2011

I typically haven't planned out races or goals a year in advance. My rough plans usually consist of doing one marathon and a bunch of other to be determined races. I am going to try a different approach in 2011, as I want to move from participating to amping up my performance. I still have the goal in my head of doing a sub 12 hour Ironman but not next year. First I have to learn how to swim rather than my current approach of dragging as much water behind me.

So my preliminary 2011 schedule:

April Black Butte Olympic Triathlon - sub 2.45
Half marathon in June/July time frame - sub 1.33
Vineman or Big Kahuna Half Ironman - sub 5.4o
Grand Fondo - finish under 8 hours
Fall marathon (NY or CIM) - sub 3.30

Comfort Zones

177.8 pounds

48 mile Paradise Loop Ride in a.m.

Frangie CrossFit WOD in 14 min 10 sec
Rounds of 21, 15, 9, 6, 3 for time of thrusters, pullups, pushups, air squats and situps

One of my exercise goals was to get to the point that I could do a decent workout everyday, but get in such good shape that it wouldn't really hurt. I'd push myself enough initially so I wouldn't have to push myself in the long run. Benching 200 pounds 10 times would seem easy and the seven-to-eight mile run would seem like two. After 12 years of basically uninterrupted workouts, I am at that point. I don't think the workouts are easy but I don't have the nervousness going into a workout that it will be super hard and there is no doubt as to whether I'll complete it. I know pretty much to the second how far I'll run and how many times I'll squat 122 pounds.

There is comfort in this approach. I'm keeping myself in decent shape and I'm relatively serene, but it really isn't taking my mind anywhere. After 29 years of exercise, I'm finally to the point where I'm ready to fully admit that it's my passion and hobby, and status quo isn't the way you should ever describe your passion. I say it all the time, and I have written it here countless times, but it really is time to get out of my comfort zone and start pushing myself.

So that's the general plan. I love my balance between lifting and endurance sports so I am not going to be branching too far from that gravitational pull. The idea is to start shocking the mind and body by walking out on the limb a little and do things like Levi's Grand Fondo and other 100 mile rides. Long rides definitely take me out of my mental comfort zone because it forces me to think for five hours with no Blackberry distractions.

Today is an example of what I am talking about. Weekends usually call for an 8 mile run but not today. I'm about to head out for a 45 mile ride, my longest in about three years, followed by a Cross Fit workout at Borders Gym. And to complete the triathlon, the third event will be remaining awake beyond 10:00 p.m. tonight to try and add an actual life to the back half of all these workouts. That could be the biggest challenge.

The Treadmill

Weights and 175.4 pounds

I am developing an unhealthy obsession with the treadmill. I used to do all of my runs outside in Golden Gate Park, but am now doing the majority of them at Planet Fitness or the Holiday Inn in Kingston, NY. What is my problem?

I have no issue with running outside - I ran twice in Central Park when I was in New York a few weeks ago and loved it even though it was 20 degrees. But I had no treadmill option which I am sure I would have taken. My list of why I like the treadmill includes:

1) Predictability. Even though I run at virtually the same pace when I am outside, I know exactly how I am going to feel on the treadmill every time. My runs in Golden Gate Park can be painfully unpredictable, especially at night when I tend to have less energy than the morning (see reason four).

2) Weather. It is always 65-70 degrees with no rain or wind at Planet Fitness so I can run in shorts and T-shirts all the time.

3) Music. I hate using an iPod outside because it screws up my rhythm and pace. On a treadmill that is not an issue because you can run a constant pace no matter what the beat to the Madonna song.

4) No traffic. I am doing more of my runs after work in an attempt to live on the same time cycle as most adults. When I run downtown I have to run about a mile on the city streets and I am either going to die of a heart attack from waiting for red lights or get hit by a truck while jay walking. All green lights on the treadmill.

5) Vanity. As a vain person, part of what motivates me is checking out the shape and fitness level of other people which is much easier to do at the gym, particularly when you run on the only treadmill in the gym in front of a mirror.

6) Rainman. I have a border line obsession with numbers and while Gmaps is good for measuring the distance of running loops, it is not 100% accurate. On the treadmill I know I ran 7.61 miles in 60 minutes last night.

For the sake of my sanity, I can't do more than an hour on gym machines so I am going to go outside to do a 45 mile ride tomorrow. 3 hours or so on the Lifecycle would crush even my OCD spirit.

