Why is Lebid so dominant in the winter?

Renato says, "So, for me performances of Paula are not amazing, but normal."

Ron Clarke wrote that when he was setting what were at the time mind boggling records he didn't feel that he was running particularly fast. The speeds felt about right - dare we say "normal" - given the distance to cover.

I can see a dozen or more US athletes whose talents seem huge. Will they make those progressions that make sub 1:43, sub 3:30, sub 13:00, sub 27, sub 2.08 "normal"?

Living and working with top runners, very talented but also serious in training, I confirm that, having real great talent, running so fast is normal. Many years ago, I looked at top performances like something of unattainable. My mental limits about the level of performances and the possibility of training were very big, so I was a spectator of athletics, not an actor. Step by step, the Italian group of coaches grew in knowledge, using not only books written by other coaches, but experimenting something more, both in volume and intensity. My first athlete was Franco Arese, able to improve in the same year (1971) all the Italian records : 1:47.1 (next year 1:46.6), 2:16.9, 3:36.3 (winning also European Ch.), 7:51.2 (4:04 + 3:47), 13:40.0, 28:27.2 and 2:24 in a Marathon (last day of the year).

So, I understood that long run and speed could be trained together.

Now, working with talents like Stephen Cherono, everything is natural. No drug, no mental problems, and not yet maximal training. I think that these athletes (also Nicholas Kemboi, for example), can train harder, bringing WR on different levels.

May be that, when you speak about "huge talent" for American runners, their talent is not so huge. Talent is something of absolute, not relative. If you think of Sydney Maree (good runner, but how many other athletes have more talent tham him ?), you can see like these performances (3:30, 13:00) were his performances. So, are you sure that the talent of today's american runners is so huge ? If your answer is yes, there is some mistake in training. But don't think that, having talent, some performance is so difficult. And about 2:08 in marathon, don't be ridiculous : it's a very normal performance, as already in 1967 a guy was able running so fast.

I remember the abilities of Rodgers and Shorter and see dozens of Americans of the endurance type with far greater speed. Where they were 4:05 milers, there is a significant crop of young distance runners who are 3:55 milers. If they ran high 27's for 10K and 2.09/2.10, this current crew has the capacity of high 26's and 2.07/2.06.

True, that won't match the likes of Kemboi or Cherono, but it would be a great step forward. Personally, I coached a man who ran 27:32 10K whose best 1500 was 3:43, so I don't doubt that quicker types with comparable endurance should run faster.

Why Americans aren't running faster than they were 15 and 20 years ago must have to do with training/thinking shortcomings.

We should be doing better.

Renato,

With all do respect, have you heard of said-sief, boulami, bauman, yegerova, jacobs, chouki, mourhit, (we all know lahlafi was dirty as well as Lagat and in my opinion many of the spanish runners who were never caught), etc. All busted for drugs. All top 10 athletes in the world in their event either in a given year or all time. I have no doubt your athletes are clean, but to say drugs are a myth is putting your head in the sand. i suppose since your athletes are beating drugged athletes you don't care... but when doped runners start beating yours, you will not be happy.

michael

I well know that some athlete is doped, but I'm sure that 99% are clean. You must distinguish between different types of doping. For example, doping for "Nandrolone" depends at 95% on some contaminated integrator, so athletes with a low quantity of Nandrolone (but over the official limit) are officially doped, but really the most part of them didn't take of their's own free will any steroid, and didn't take any advantage from that situation. We in Italy had the case of Andrea Longo, taken positive at Nandrolone in June 2001, that could demonstrate his complete innocence spending more than 25.000 ? for buying and analysing (in Koln, the "house" of antidoping) a lot of packets of Ultimate Nutrition full of the same product that he used, among which the 25% of items were contaminated with Nandrolone. The same situation happened for Baumann, that I know very well, that I'm sure was totally clean, as he was the testimonial ANTIDOPING chosen by German Olympic Committee, having a contract for this role. Beeing already 35 years old, having already win OG and other medals in World Championships, knowing that his career already had reached the top, there was no reason to fall in doping, losing image and money for nothing (and Baumann is a very intelligent man).

Different thing is to speak about EPO, or steroids like THG. In this case, is not possible any type of mistake : if you take EPO or THG, is because YOU WANT.

I well know, but there are two things that I refuse to think :

1) That the most part of top runners are in doping, only because are able running fast (because I know that is possible running at the top completely clean)

2) That blood doping can give so big advantages like normally people think.

