Fast Running Blog

Anybody else read this from today's Let'srun.com? Washington Post did an article on Alan Webb, and this was their quote of the day:

"He'll eat like the greasiest Chinese food, and he'll eat like ice cream and cookies. He loves McDonald's. We went to Five Guys the other night. He ate a cheese steak with me a couple hours ago. He eats whatever he wants."

So do you think this diet helps or hurts him, and why?

Well, I think we all know that you get out of your body what you put into it.  That being said, I think diet is just one part of the equation (and one that affects everyone differently).

I'm sort of a health food nut, so my opinion would be that his diet hurts him. Runner's do have a faster metabolism and they need more calories, so I don't think that the effects are as great on him as on a non-runner. I still think that healthier food would make your body stronger though.

Diet affects longevity, consistency, injury resistance, and endurance more than it affects speed. An athlete usually gets spotlight for his speed more than he does for his longevity, consistency, injury resistance, and endurance. Consider this - suppose a male athlete runs a 5 K in 17:45 at the age of 18,  he still runs 17:45 at the age of 50, he can run a 2:40 marathon in spite of his low base speed, and he was never injured in 30 years. He will likely get zero media coverage his entire life aside from his name in the race results in small print, and an occasional article in a local newspaper when he wins some low-profile marathon. You would not know who he is. Yet he is the guy to emulate as far as diet and lifestyle in general is concerned if you want success. If the athletes with more base speed were humble enough to emulate him, the world record in the marathon would likely dip below 2:00.

On the other hand, a speedy star that runs sub-4:00 mile before turning 20 is always in the spotlight. It does not matter if a few years down the road that star slows down 4:05, then 4:10, constantly plagued with injuries, and is not running at all by the time he is 30. There will be another 20 year old star that will run a sub-4:00 mile to shine the spotlight on. You do not want to emulate anything about the life style of that star if you know what's good for you. Yet because of all the hype about him you will be tempted to. Thus the world record in the marathon is only 2:04, and 2:10 is considered a big deal.

That's all true, but there definitely are some good athletes with base speed who do eat well and train hard and consistently.

Not very funny.

There are several people on the blog currently being treated for cancer, and more who have fought it in the past.  Being sensitive to people's lives is appreciated.
http://fritz.fastrunningblog.com/blog--Easy-jog-in-Evanston-WY-nbsp-Start-/06-22-2008.html

At the Pre-Classic he seemed to have got his hair back.  Rogaine maybe?  We will see again at the Trials this week.

Oh my not very funny, there are several men on this blog that are struggling with hair loss, we need to be sensitive to there condition. ;) ;) ;D ;D

It can't be hurting him too much.