There's been a lot said about Alberto Salazar, the Nike Oregon Project (NOP) and Nike lately. We've seen a groundswell of opportunity to affect change. But, will we? While disheartening, it has been encouraging to hear so many athletes speaking out. Yet, we risk apathy overtaking action, that everyone will simply move on.

​A lot of shenanigans in the world of anti-doping have occurred recently, including a big bomb about Alberto Salazar and his precious NOP (Nike Oregon Project). Tune in to hear it all distilled down and to draw your own conclusions.

​Math is a funny thing. 

Math is true.  It is immutable.  2+2=4 and forever will.
 
Math is timeless.  It is identical today as it was in the past; and it will be identical into the future.

Math is testable and repeatable.  And, in this, we find understanding, comprehension and comfort.  Our understanding and comprehension also extends to some of the less rigid aspects of math.  As stated above 2+2=4.  This is rigid.  However, while also true, saying a three-digit number is greater than a 2-digit number is a general statement accepted as true.  We still find comfort here, because we are provided with a nice, neat little package of data.

We accept mathematical terms for what they mean and what they define.  We trust it.

Where we run into problems is when we mistake probability for fact.  Or, more precisely, when we mistake probability for lack of fact.  Take the cliché of a room full of law students and the teacher saying, “Look to your left, look to your right.  One of you won’t be here next year.”  While not a mathematical fact, the probability of this being true is based on historical statistics which render it true.  While the law students may not find comfort in this prediction, they would find it difficult to argue against its accuracy.

The same can be said about cheating in Sport.  We know, for a fact, that cheating occurs.  We also know, for a fact, that the percentage of athletes who cheat is greater than the percentage which gets caught through OOC and IC doping tests.  While we may not find comfort in these facts, we do find enough comfort to not dispute these facts.

Where things start to get murky is at the intersection of science (the testing), culture (the acceptance of doping and athletes who dope by each society), and morality (each athlete’s resistance to the temptation to cheat, or lack thereof).  When we layer nationalism on top of this – “the pesky Russians are cheaters, but athletes from MY country would never cheat” – then we are set up for an emotionally-fueled argument which lacks reason on both ends of the pendulum swing. 

On one end, we have those who say, “All elite athletes cheat.”  On the other end, we have those who say, “Unless an athlete fails an anti-doping test, then he/she is clean.”  While the concept of cheating is necessarily black-and-white – you either cheat or you don’t – neither of these stances is valid and neither holds any water.  Statistically speaking, we know, for a fact, that stating an athlete is clean and should be believed if he/she has not failed a test, is an untenable position to take.  With it being largely accepted that up to two-thirds of all athletes cheat, the pool of clean athletes is indeed very small.  However, we do not know for a fact that all athletes are doping.  The statistics do not support this, either.  If you had to choose one end of the spectrum or the other to embrace, it would unfortunately have to be the “all athletes dope” end.  The reason is because, statistically, the only thing we know for a fact is that all athletes being clean is false. 

I’ve said it many times – patterns are proof.  When we see performances and athletic feats which cause our jaws to drop and our eyebrows to raise, these knee jerk reactions come from deep inside each of us.  Rather than skepticism or cynicism, these reactions are borne out of an innate sense each of us has to discern fact from fiction.  Reality from fairytale.  Yet, there is a population which demands testable and verifiable evidence as the only proof an athlete has transgressed.  Statistics do not support this type of rigid stance.  Because the anti-doping system is fraught with failure points through which we could drive tanks.  So, if you are relying on an indefensible system which cannot provide ironclad proof of innocence or cheating, then you believe the anti-doping system is a mathematical problem like 2+2=4.  But, we know for a fact that it is not.  Not even close.

We know that more athletes cheat than get caught.  And, the margin between those cheating and those getting caught is not a little, but a lot.  The discrepancy is in orders of magnitude.

There is mathematical truth.  There is mathematical accuracy based on statistical evidence – even in the absence of hard evidence (like a failed doping test).  Given what we have historically seen across Sport – the cheating, the corruption, the buried tests, the silent bans, the physical transformations, the warping of facial features, the lies and deceit – there is literally no reason at all to think athletes today are training and competing any more cleanly than they ever have.

Statistically speaking, of course.  Because in knowing the anti-doping system is broken beyond repair, we also know we will never close that monumental gap between the sheer volume of cheaters and the paltry few who are actually caught.
​
Happy Training,
Coach Nate 

People participate in sports at young ages for a multitude of reasons:  it’s fun to play; competition is healthy; sports can be great teachers for life’s lessons; because parents need to get kids out of the house; camaraderie; learning to overcome adversity; learning to work well with others toward a common goal; fostering a feeling of accomplishment; and so on.  And, as we get older, the seriousness with which we approach sports escalates, naturally and deliberately.  It is as if young athletes get on an elevator going up and decide at some point which floor is theirs and when it’s time to get off the ride. 
 
