Wheeler Farm Loops

Very interesting article. It wouldn't be surprising to me if lots of the top African runners were doping. Crazy how ineffective the testing is.

So ESPN is taking over with live coverage? That's awesome!!! No more shortened, pre-taped NYC Marathon on NBC? Good, I always hated that.

But yes, it'll be interesting. Thanks for the info, I would have been waiting for it to come on NBC. Now I need to make sure my DVR will record it.

I'll pre-cap it for you now so you don't have to watch: 3/4 of the coverage will be hurricane related, and the other 1/4 will be background/bios of the top runners, set to inspirational classical music, showing them training under austere conditions. You will see them cross the finish line live, though.

ESPN and the race struck a deal back in January -

http://www.letsrun.com/2012/nyespn2-0109.php

I hope you are wrong Joe!

But I do think the coverage will become very storm-centric now, and that's very understandable.

DVR - set to record.

Interesting articles again, too. It wouldn't surprise me either if there was lots of doping going on over yonder.

Speaking of doping...I would highly recommend Tyler Hamilton's book. Admittedly I am fascinated by the subject and the motivations and mechanics behind all of it. Interestingly a recurring theme of motivation is not that the athlete is seeking to win or dominate the sport, (in fact the "smart" ones do not want to win or have extraordinary performances because those draw too much attention) but instead they simply believe or are convinced by their advisors/trainers/coaches/"doctors" that they need to dope in order to have a chance to compete with those who they perceive are also doping.

I would not be surprised if there are runners in regions where out of competition testing is rare, involved in the same way as cyclists. But to read the stories of how out of competition testing is done, it doesn't seem that its too challenging to figure out how to 'game the system' either. Hamilton would simply not answer his door/pretend he was not home when the testers came by.

Thanks for the suggestion Bret. I've been debating whether I want to get it - I'll add it to my reading list. I bet its fascinating and disturbing.

I get the same sense that for guys who are relatively smart and don't make stupid mistakes, its not too hard to beat the system. And then when there is no out-of-competition testing, its nearly impossible to catch anyone... you'd have to be really stupid to get caught at post-competition testing.

A lovely round figure of 12 miles is so nice :)

I couldn't believe that you raced against that guy who admitted doping. As an aside, and I realize this is probably a ridiculously naive and ignorant question, but is doping while training disallowed, even if it is absolutely out of your system by the time you compete? The closest I have come to performance enhancing is caffeine :) and I often wonder to myself if you can achieve LASTING physiological fitness gains if you're fueled on gu or caffeine versus doing an un/under-fueled slower workout that reflects your "real" fitness level...? I know body builders can build muscle on steroids, and maintain it through competition even if they go off the 'roids... is that also the case with runners/endurance athletes?

Yes, its absolutely against the rules to use drugs while training, even if they are out of your system by the time you compete. That's why some "users" don't get caught, even if they are tested in competition. The main benefits of PEDs are training benefits. They allow you to train harder (higher intensity, quicker recovery) without breaking down. And the benefits last for a long, long, long time.

That's why Hesch saying he only used EPO for recovery was such BS... if he raced at any point in the next year after taking it, he wasn't competing clean.

Sugar/caffeine is a different ballgame. Sure, they enhance performance, but they aren't illegal. Same goes for things like... lighter shoes :-) Its good sometimes to run under-fueled and non-caffeinated, then those things give you a bigger boost on race day or in really important workouts.

And I just thought they were genetically superior.

I love how these high altitude camps are the cover up to EPO. Why are your EPO levels so high? Oh I was training at high altitude and I bought this really expensive tent that hooks up to a vacuum to sleep in.

There's nothing proving anyone in East Africa is cheating... there's just a lack of adequate testing. I'd like to believe the guys running really fast are clean, and they just train harder/smarter (and are genetically gifted as well).

Bloody hell. Its just depressing to think about... running is such a pure, delightfully simple sport and it sucks that it is so tarnished by this stuff. I cannot imagine being in your position Jake, or any other pro/elite runner's position and having to question whether your competitors have an unfair advantage. I am currently reading Alberto Salazar's memoir, and he noted that it takes an extra toll on athletes who are not doping, because they can feel like nothing they do to get faster is worthwhile if they are being unfairly beaten by doped runners.

Honestly, I don't really think about it at the level I'm running... outside of just being a fan of the sport and being interested in the integrity of it. But for guys who are making a living off running, then I can imagine it would be really hard to mentally deal with.

Just for the sake of argument, and cause I love to be hated. Think about it, these people don't live at high altitude for the view, they were chased there, these people are refugees living in poverty worse than anything we could imagine. If the difference between your wife and children starving to death or living you would do anything for them. Not saying what that anything is, just saying.