what is the "1" distance that shows overall ability?

no its not. asafa is dying for 3 laps, while tergat all out is dying for maybe the last one if at all. why is that fair? it isn't. its better to let asafa BLOW out the first lap of an 800 in some crazy time, like 46 and come back in like a 70. meanwhile tergat would run 57-57 and it would be a kicking match the last 50. would be very entertaining to watch, but will never happen *sigh*

I guess it really depends on whether your goal is to find a "fair" race for 100m runners vs marathoners. If that's the case, it should be something like the 800m. But if you're comparing a miler to a marathoner, obviously the 800m it going to be a massacre and something like the 3k or 5k would be a better comparison.

thats why for middle distance and distance types they will race the second 800. the sprinters will just jog the second 800. I think its a good system. not only will you find out who's the best at what, but you will know who's the toughest, who's the most consistent, who recovers the fastest, all things essential for distance running. you'll also find the ballsy-type sprinters, although they won't last long on the second 800.

i agree. the perfect distance for fitness and competion comparison.

Your mile PR is 4:27 and you closed a mile in 55 one time? What the hell did you run for the first 3 laps....6 minutes?

71 second pace i believe were the splits for the first 3 laps. btw that was not a pr.

pr was set when running EXACTLY 67 pace.

No way it can be 800m, not even the mile. I don't know the answer. But I would go something closer to the 2 mile or 3k. Speed, strength, endurance = overall ability = overall running talent.

theres not a single race that shows overall talent. remember, there are 3 energy systems, not 2. the only thing having a race in a certain event shows who is he the better runner in that event that day. theres is nothing that shows "talent." talent is not a factor that can be measured. you said you close a mile in 55s 430 miler... what were your splits and overall time? if youre really a 430 miler and can close a mile in 55, youre in the wrong event....

It's the 800, unless you want to try the 400-meter hurdles.

The 200 meters probably is actually the best barometer for a distance runner choosing their events. I think this notion was also professed by Lydiard. He purposed that an athlete with 22 speed had the ability to train and become a world class 800. Furthermore, he suggested the slower the inherent 200 meter speed the longer the distance you shoul;d focus on. Granted, we also need to keep in mind he was coaching world class runners. But the main point is that all distaces above 200, even the 400, invovle endurance. Therefore, pure natural abilty cannot be discovered because everyone has had different training/conditioning backgrounds. The 200 is ideal because the start isn't as crucial as in the 100 and you don't it really doesn't involve much endurance. You get the full acceleration and you don't tire until the very end. (granted we are speaking of runners so naturally they will have the fitness to maintain form for 200meters.)

71 second pace i believe were the splits for the first 3 laps. btw that was not a pr. (this was a bad race)

pr was set when running EXACTLY 67 pace.

heres my strategy, go out 67, maintain that, surge lap 3, always finish 427-428 zone. my goal this next track season, though it may be high, will be to go under 420.

i also want to get well under 10:00 every race. atleast 956's. consistently.

Just one more point. I am not saying that anyone who can run a fast 200 can become a great runner. After all, some of us are sprinters by nature, while others are better suited for the distances. Howver, if you were studying a group of mid distance guys with similar PR's and had them run a 200 meter time trial, some of the slower guys can actually be superior to the top middle distance runners. In my opinion, that suggests that these athletes are underdeveloped and have the talent to become even greater than the runners who are considered superior at the presaent time. This is similar to the NFL combime. These athletes are tested in terms of pure statistics on a range of athletic abilities. The players who highlight the combine aren't always the best players becuase athletics carries a widfe range of implications such as being mentally tough, and having a strong work ethic. But coaches like to see the pure ability of their athletes so they can develop the real potential of some of these athlets. For instance Bryan Berryhill ran 48 and 151 in high school. He wasn't even a miler. But it would be absurd to even suggest that a 415 miler running 155 and 51 in high school would always be better than say Berryhill's 418. Speed trials and compennets that measure an athle's max potential are very relevant. I think the 200 is the best mediator to dtermine speed of a "middle distance runner."

definitely the 3k. every single long distance guy gets eaten up over 800 (and holy shit did someone say 400!??!?!) by anyone with decent legspeed. you can still be a tremendously talented runner and not be able to run a 52 400 or a 155 800.

the 3k, however, if run all out, reaches much closer to the ultimate capacity for an individual...although i'd be willing to compromise with a 2k.

the430miler wrote:correlation/combination of speed and endurance.

I love how you use two words with a slash when you're really not sure which one to use. Hint: it's combination. Correlation, if you want to know, is something completely different.

The 40

Pro scouts don't care how fast your mile is they only care about te 40. When being timed for the 40 it should only be hand timed and you should cheat up-5-25 yards.

[quote]the430miler wrote:

71 second pace i believe were the splits for the first 3 laps. btw that was not a pr. (this was a bad race)

pr was set when running EXACTLY 67 pace.

quote]

if you went 71,71,71,55, then you ran under 4:30, nearly for certain. if you can run those splits, you should definately be able to run 4 sub 65's in a row. im calling bs on your 71-71-71-55 race.