The vast majority of athletes will never compete professionally.  In fact, very few will.  And of the few who do hit the big time, even fewer will be good enough and lucky enough to make a long-term solid living at it.  Which begs the question:  Why?  Why do athletes who realize they will never make it as a pro continue to compete through high school and collegiately?  For some, it is the love of the sport.  Indeed, these athletes continue to compete in their sports beyond college as recreational or serious Masters athletes.  But, my gut tells me the majority of athletes who continue competing in school and beyond do so borne out of a sense that they “have to” keep training and competing.  That they are doing these things because the wheel ruts are well worn.  That they would be lost without being a slave to the grind.
 
On my ride this weekend, taking in some of the steep and long gravel climbs Boulder can serve up, I was just settling in and not worrying so much about effort.  On a particular pitch, I got out of the saddle for about a quarter-mile, feeling good and enjoying the rhythm of the bike rocking beneath me.  It was exactly then that I realized I would never again ride a bike as fast as I have in the past, even as recently as last year.  And, that whatever KOMs and Top 10s I have on Strava were dead man walking results.  Which then got me to thinking, “Why am I doing this?” 
 
Why am I still working out and challenging myself.  After deciding that last year was my last for bike racing, I don’t train nearly as much.  A long ride is under 3 hours rather than 4-6.  I’ve also started running again, after the better part of 15 years, aside from the odd cross-training while traveling or what have you.  I have found that I put a greater value on my leisurely time than on my training time.  I simply do not want to do a 100-miler on a Saturday.  Nor do I want to burn an entire day or weekend traveling to a race, racing, waiting for awards and then traveling back home just in time for dinner.  That grind holds no appeal to me anymore.
 
Instead of heading out the door at 0-Dark-30, I want to enjoy a quiet morning coffee with my lovely wife, be it a weekday or weekend day.  I limit myself to 45-75 minutes for a workout Monday-Friday.  Saturday is in the 1.5-3-hour range.  Sundays are completely off.  And, cardio workouts are secondary now.  Primary is strength training.  I hit the gym 5 days/week, lift first and then do a short cardio session directly after.  In-and-out in roughly an hour.
 
Which has put me in touch as to the underlying “why” into which all of us should tune.  The underlying “why” is not about competition.  It is not about accolades.  It is about well-being.  It is about ensuring that when we hit our Golden Years, our bodies are holding up, that we are strong and sturdy and moving like people two decades our junior.  It is so the back-half of our lives can be filled with just as much quality of life as our front half.  And, let’s be honest – we worked so damn hard for so many years that it is a complete dereliction of duty if we hit retirement and move like a brittle piece of deadwood.  Because then what the hell was all that sacrifice for?
 
Being physical has been an intrinsic part of my life since age 5.  Being the best has morphed into being the best I can now be.  I still put myself in the hurt locker plenty.  When I feel like it and not when I don’t feel like it.  And I no longer measure my output.  Riding indoors will never happen again.  I ditched my power meter and my KICKR.  My bike computer is smaller than the face of my watch and is bare bones.  I ride the gravel bike when I feel like riding it; I run the Boulder trails when I feel like running.  I don’t care how many rides or runs I do in a given week.  In cutting my weekly training volume in half and with the primary focus being on strength training, I feel healthier than I have in many years.  And I feel more balanced.  I would not change a thing.
 
I’ll never again swim a 5,000 for time and hold :58-:59 per 100yds.  I’ll never churn out 5:00 miles for a 10k at the end of an Olympic Distance triathlon.  I’ll never have an FTP well above 300 watts.  What I WILL have is a more capable body — more mobile, stronger, heavier and leaner than at any time since I left college.  The parable I like to use is that I just hit the turnaround in the TT of Life.  It is critical there is enough left in the tank so that I’m hitting the finish line at full throttle, not running out of gas with a quarter of the race still to go.  Because this is when life becomes a battle.  This is when years of use, abuse, attention and neglect start being brought to bear.  It has become time to focus on the daily grind that risks decimating us should we not give it the respect it well deserves.  So that when we are finally on our death beds, we have allowed ourselves to wring every bit of quality out of this one life that we possibly could.  That we regret nothing.
 
This is what motivates me now.  This is the “why”.
 
Happy Training,
Coach Nate

As endurance athletes, we’ve largely lost our way.  In our quest to become bigger-faster-stronger (legally, I hope), we’ve been fooled by very compelling – and expensive – marketing tactics and strategies.  Despite being completely debunked, shills are still making money off the concept of Marginal Gains.  Sure, they give it a new skin, but it is the same BS.  Like Blackbox Thinking is the key to unlocking the door to reaching our true potentials.  Please. 

