The athletics/running thread

[hisroyalgingerness]

When CAPS wanted a thread full of GG's puppies this isn't what he had in mind

[Wandering Willy]

When CAPS wanted a thread full of GG's puppies this isn't what he had in mind

There'd be one angry CAPS if he'd just used his 3rd wish on the genie's lamp and got those.

[Gooner Girl]

When CAPS wanted a thread full of GG's puppies this isn't what he had in mind

There'd be one angry CAPS if he'd just used his 3rd wish on the genie's lamp and got those.

Hey! my dog is gorgeous! I could stare at him all day, what you saying?! Caps is a lucky boy.

[Gooner Girl]

Harry. He is handsome! Whats his name? i love his gorgeous coloured markings.

Bish, nice photo of Lucky though i have to surpress a snigger at the thought of you trying to run with her...

[Wandering Willy]

When CAPS wanted a thread full of GG's puppies this isn't what he had in mind

There'd be one angry CAPS if he'd just used his 3rd wish on the genie's lamp and got those.

Hey! my dog is gorgeous! I could stare at him all day, what you saying?! Caps is a lucky boy.

Don't get me wrong - dog's are great. I have a couple myself.

But it's a baps first, dog second world out there.

[Gooner Girl]

I think we are going to need to see a picture of your Puppies, Willy... Everyone else has posted theirs...

And maybe in your world its boobs first, but i happen to think that dogs are far more interesting (still, i spose if you have never owned a pair of breasts maybe they seem quite a novelty?!... )

We are veering slightly off the subject of athletics now though. Personally i blame Harry

[Harry Genshaw]

I think we are going to need to see a picture of your Puppies, Willy... Everyone else has posted theirs...

And maybe in your world its boobs first, but i happen to think that dogs are far more interesting (still, i spose if you have never owned a pair of breasts maybe they seem quite a novelty?!... )

We are veering slightly off the subject of athletics now though. Personally i blame Harry

Hey!

Anyway, back to running. Am off to Slovenia at weekend which originally was going to be a chance to do some serious hill running in preparation for Snowdon. The best laid plans...Still, 2 weeks of gentle running and a bit of cycling should be nicely offset against all the food and beer I'm going to put away

[Bruce Rioja]

Can I ask you running types for your opinions on the Oscar Pistorius situation?

In fact, what are the opinions of non Billy Whizz types, too?

[hisroyalgingerness]

It's a toughie, as will always be emotive, but I'm not comfortable with his participation on the basis that his accessories could in fact benefit him. Maybe not now but as golf has proven it's a matter of time before technology improves performance.

The paralympics is a great event, as are the other competitions run for the disabled, and they are always inspiring. I think they should remain separate.

[thebish]

It's a toughie, as will always be emotive, but I'm not comfortable with his participation on the basis that his accessories could in fact benefit him. Maybe not now but as golf has proven it's a matter of time before technology improves performance.

The paralympics is a great event, as are the other competitions run for the disabled, and they are always inspiring. I think they should remain separate.

my view may be simplistic - but I always think it is a bit odd that you can compete in both the olympics and the paralympics. If you are able - in fact SO able as to qualify for the olympics - then in what sense do you qualify as DISabled for the paralympics?

he's also one touchy interviewee!

[Verbal]

Going back in for the 2hr 30mins hell session tonight...90 mins boxing, one hour of aerobics and conditioning.

[TANGODANCER]

Awww,!he's cute Tango. Bet he struggled in the deep snow we had last year though?!

Loves the stuff, not much cop at running though. Then again, neither am I these days.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

my view may be simplistic - but I always think it is a bit odd that you can compete in both the olympics and the paralympics. If you are able - in fact SO able as to qualify for the olympics - then in what sense do you qualify as DISabled for the paralympics?

he's also one touchy interviewee!

Come on Bish, it's pretty easy to see that whether an athlete is able/disabled is not a question of what times they can achieve. I'm fully prepared to accept the admittedly unlikely possibility that an exceptional disabled person, without any prohibited technological augmentation, could qualify for both.

Surely Pistorius' case is a simple one, though? If somebody has something bolted onto their body that means they move in a fundamentally different mechanical way to the ordinary human body, they must be ineligible for able-bodied events.

[Lofthouse Lower]

Can I ask you running types for your opinions on the Oscar Pistorius situation?

In fact, what are the opinions of non Billy Whizz types, too?

If he's running in the 'abled' race, then Bolt should be allowed to run in the Paralympics

[thebish]

my view may be simplistic - but I always think it is a bit odd that you can compete in both the olympics and the paralympics. If you are able - in fact SO able as to qualify for the olympics - then in what sense do you qualify as DISabled for the paralympics?

he's also one touchy interviewee!

Come on Bish, it's pretty easy to see that whether an athlete is able/disabled is not a question of what times they can achieve. I'm fully prepared to accept the admittedly unlikely possibility that an exceptional disabled person, without any prohibited technological augmentation, could qualify for both.

Surely Pistorius' case is a simple one, though? If somebody has something bolted onto their body that means they move in a fundamentally different mechanical way to the ordinary human body, they must be ineligible for able-bodied events.

I said my view was simplistic and based on the shakey foundation of "seeming odd"

but - still seems odd to me. in what way is Pistorius (with his prosthetics) disabled when it comes to running?

[Lofthouse Lower]

he doesn't have any legs, and runs on those fins, for one thing

[Verbal]

It's a toughie.

OP gets an advantage in the back straight as he's using less energy than others, so less tiring, lactic acid etc. However he gets completely left in the blocks at the start, and the study which did had the "25% less energy" figure didn't actually consider OP's running on bends...which is half the bloody distance, ffs.

So he has advantages and disadvantages. Whether these can be balanced against each other I don't know. And I wager, as Martyn Rooney said, that OP's competitors would rather race against him than people like LaShawn Merritt.

Still, hats off to the chap.

[Bruce Rioja]

If he's running in the 'abled' race, then Bolt should be allowed to run in the Paralympics

A few years back there was a shitstorm in Golf because Annika Sorenstam had been invited to play in a men's competition. My opinion on that one was that it's fine as long as she plays off of the same tees.

Outbursts by Singh and Price though were absolutely nothing short of misogynistic.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I said my view was simplistic and based on the shakey foundation of "seeming odd"

but - still seems odd to me. in what way is Pistorius (with his prosthetics) disabled when it comes to running?

I know, I just thought it was strangely defeatist of you!

He's disabled in the sense that he is not able to run in the same mechanical way as an able-bodied human being.

I'm deliberately avoiding talking about "any synthetic augmentation", because that inevitably takes us down the path towards a discussion of what the mininum threshold for that is, and a discussion of pins in joints, or even contact lenses.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

It's a toughie.

This is what I don't get - it seems pretty straightforward to me!