Anonymous Pseudonym wrote:
Shalane was never going to beat Jeptoo yesterday
Agreed. Jeptoo was in PERFECT shape and no other female runner would have been able to beat her, not even from the London field. 2:18 in Boston is just "off the chart" and would easily convert to a 2:17 on a flat/rabbit course.
That would make her 2nd only to Paula.
Would love to see what Jeptoo can do in Berlin or Dubai.
As for Shalane: had she known what kind of shape Jeptoo was in, she would have probably not tried.
Similar strategy but the big difference - Meb got separation and isolation. Once he's out there and then forces the pace, the pack eventually has to abandon their race and chase him down, especially when he built up the gap. I did think he would keep Boit as a partner until the hills, but maybe he just couldn't hold the pace. In any case, he's narrowed down the field that he has to race against. Simply better odds to push the pace early with 1 or 2 others and then try to hang on. Meb is tough, ran a great strategy for that.
Shalane put's the odds against her. She forces the pace also, but 6-7 are just following her. They keep whatever strategy they have until much later in the race. They just autopilot till the hills, saving that precious bit of mental and physical energy. She get's there with that many others, and there's going to be at least 2 who surge. Impressive she holds it together for a PR.
Dennis Reynolds II wrote:
You were so courageous to take the lead. Perhaps your tummy was not feeling to good. On another day you would have won. You go girl!
stupid thread
It is hard for people who are not elite athletes to understand how badly these people want to win. They want to win like you want to breathe. Shalane does not care about "good enough" or a PR or a "smart race" or even "giving her best." She cares about winning and if she does not win then she is not satisfied. It's a tough spot to be in when racing against Jeptoo et al.
Shalane spoke honestly when she said "I wish I were better." I think her day may yet come and I'm not in any way critical of her. I'm just trying explain why she would do so well by others' standards but still be near tears at what she considered a failure.
She talked too much before the race. Boston strong blah blah blah. She ran over her head and paid for it.
madmandoc wrote:
It is hard for people who are not elite athletes to understand how badly these people want to win. They want to win like you want to breathe. Shalane does not care about "good enough" or a PR or a "smart race" or even "giving her best." She cares about winning and if she does not win then she is not satisfied. It's a tough spot to be in when racing against Jeptoo et al.
Shalane spoke honestly when she said "I wish I were better." I think her day may yet come and I'm not in any way critical of her. I'm just trying explain why she would do so well by others' standards but still be near tears at what she considered a failure.
Her main goal was to yak-a-lot before the race about what a badass she is, how she f___s____up. Her secondary goal was to get lots of TV time by leading in a hopeless cause. Her third goal was to hope for a miraculous win, but she knew deep down that she trains her legs a lot less than she runs her mouth.
[quote]madmandoc wrote:
It is hard for people who are not elite athletes to understand how badly these people want to win. They want to win like you want to breathe."
What a ridiculous, gross generalization. Who wrote that? Anderson Cooper?
How do you even measure that? I'm sure some care very much. Some not so much. Some happy to be getting paid.
How about the beer drinking, fried chicken eating Red Sox of two years ago? How about JaMarcus Russell? He really wanted it, huh?
I could go on and on.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.