Blood Sport

7.61 miles in 60 minutes (treadmill) and 175.2 pounds

Last night I went to Emily's house and hung out with her, Dave and Elena. While the general purpose of the night was to see Emily and Dave's awesome new house, it was a transparent excuse for me to dominate at ping pong. Other than running, I have spent more time playing ping pong than any other sport, although that is mostly from childhood when I used to play my dad every night after dinner. I have also been passing down the skills from this most intellectual of sports to Ben and Sam during our weekends at the Holiday Inn which has helped me rebuild and rediscover my game.

I was definitely on last night, and skillfully played the role of the guy at the party who takes the geeky sport a little too seriously, and crosses the line between admirable to weird.. It confirmed my conviction that if I had to pick a blood sport, a physical activity in which to play to save my life, it would definitely be ping pong. This doesn't mean that I consider ping pong to be the sport at which I am the best. It means that, if forced to play a random person off the street in a match for the prize of life, ping pong would be my best shot. I am good at endurance sports and I have a decent maximum bench press but a lot of people focus on these relatively mainstream activities. However, ping pong is kind of fringe. More people play beer pong than regular pong.

So I will keep nailing the daily workouts but when I am at the gates of purgatory, I'm whipping out my racket and we are going two out of three to determine my place in eternity.

What I eat

7 miles in 55.19 (treadmill) and 173.6 pounds

It started innocently enough when I watched Food, Inc., Robert Kenner's awesome movie on the American food industrial complex. I know that I totally ignore the nutritional aspect of fitness. I don't have a horrible diet compared to most people but that isn't saying much. My usual weekly diet consists of burritos, pizza, chocolate chip cookies and bagels. Since I work out a lot, it hasn't affected my health but I am pretty sure I would be a faster athlete if I ate better and didn't exist in a constant state of dehydration.

Last night I went to an informational meeting on a cleansing diet, which is essentially three weeks of abstaining from meat, processed foods, sugars, wheat, coffee (no chance), alcohol, glutton, milk, etc. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do it because it seems a little bit extreme but I am going to make a conscious effort to go organic, and try to avoid the cookie and ice cream fest. This might mean that I don't go to the diner for the usual omelets with Ben and Sam in Kingston, NY but there are worse tragedies in life.

One small reason I have refrained from these type of diets is the same reason why I have always avoided taking Ritalin. I might be borderline ADD but it is part of who I am and I have a fear of altering my personality (unless it is borderline destructive). I am the guy who loves french fries and pizza and I am OK with that image. Except maybe I don't need to be the one who subsists solely on that food from the back of the race.

The FitBut

179.6 pounds
Weight lifting workout in the a.m.
45 minute Life Fitness Cycle - 577 calories at Planet Fitness

Part of the allure of exercise is that it feeds my Rainman obsession with number. I meticulously track each workout and record miles biked or ridden in not just once but multiple online and paper-based systems. It harkens back to my early fascination with bowling where the score was more interesting than the actual activity. I've only increased the fuel for the fire recently by buying a scale to add yet another statistic to track.

As if that weren't enough, I am seriously thinking of getting the FitBit, a new gadget to monitor and measure sleep patterns, calories burned, etc. This level of tracking might require a three dimensional spread sheet on Google Docs which could take my level of analness to entirely new level.

One side issue to the scale is that the correlation between weight and exercise seems unrelated. My weight fluctuates between 175 and 179 pounds and the amount I work out in the preceding day seems to have no effect on the number. It could just be related to how many grains of creatine I had that day.

Cycle of Soloism

7 miles in 54.08 at Kezar Stadium

My philosophy towards religion and endurance sports is a combination of Marx's (Groucho, not Karl) maxim that I would never join a club that would have me as a member and the fear of feeling like a sheep. Hence I do not go to organized religious services (throw in the agnosticism as another reason) and I do all of my workouts alone. By running, cycling and lifting solo, I am also ensuring that I don't push myself beyond or below my comfort level. Of course it also guarantees that I won't improve or discover workouts beyond my basic few staples.

One of the reasons I signed up for the Grand Fondo 103 mile bike ride in October is to end this cycle of soloism. Several people I know are doing it so I'll have steady training partners for the next nine months. And if I can convince myself to make it to the Borders new Cross Fit gym (see above), I'll have yet another vehicle for endurance bonding. If I even rejoined one of the local triathlon clubs I would be in danger of being labeled a social animal and that would be crazy.

