Poor tactics. Also, she tempted fate by talking so much about her being faster than the rest of the ladies in a 1500. Just because your 1500 PR is faster, doesn't mean you have to try break it in the last mile of a 5K. Save the speed for the last lap.
This is the only answer. Would be show respect for an NFL team throwing Hail Mary's when they are up by 2 with a minute to go? Then losing because they turn the ball over and the other team kicks a field goal?
.,.., wrote:
I do not respect stupidity. Way to throw away your Olympic spot Ms Lucas.
Seriously, I do respect Lucas for going for the win. In her case and most of the runners in that field, an American championship is probably better than just making it to the Olympics from a weak field and getting destroyed in the opening round. Our three best distance women aren't even going to be on the track at all. Hastings is just outside that top three and she'll be our top female distance runner on the track. The 5000 is sending the C team. So cheers to you Ms Lucas, way to go for the win.
It was her only chance to win, she just didn't have it, the others didn't panic and kept upping the pace, they would have still gotten the A standard, stop repeating the idiotic NBC announcers.
random fan wrote:
And if she doesn't make that big move with 3 laps to go - she makes the team for sure.
She would have been top 3 and everyone else wouldn't have gotten the 'A'.
That was a very poor tactical move on her part. It's a shame. Hopefully she gets another shot in 2016 years, although anything can happen over the next four years.
She could have won the race with far less "guts" and far more "common sense." Just because she went balls to the wall doesn't make her any more deserving of respect than someone who stays within themselves, as Conley did. Conley showed real guts for never giving up on that race.
remember the past wrote:
It was her only chance to win, she just didn't have it, the others didn't panic and kept upping the pace, they would have still gotten the A standard, stop repeating the idiotic NBC announcers.
winning means nothing. making the team is what matters. she had the A and just had to keep the pace over 15:20 pace and beat malloy. pure stupidity.
"""
It was her only chance to win, she just didn't have it, the others didn't panic and kept upping the pace, they would have still gotten the A standard, stop repeating the idiotic NBC announcers.""
~Lucas takes the lead with four laps to go and throws in back to back laps of 69 and 68 seconds. If she doesnt make this move then the pace would be 71's. Her action made everyone in the field start to move hard with four laps to go. What do you mean Conley would have run the "A" standard anyway? What are you smoking? Lets call it for what it is. Lucas pulled a moronic bonehead move..And she doesnt deserve to go to the Olympics because she is too stupid!!
Read more:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=4657619&page=1#ixzz1z9FjKNme
What really screwed her is that it didn't look like the A was possible with a lap left. Culley closed really well and still just barely got it, by I think .02.
Azaleas wrote:
What really screwed her is that it didn't look like the A was possible with a lap left. Culley closed really well and still just barely got it, by I think .02.
Conley?
At least Uhl didn't benefit. I prefer an honest race over a dishonest one. Lucas has my respect. Flanagan and Uhl don't.
Rojo, why do you constantly praise front runners who run idiotic races? She brutally sabotaged her Olympic dream for no good reason.
All empirical evidence suggests that front running and making big moves from way out is a terrible strategy. I hope you don't encourage your own athletes to run crap races because it gets your rocks off.
culley ran 15:13. get your facts right. 3-4-5 all ran 15:19, just under the A. one of the dumbest moves i ever have seen.
Double Dog wrote:Hopefully she gets another shot in 2016 yearsI hate to be a pessimist, but I don't think she'll be alive in the year 4028.
It looks like Julia and her husband have run out of their infamous TESTO-BOOST
I think Lucas certainly deserves all of our sympathy (as does anyone who isn't a child molester, rapist, murderer, doper, or douchebag of absolutely epic proportions who loses out on an Olympic spot in the last 5 meters). If we can't all agree on that, at least, my hope for humanity just took a hit.
I also agree with Rojo that she deserves our respect. While I understand those who say boneheaded moves don't deserve respect, I think we have to put her move in perspective. First, any woman who runs 15:19 deserves our respect for that performance; second, anyone who went from the brink of retirement to nearly making her first Olympic team has clearly rededicated herself to the sport in a way that is commendable; and third, although it's hard to remember with as good a she has been this Spring, this was Lucas's first time really being a contender at a US Championship and dealing with that pressure must be difficult. I don't think someone loses respect for failing to do so well in their first time in a leading role on that big of a stage.
Lucas is excitable, and in her excitement (over thinking she would make her first team and maybe win her first national title) she went too hard from just a little too far out. It was a bad mistake in the way she executed it, sure, but the idea of getting in front of the field to avoid falls and be able to see and cover any moves (especially ones made by other runners who have the A Standard) is a good one.
Hopefully she learns from this mistake and, as a runner who isn't new to this level of performance anymore, applies the lesson at the Trials in 2016 (and also at some US Championships, World Championships, and Diamond league races before then).
Ms Lucas has my respect, too, and I hope she earns some spots on teams and runs some fast times over the rest of her career (which I hope lasts at least through Rio 2016).
London Town wrote:
At least Uhl didn't benefit. I prefer an honest race over a dishonest one. Lucas has my respect. Flanagan and Uhl don't.
Don't you Limeys have enough to worry about with your own team?
horrible tactics.
she could have saved the race by simply falling through the finish line.
she'll never forgive herself.
Ah shit, I meant Conley. Culley Conley, it's all gravy to me.
But my point stands. Lucas probably didn't realize that the A standard was still possible for the other runners.
Julia Lucas post-race interview:
Ian Dobson her husband reacts: