Epo does matter for the marathon on race day and through the training cycle. Pretty much every marathoner busted has been busted with epo (with one for clen, maybe a year ago). I've heard it compared to running on a moving walkway in an airport.
What you have to remeber about a marathon at your maximum aerobic / anaerobic effort is that there is a point when your muscles will run out of glycogen, so the ability to burn fat/ replenish glycogen comes into it, so while vector doping may help it may not have the same effect in the marathon, it is possible that sports science advances (or a new drug) has allowed people to burn fat more or replenish muscles energy better from gels (etc) at the elite marathon effort rate.
Yes, runners are limited by their glycogen stores, but you can target adaptions which increase the amount of fat you use for fuel by training in fatigued or fasted states. Canova says this about fuel:
Renato Canvoa said:
This is not exact. Kenyans don't eat anything BEFORE the race and/or before morning training. Before a marathon, they take (about 2 and half hours before) a cup of tea and one banana, using for the competition the food of the previous dinner.
But during the race, the situations are different.
If there is a race in optimal temperature (8-14 degrees), in many cases they drink only water. But, if it's warmer (remember, for example, all the WCh in August), there is a loss of mineral salts, after 20 km, higher than after the whole marathon in good conditions. In this case, many of them use MALTODESTRINES, that are specific sugars able to refuel in about 10' times.
They always avoid isotonic drinks, because can provoke some stomach problem (acidity and reflux).
Read more:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=5105428#ixzz2ylv8ECKV
One of his hallmark workouts is a "special block". Basically two full size workouts in the morning and then afternoon, to train in that fatigued and fasted state. Doping isn't any less effective if these adaptations are targeted.
I stand by what I said many posts up a few years ago. A few revelations since that post:
Marathon training is different. It is no longer an event for track stars to run when they run out of speed. It is an event that young runners specialize in from a early age. The demands of the race are better understood, and marathon training is much more specific to the race than had been in the past. Previously, the dominant training philosophies were not marathon specific. Lydiard's marathon block was really just long slow running. Jack Daniel's training zones are not useful for the race pace of the marathon. Records didn't tumble in the epo era because the stars were on the track, and those on the roads weren't training in the same way. Marathon times are only coming down now because the talent pool, and training has improved.
The team structure of cycling has more money and more personnel, which allows a thorough doping program ala Ferrari and Fuentes for every pro. In running, for every Nike Oregon Project or Canova, which have the know how and resources, there are other groups which are just runners and a coach, who perform just as well. Geoffry Mutai, Kipsang and Kimetto even train together without a coach.
At the same time, the rumors in Kenya are that epo is freely available. Testing is lax, and the incentive$ to dope are enourmou$.
There is still a lot of unprofessionalism in the top of the sport, which is not surprising. Stephen Kiprotich (gold medal olympics and WC) explained that his teammates perform so poorly at international championships because of the pre race buffets; these men have never had access to so much food, and stuff themselves without knowing the consequences. The Japanese system develops what seems like hundreds of sub 65:00 HM runners, but are often not allowed to race outside the country in favor of the corporate race system. There is so much potential in so many ways
As a fan, I wear two different faces. My clinic face is suspicious and skeptical as everyone on this forum, but my spectating face is glowing with excitement at these run of performances
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