Native Son,
thank you for your words, but it's difficdult that people not knowing anything about the real facts of Athletics can learn something from you or from myself, because they aere not interesteed in learning, and this is their limitg.
I was the head responsible of Italian Middle distances, from 1987, together with Luciano Gigliotti, and in the periood 2000-2002 (till 31 December) I was the Technical-Scientific Directors of Italian Federation.
I went to Kenya, the first time, in 1998, because responsible for my Federation for Methodological Experimentation and Research, and I wanted to understand the Kenyan reality. Already I was, at that time, official lecturer of IAAF. In 1999, for the IAAF, in Eldoret (in the IOC Camp of Kip Keino), I was the responsible of one of the best stages alkl time arganised by IAAF, with ALL the African Countries sending their 2 best youth (officially.... it was the first time I knew that Passports and real ages in Africa are two different things !) boys and 2 best girls, together with one or two coaches. The camp lasted 18 days, and was wonderful. I divided the athletes in 6 groups (short distances, middle distances and long distances, men and women), and the coaches in 6 groups too. I prepared the training programs for all the groups. In the morning there were the main training session, followed by one group of coaches. In the afternoon the athgletes had very easy run, alone, and with the coaches we stayed in a special room, analysing the training of the morning. From every PARTICULAR training, I went to explain the SPECIFIC EFFECT, in order to understand a correct relation between practice, theory and physiology.
The next day, thge group of coaches following, for example, short distances women, had to follow long distance men. In this way, all the coaches could have a full experience about different types oif training for different events, understanding, for example, that doesn't exist a SHAPE, but a SPECIFIC SHAPE for every distance.
In that camp, I met for the first time Dorcus Inzikuru, that became my athletes together the other Ugandan Martin Toroitich, and athletes as Gebremariam and Defar fgrom Ethiopia, Kifle from Eritrea, Viola Kibiwott of Kenya.
In 2002, after 33 years (I was coach of Italian National Team from 1969...), I was no more happy to work with a Federation without projects, with counsilors arrogant, not knowing athletics but with the presumption to decide, and I left everything.
But, if you have passion for something, because this was what you did all your life, and you don't need to look too much for money (so, you can be mentally free), you try to put your experience at the service of THE BEST situation. If you are a Scientist, for example, coming from an African Country, because you had a special interest in Biology or something else, and you went to University in US, and you were one of the best (don 't forget that mzungus are not more intelligent than black people, or viceversa : in the most part of the cases, the only problem is the opportunity of education that everybody can have when is young), and you want to continue to develop your knowledge doing something better, you cannot go back in your African Country, because there are no structures for your profession, at top level.
The Scientist that discovered the process of atomic scission in US was an Italian, Enrico Fermi, working their because only in US there was the technology for researching this important phenomen.
So, the reality is that, in our Counties, is now very difficult to find people with good talent INTERESTED in running, and, believe me, in Africa too our sport is going to die. Look at a Kenyan newspaper : now there are a lot of news about motors, rallies, soccer, tennhis and other sports (this is good), because the type of life is changing everywhere. The final goal of people is to have machines working FOR them, reducing the level of fatigue. But running is fatigue, and you need a specific mentality (hard with yourself) and a specific activity when you are young, in order to become a good athlete.
About your questions, these are my answers :
a) Songok : I see him in training with Brother Colm 2-3 days a week. He's always with Choge. He had problems last year, when during winter didn't run a good mileage, due to some physical desease. Now is ok (already ran 13'06"), and I think can be competitive already for trials.
b) Moses Mosop is out for this track season. He had tendon problems, changed manager, was confused and lost time. I received a call from him while running this post. We start the new preparation next Tuesday and, if everything will be ok, I think he can compete in some road race from the end of October. In any case,. Moses is an athlete yet young, and I think can come back to top level for next year.
c) Shaheen lost more than one year with a problem in his right knee, that could bring him to a very damageous surgery. We preferred toi stop completely any activity for 6 months, going in Europe for curing with dr. Muller-Wohlfahrt in Munich (where we found Asafa Powell and a lot of other top athletes) and with Gerard Hartmann in Limerick, Ireland (also Martin Matathi Irangu and Paula Radclifee were there). Now is completely ok, but of course his training is not yet aggressive, because we must follow a correct progression in growing volume and intensity. I cannot be sure about his result in Olympic, but I can be sure that next year can be again the Shaheen of before, may be strongest because he added to his training also exercises of stabilization before unknown.