Chanelle Price: plans to be first female high schooler to run sub 2 min 800m

It's hard to believe someone is trying to downplay a high school female running 2:03.98 as her main season opener!!!

I'm not downplaying anything. The girl is a fantastic talent. She is definitely in 1:59-2:00 shape RIGHT NOW. But to those of us who know, love, compete and coach the event (800m), she (and by proxy, her coach) threw away a possible high school record today. It is easy to say "it's early season", but anyone who knows this sport knows how fickle "next time" can be.

Vipam wrote:

It's hard to believe someone is trying to downplay a high school female running 2:03.98 as her main season opener!!!

I agree with you and she said it as well that 56.3 was faster than she planned for the first 400m. Your speaking to someone who ran the 800m in college and coached high school runners for the event as well.

The fact that you completely ignored early season and attributed her fast pace as a missed opportunity at the HSR shows your either not thinking clearly my friend. Early season means the athlete MORE than likely:

1.) haven't fully tapered off the distance and/or weight training as they would late in the season

2.) isn't engrossed in speedwork

3.) haven't finely tuned her pacing for new fitness

while those things aren't going to magically grant her the HSR those things which come later in the season. Those things will have her ready to better attack the HSR! Early season means alot to those focusing/peaking 2-4 months later.

haha, YO wrote:

She has not made this mistake "over and over again"

Ummm...I'm pretty sure she was doing the exact same thing last year. Going out insanely fast and then dying (relatively speaking).

It's equivalent to a guy running 8:45 for the 2 mile with splits of 3:59/4:44. That's a fast time, but improving the pacing would make the time much faster.

People please that is not the same as a guy running 3:59 and 4:46 (not 4:44) for an 8:45 2 mile nor is it the same as someone else mentioning Alan run 1:49 first 800m of a 1500m. She is ran maybe a second faster than she will be attempting to do in peak form, she admitted she ran the first 400m faster than she planned. Let's not get carried away with the comparisons as she went out faster in her SEASON OPENER and still ran a great time!

She will taper, add speedwork, and peak later this season and be able to better handle such a pace.

Vipam wrote:

that is not the same as a guy running 3:59 and 4:46

Why not. There was a 17% difference between her splits. That's horrible pacing no matter the distance.

Ahha Yo and Vipam why are you two continuing to respond to peoplease when you have clearly revealed the err in his points.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of her season progresses. If 56 feels at all a reasonable opening lap on her opening race then either:

a) She is truly a mutant phenom and will be running 1:56-57 by the Trials

or

b) She is already doing to much speedwork and will be lucky to run in the Trials at all.

Either way, seeing such a talented athlete tie up and gag a 67.x second lap would be too painful for me to watch, no matter how much she won by. Hell, it hurts to even write the splits once more: 56/67.

I stand unequivocally by my first and all subsequent posts.

peoplease wrote:

haha, YO wrote:

She has not made this mistake "over and over again"

Ummm...I'm pretty sure she was doing the exact same thing last year. Going out insanely fast and then dying (relatively speaking).

It's equivalent to a guy running 8:45 for the 2 mile with splits of 3:59/4:44. That's a fast time, but improving the pacing would make the time much faster.

Well, I didn't know that. I still don't think it is as bad as people are making it out to be, the 800 is a tricky event where the top athletes always run positive splits. Sure it was too fast to go out but it was her first race of the season and hopefully she can go out in 58 and maybe come back in a 61 sometime this season. Who knows, it will be fun to watch how she progresses because she is such a huge talent.

You are a sad individual who refuses to accept anything other than your points regardless of how flawed. I see you totally ignore the fact that Chanelle said, "I went out faster than I planned", that she does not routinely go out that fast as you or someone stated in previous posts, and the early season training and peaking plays a big part in not handling such a pace because it was early season. There are 3 facts you continue to ignore just to continue to stand by your flawed point.

Wow she must be doing something right to be 17 years old, senior in high school and run a 2:03.98 season opener and be in the top 15 in the 800m of the 2008 Season World List (not high school or U.S. list).

It's april 20th, did sign sign with a college yet?

ninit wrote:

It's april 20th, did sign sign with a college yet?

Back up tough guy. Summer school first and foremost. Then we can start talking about her chances of getting accepting into community college.

Another poor attempt at humor that fell miserably short. Wannabe runners/couch potatoes attacking those that actually get out and do it- so sad! Chanelle Price is not only an honor roll student she is a far better athlete in High School than you could even possibly dream. So true and now that's funny (ROFLMAO). She is leaning towards The Vols Univ of Tenn.

I'm doing the same thing I ask Vipam and Haha Yo to stop doing. Everyone please ignore any future juvenile posts attacking one of U.S. brightest high school and phenom middle distance talents.

SeattleStomper wrote:

Everyone please ignore any future juvenile posts attacking one of U.S. brightest high school and phenom middle distance talents.

Most of what I've seen here is criticism of her coach, not Chanelle herself. Hopefully she can improve her pacing and get that record.

USATFs she went out too fast... was actually leading at one point. She does this time and time again. Don't act like this was the first time. Just because you do not agree with someone does not make their argument flawed. A kid on my old hs team ran a 2:06 going out in 56. The next week at the state meet he ran a 2:01 going out in 60. He was a freshman, 3rd time running the event. I think her race shows how much potential she has. If this was the first time she did this in then, yes this criticism would be unwarranted, but this is not. She is continuing to race in a way that is not optimal for USATF. What were her splits at NIN? She can qualify for the Olympics if she learned how to race optimally. How many USA women normally run under 2:00 for the 800m?

peoplease wrote:

Vipam wrote:

that is not the same as a guy running 3:59 and 4:46

Why not. There was a 17% difference between her splits. That's horrible pacing no matter the distance.

yeah her pacing was terrible, but the 800 is fundamentally different than a 2 mile. Big positive splits (not 11 second positive splits though, more like 6 or 7) in the 800 are often a good way to run a fast time, but that's not true for any event 1500 on up.

That early pace of 56 is way too fast...that is what that female Kenyan runner went through in the world championships...it is on pace for the world record of 1:53. This would be like a male high schooler coming through in about 49 then running about a 60 second last lap.

She signed with Tennesee.

Various 800m runners have to run the event different to capitalize on their strengths. There will always be those who have to have that fast first 400 (ie Mark Everett, Wilfred Bungei, Jearl Miles Clark, Janet Jepkosgei), even pace runners (Yuriy B, Nick Symmonds), and those that can do it from any pace (Maria Mutola, W. Kipketer).

The fact of the matter is you will find more runners who positive spilt the 800m-faster first 400m compared to 2nd 400m- over any other method of 800m running. Even paced 800m and negative spilt the 800m isn't as easy nor effective for MOST 800m runners rather it's high school, college, or pro!