EPO Blood Doping: My In-depth Lesson

 Many mentors and guides that came into my life last summer shared me with information that, of course, I could have Googled, however, try to imagine yourself in my shoes: you've spent all of your accessible funds and now are living beach side and while often you're cold and hungry, losing nearly all faith in humanity, you've still got your principles and faith it'll all work out. 

If it's not glaringly obvious to you, reader, I was searching for peace - peace, which I would had never gotten in the Bay Area, as proven to me by their incredibly lack of humanity, illegal and threatening actions. So I stopped "Googling" anyone's name or topics of interest for months and simply met people the old-fashioned way… enjoying fascinating, yet simple conversation, then moving on with my day. I was down to my Flip Phone at this point, anyway - which I do miss, but Google Searches, especially near Silverstrand Beach, where reception fades the further south you get on the beach (i.e. more peace and quiet) were quite hard to do. What I did do a lot was engage in conversation and heal parts of myself that I could, with what I had. I often joked this area was my "retreat" center - ha! It's laughable now, but at the time, it took SO much effort to keep going.

Anyway, let’s dive into the conversation with a Silverstrand Beach resident, Keith. Keith, an expert on the subject of EPO blood doping, confirmed my suspicions on the actions of athletes I competed against in the past. Keith also gave me a full inside scoop on horse racing and what goes on behind the scenes - how athletes are doping today, as well as provided me with a history. (After we spoke, I thought of the Netflix documentary recommended to me on EPO/cycling I had watched a year or so ago, which was good, but probably 30 minutes too long, in my opinion.)

Our conversation lasted a few hours, as we casually spoke on a street corner, but let me tell you, this is my favorite way to learn: 1-1 style from an expert in their field. Plus, Keith has extensive restaurant experience (which was fun to learn about as both a nutritionist and former restaurant employee) and also told me all about King Charles' impending visit to Los Angeles. Months later, I came up with my own British line: "Keep Calm and F King Charles" to which a contact, born within 5 days of King Charles, questioned me "Now, why would you not like King Charles?" Well - you can only imagine my rebuttal there.. hahaha.. which you'd only truly understand if your moral compass is working correctly. This person must have been kidding me/poaching for a strong reaction with this question!

May you have a lovely day & learn something new - it's always fun!

Heidi