If you suppose that this type of doping cannot bring many advantages, consequently you don't put every high performance in relation with doping.

So, I simply think that to use doping or not is an individual choice. If you don't use, you are sure about yourself, not fearing anything, and your focus is in training, and in a very strong mentality. If you use, you are not totally sure (as today many runners are taken positive), and fear tests and doctors, so the level of your stress grows up. Your mentality is not so strong, as you need to be supported by something external to your person.

I think that the first situation is the best not under a moral point of view, but FOR REACHING TOP PERFORMANCES.

This is my work, using not only physiology and methodology, but also psychology. The internal and natural strenght of clean people always wins against the external and chemical strenght of dirty people.

How can one belive Baumann's tootpaste-story, that is ridicules.

Renato Canova wrote:

I have, if someone is interested, his program for the last two months, written in Italian.

If someone is interested, I can post it thru e-mail, but you have to translate.

Renato,

Please do send his training to me.

Thank you for this, and for all your contributions.

jean wrote:

Believe me I know. When was the last time you spoke to all of your athletes? Where are they all now? Think about it and then ask yourself how certain, how absolutely certain you are that they are definately clean. The truth will come out. You may be as suprised as I am disgusted.

Put up or shut up.

"...in every good family there are morons for whom intelligence is an optional."

Right on.

In regards to availability of drugs through the internet.

Anyone else must have a similar experience.

I have a firewall, up to date virus protection, don't put my email address anywhere, but always there are unscrupulous people everywhere and who find your name to put it on some list.

From the result of one or more of such idiots, I get at least 3 or 4 ads for drugs EVERY DAY from some medical company or another.

Of course I delete them and hate such people as they should be hung up by their nuts till they beg mercy and then being never allowed to use the internet or advertise any drugs again after that.

But this is not just the internet.

You can see dozens of drug ads on TV any hour every day anywhere in the U.S.

I know the rest of you must see them as I rather watch anything in TV and see them all over the place.

Also I think, besides the hypocrisy of money but related to it, these drug ads, mostly on the common TV networds, and many magazines, periodicals, newspapers and so on, are the #1 problem for the health, well being, and longevity of the people.

Renato,

I don't believe people are on drugs simply beause the are running fast. I believe they are on drugs because they are suspicious for many reasons (abnormally fast improvement, dodging championship races, etc). Do I believe that 12:50s are humanly possible without drugs? Yes! 12:40s? Yes.

I also agree with you with respect to nandrolone. You will find no argument with me there (in Dieter's case, if he said the drug was in a supplement I would have believed him. But to say someone spiked his toothpaste is what suggested guilt to me.)

HOWEVER, I am still of the opinion that a larger percentage of people are using than we think. Its simply my opinion and with every positive, I become more a cinic. Renato, you are a smart guy. Think about how hard it is to fail a drug test. You really have to either be stupid or mess up horribly. So given that, you have to assume if we catch 3 top athletes a year, that there are many others ducking under the radar.

I personally think that in any given final in any given event in any given year, 60 percent are doping.

Finally, a question unrelated to drugs. Today's athletes (the Ethiopians and Kenyans particularly) can close very fast 5ks in 52 seconds or faster. How does one train for that or beat that? They seem to be able to handle any pace from the gun, but can still close exceptionally fast. America's best future distance runner, Dathan Ritzenhein, may be able to run 26:40 someday, but he will never finish a 27:10 race in 53 or 4... which is what it takes to win championships. How can one counter that?

Michael

"to say someone spiked his toothpaste is what suggested guilt to me"

Why?

I cannot understand how an international coach like Canova can say that he believes that 99% of the world class runners are clean...!!!

This is to stupid from a man with his knownledge...

I think that it only shows us that Canova is trying to cover the dirty monkey business he is running!Kenyans: no offence!

Besides he gives great contribution on this site regarding coaching at international (drug)level!

I know a lot of Kenyans (like FILA runners)and some of the best moroccans, and dont tell me that they are clean!

IAAF and WADA should take a look at the camps of FILA and dr. Gabriele Rosa, Canova and follow the moroccans closely! And of course Global Sports Management with Hermens, Haile, Bekele and so on. Did you know that Hermens himself was caught for drugs in his career????

And now he is a leading international coach!!!

And Rosa was thrown out of Spanish cycling because of doping, and now he abuses the kenyans!

It is a great shame, but it only shows that it is the money that talks!

Canova: I dont know you and I dont know your work, but I will like to know how Lebid can be so extremely strong in a few races and has only run some few good track races!!!??

