After meeting my mate Luke for a sneaky afternoon latte my evening run felt a lot easier and the pace a tad quicker than the norm. Was it the second coffee for the day or just my legs recovering from the City to Surf marathon ? I know my friend Dave ‘Sugar’ Cane likes a sneaky coffee pre-racing but never really tried this myself. There has been numerous studies linking the mental boost the coffee gives you and this has the added benefit of a physical benefit to-boot. So it sounds all too good to be true. maybe one of the few stimulants we can still legally take.

This brings me nicely along to the subject of doping in sport. It was unfortunate to see a lot of Kenyan’s falling foul of the testing regimes pre-Olympics but for these athletes they are competing against so many talented runners just for a spot on the team. Add to this the pressure of performing from their families as they really do face life or death struggles. With a slack administration turning a blind eye to the ”chemical advantages” it is difficult to walk away. Finally the knowledge that their team mates may be doping and gaining an advantage and the temptation becomes unbearable. I am not condoned drug testing, but I can see how for some the choice is difficult.

Maybe they should drink more coffee ?