It's About Lifestyle

A recent article/blog talked about Kenyans getting into bike racing. It concludes, "cycling, you have been warned." The basic premise of the article is that the Kenyans and Ethiopians have not entered the cycling world with their amazing talent for endurance events. Now, someone is taking the steps to make that happen. My guess is that within five to ten years, the Tour De France will be dominated by Africans, just as major marathons and road races are here in the U.S. and all over the world.

The point of bringing this up is in regards to the "why?" East Africans can dominate running, and soon to be, cycling. It's simple, lifestyle. They are raised in an environment that is conducive to high endurance performance. They live at altitude, they eat simple, nutritious food, they walk and run everywhere.

Here, in the U.S. we have altitude, we have simple, nutritious food, and we have the opportunity to walk and run to most places we need to get to. The difference is that we don't take advantage of it. We are spoiled and lazy. We need to be driven down the block to the bus stop. There are commercials on t.v. right now telling kids to get out for an hour every day and play!!!

If you want to be a great runner and compete at the level of the East Africans, change your lifestyle. Run more. Walk more. Eat better. What comes naturally to them through their lifestyle is what you have to make natural for yourself by changing your lifestyle.