughts from entering.

She concludes by describing a "funneling technique" to use at the end of a tough race. "Try imagining you have a funnel attached to the top of your head that's gathering energy from all around you. Feel the endless reserves of strength and power filling every cell in your body. You'll notice a natural and physical lift." Many limiting situations are in our heads. Negative thinking is an energy drain. Most of us spend 95 percent of our time getting physically ready to do our best, and only 5 percent on mental preparation. That 5 percent can undo the 95 percent if we don't have our thinking right. What's in your head?

If you'd like to see Dahlkoetter's new book, visit: www.yourperformingedge.com. Other good books are "Sports Psyching" by Dr Thomas Tutko, and "The Running Mind" by Jim Lilliefors.

ANSWER: True. 1960: Hayes Jones 110-meter hurdles, bronze medal; 1964: Jones 110 hurdles, gold; 1968: Dave Ellis, Canada, 5,000 and 10,000 meters; 1972: Hasely Crawford, Trinidad, 100 meters; 1972: Tony Nelson, Canada, 110 hurdles; 1976: Crawford, Trinidad, 100, gold; Deby Lansky Laplante, 100 hurdles; 1980: Crawford, Trinidad, 100; 1984: Earl Jones, 800 meters, bronze; Crawford, 100; 1988: Tommy Asinga, Suriname, 800; 1992: Asinga, Suriname, 800; 1996: Asinga, Suriname, 800; 1996: Paul McMullen, 1500 meters; Greg Rhymer, British Virgin Islands, 800, 4x400; Sevatheda Fynes, Bahamas, 100, 4x100; Clement Chukwu, Nigeria, 400 meters, 4x400; 2000: Chukwu, Nigeria, 4x400, gold; Nduka Awazie, Nigeria, 4x400, gold; Fabian Rollins, Barbados, 400, 4x100; Fynes, Bahamas 4x100; 2004: Jamie Nieto, high jump. MR