Good New Years Signs

Maybe this is the start of pulling myself out of class A rut. In the last two days, I:

• Did a CrossFit workout, nailing 19 sets for the Cindy workout;
• Went on a 24 mile bike ride in 50 degrees and fog to boot and didn't do it solo;
• Stayed up until 1:00 a.m. on NYE, and was even with people;
  
• Signed up for the 103 mile leg of the Grand Fondo bike ride.

This does not represent a major break in my personality but it is a step away from the droning of the same workouts that I have been doing for the last six months. And there have been real signs of the hermit period coming to an end. If I can cure my whining, that will be real sign of progress

Zen of Kezar

Yesterday I was in the 9th mile of a 10 miler on the track at Kezar Stadium (sounds stupid but I like the Zen like aspect of running 40 laps like a metronome; it's like swimming laps at a pool without the pain of swimming) when I got stung by a bee. I spent about a lap hurling it away and pulling the stinger out. I thought there would be no residual affect but by 8:00 p.m. my neck hurt and it was a little swollen plus I started feeling achy. Of course that could have been from either walking four miles after my run because I locked myself out of my apartment yet again, or from bowling two games at Emily's birthday party. Sounds lame but I did nail a 127 and 100.

I almost signed up for an online coach this morning - I am principally looking at Focus-N-Fly. I know that being self trained, particularly when my coach prefers to give out the same workouts every day is not the best approach to excelling. However, most marathon schedules assume you run six days a week and I am typically hitting only four, in addition to the three days a week of lifting. I'd love to find a coach or system that could fit within this type of schedule. Ideally, there should be a running site like Cross Fit that doesn't list your workout until the night before, and you never know more than one day at a time.

I came very close this morning to going back on Creatine as I am beginning to feel like a cancer victim again although I have no proof that I have lost weight and my bench press is still the same. I fought the impulse, visualizing how it will feel to qualify for Boston but I could cave at any moment.

Chasing Time at SF Marathon

Sometimes the sign of trouble is when everything goes well, you have no excuses but you still don’t do as well as you wanted. That’s what happened to me yesterday at the San Francisco Half Marathon.

I went into the race realistically hoping to run sub 1 hour 37 minutes with the faint hope of breaking 1.35 for the first time since going on Creatine. In the old days (4 years ago) I almost always beat my race goals. Back when running was easy. I have done a few 10 mile runs in
the past month, I was feeling great and, although my times for my habitual 8 mile runs have been slower the past year or so, they seemed on par with a 1.37 performance

The course for the half was a little challenging but awesome (although the race organizers suck)
with hills scattered throughout. However, from the first mile I felt good and loose, and full of energy. I felt like I went out pretty fast until I heard 8 minutes at mile 1. I didn’t get appreciably faster, hitting 5 miles in around 38.30 or so. And that’s when the mile markers disappeared for the next 40 minutes. I don’t think I would have been much faster than the 76.22 I went through at 10 but it would have been nice to have some fear to motivate me (I actually do have an excuse). I did accelerate the last 3 miles but slugged home in 1.38.46.

So I have a lot of work to do in the next 5 months if Boston 2010 is going to happen. Hopefully that will make it all the sweeter.

Footnote: My dad ran 1.58, which is incredibly impressive since he is in the 65-69 year old age group.

Hero for a day or a lifetime

Nailing specific goals like marathons personal bests (or 20 straight pullups) requires periodization, meaning you train really hard for a few months a year and take it easy for a few months. Build up and break down. But I can't embrace this approach. I dread the hard stuff way too much and am racked with guilt if I do too much easy. That's one of the reasons I can't embrace Cross Fit. The crushing prospect of Angie would have me up all night in fear and the one day off every fourth day would have me convinced I was atrophying and acquiring fat, no matter what I did in the preceeding three days. So I remain stuck doing the same 8 mile runs, 210 pound bench presses (1oX mind you) and 15 pullups, convinced I am a hero.

Inspiration and revulsion

Sometimes inspiration doesn't come from the winner of the race. Today lance did not win Stage 15 of the Tour de France; he got 9th on the stage and relatively struggled in the last 5 miles. But watching him as a 37 year-old not giving up, fighting to maintain form was incredibly inspirational and pumped me up to do a 10.5+ mile run today. I didn't smoke it but it's the best I have felt on a long run in a while. With 6 more stages of the race, I anticipate several more charged runs.