I saw he kicked out all the africans in that 7.35 3000m last year or something, but besides he is as Super Swede says an "also ran"...

You may try to fool us, and you write well, but every peanut brain in this world will realize that Lebid is using som fuzzy stuff for breakfast!

The only way you can proof that he is clean is to make him run the world cross champs and deliver blood samples regulary the weeks before, the same day and the day after!

Give me proof on this one !! Renato has become an expert of African runners just because he had been to Kenya and he trains Kenyans.

Some time it bothers me to have people like Renato TALK too much about AFRICAN runners who are running well, but when their performsnce go down that is the END of them, Renato & Co will move to get the next talent.

I think that Renato helps these guys stay on the scene longer. He has a lot of experience handling people at the top levels and can help to keep them from some of the pitfalls. He is something of a self promoter, but that is a feature required by professional coaches. He backs it all up with the results his athletes are getting. Results tell the story.

This guy has forgotten more than most of us will ever know.

I'm not smart, I'm honest, and speak only about what I really know. So, as never in my life I saw top athletes OF LONG DISTANCE to take some drug (also if I know that someone using it there is), I cannot think that the percentage can be like you say. May be that I'm stupid, and I'm not able to see what happens around me ; but, if you think that my athletes are clean, and are among the best in the world, how is possible that I can think that, without doping, is not possible running fast ?

So, or my athletes are drugged, and I'm a cheater ; or my athletes are clean, like my mentality, and you must follow me in thinking THAT IS POSSIBLE TO BE AT THE TOP WITHOUT ANY DOPING. I repeat : this is a choice of our period, of our society, not only about sport, but about normal life, AND I REFUSE THIS MENTALITY. Instead crying, and accusing, try to spread the idea that is possible TO BE COMPETITIVE WITHOUT DRUG. But not saying "I want to be clean because I want to preserve my health", or "because is a fraud for other athlets", or "because I can be taken positive" ; but saying "To assume some drug (expecially speaking about blood doping) is useless in order to reach the top pf your possibilities, because there are athletes among the bests that are totally clean, having their focus in training".

About Lebid, I see that many times people make the mistake of thinking that PERFORMANCES OF A TOP ATHLETE ARE NOT DEPENDING ON HIS LIFE. Do you know what type of problems had Sergey during summer of 2002, that provoked the fluctuation of his performances ? And do you know why he was not competitive during this season ? For example, if a top runner loses his son yet in the belly of his wife, after 8 months, do you think that, because he's an athlete, can continue to have the same concentration in training ? And in this case you speak about drugs ? An athlete is also a man, better, before is a man, after an athlete.

I invite everyone to think about this. You look at the athletes not like normal human beings, but like robots without any feeling and emotion. Very big mistake, and, if you think in this way, this is the main reason because you are not able to have some top athlete without drug.

Renato,

I do believe top performances are possible without drugs. However, I believe they are possible with drugs too. Given that, why are we to assume either way... clean or dirty? With people being caught, we know that some do use. That is undeniable. So I choose to believe that many of the top performances are unaided, and I believe many of the top performances are aided.

Michael

"to say someone spiked his toothpaste is what suggested guilt to me"

Why?

Renato Canova wrote:

And, about the programs of Tergat, don't pay attention to the official interview on the IAAF site, talkin about some possibility for competing in WCCCh. I'm ready to bet that Paul doesn't run any cross in March. London Marathon is too important for taking some risk.

good call, renato.

Sergey won today the classic 10 km race of the last day in Bolzano (called Boclassic), in 28:36. This is the result :

MEN (10 km) :

1) Lebid 28:36 ; 2) Goumri 28:39 ; 3) Ben Kiprotich Korir 28:42 ; 4) Martin Sulle 28:50 ; 5) William Busienei (Uganda, very good in the future) 28:52 ; 6) Battocletti 29:06 ............ 19) Vroemen 30:02

WOMEN (5 km) :

1) Adere 15:49 ; 2) Pavey 15:57 : 3) Melkamu 15:58 ;

4) Tisi 16:12 ; 5) Weissteiner 16:21 ; 6) Bak (ex-WRH of 3000SC) 16:30

Conditions were very bad : humid and cold, with the course very slippery. Sergey pushed only during last 400m, after an attack of Goumri.

For some problem in his Visa, Lebid cannot go to Newcastle. So, we decided for him to compete in Amorebieta. From February he will compete in indoor season, so day by day is more possible to run short race in WCCCh.