I 100% am a fan of GDS for reasons unrelated to Shelby. The 2019 season was such a fun one to watch and it was awesome seeing her hang with the heavy hitters and smash national records left and right. As others have said she has had a brutal couple of years and her getting anywhere near her best now is great to see.
I would say that 4:03 in late May in a comeback in a lower level field is actually very promising when World's isn't until mid-September. I could totally see a 4:03 runner at this point hit sub-4 in June and get close to 3:56 or better at World's.
You're as bad as that Ghost poster or nyc_vibes poster, pimping mediocrity like it's something novel. She's alright, she'll probably even make a national team, but will be lucky just to make an international final at this point.
She's GD MF S.
Maybe you haven't followed along since 2016?
Even if she retired tomorrow, what she has done in running is history making.
By Canadian distance running standards, she is indeed way up there, with 6th at worlds, 5th at Olympics, and the North American 1500 m indoor record (breaking Shalane's). There is only a handful with a better or comparable resume in the last 10 years (e.g. Ahmed, Levins, Bishop come to mind). I hope that's only the beginning of a great comeback.
Even if she retired tomorrow, what she has done in running is history making.
By Canadian distance running standards, she is indeed way up there, with 6th at worlds, 5th at Olympics, and the North American 1500 m indoor record (breaking Shalane's). There is only a handful with a better or comparable resume in the last 10 years (e.g. Ahmed, Levins, Bishop come to mind). I hope that's only the beginning of a great comeback.
Ooops - 5000 m record of course. Plus a couple of national records, obviously.
To answer your question, 5 Americans have already run faster than her this year along with her sister. I think you’re living in a pre super shoe era… it’s 28th in the world this year.
To answer your question, 5 Americans have already run faster than her this year along with her sister. I think you’re living in a pre super shoe era… it’s 28th in the world this year.
Oh The Humanity!!!
It's terrible. 5 Americans. 28th in the World.
Gabs...it's over.
(I hope you can sense the sarcasm.)
4:03 is a brilliant return to form for GDS. I can't wait to see what she does in 2025.
I don’t see how this is any different other than that she was training and racing at sea level and local races in Canada hence the slow times.
In terms of her 3000m that’s what she been running most of the times. I don’t see how this is a comeback at all. It’s a good step forward but not the shape she used to have running 3:56-14:31
Dude....she has been through a rough period. She has run nowhere near these times for quite a while. 2-3 years maybe.
THIS (4:03) IS A MAJOR COMEBACK.
Sheesh. Tough crowd, this LR.
4:03 for a 3:56 runner isn't a "major comeback". It only says she is still running. It's like a grand slam tennis champion who, after a break, has made it through the first round of a lower level tournament.
Most people will have no idea what those initials stand for. Even Canadians.
4:03.00 is good, possible 3:56.00-3:58.00 by September. Good luck.
Est-ce qu'elle parle Français/Québécois ?
She does speak French, but she's an anglophone. Lots of people who learn French in school still struggle with the Québecois accent and slang.
You're right, I was a French teacher in Ontario many years ago. Most Ontario students hated French class. Same deal when I taught English in Québec to Francophones.
Canada is officially a bilingual country but the reality is very different.
When you force (language ) curriculum on students, they don't like it. French class in Ontario was the "goof off class" where students, mostly, disrespected the teacher and class ..few exceptions, high stress.
Dude....she has been through a rough period. She has run nowhere near these times for quite a while. 2-3 years maybe.
THIS (4:03) IS A MAJOR COMEBACK.
Sheesh. Tough crowd, this LR.
4:03 for a 3:56 runner isn't a "major comeback". It only says she is still running. It's like a grand slam tennis champion who, after a break, has made it through the first round of a lower level tournament.
No!!!
When you've been struggling for 3+ years, running nowhere near 4:03, then 4:03 is indeed a major comeback.
I was a 3:57.9 guy once. Whenever I ran 4:03-4:05 I knew that I was doing ok. I knew that I was "in the zone".
And the funniest thing about all of these arguments is...look what Gabs herself posted!!! I think I'll live by her words in this, thank you very much.
4:03 for a 3:56 runner isn't a "major comeback". It only says she is still running. It's like a grand slam tennis champion who, after a break, has made it through the first round of a lower level tournament.
No!!!
When you've been struggling for 3+ years, running nowhere near 4:03, then 4:03 is indeed a major comeback.
I was a 3:57.9 guy once. Whenever I ran 4:03-4:05 I knew that I was doing ok. I knew that I was "in the zone".
And the funniest thing about all of these arguments is...look what Gabs herself posted!!! I think I'll live by her words in this, thank you very much.
Congrats GDS!!!
(I have made my point in this thread. Cheers.)
Based on the quality of all of your comments I've read on this site, I'm shocked you have had some quality in your running. 3:57 is pretty solid, that's about a 4:15 mile? Nice running from one of the kings of bad takes on this site.
Depends on how you qualify a comeback. Seeing lots of people saying 4:03 isn't a comeback for someone who has run 3:56 which is true.
But at the same time, this is someone who couldn't break 4:15 for love nor money and ran 4:23 *twice* last year (for the 1500m not the mile!). Always liked GDS but definitely thought she was cooked and her career was over. This meet was the same weekend as Sound Running Track Fest - last year she raced there and finished DFL and went 4:23 there.
That she ran a 4:03 solo as her first 1500m of the season was not something anyone was predicting.
Her season opener vs eventual season best the years she broke 4:
2019 - 4:01 + 3:56
2021 - 4:10 + 3:58
2022 - 4:03 + 3:58
Kazimierska and Mackay were both sub 4 and Olympic finalists last year and went 4:03 at Sound Running this past weekend too, so a respectable opener.
Interesting article on the LR homepage that has some comments from her on her training.
“Like in January, coming off an illness and an Achilles injury where I was in awful shape, we started at just 10x100m in 15-16 seconds, and slowly built out those reps over months. Next week, I did a combination of 100m and 200m reps at goal pace, then just 200s, and then eventually 300s. If I were doing a 1500 session, I was never doing a rep long enough that I couldn’t hold that goal pace of 4:00 during the rep. We still kept the rest relatively short, but the most important thing was nailing the pace,” she added.
“We’ve taken the same approach to top speed, building out strides from 50m to 60m, to 100m, 150m, then 200m, etcetera. Only after being able to hit an all-out 200 at 26.9s did I do my first proper lactic-buffering speed session. So, I only just did my first hard/sub-60 400 last week.”
A different approach. Reminds me a bit of how Jess Hull said she would run 400m reps in 62 and start with 3min recovery but by the end of the season she could do it of 60s or something.
Would be interested to see how she'd have done in the Rabat Diamond League or any other race where the next best runner wasn't 5 seconds behind her.
4:03 for a 3:56 runner isn't a "major comeback". It only says she is still running. It's like a grand slam tennis champion who, after a break, has made it through the first round of a lower level tournament.
No!!!
When you've been struggling for 3+ years, running nowhere near 4:03, then 4:03 is indeed a major comeback.
I was a 3:57.9 guy once. Whenever I ran 4:03-4:05 I knew that I was doing ok. I knew that I was "in the zone".
And the funniest thing about all of these arguments is...look what Gabs herself posted!!! I think I'll live by her words in this, thank you very much.
Congrats GDS!!!
(I have made my point in this thread. Cheers.)
4:03 several years later says nothing about whether she can do 3:56 again. If she gets near that time, that would be a "major comeback".