Amby Burfoot says You're Not Good Enough to Understand Lance Armstrong

Ugh...

So Runner's World writer Amby Burfoot basically says in his latest article: you can't blame Lance Armstrong for doping because you don't know what it's like to be that talented yet not be able to win.

Well, la-di-da...

What a steaming pile of bullshit. I don't think you have to be an elite athlete to realize that losing isn't that fun. I've been losing races for 30 years now and I still don't have the desire to use steroids. Amby says you have two choices as an elite athlete: dope and win...or quit. Wow. With that attitude, I'm not surprised Amby never achieved his running goals.

When you're done digesting Amby's article, please scroll down to the comments and be sure to read Pete Magill's thoughts and then Lauren Fleshman's thoughts. Now, there are two elite athletes that actually get it.

If only Lance and Amby "got" it.


Photo of Mint Chocolate Clif Bar - as close as I get to "doping" - from Bicycling Magazine.

Lance Armstrong Wins Superfrog Half Iron Triathlon

Ban? What ban?

Yes, Lance is still banned, but this was not an officially sanctioned race, so Lance rocked the banana hammock for the entire race and won easily with a course record 3:49:45.

Story here.

Photos here.

Different story and different photos here.

The Case Against Lance Armstrong

Once again, the Sports Scientists get to the root of the issue.

Check out this well-reasoned article on the Lance Armstrong Doping Fight and the loss of his seven Tour de France titles. It delves into the story behind the case and Lance's sudden stop to the fight. Since the USADA hasn't released any of their evidence, the Sports Scientists have to make educated guesses, but they do their usual bang-up job.

It's interesting stuff. I've wanted to believe in Lance for a long time. I still want to believe in Lance, right now, today! But I'm realistic. I know I'm almost surely wanting to believe in a cheat and a liar. Harsh, right? Well, there you go. I sort of hope all the evidence does come out eventually just so I can personally put my mind to rest on the whole issue...as can every other Lance fan that doesn't want to give up hope.

Time to move on.

Lance Armstrong Wins Steamboat Stinger Trail Marathon

Lance may be barred from competing in Ironman triathlons, but he's still getting out there and getting some work in.

Armstrong won a very hilly Steamboat Stinger Trail Marathon in Colorado in 3:18:10, almost 8 minutes ahead of the guy in second place.

Interview on Lance Armstrong's Tri Ban plus Other Running and Triathlon Links

We're a day late on the links, so let's get right to it:

Here's an Interview with Ironman CEO Andrew Messick - he speaks to the ban on Lance Armstrong from Ironman events

Ultrarunner Charlie Engle Out of Prison - he's had some issues; let's hope he's past them

Photo Gallery from the Coeur d'Alene Ironman - congrats out to Corvallis superstud Jim McDonald

New Study on Forefoot vs. Rearfoot Strike - blah, blah, blah...just go run

Exercise and Depression; Any Correlation? - maybe, but any causation?

How to Run in Hot Weather - new sweat details

Western States 100 Results and Details - Ashland, OR superduperultrastar Timothy Olson wins it with a new record time

Ironman Legend Dave Scott's son, Drew, Wins Buffalo 70.3 - and he's not even a pro!

Alistair Brownlee Wins Yet Another Race - he's got to be the Olympic favorite

Everything About the Olympic Track Trials in Eugene - it's been fun to watch so far

Awesome photo of the Trials from the Oregonian. Yeah, it's been a little wet.

Lukas Verzbicas Wins World Cup Triathlon and other Running and Tri Links

Lots 'o news:

First up, Lukas Verzbicas, he of the sub-4 high school mile, wins his World Cup Tri Debut - and against a couple of top-five guys

With Lance under investigation, again, Slate asks why is there so much doping in pro cycling? - there's doping in every sport; the media only cares about certain ones though

Can hard running workouts make you anemic? - literally, I learn something new every day...like this right here

Looks like Lance is indeed banned, for the moment anyway - guilty until proven innocent?

This 2:16 marathoner says he could break 2 hours - I could say it too...and be just as wrong as he is

Oregon Tri superstar Chris Bagg checks out the Rev3 Portland bike course - looks long

How to train like a Kenyan this summer - written for high school runners, but should work for anyone

Apparently, barefoot hiking is a thing now - please just stop

Here are the new US Olympic Track uniforms - I'm not crazy about the red

More on "excessive" exercise being bad for your health - so take it easy and have a Quarter Pounder with Cheese...and a side of fries...with a milkshake

Verzbicas in a Ducks uni from RunnerSpace.com.

