Let's keep off drugs for a moment. The Ethiopians are superb this time. It is their time. I don't think there is specifically somehting that has made them be this good but this is their time. I'd be very happy if people stopped invoking drugs every time athletes shine. It is stupid and naive.
Core strength and form.
Just watch the Paris 10k and compare Bekele/Geb to Meb, or most of the otehr runners. There's a lot mroe wasted energy and less smoothness of efficency than in the Ethiopians.
"I'd be very happy if people stopped invoking drugs every time athletes shine. It is stupid and naive."
Speaking of naive why don't you change your name to "NaiveSon".
I believe I am not naive.
D_Gordon wrote:
Bekele said it.
Pray to heaven.
Train like hell.
That's all there is.
What article is this from? Sounds like something that would have come out recently, but I must have missed it.
D_Gordon wrote:
Bekele said it.
Pray to heaven.
Train like hell.
That's all there is.
Did Bekele really say that? If he did, that is my new favorite quote!!
As I recall he didn't destroy anyone in last years World Championship 5000.
Monty
Common denominator, Hermans/Kostre. Oh, to be young and naive again.
He said it in some article last year. I think it was soon after he beat Geb at 10,000m for the first time. The exact quote was, I believe, "I can only pray to heaven and train like hell that I will ever reach the level of Haile in my lifetime." It was the quote of the day and linked to on here, but the link is probably long gone.
They eat Sheep Balls
D_Gordon wrote:
He said it in some article last year. I think it was soon after he beat Geb at 10,000m for the first time. The exact quote was, I believe, "I can only pray to heaven and train like hell that I will ever reach the level of Haile in my lifetime." It was the quote of the day and linked to on here, but the link is probably long gone.
FWIW, you probably give the interpreter some credit for that quote. From what I've read, Bekele speaks little English.
Got to be the interpreter because I can not think of any phrase in amharic that would translate directly to "train like hell"
The Pelican Brief wrote:
Aw hell, you know what, you are right. It can't be drugs and to mention it "libels" Ethiopia. Of course Adere can run within 10 seconds of that dirty chinese record clean and SOLO. How could I be so stupid, she can almost get to that dirty time, SOLO, because running is so popular in Ethiopia! Of course! It's popularity in Kenya and Ethiopia that makes Bob Kennedy's incredible sub-13 look slow as all hell! It must have been that incredible popularity that has lowered the 5K record 21 seconds in 9 years! Ethiopia's recent success must be attributed to their government's newfound ability to harness that popularity better than the rest of the world (by far). Well, I am glad we cleaned this whole drug thing up!
You belligerent, fen-sucked little miscreant. Your little attempts at sarcasm belie one of two facts; you were fed toxic waste instead of formula as a child or your cerebral cortex has severely malformed due to being dropped on your head.
Either way, your contributions add nothing and subtract much.
trackhead wrote:
Furthermore, I don't think that any American has/is training like the Africans, with the possible exception of Kennedy when he was living with Komen. It's a whole different level. Not just 130mi weeks at altitude and 18milers at marathon pace with 60m sprint work and 3hr long runs, but 2000 situps and 6mi of drills daily. I'm a huge Meb fan, but I doubt that he's doing 2k situps a day or 6miles of drills. It's secondary things like that you ge from a nationalized program that are so valuable.
6 miles of drills?
May I ask where you get this info from? I do pretty extensive drills myself, but plyos are measured in touches, not in miles. I do not even know how you would measure in miles your daily drills.
And I doubt that these are done every single day. After a point, you cannot improve your form anymore. People like El-G who have been working on efficiency for years are not going to make themselves anymore efficient no matter how many drills they do.
I agree that EPO could be used very successfully in long distance runners and cyclists to obtain the times that are currently being posted. However, I haven't heard of athletes dropping dead from heart attacks and strokes like the cyclists. Perhaps, they are on a blood thinner as well, such as Coumadin. Their PT times would be monitored weekly, as well as their hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. In my opinion, no athlete at the top level of their game is a moralist. There is no room to be a moralist when the drive to win and get large sums of money from endorsements and prizes, as well as adulation and respect is at hand. Big time athletics is similar to big money making corporations. The athlete is his own best assest, and he will do whatever he can to keep himself an assest.
bengel wrote:
I have hard time believing that all elite athletes are clean.
