Doping beyond the peleton actually exists people!

Above is a great photo ( source: www.sportsscientists.com )how prevelant dope can be on performance. Specifically, the early 90's brought the use of EPO to the cycling peleton and the endurance world. Cycling has taken the brunt of the media attention on this simply because, well, it's the dirtiest. Culturally always has been so I get it. But above is a great graph of the 10,000 metre records falling dramatically post EPO mass market into sports. No one talks about this, I find that interesting....

Anyway, with the recent press re: Lance courtesy of 60 Minutes taking the dope debate main stream many general public type fans are having ah-hah moments. So, at work come the questions did Lance dope etc. I am beginning to answer "duh". The look in return is confused, I then say "well, I know what time it is and as simple as that is, so to is answering 'is there dope in sport?'

Recently I answer with the question, do you think other sports dope. Answer, "baseball and football, well yeah of course!". Do you care? Answer: "Yeah!". Do you watch it? Answer, "Yeah" retort - "then you don't care! Wake up, if you did, you wouldn't *PURCHASE* the goods by watching!" This process is how I reconcile my who cares approach. It's sports entertainment to me which really, is kind of sad because I love the authenticity of sport. The pureness of a Simon Whitfield, or a Clara Hughes is what makes sports so generous and enriching. Go pro level, and well, I don't care.

So, point being; when debating Lance and drugs in cycling take a minute to ask if you REALLY CARE by looking at all the sports you are a fan of.

The 10,000 meter race is a premiere Olympic event; a true test of speed and endurance. Gruelling for those at the top of the food chain and one that pays athletes top, top dollar for winning. It is doped; pure and simple. And I love watching it!

New Balance shoes!

Friends and family,

Since the WTC drew my name from the lottery gods and invited me to race Kona this year I've gone back to the foot paths of Toronto and started running. It was only 8 weeks layoff from running but with a long term view that for 2011 I was not running at all. That changed of course with the invite to Kona Ironman and my mind shifted to slowly building back some run strength. Little did I know how much I missed running, and how much I love the cleansed feeling running brings me.

So, shortly after my last pair of New Balance shoes wore thin I reached out to New Balance Toronto to see if they would like to extend their support of my pursuits again for 2011. Sean and his crew were immediate in their support and what has really been great is to partner again with New Balance Toronto and start running! I love running and this year I am running on these felt like neutral cushioning shoes which has been awesome! The New Balance 1080 are the bomb and my feet feel great!

This part of the blog is absolutely a plug because the team at NB Toronto Bloor West store (and there other locations across Toronto which can be found here) are the most service driven group I have worked with. Their service model is unparalleled. I have spent 15 years in this sport and therefore I have visited A LOT of retailers in Toronto, in Canada, in the USA. NB Toronto is by far the best service I have received. They are knowledgable of product and fit, courteous with customers, prompt to return calls when orders arrive and as important, prompt to call to provide status when there are delays. I also see them with other customers taking time with each to ensure customers get what they need, what color caught their eyes (though color designs are plentiful!)

Product specific news, what really gets me comfy is New Balance's product design for a narrow fit shoe. This I have come to learn over the years of running is best for me. Most shoe manufacturers have one to three max widths, not NB. They have 6! from extra narrow to XX-Wide. There narrow fit shoes are my liking (B width) as the toe box is perfect space for my long narrow digits but the shoe still fits snug enough around heel and forefoot for a fast, comfortable run. My trouble with other shoes was either the toe box was massive causing slipping up front or a good fit in the toe box but friction in the heel cup causing blisters. I turned to New Balance, loved the product, then approached New Balance Toronto for HELP please! That was six years ago and they have been every bit a partner to my love of running since.

The past few years New Balance has released a great range of casual shoe wear. Nothing beats long days at the office in a pair of NBs vs. dress shoes; especially when the executives don't know I am actually wearing a running shoe vs. dress shoe-:) They have also styled out some really nice sandal wear. Again, these have that "running shoe" quality vs. the old school hippie sandal quality-:) An example of a shoe I wear in office includes my casual Friday's NB755.

I really do recommend for your next shoe purchase, you consider visiting a New Balance Toronto store. You will enjoy how you are treating as much as what you will be wearing!

Now get out and run!