Lance Armstrong Banned from Triathlon

Well, not so fast.

OK, unless you've been unconscious for the last 24 hours, you've probably heard the news that Lance Armstrong is now facing doping charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

Here's the actual 14-page letter from the USADA to Armstrong.

And here's a rundown of the whole thing from ESPN.

So does this mean Lance is banned from Triathlon while the investigation/hearing is going on?

Well, USA Today, and practically every other big news organization say "yes."

See last paragraph from USA Today.

But just a second. What about innocent until proven guilty and all that? Well, this isn't a criminal case and tri organizations like WTC, who owns all the Ironman races, could ban him during the investigation.

Hold on there, says Dan Empfield at Slowtwitch. Empfield thinks Armstrong will probably continue to race as he has been, at least until something more concrete is decided in some sort of official hearing, and/or appeals.

On this one, I'd trust Slowtwitch more than USA Today.

However, CNN says that WTC has already said he can't race in the upcoming Ironman France, so...

Most stories have the same basic info, but here's the take from:

A good Q and A from Bonnie Ford at ESPN.

Another look from Slowtwitch.

Sports Illustrated/CNN.

The Washington Post.

3 Wire Sports and Alan Abrahamson.

And here's a very interesting letter from Armstrong's lawyers before all this hit the news.

My own take on it is this: don't rush to judge either way here. We've seen Armstrong accused before and, believe him or not, he's never been proven to have doped. Let this play out. If the USADA has real evidence, then it will come out in time.

Until then, I'd say this isn't as big a story as people are making it out to be. Go ahead and move on with your lives.

Running and Triathlon Links Monday!

No time to waste - let's get to it!

Newport Marathon Wrap-up - the only written report, besides my whining blog post, that I could find

Meb and Kim Smith roll at Rock 'n' Roll San Diego - Ryan Hall, on the other hand, doesn't look that good

Lance Armstrong wins another Ironman 70.3 - long course tris are all about the bike leg, and no one crushes the bike like Lance

Masters and Age-Grading - I have not yet gone there; I can still set lifetime PR's in many distances, but maybe never again in the 5k...

Yet another "barefoot and injured" article - this time from ESPN

Australians set their Olympic Tri teams - Emma Snowsill gets snubbed

Pre-cooling can help you run faster in summer weather - just a cool drink before the race can help

Rev3 Quassy photo gallery - Oregonian Jesse Thomas took fourth

Music for your run - reviews on audio devices of all kinds, from Runner's World

Why do some girls run shorter cross-country races than boys? - a good question; ten states still run different length courses for boys and girls

Is running good for you? Really? - And the important questions - what kind of running?

Farah and Rupp look strong at the Pre - could Rupp challenge for a medal in London?


Yeah, it was wet in Newport. Photo from David Morgan and News Lincoln County

Lance Armstrong Crushes Competition at Ironman 70.3 Florida

Lance Armstrong breezed to the win today at the Ironman 70.3 Florida.

Armstrong's bike leg was ten minutes (TEN MINUTES!) faster than the next fastest biker. And his run wasn't too shabby either - a 1:15:56 half marathon.

I know Lance inspires a lot of love...and hate...but like him or not, there's no denying that he's shaking up the Tri World...as a 40 year old!

Running and Triathlon Links Monday!

Tons of great stuff this week - enjoy!

The Story of Alison Delgado - won her first marathon, then nearly killed in a bike/auto accident, then comes back to run again

Another look at Alison Delgado, with very moving video of her at finish of the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincy - her husband was the ER doc on duty when she came into the hospital...you can't make this stuff up

Adidas ad for their new shoe with Formotion - weird stuff...the heel moves - I don't know if that's a good thing

Men's Olympic Tri team is set - Hunter Kemper makes his fourth straight team...absolutely fricking amazing

And the Women's Olympic Tri team is set as well - some drama in this race

Photos of the Men's Tri race in San Diego to set the team - And then photos of the Women's race

Finally, photos of Lance Armstrong and Andy Potts at the 70.3 Ironman in St. Croix - and Facebook photos of my fav Angela Naeth, in St. Croix

Everything you wanted to know about Kinesio tape - I've wondered if it could help my heel bursitis, but I'm a little afraid it might make it worse somehow

Explaining Ultrarunner Micah True's autopsy results - the press loves to throw out "athlete with enlarged heart!!!", but this article explains it in better detail

For Mother Day, here are some amazing Mom Ultrarunners - when it comes to ultra, women are tougher, and moms are toughest

Will cross-training help your running? - well, that depends...

