I was going to go 1/5, but after seeing that Jack replied I will regrettably score you a 4/5 on the troll scale. Well played sir.

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

I think it's pretty obvious Starky is threatened by Lionel. He has laid a beat down on Andrew several times this year. It has to be demoralizing to watch someone blow the doors off you on the run. I find it odd that when Andrew destroys people on the bike, it's attributed to pure ability and hard work. But when someone hands him his lunch on the run, then he has to be doping or had previously doped. The idea that prior drug use has somehow enhanced Lionel's performance is grasping at straws. He has no chance of beating the guy. Lionel's story is one we should all take inspiration in. The guy was as low as someone can go and battled all the way back!! Good on him... I hope Starky doesn't back out of IMFL, I'm sure The L-Train will be waiting :)

Whatever happened to Bjorn BTW?

IMFL 2014: DNS. I'm so shocked to hear this.

If this is the most 'logical' thing you've heard, you should conclude that this is a very weak argument. If you 'believe' this logic, ...oh boy!

Drugs damage the brain. True. But not for the better.

Fact - Cocaine abuse is associate with a DECREASE in pain tolerance. That would not benefit performance.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/...pii/0885392494902038

Sarykowicz's logic the benefits of cocaine abuse on pain tolerance is ass-backward.

Please people, don't simply accept the interpretation without questioning / validating the logic first.

Not saying it's a good thing to do, but taking a barbituate can actually increase performance. I can't find the study for the life of me, but the finding was something like professional drivers were actually faster on a closed course after a few drinks of alcohol. ...The reason being is that they (the drunk drivers) took more risks out on the course that sober people wouldn't! So, a drug like alcohol or marijuana can slow your mind, but that doesn't mean that it will alway be to the detriment of performance.

Marijuana can also sharpen vision, which could be a benefit in a slalom snowboard race - probably not beneficial for an ironman though. Although the increased appetite might help if one is struggling to take in enough calories. FWIW it is also used to treat glaucoma or if crows peck at your eyes.

I doubt the food crave you would get would include sports gels.

It helps relaxation. It was used in tennis at the highest level in the 80's (personal communication from ATP tournaments winners).

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Francois-Xavier Li @FrancoisLi
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." George Bernard Shaw
http://www.swimrunfrance.fr
http://www.worldofswimrun.com

I thought that is what triathlon was all about? Terrible race.... find an excuse. It's not because I suck that I didn't win IM Oceanside 70.3, it's because my tummy hurt.



This is an advantage. Studies have proven this already.

Which ones?

This is where the Little Debbie Ironman Chattanooga could be so much more interesting.

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Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador

Cyronman wrote:

Which ones?

Article Summary: Steroids can benefit athletes for a decade after use
Journal of Physiology: Volume 591 (Abstract): A cellular memory mechanism aids overload hypertrophy in muscle long after an episodic exposure to anabolic steroids

It is a very interesting study.

Starky was calling out Lionel for his recreational drug use, not steroids. I'm aware of the studies showing the benefits of anabolic steroids.

My apologies, I just noticed it was in regard to coke use. Interesting.

> And for all you know that could be Gary Hall you're responding to.

That was an all-time great thread.

That study is on steroid use. Different family of drugs, different mechanisms, different receptors. Come back with a study on opioids, this one has no relevance to allegations made on Sanders.

With Sanders performance at IMFL…..I'm not sure Starky could have separated him far enough in front of Sanders. 4:12 bike split in the wind and he is on pace to run a sub 2:40 marathon. Would have been an awesome battle to see.

If pain suppression were the limiter to athletic performance, then people would be racing on pain killers.

The fact is that there is suffering when racing to the limit. But, suppressing the suffering is not the answer to going faster. The body breaks down. The form breaks down. It's muscular fatigue, not pain that is the limiter. Look at the form of Rinny vs the form of one of the uberbikers she passes late in the race. Pain is not what is limiting the uberbiker from holding off the pass.

Yes, racing hard hurts. But suppressing the hurt does not mean elites go faster.

You sure about that?
Comments from Michael Barry:



Taylor Phinney has spoken out against the pill culture in pro cycling. He and a doctor from Lotto Belisol think some of the late race crashes are linked to guys getting loopy from their pills.

Form breaks down BECAUSE of discomfort and pain.

If those people received a sudden injection of adrenaline or dopamine they would suddenly run like gazelles again.

Also taking pain killers has been a part of endurance sport for probably a century now.

I agree about 90% with this statement. Nothing is worse than hanging out after a race and asking people how their race went. I had a guy tell me one time that the reason his swim didn't go well is because the moon was full and it was closer to the earth than normal and it threw off his energy output because of it... WTF??? As soon as the "How was your race" question is asked, a myriad of excuses pour out and at that point I'm thinking...



So because I hate hearing all that hoopla if someone asks how I did I'm just brutally honest with them about me. People get shocked from time to time because they're expecting a plethora of excuses, not just a one or two liner..haha.

Haha agreed. I call it battered athlete syndrome.

lot more nothing than winning going on