Its not the chowdah chase.

It all depends on who gets the timing of their doping right. /cynic

I guess I'm going to get all serious for a sec.  I realize that I've become a gigantic cynic when it comes to most sports and endurance sports, in particular.

Fast times and world records don't even move my meter anymore because I'm so jaded that I don't believe the fast times.  I figure that it was probably "aided" somehow.  Instead of watching some guy rabbited to a fast mile or a world record 10k in Europe, I'd much rather watch a tactical championship or medal-type race. 

Abe!  How can you say that?  It's simple, I tells ya.  It's like the Tour.  You know they're all doping, but the fun is watching who can make the break, who can surge, who falls apart, and who makes the mistake.  The excitement comes from the mental part of the game, the strategy, the tactics.

But isn't running a world record a mental challenge?  Yes, but I don't believe it is the same as a race.  You're not thinking on your feet.  In general, it's just you and the rabbit/s--just get behind them and hold on.  There isn't anyone clipping your heels, elbowing you in the ribs, or surging when you really don't want to go.

I guess I've just become less impressed by fast times and more impressed by the mental tenacity at race time, and the great thing is that I can see it that at every level.  I can go to a high school meet, a road race, or the Olympic Trials and watch runners battle it out without giving thought to the clock.

In short, I didn't watch Rupp's mile.