"I love the pain of a hard long run": Shelby Houlihan is moving up to the Half/Full Marathon in her return.

I've heard this rumored around the team as well when I've joined for an easy run or two over the past year.

Shelby has done 10-mile sessions on the grass in well below 5:20 average on the grass. She's an areobic beast.

There’s every reason to talk about the doping.

As I understand it, testing is not as strict on the roads as it is on the track.

Is that incorrect?

Very similar to the cramps from a bean burrito. 🌯

Yes, yes yes wrote:

I've heard this rumored around the team as well when I've joined for an easy run or two over the past year.

Shelby has done 10-mile sessions on the grass in well below 5:20 average on the grass. She's an areobic beast.

How is that impressive? She's a low-14 5K runner, of course she should be able to do that kind of work.

Sprintgeezer wrote:

There’s every reason to talk about the doping.

As I understand it, testing is not as strict on the roads as it is on the track.

Is that incorrect?

I'd say the opposite. Most track meets don't have testers there, there are a bunch of events and that would be a lot of people to test. Most road races have testing afterwards, since there's just the men's and women's race, only sometimes are there more than one distance of elite racing going on. For example if she ran Payton Jordan, I'm not aware of anyone getting tested there and there are lots of elite level events. Same with showing up at Mt. SAC, or portland track festival. Only US championships in the US would test you afterwards. Diamond league would also have testing. But they still don't test everyone. But at every big road race there is testing for typically the winner and multiple other top 10 finishers. Every USATF road race, the 10 mile, 10k, 5k, 15k, 20k, half marathon, marathon, 1 mile, whatever the race there is testing. Any marathon major has testing, world athletics gold level and silver level races have testing like houston half marathon.

Seriously? There is literally nothing on Houlihan's resume to suggest she will be competitive with Gidey. She has a highly suspect (y'know, because of the whole doping thing) 14:23 for 5k compared to Gidey's 14:06. Gidey has just monstered the HM WR, running a minute faster than any other woman in history and nearly four minutes faster than any American. All the tainted pork in America isn't getting Houlihan close to Gidey.

Still, good luck to Houlihan if she moves up in distance. I hope she can forge a clean career for herself on her return.

An Insider in Nike wrote:

Please don't turn this thread into a doping thread, there are plenty of those (I'M SERIOUS). I'm talking about after her ban is lifted so no need to talk about it.

She's a convicted doper, there's plenty reasons to keep that in mind when talking about what she may or may not do in the future. However, as previously stated by someone else, even on anabolic steroids, she has zero shot at Gidey.

... and Shalane just performed a trial run with the new sauce she (and others in the program) will be relying on to put swoosh sponsored teams back in the game. Nothing to see here, folks... we're "trained" professionals.

fatsos wrote:

An Insider in Nike wrote:

Please don't turn this thread into a doping thread, there are plenty of those (I'M SERIOUS). I'm talking about after her ban is lifted so no need to talk about it.

She's a convicted doper, there's plenty reasons to keep that in mind when talking about what she may or may not do in the future. However, as previously stated by someone else, even on anabolic steroids, she has zero shot at Gidey.

Yeah was just banned for four years for doping yet “don’t turn it into a doping thread.” Really? We have no idea how good she really is because she’s been doping. So any discussion on her roads ability has to take that into account.

I think workout the sauce she is an average American women on the roads.

Being competitive with Gidey isn't the aim.

No one is competitive with Gidey right now, she's the 2nd coming of Bekele, and probably the biggest female talent to come out of Ethiopia ever.

Being top 3 in the US is fine and if she is close to her pre ban shape (big if) she'll do that

Am I the only one that hopes she doesn’t return to competitive running after her ban is up?

Nobody is competitive with Gidey except for the 2 women who beat her in the Olympic 10k ... and the women who beat her at the Ethiopian trials.

Not sure what you mean by Shelby vs Gidey in Paris. Pretty sure her ban covers through the next Olympics. Maybe 2028 in LA?

Jgt11 wrote:

Nobody is competitive with Gidey except for the 2 women who beat her in the Olympic 10k ... and the women who beat her at the Ethiopian trials.

Exactly

When Gidey is tested, she is very good. When not tested she breaks world records.

Probably yes wrote:

Not sure what you mean by Shelby vs Gidey in Paris. Pretty sure her ban covers through the next Olympics. Maybe 2028 in LA?

The Paris Marathon 2025 comes to mind. However, at age 27 she was still a (roided) 1500/5000 m expert. I doubt that she will ever be a great marathon star, roided or not.

When - if - she comes back in 2025, she will be turning 32 in February. Without any road racing experience, and without track racing experience since 2020. Doesn't look that promising for the rest of her career.

Does she get tested during her doping ban?