Even though there's still a few months left in the year I've already started thinking ahead to next year and what I'd like to see America's distance studs do. Next summer there's no Olympics and no World Champs. The only thing they need to focus on is running fast. So here's what I'd like to see:
February - Everybody shows up for the World Cross Trials. Teg, Ritz, Rupp, Lagat, Webb, Solinsky, Abdi, Meb, Fernandez, Derrick, Hall, Fam and even Evan Jager. Flanagan, Willard, Barringer, Kastor, Goucher, Yoder-Begley, Wurth-Thomas, and Rhines. I know I left a lot of names out, but this gives a good idea of how stacked the races could be.
March - The top finishers from the trials run World Cross. If our best go I see the men finishing at least 3rd and the women winning.
April - Ritz, Meb, Abdi, Hall, Goucher, Kastor, and Davila run Boston. It's about time an American wins.
May - An American record attempt at 10,000 at Stanford. Rabbits for the men setting up a 27:10 pace, and 30:15 for the women. Rupp, Teg, Solinsky, Fam, and any of the guys who didn't run Boston - maybe even Lagat. Flanagan, Yoder-Begley, Rhines, and any of the women who didn't do Boston.
June-July - the Americans descend on Europe to race the Africans. And none of this "straight to the back" crap when the race starts. They get out there and run in the front pack with the Kenyans and Ethiopians. If the pace is slow, go to the front and push. NCAA "sit and kick" tactics don't allow you to run fast, and don't win races in Europe. To paraphrase Teg, don't go there to puss out. The result? AR's for the men in the 5,000, 3,000, and 1,500. Women's AR's in the 5,000, 3,000, steeple, and 1,500.
August - Rupp, Ritz, Teg, Lagat, and Abdi run the 10,000 in Brussels. Push the AR under 27:00.
October - AR shot at Chicago. Hall, Ritz, Meb, and Abdi shoot for 2:05:00. Kastor, Goucher, and debuting Flanagan and Yoder-Begley shoot for 2:18:00.
It could be a very good year!