Sub 1:30 Half Marathon 2021 Edition (Read 448 times)

As a general rule, when people describe an athlete as simply "able to work harder than everyone else/never gets tired"...that's when I get suspicious.

There's a misconception that PEDs substitute for hard work.  When many of them simply enable an athlete to tolerate and benefit from more work then they can handle otherwise.

There are very few serious athletes who are limited by their dedication.  Most are ultimately limited by their bodies.

What's the first thought that crosses your minds when you read this?

 

Twigg won her semifinal on Thursday to be the fastest sculler into the final – but among her rivals is a rower who has come out of nowhere following a decade of middling form.

Hanna Prakatsen has taken the rowing world by storm this year, being undefeated in 11 races at elite level – her first as a single sculler.

I read that article also and had exactly the same thought I suspect you had.

The counterpoint is of course Eric Murray and Hamish Bond.  8 years straight undefeated in the sport, across OIympics, World Champs etc.  No-one ever suggested they were on drugs, but of course they never had a mysterious break partway through either.

Emma Twigg I'm particularly stoked for though, coming off fourth places at London and Rio.

As a general rule, when people describe an athlete as simply "able to work harder than everyone else/never gets tired"...that's when I get suspicious.

 

There's a misconception that PEDs substitute for hard work.  When many of them simply enable an athlete to tolerate and benefit from more work then they can handle otherwise.

 

There are very few serious athletes who are limited by their dedication.  Most are ultimately limited by their bodies.

7 time Western States Champion Scott Jurek might have been described as such. Ann Traeson as well. Sometimes it’s just their natural abilities exceed what can be comprehended as normal. Andre the Giant is another RARE individual.

These three were greats in their sport probably because their bodies didn’t get tired when their competitors did. Maybe it’s because back then the level of competition wasn’t where it is today.

I was shocked and horrified to see New Zealands Women's rowing 8 who won silver today, has a male member 

Whoops sorry my bad. Facial hair is gender neutral these days 

 

Hot take of the day: Having a strict "XX chromosome only" category and an "Open" category should completely solve this "issue".

How dare you assume someone’s gender using Deoxyribonucleic Acids. Gender fluidity is real and you’d have to creat a ‘non-binary’ class instead of an ‘open’ class so you can be woke. Yeah. I said it.

Running related edit:

I did a 6x800m @5k pace workout yesterday. Started developing a side stitch around 4 and it ‘kinda sucked pretty bad’ on 5. My GOAL was a 2:18 600m and I think it should have been a 2:20-22 without using the TDP 1-2% slow down. Would going out too hard in hot conditions cause me to breathe harder, peg my heart rate around 175-182 (typically marathons are 160-170) and cause that side stitch? I was kind of short on time but looking at my workout overall I was slowing down with two reps to go and I probably would NOT have been able to keep pace for number 8. 
also, to be clear…the 1% adjustment for 2:20 is 1% of 142 seconds so a whole 1-2 seconds slower, correct?

why did you have a 2:18 600m target if you were running 800's? Or was it the workout actually 8x600 ?

 Running related edit:

 

I did a 6x800m @5k pace workout yesterday. Started developing a side stitch around 4 and it ‘kinda sucked pretty bad’ on 5. My GOAL was a 2:18 600m and I think it should have been a 2:20-22 without using the TDP 1-2% slow down. Would going out too hard in hot conditions cause me to breathe harder, peg my heart rate around 175-182 (typically marathons are 160-170) and cause that side stitch? I was kind of short on time but looking at my workout overall I was slowing down with two reps to go and I probably would NOT have been able to keep pace for number 8. 
also, to be clear…the 1% adjustment for 2:20 is 1% of 142 seconds so a whole 1-2 seconds slower, correct?

 

 

ETA: I certainly don't think any of the regulars around here would accuse me of this, but just to cover myself in general... I'm absolutely not saying, nor do I think, that men are superior to women in general. There are plenty of areas in which women far outperform men as a general rule. I'm just pointing out that when it comes to purely speed/strength related endeavors that men will usually come out on top.

For myself, I have no issue with acknowledging the reality that women are at a deficit against men physiologically in certain sports.  The sexes are NOT equal in physical performance most sports (I think this is a reality that those who do not compete seriously in sports don't quite get - since they never observe women and men training together).

In fact, so many of the issues that we wrestle with in running (i.e. BQ times, OTQ times, having a separate elite start for women) come down to the fundamental dilemma that we are trying to ensure equal treatment when there is unequal ability.

I don't think that chromosomes is the way to go in running, though.  In running, the differences between the sexes appear to mostly hinge on testosterone levels, and it is entirely possible for a woman to be XY, but to have a defect in her Y chromosome so that she does not respond to testosterone and doesn't gain any of the advantages from it.  (this is DSD with CAIS - complete androgen insensitivity syndrome; as opposed to DSD with PAIS - partial androgen insensitivity syndrome, which is where Semenya, Niyonsaba, Wambui, and others fall). 

I really think that the current testosterone standard used by World Athletics is the fairest way to handle a difficult subject.  To CK's point, I would like to see a distinction drawn between sex and gender in competition - basically, you can identify however you feel best genderwise, but competitive sex is based on eligibility rules.  Similar to how Nicki Hiltz is handling it - they identify as non-binary from a gender standpoint; but physiologically qualify for the women's sex division, so they compete in that division.

I do like the idea of a third non-binary division being offered (some of our local races are offering this) - basically it's a way for people who are really uncomfortable with checking one box or the other when registering to still enjoy the race.  Generally this division has no strict criteria and does not offer money - if you want money you need to check the box for your physiological sex.