But, it doesn't end there.  Gadgets, the latest discovered super food, sexy supplements and hacks (oh, how I utterly HATE that word) are the trickeries, the shortcuts that if we use – no, that we MUST use – we will reach new heights previously deemed unattainable.  And, if we don’t use them then we will fail at our own peril. 

But, why is addressing the final 1-2% of the improvement equation more important than first addressing the other 98-99%?  By focusing on the 1-2% -- the tiny, tactical, insignificant details – we end up largely ignoring the strategic foundation of the 98-99%.  Think of building a house.  The structure itself can be constructed of all the latest-and-greatest materials and have all the modern efficiencies possible.  But, if that house is built without a foundation, then it will fall apart like a house of cards at the first strong wind or storm.  Putting together a sound training plan is no different.  Without first establishing a strategic and sound foundation, the possible gains you could receive from addressing that final 1-2% is a useless exercise.  For example, if you’re not sleeping enough (foundational), then no superfood or magical supplement is going to provide you with more energy or better performances. 

And, here’s another dose of reality.  For the vast majority of endurance athletes, the Marginal Gains are immaterial.  They don’t matter.  At all.  Unless you are already at the top of the athletic pyramid where 0.5-1% is all that stands between winning and finishing off the podium, then obsessing over the minutia does us little to no good.  Rather than spend $1,000 or more on the fastest, most cutting edge wetsuit to shave time off your triathlon swim, instead work on your stroke technique to gain efficiency and log more time in the pool to increase your endurance.  Because then the $300 wetsuit will serve you just fine (really, it will).  For the same type of analysis on the bike, you can read another article I wrote on the Cost v Benefit of Aero Equipment.  Even with running, where the cost outlay is straightforward and less costly than either swimming or cycling, the premise is identical.  Do we really need that super space age $150+ pair of shoes to prevent injury or to run longer and faster? 

It's time for a dose of reality.  It’s time for endurance athletes to shift their focus to the structural foundation of what they do – to the 98-99%.  Unless you can unequivocally say your foundation is as strong as bedrock, then forget about the minutia.  The more solid your foundation, the more you will be able to build upon it. 

The biggest challenge is that we exist in a world of immediate gratification.  The gadgets and the hacks and the super secrets of the pros are very attractive because they provide us with the promise of shortcuts.  Why train multiple sessions a day and put in many hours of dedicated work every week if instead we are promised the same results in less than half the time?  Where the argument of the quick fix falls down is that it assumes or even portends that innovation and creativity occur in the absence of a basic foundation, when in fact it is precisely that foundation which unlocks the power of the innovation.  The foundation is prior or existing knowledge; the innovation is a potential iteration of that foundational knowledge.  See what I mean? 

If your diet is terrible, then the best supplement in the world will only start to make up for the holes in your diet plan.  It sure won’t boost your performance.  If you heel strike and hunch over like Quasimodo when you run, better to work on your form before you invest in expensive shoes.  If you ride an ill-fitting bike, then you must first address your position before you slap on a set of $2,000 race wheels.  Yet, we are programmed to do the complete opposite.  We look for improvements in all the wrong places.  Because the investment of money is so much easier to rationalize than the investment of time. 

The focus on the final 1-2% has created quite a problem.  There are only so many final touches – legit and mythical – which we can perform before we very quickly reach our limit.  And therein lies the irony.  The Marginal Gains, by definition, account for very, very little.  And, no, there is no mathematical aggregation of those minuscule things.  Ten 0.1% minuscule "gains" will not add up to 1%.  The returns on those gains are so small and are maxed out very quickly.  Yet, what happens when we hit the ceiling?  We exacerbate the problem by searching for the next Magic Bullet, the next magic pill, the next hack (oh, that fucking word). 

To be clear, nearly all endurance athletes are not at a point in their progression where worrying about the 1-2% makes any sense.  You must first master your craft before you focus on becoming the best-of-the-best.  It is in that pursuit of ultimate excellence when focusing on the minutia will yield measurable return.  Understand the basics and why they are important.  Nail them.  Come back to them frequently, even as you iterate on your training plan one year to the next.  That’s the path to real success for just about anyone but the elite of the elite.
   
And that path is very simple to both find and follow – sleep more; eat better; train consistently and tick all the energy system boxes.  The problem is that the best advice isn’t sexy.  It’s not sleek and shiny and full of buzzwords.  So, it doesn’t sell.  
 
Which is unfortunate. 
​
Happy Training, 
Coach Nate ​