In professional cycling it is evident that many are dirty and
EPO is one of the banned substances being used.
A couple of runner have been caught too: Chepchumba, Mourhit, Boulami and perhaps Lagat.
My guess is that this is only the top of the iceberg
If I am correct, the EPO became commecially avaibable
a little before times in 5000m/10000m started to drop
significantly. This fact is of course only circumstantial
"evidence" but....
Trackhead: I agree with many of your points in general, but there are several examples of kenyans who do not have a huge
life time base of aerobic running (kipketer, Elly Rono or another who started to run to loose weight).
Cheers,
Bengel
Back in the 80's and 90's the problem with running was that athletes never saw it as a means of earning a living. they did it for the country, and wanted to get a nice comfortable job.
When Haile came around and started to earn big dollars, he attracted the attention of agents. Haile is an incredible bright guy.. and he forced himself to take advantage of the lax travel rules after the fall of communists fell.
He learned english, and that tiny bit of exposure to the outside world made a big difference in the state of athletics.
Haile coaches his team mates, makes sure that they get to meets on time. Even pays for athletes, on occation, for the national team.
He as put the whole country on his sholder. He is so eloquent, humble and bright when he talks in Amharic. Its almost a shame that you have to hear him in English. There is nothing that he says that is not relevant or off track.
The team spirit within the team .
Check it below, 6th parapgraph
Astounded by Bekele's Record wrote:
trackhead wrote:Furthermore, I don't think that any American has/is training like the Africans, with the possible exception of Kennedy when he was living with Komen. It's a whole different level. Not just 130mi weeks at altitude and 18milers at marathon pace with 60m sprint work and 3hr long runs, but 2000 situps and 6mi of drills daily. I'm a huge Meb fan, but I doubt that he's doing 2k situps a day or 6miles of drills. It's secondary things like that you ge from a nationalized program that are so valuable.
6 miles of drills?
May I ask where you get this info from? I do pretty extensive drills myself, but plyos are measured in touches, not in miles. I do not even know how you would measure in miles your daily drills.
And I doubt that these are done every single day. After a point, you cannot improve your form anymore. People like El-G who have been working on efficiency for years are not going to make themselves anymore efficient no matter how many drills they do.
___________________________________________________________
Trackhead is right.
A variation on the fast feet drill is done by all of the top East African runners almost every day.
There is yet another variation which involves taking very short strides with a quick turnover during long runs. The Ethiopians also do this drill almost every day, sometimes for many miles. .
I have seen video footage of Gebreselassie doing this.
I can assure you it is very effective.
I reccomend all you paranoid conspiracy theorists apply your over active immaginations to finding out more about the running techniques that the Ethiopians use.
The truth is out there.
JonnyO wrote:
___________________________________________________________
Trackhead is right.
A variation on the fast feet drill is done by all of the top East African runners almost every day.
There is yet another variation which involves taking very short strides with a quick turnover during long runs. The Ethiopians also do this drill almost every day, sometimes for many miles. .
I have seen video footage of Gebreselassie doing this.
I can assure you it is very effective.
I reccomend all you paranoid conspiracy theorists apply your over active immaginations to finding out more about the running techniques that the Ethiopians use.
The truth is out there.
Well, can you explain how to do this drill? I am interested in using it. Please describe it further.
Very short strides, high knees (slightly higher than normal)
running very slowly, but with a very fast turnover, 170-190 strides per minute.
The Ethiopian squad use this technique whenever the ground is rutted or uneven or when running through long grass, i.e. whenever it is too dangerous to run quickly.
They also use it for recovery. You can run for many miles at a slow to medium pace doing a fast turnover with slightly high knees. You can cover any distance. My longest was 31 miles in 4 1/2 hours. A week later I ran my best ever race.
Last Tuesday I did 13 hilly miles at 8 min mile pace doing 170-180 strides per minute all the way. Next day I did 13 miles including a 2000 metre time trial on a hilly grass circuit and beat my PR by 14 seconds.
The Kenyan squad do a separate specific drill each day lasting 25 minutes at little more than walking pace, with high knees and a quick turnover.
The point of these techniques is to get used to moving your legs very quickly, that is what the best runners in the World do to win races and run incredible times. Check out some videos and you will see what I mean.
Geb and Bekele also concentrate on having a powerful stride as well as a very quick turnover