After watching a segment on This American Life that documented genetically altered pigs, I am now giving up pork and beef. God help me if I watch Food, Inc. because I will then be forced to give up almost all forms of protein, including chicken, and then my life will lose all meaning. I have gone down this path before - in college I gave up pork and beef for about a year until I went to the US Open and devoured a plate full of nachos. I had a valid excuse as I was synthetically hungry.

Booked plane tickets for Ben and Sam's trip two week to California in August which will be awesome. Ben wants to go to either Yosemite or Joshua Tree to do some serious climbing; not sure I am officially on board with that yet (see yesterday's post) but at the least we can have Iron Gym contests in my apartment.

Fear and smaller me

Last weekend I went rock climbing with Ben and Sam and I have finally hit the inflection point where they are both starting to exceed me in physical performance. Not only can Ben now do slightly more pullups than me but he is an incredible rock climber. We went to the world famous Shawangunks in New Paltz, NY and he went flying up 70 foot cliffs with little fear while I quit after 4 feet. Too scary.

I have been off Creatine for four days now in an attempt to lose some bulk and get down to 170 pounds by the California International Marathon. In the past three years, I have begun to go slowly slightly slower on my habitual 8 mile runs; I'm not sure if this is the inevitable sign of aging or if the extra 10 pounds have made a difference. I'm about to find out in the next five months although if I lose the weight but don't gain the speed I am not going to admit it's age.

Hack and the Flack is going really well. Mike and I have had some kickass interviews recently - many of course focused around Lance in interviews with Bill Gifford of Slate/Men's Journal and Bonnie Ford of ESPN, but we also had Dan "Fake Steve Jobs" Lyons of Newsweek, Emily Bazelon of Slate and Ashlee Vance of The New York Times. It has been much easier than I thought to get relatively famous reporters to agree to do the program but they of course have egos and want to push their names. As I do but they are just better at it so far.

Personal Records

One of the good things about exercising is you can come up with goals you'd like to achieve, train for them and nail them. Result: you feel like you accomplished something in your life even if you aren't starting the next Google, curing cancer or becoming the next Governor of California (must read article). There are some people like J-Tris who seem to set a personal record for a marathon or Ironman every time they do one. I'm not of those people. Those goals don't come easy so I set my goals lower.

Recent accomplishments include:

1) Just did 17 pullups straight - this is nothing like Dave Borders 31 (which is captured on video) but he kips and I can't. My goal is 20 straight by the end of the year, which is a higher goal for 2009 than saving lots of $$.

2) Number of 400s in 1.45 or faster without pulling my hamstring. I hit 9 last week even though I was shooting for 12, but had slight pull on 9th one. It must have been the searing 1.39 I hit on the 8th.

3) Nailed my 14th week in a row of wimping out on back-back-to-back days of 10 mile runs. I say I am going to do it but then call up the rule of only one run over 8 miles per week, No rational for that rule other than fear of pain.

4) Number of articles I can read about Lance in one day that all say essentially the same thing. I believe I hit that with 24 yesterday.

Tomorrow's goal - number of times I can do the exact same 8 mile loop at the exact same pace yet think I am going to get faster. 9 years and counting.

Not ready to commit

I am still going through an internal battle over my desire
to run a relatively fast marathon (sub 3.30) to qualify for the Boston Marathon
and my other interests and passions.

1) Diet.
I basically believe in the carbohydrate, fat and protein diet, and have a whine
fest if vegetables are suggested as the main part of a meal or fruit the
desert. I don’t need to radically reduce my body fat percentage but I am sure I
would feel better if I listened to some semblance of reason. But the whole
point of exercising is so I can eat whatever I want.

2) Ectomorph.
I alternate days of lifting and running, which results in me being a skinny
lifter and a heavy runner. I am
comfortable with this except the added 20 pounds or so of upper body bulk is
not helping me run faster. But it does prevent me from running everyday, which
I am sure would cause me to burnout. And look 70 years old. And be single. Oh
wait, I am.

3) Balance.
I do try and maintain some form of balance in my life, which means doing things
beyond just running. For example, I joined a tennis league, and the stopping
and starting of tennis isn’t helpful for long distance running. But I joined
and played a few matches, and ended up sore and almost injured my hamstrings.
So I quit the league. Of course, that was more because I lost my second match
than because I was trying to prevent injury.

