For those who've asked my thoughts on the nandrolone positive. It comes down to this chart.
I added a red line and box to follow. From what we know so far, the crux of the argument comes in on the GC/C/IRMS test, interpretation, and procedure.
So... let's go through this quickly. Houlihan tests positive for nandrolone with 5 ng/ml.
They make sure she's not pregnant.
Then because she falls between 2.5 and 15 ng, they run another test (GC/C/IRMS) to see if the nandrolone source is endogenous or exogenous.
The lab says this test showed an exogenous source.
This is where the dispute comes in. Houlihan's team claims it should basically go down the other path of endogenous/inconclusive and ultimately the yellow ATF box.
Why do they claim that?
They claim that she consumed uncastrated boar meat. This is IMPORTANT.
The WADA document states if an athlete ate boar meat and the nandrolone level was below 10, then the GC/C/IRMS test isn't what should be used to determine things, but the "pharmacokinetics of N-19 excretion"
In laymen's terms, boar meat throws off the GC/C/IRMS test to determine endo/exogenous.
So if you ate boar, you don't use that test. Instead, you are supposed to try to determine via looking at the pharmacokinetics of the nandrolone metabolites.
If they go down the pharmacokinetics path, then based on the data/info provided by Houlihan's lawyer, you'd end up in the yellow Atypical finding spot.
Now you can see why boar meat is such an important part. If true, it shifts away from the exogenous test and to an ATF.
The crux of the argument lies in the lab saying it's exogenous/not accepting meat consumption & Houlihan saying meat consumption & should go down other path.
So what?
This is a technical argument based on the procedure.
Houlihan's argument rests on accepting it was boar meat so the GC/C/IRMS (exogenous) test isn't used.
AIU's rests on not being meat-related and thus it's okay to use the GC/C/IRMS test to show its exogenous.
We need to see the full data/reasoned decision to understand more. But, hopefully that brings a touch of clarity on the technical nature of the case and what both sides are arguing.
When you haven't worked out hard in a while, at the first sign of discomfort, you tend to freak out. You want to quit, even though you are okay.
It's a perception problem. And it applies to far more than exercise.
THREAD on embracing discomfort instead of choosing avoidance.
As a lifelong runner, I recently experienced this in coming back from a long injury. At the first hint of my heavy breathing and tired legs, “Stop! Why are you doing this!” is all that went through my head.
When we haven’t experienced discomfort in a while, our mind forgets how to deal with it. It resets its baseline, having forgotten what it’s like to feel pain or fatigue.
With practice, that voice becomes a little quieter, and more delayed.
"The workouts you are doing don't really matter." @TheRealMerb
A true statement from The Final Lap Newsletter.
But how can this be true? Do the workouts really not matter? Let's explore...
.@TheRealMerb isn't saying that workouts don't matter at all. His point is that we're all doing about the same thing.
The science and art of coaching have improved to such a degree that there are no secrets.
This isn't the 1950s where some were doing intervals every day and no tempos and others were running tons of miles. In the early days of training, they were utilizing different ingredients. Not everyone used flour, eggs, etc.
Now, every coach/athlete uses the same ingredients.
Yet, most of us fall back on cramming or mindless repetition. Practices that make us feel like we are learning, but don't really help much.
How do we make things stick?
THREAD on the science of learning better 👇👇👇
Take rereading text over and over:
It FEELS like we must be learning. It becomes easier over time to read through the same passage. But, we're tricked by short-term fluency. The feeling that it's easier when what we're after is long-term ingrained.
We suck at knowing what works
So what actually matters when it comes to learning: 1. Attention 2. Emotion 3. Repetition- Not the mindless kind... 4. Errors
A sign of a good thinker is someone who follows the evidence, even when their "tribe" is going in a different direction.
Too often our opinions on difficult topics sway along with the tribe we belong to.
A sign of a poor thinker is, as my friend @BStulberg says, someone who is: "Smart enough to convince themselves they're right. But not smart enough to realize they are convincing themselves they're right."
It’s not that your moral views determine which group you belong to, it’s the other way around.
Your tribe does more to determine your morality than your morality does to determine your tribe.