Over diagnosis of Asthma --> oral steroid for every rail thin white kid who is out of breath after a run.
The steroids you take for asthma are not the kind of steroid that helps with athletic performance. And inhaled steroids (which affect the lungs with very little systemic effect) rather than oral steroids are typically prescribed for asthma.
And if you talk to those who need the inhalers, they will tell you it is not a pleasant experience. I doubt many, or any, you see puffing before a track event are doing it for anything other than medical reasons.
I always wondered how many HS get altitude tents. Not clear if they work but they are cheap enough for upper middle class parents...
I've also kind of wondered about that, and really more so about . Does something like that work? It's one thing to sleep at altitude, but to actually train at altitude is what seems to be what gets you the most benefit.
Although, I suppose most pros can't afford something like that (some could though, I'm sure), and high schools probably couldn't justify it in their budget.
Wealthy parents could afford an altitude chamber and have it installed somewhere in their presumably huge house (or add-on an addition), but their kid would have to be a pretty driven and talented runner to justify the expense.
As for high school kids doping: it probably happens.
Those who set national records and the like get tested though, don't they.
I seem to remember watching an Athing Mu video (on her YouTube channel) when she set some national record when she was like 16 or something, and she had mentioned something about drug testing.
So if you're at that level I would be surprised if you're able to slide. But if you're just some regular high school kid and don't bring too much attention to yourself, then yeah, no big deal. You're just putting your health at risk for "reasons"...
EDIT:
Of course, I imagine the whole reason for doping in high school is to bring attention to yourself, so there is that.
This post was edited 15 minutes after it was posted.
My school won the state track champs in the '90s, and it was a pretty open secret some sprinters doped. My understanding is the one very talented one who eventually ran in D1 was clean. The throws coach was also a rumored doper from his competition days, but no one ever substantiated it.
After the Addy Wiley stuff, it reminded me that HS kids can cheat and it's probably easy for them to do so.
I always wondered how many HS get altitude tents. Not clear if they work but they are cheap enough for upper middle class parents...
I've also kind of wondered about that, and really more so about . Does something like that work? It's one thing to sleep at altitude, but to actually train at altitude is what seems to be what gets you the most benefit.
Everything I have seen suggest training has minimal value. It is living at altitude. But the tent doesn't have the partial pressure of altitude and that appears to be one of the big performance drivers..
I've also kind of wondered about that, and really more so about . Does something like that work? It's one thing to sleep at altitude, but to actually train at altitude is what seems to be what gets you the most benefit.
Everything I have seen suggest training has minimal value. It is living at altitude. But the tent doesn't have the partial pressure of altitude and that appears to be one of the big performance drivers..
Yeah, it's kind of hard to call.
Because watching the Eliud Kipchoge and NN Running Team videos, they train at altitude, at about 2000m (6500 feet).
Our athletes Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, Geoffrey Kamworor, Abdi Nageeye, Jake Smith and Yalemzerf Yehualaw will talk about the different topics within ...
That's during their training camp though, and it's like 6 days a week, and on Sundays they go back home, and then come back Monday. Also, I don't believe many of them live at that high of a level (I don't believe Eliud Kipchoge does), but they do train at that level.
The altitude that they do live at when not training is probably 1000m (3200 feet or whatever), so yeah...
So yeah, when people question the Kenyans and the altitude, it's like, show me a comparison of who else is born and raised, and lives and trains like that. Because there is none, so it's hard to say it's not a factor.
There's people who are born and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona (or Boulder, Colorado). So there are some comparisons, but none of the people born and raised in Flagstaff or Boulder train like the freaking Kenyans who run marathons.
Of course, Emily Sission set the Women's American marathon record in Chicago from training in Providence, Rhode Island. So go figure.
How you can run that fast (and do it clean) training at sea level I don't know, but I suppose you can because she hasn't been popped.
But yep, you probably have to live (and be born) at altitude to probably get the most benefit out of it. Training there for a few weeks or months, then racing, then going back home to live at sea level. Then doing it all over again for the next race may not be enough to compete with people who are born into that.
The steroids you take for asthma are not the kind of steroid that helps with athletic performance. And inhaled steroids (which affect the lungs with very little systemic effect) rather than oral steroids are typically prescribed for asthma.
And if you talk to those who need the inhalers, they will tell you it is not a pleasant experience. I doubt many, or any, you see puffing before a track event are doing it for anything other than medical reasons.
So many "asthmatics" with exceptional stamina. Where can I get it? Asthma, that is.