4) Moderation.

I would rather run 5 miles a day and never get injured than try and train for a
marathon and get hurt. I like the daily endorphin fix rather than
pursuing the big goal with a cost. But then I change my mind when I read about
Lance going after his goal. I want both but not sure I can have them.
Especially when I tweaked my hamstring doing 400s today.

More to come.

Almost Water

I am on my third day of the AquaHydrate Challenge, which calls for drinking at least two liters of this water-like product for six days, and avoiding any other water. I exist in a permanent state of dehydration; I just don't enjoy drinking water until I am totally depleted. This obviously doesn't help my performance at endurance sports. So it made sense to try and commit to this challenge to see if I could force myself to drink and see the effects.

AquaHydrate claims to absorb better than regular water and leaves you feeling less bloated (and I am a bloater). I went for my first run this morning since starting the challenge and I felt much better than usual and I ran about two minutes faster than normal. I did just break out a new pair of Asics 2130s (that are black no less) but still. I felt much more energetic and smooth. Not sure if it was the AquaHydrate but I am going 10 on Saturday so we shall see. Assuming I keep chugging the two liters.

Angie

I keep saying I am going to start integrating CrossFit into my workouts but I haven't done it. Probably the main reason is that the most basic workout, Angie, intimidates the crap out of me. The workout is complete 100 pullups, then 100 pushups, then 100 situps and finally 100 wall squats. Other than the pullups, I am not to scared but the first 100 has me thoroughly intimidated.

Going to failure in any exercise is the epitome of pain and loss, and I am not a fan of either neighborhood. But to prove I am not getting old, I need to do it. So I am going baby steps - I just did Angie in 17 minutes 44 seconds, albeit only doing 50 pullups. It of course hurt but now I don't feel a day over 41.

Next weekend I go 70 pullups.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Zensah Compressions

I usually arrive late to the gadget and gear party, if I come at all. Took me years to realize that 100% cotton shirts weren't necessarily the way to go and Dry Fit shirts mattered, and I still haven't embraced heart rate monitors. So when confronted with the new craze of compression socks I didn't even think about it. They looked like work socks meet the 1970's tube monstrosities. Why would this look be a good thing? It didn't make sense and I had no desire to look ridiculous.

Then I had the chance to test out a pair of Zensah compression socks. I had never heard of this performance sports apparel company until they reached out to me on Twitter (see, incessantly twittering about my daily 8 mile run and Lance's latest training ride has its benefits) to see if I would be interested in testing them. Free clothes? Sounded like an offer on which I don't usually pass.

The basic thrust of the compression sock is that, due to its tight fit, it increases oxygen blood flow which can improve performance. Sounds like a good value proposition, which might possibly overcome the ridiculous sight of me in long shorts and high socks, just revealing my hot knees.

So, two days after the black beauties arrived, I took them for a test run on the treadmill last night. And I give them a big thumbs up so far. I did a typical 7 mile run at 7:45-7:50 pace. Nothing too earth shattering. I didn't feel like I was floating; the run was not effortless or appreciably easier than my usual slogs.

But I did notice something that I also noticed when I took PureSport. At the usual point in my runs when I start to feel fatigued and it becomes actual work to maintain consistent pace, I didn't feel the drop in energy. I felt like I could have kept going for longer and when I eventually stopped after 54 minutes, 45 seconds, I felt much better than I normally do. This feeling kind if snuck up on me; it wasn't like I ever had this moment of euphoria when I realized how good I felt. It was more like the Zensah socks prevented me from spiraling downwards. They company also makes compression shirts, arm sleeves and shorts so I wonder if the effect of being totally enclosed in compression garments is an order of magnitude improvement over running naked. Definite test required.

I realize that these feelings could have been psychosomatic; I was hoping to notice some effect, I ran in the afternoon and inside rather than my usual morning outdoor run and it always feels good to wear something new. That being said, I am pretty pumped up to test them out my morning 8 miler tomorrow; the dilemma becomes do I ever wash these babies or just wear them everyday until I pass out from asphyxiation.