Here are a bunch of photos from last week's Wildflower race - including shots of both OSU Beavers and UO Ducks on the course

Get ready to do your first tri in six weeks - I'd say if you already know how to swim, you could do one tomorrow

Tri Bike Porn - unfortunately, the only kind I link to here...sorry

Nice article on America's number one hope in the Olympic Women's Marathon - yep, it's Oregon's own Shalane Flanagan

Photo of OSU's Blair Bronson by Aaron Hersh.

168

Running and Triathlon Links Monday!

Lots of good stuff here...start reading!

Lance Armstrong will Race in Ironman 70.3 St. Croix - Coming up fast on May 6th

Zola Budd is Still Out There Running - And she's still plenty fast, with or without shoes

Sami Stoner, Blind but Still Running Fast - With her guide dog alongside

How Tough Will It Be to Get Into the Boston Marathon with the New Qualifying Times? - Well, if you can actually get under those times, maybe not that hard

The Third Man on the US Olympic Marathon Team, Abdi Abdirahman - You know, the guy that's going to his fourth Olympics

Cool Photo Gallery of the 2012 USAT Collegiate National Championships - There are some fast triathletes coming up through the ranks

Want to Be Better In the Swim Leg of Your Next Tri? Swim Some Backstroke - Or you know...if you just need to roll over on your back and catch your breath

Lopez Lomong Absolutely Crushes the Last Lap in the Payton Invitational 5000 - Well, until he realized he was a lap short

They're Trying to Bring Back the Mile - I have to agree; the 1500 is lame

Pro Triathlete Kelly Williamson Tells You How to Get Faster on the Bike - I'm so slow on the bike, I read it twice

Want to Get Through the Tough Miles During the Race? Visualize Yourself Doing Just That - Sort of an advanced version of "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."

168

Lance Armstrong Takes 2nd in Half Ironman!

Wow.

I mean, it's pretty clear that the guy knows how to pedal, and he was a competitive triathlete in his younger days, still...dude's 40 years old. And trust me, the body doesn't always cooperate after 40, so this is a pretty impressive finish.

And as you can see from the writeup on Slowtwitch, this race had some talent going up against Lance, including winner Bevan Docherty, Chris Lieto, Richie Cunningham, Matty Reed, and Rasmus Henning. Plus, it was in the heat and humidity of Panama (the country, not Florida).

All in all, an impressive race for Lance as he builds up for his effort to win the Ironman Championships in Hawaii.

Photo: yes, that's actually Lance...a long, long time ago.


173

What do we do with Lance?

Yes, I'm a Lance Armstong supporter. Even though I'm not nearly positive that I believe everything he says about his past. But that's just it - for me anyway, it really is the past. Why he's being investigated by the US Government is beyond me. What a waste of resources. I'm not sure what wrong they're trying to correct by going after him. Do we really need to bring down a hero to millions of cancer survivors and athletes?

I realize no one is above the law, but to me, this whole chase after Armstong is ridiculous. Leave the policing to the sport's governing bodies.

What do you think?

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 23rd TO AUGUST 29th

August 28th / Priest Lake Sprint Triathlon and Mountain Bike Sprint Tri / Priest Lake, ID

August 28th / Hells Gate Sprint Duathlon / Lewiston, ID

August 28th / Enumclaw Poker Run / Enumclaw, WA

August 28th / Lake Sammamish Sprint Triathlon / Issaquah, WA

August 28th / Cutthroat Classic 11.1 mile run / Winthrop, WA

August 28th / Run-a-Muk 10k and 5k / Mukilteo, WA

August 28th / Run Like a Dog 5k / Olympia, WA

August 28th / Aumsville Corn Festival 5k Fun Run / Aumsville, OR

August 28th / Newcastle 5k / Newcastle, WA

August 29th / Dog Days of Summer 5k / Bellingham, WA

August 29th / Alki Beach 5k / Seattle, WA

August 29th / Lake Escape 10k and 5k / Veneta, OR