Valby running steeple?

Yes, you are. Valerie Constien, 2021 Olympian in the steeple and 2023 USATF Indoor 3000m champion.

Okay, consider it a sustained peak. I don’t read too much into those ‘slight’ LACCTIC differences between the races.

That’s her; forgot her name, and didn’t see her in last summer’s results.

That’s going to be a tuff team to make.

Val Constein

Plus at least one new collegian will most likely be in the mix (Olivia last year, Wayment the year before)

I know she is hurt, but I always thought Chmiel should try the steeple. I guess she’s more of a 5/10 runner, but she just looks so athletic and strong during cross. It’s crazy to me her highest NCAA Champs finish is cross instead of track, where the bodies are more spread out (1500, 5k, 10k, steeple).

Might be Lexi Halliday from BYU. Placed 8th at USAs this year and ran 9:31. Not saying she will be competing for the team, but if she improves over the next 9 months, sub-9:20 is possible

Her best rating was 14:49 at SEC champs. In her interview after Nats she said SEC champs was her hardest effort of the season. That was probably due to Lemngole passing her at 4K.

Unsure what point you are trying to male. She won nationals and ran her best race of the season there. She looked fresh after the race. This site's favorite got dropped and went to the medical tent. Valby didn't go to the well to win while Tuohy went so deep that she required medical attention. It is clear that Valby is living a healthier lifestyle.

Also, in post-race interviews, both the Alabama and Arkansas coaches mentioned the conditions were warm; Valby also said it was warmer than Florida. (I wonder whether the power-plants in the vicinity engender a micro-climate.)

I’d say Valby looked her strongest at Nuttycombe. So composed in the bad weather and just pulled away and didn’t look physically stressed at all.

Her other dominant performances, she had more tells. SEC she was grimacing/form slightly falling apart, Regionals wasn’t an all out effort, but doris gained a lot at the end and NCAAs she claimed to have a side stitch and it was backed up with positive splits over the last 2k + Doris again closed 10 seconds.

With all that being pointed out, those performances were amazing. You could tell she was going for broke when she was on the course. I just personally thought she looked ridiculously good at Nuttycombe.

It was only 62° which is warm-ish for a championships I guess. Thorvaldsen said the weather was perfect. But compared to last year's 27° ... warm.

No need to get defensive. She did pick up a side-stitch at Natty’s (first time in like forever), and had to sit down to recover more than usual.

Nutty and Natty’s were both brilliant!

Sliding down on the inside, to take ‘the high hill’ on that first turn of Natty’s, like a bounding deer, was so exciting to watch!

Orton doesn't steeple. She is 1500m / 5k (5k likely).

Marissa Howard has the standard, Boreman and Jennings could be factors

Colleen Quigley might return, and perhaps Constien if recovered from injury. She beat Valby over 3k last winter in 8:41 and won the US Indoor 3k title at altitude.

Constien is good but I see Valby as someone that could equal her times in the 1500 & 3000. I'm mentioning the 1500 because someone mentioned it earlier.

Constien's 1500i PR is 4:09ish. I could not find an outdoor 1500 PR for her. She has a 3000 PR of 8:41.77 which she ran at BU last year. More impressive than that 3000 BU time is what she ran at the USATF meet last year. She won in 8:48.29 at altitude in Albuquerque. At an altitude of about 5350 ft, that converts to about a time of 8:31ish. Also, it's on a slower track.

I had forgotten about Markezich. I like her a great deal and she's a hard worker. She has great form now as she showed in the NCAA XC. If she doesn't overdo it and peaks at the right time, she will be another strong contender.

I'm not sold on Coburn. I like her a lot but she seems to be winding down her career. I would like nothing more than to see her make the team and do well but I also don't want to see her fail. I want to see her career end on a high note.

Nobody here is trying to denigrate Valby.

I like Valby & Tuohy a lot for their grittiness and perseverance. That said, Tuohy's reason for getting medical attention had nothing to do with her effort and the reason she was dropped. Getting lost in the fact that Valby ran a great race at the NCAA is the fact that Tuohy also ran a great race. If she hadn't run a great race there would be no Wolfpack three peat.

Thanks. I think training for the steeple can’t hurt in speed development, but seems it always carries an extra injury risk.

Maybe it’s too early to abandon the idea of actually making the 5k team, increasing the slight chance by going all-in? Would that mean altitude training?

Tuff to squeeze it all in with the little time remaining.

Not sure what to make of Frerichs either.

Wayment is the only one I see as a lock for the Oly team.

Yes. The difference between a great race these days for Valby is winning nationals without messing up her makeup while a great rae for Tuohy is going to the medical tent after finishing 5th. They have really seperated.

Frerichs looks strong in a recent Instagram post.

She was at altitude, in Utah.