What's wrong with EPO

Michele Ferrari, Lance's former trainer, is quoted in Daniel Coyle's awesome book Lance Armstrong's War, describing cheese and naps as performance enhancers that should be banned. He is obviously kidding but uses the humor to make the point that there are no black and white lines in the performance enhancer discussion. God did not proclaim from Mt. Sinai that EPO is bad, Power Bar good. These decisions have been made by human organizations based on some arbitrary set of guidelines, yet they are treated as scripture.

To support banning substances like EPO and steroids, there are a number of arguments that are used.

The Unfair Advantage

EPO gives a grossly unfair advantage to those who take it, destroying the competitive playing field.

There are a lot substances and tools that give its users an unfair advantage, and all can be acquired if you have lots of $$. Using a $5,000 Trek Madone rather than a $1,300 Biachi Imola creates as much advantage as EPO or not EPO. Hiring a coach like Mark Allen or Chris Carmichael for big bucks provides significant advantage over self coached athletes. Training at altitude versus sea level? Huge. None of these are banned. And competitive athletes don't share training principles. The whole point is to discover the best secrets - the shit that kills - and exploit them to the max until the competition finds them. EPO is no different.

Health Risks

We must protect the athletes from hurting themselves.

It can't be disputed that while EPO improves endurance athletes' ability to process oxygen and perform at a higher level, it also comes with long term health risks. But bombing down a slick Pyrenean road on ultathin tires at 60 mph is no picnic. Every year one or more cyclists dies in a crash and the only move that cycling authorities have made to address the issue is requiring plastic helmets. Running 100+ miles a week isn't good for you. A muscle biopsy on a 25-year old competitor after the 100 mile Western States race revealed the typical profile of a 75-year old. Female endurance athletes stop menustrating because they lack a healthy level of body fat. A growing number of people are dying of heart attacks during the swim portion of triathlons. Clearly, even without EPO, endurance sports at extreme levels aren't good for your health but noone is advocating banning them or their $500 entry fees.

Save the Kids

If we don't ban performance enhancers, little Johnny and Jane will take them so they too can excel at sports.

The CW is that if we don't ban EPO and steroids, American kids will all be inspired to to take them just like their heroes. Is this the exact behavior that needs to be controlled and influenced - a desire to do well in sports? The two top problems affecting America's youth are obesity and flopping in the classroom. We are producing stupid, fat kids. Steroids usage is becoming more prevalent in middle an high schools but not as much as twinkies and X-Boxes
and we aren't trying to ban them. Are we really worried that Arod is the bad influence, not our fat and lazy parents?

The point is not to legalize EPO and steroids today; it's to examine what we really want in our sports, whether as competitor or observe. If the whole point is to push the barriers of human performance, why does the line we won't cross have to be at EPO? Are these arcane rules similar to the Cambridge Deans in Chariots of Fire who objected to a paid coach?

Endurance Sports as Controversial Topic

I aspire to be a writer, but I am searching for my topic, my inner muse. In the book I Talk About When I Think About Running, Haruki Murakami compares his approach to writing to running. It requires work and daily dedication and focus unlike natural writers who just have the words flow. I understand this but it also requires that you be passionate about the subject of your essay or book. If you don't feel strongly about a topic, your writing will be stunningly boring. And an unread writer is like a virgin porn star - worthless.

For example, while in Israel, I hung out with Seth Freedman a columnist for the Guardian, a British newspaper. Seth is a former member of the Israeli Defense Forces, and writes a twice weekly column principally on Israel's policies in Gaza and the West Bank. It's totally understandable for a former soldier to have strong opinions on policies that he had to enforce for 15 months. His columns are very provocative because he makes his opinions known.

It is painfully obvious that endurance sports are my preferred topic for espousing. But is there anything that can be written on the topic that can stir emotions other than agreement? I read a number of endurance blogs but they all are pretty much the same - emotional summaries of a workout or race in which the man or woman discovered their inner chi, salutes to the solidarity of the endurance community and a few self deprecating comments to make sure no one thinks they are taking themselves too seriously. This summarizes 79% of my entries.

Possible themes of controversy could include:

• Prefabricated and expensive race experiences
• Endurance bloggers and the disease of me
• Defense of performance enhancers
• Endurance lifestyle versus the endurance athlete
• Occupied territories of running (OK - this doesn't exist but I need some bridge to the fascinating, intense topic of the Middle East)

There have to be more because endurance sports are like any drug - there is an upside and downside to it, depending how it is administered.