Jenny Simpson takes down BMart, Kate Grace, Houlihan, Kaela Edwards and more at 2017 Drake Relays

rojo wrote:

I can't believe people are complaining about the times.

You've co-operated this website for how many years and the obligatory static from the masses still surprises you? Really?

If one of these women had run 3:58, in the same nasty weather, the narrative from 90% of the posters would be a combination of "peaking too early" and "PEDs!" while the other 10% would gamely be cheering her on and predicting even better things come summer. That is the culture that LRC, while not necessarily promoting, has for whatever reason hosted ever since its inception.

Lickety Split wrote:

- Tracking ... from 1st to 10th: a lot of courage demonstrated by 6-10 to beat the Olympians (Simpson, Martinez) ... NOT!

If you want to beat the 3rd fastest American ever at the distance (JS) along with someone who has run 4:00.x (BM), your best chance is with a slower more tactical race. Maybe you get the jump on them, maybe they get boxed ... lots of things can happen in a big field sprint to the finish. But if it's a fast time-trialish race, then you're basically hoping that either JS/BM are out of shape or that you pull a big PR out of your ass (in April).

TrackCoach wrote:

rojo wrote:

Everyone was there. I can't believe people are complaining about the times. It was a very exciting race. If you turned it on with 150 to go, you go exactly what you wanted. all of the big players on each other's shoulders going after it.

Would have been more exciting if they ran faster, by all accounts that should have been a faster race. The best middle distance runners in the U.S. in a non championship race should have been in the single digits under just about all circumstances.

Coach:

- That's what I'm trying to get after ....

- Everybody's talking about "Brave Kaela" taking it out hard and finishing with a 4:38 (converted) tonight. ... yet last month she ran 4:34 indoors at NCAAs.

- Shelby Houlihan 4:45.18 at USATF Nationals last month at Altitude Albuerqure and a 4:36 (converted) tonight

- Was it the weather or the USA Men's 1500m/Mile Disease? Just trying to bracket ....

Lickety Split wrote:

- Tracking ... from 1st to 10th: a lot of courage demonstrated by 6-10 to beat the Olympians (Simpson, Martinez) ... NOT!

If you want to beat the 3rd fastest American ever at the distance (JS) along with someone who has run 4:00.x (BM), your best chance is with a slower more tactical race. Maybe you get the jump on them, maybe they get boxed ... lots of things can happen in a big field sprint to the finish. But if it's a fast time-trialish race, then you're basically hoping that either JS/BM are out of shape or that you pull a big PR out of your ass (in April).[/quote]

- If I'm going after JS & BM in their 1st 1500 of the year, with no indoors, & coming off of altitude then your darn right I'm hammering from the get-go. They go anaerobic soonest versus latest! [quote]GeezYouPeople wrote:

GeezYouPeople wrote:

Lickety Split wrote:

- Tracking ... from 1st to 10th: a lot of courage demonstrated by 6-10 to beat the Olympians (Simpson, Martinez) ... NOT!

If you want to beat the 3rd fastest American ever at the distance (JS) along with someone who has run 4:00.x (BM), your best chance is with a slower more tactical race. Maybe you get the jump on them, maybe they get boxed ... lots of things can happen in a big field sprint to the finish. But if it's a fast time-trialish race, then you're basically hoping that either JS/BM are out of shape or that you pull a big PR out of your ass (in April).

- If I'm going after JS & BM in their 1st 1500 of the year, with no indoors, & coming off of altitude then your darn right I'm hammering from the get-go. They go anaerobic soonest versus latest!

Lickety Split wrote:

- If I'm going after JS & BM in their 1st 1500 of the year, with no indoors, & coming off of altitude then your darn right I'm hammering from the get-go. They go anaerobic soonest versus latest!

Two of them (not counting BM) finished within 0.6 seconds of JS. The first 10 finishers were all within about 2.5 seconds. So the tactics of the field did, in fact, make it a close race.

But sure, I suppose it is possible that you have a better sense of racing tactics than all 10 of the women who were fine with a slower pace in this particular race. Maybe they're all just dumb cowards instead of a courageous smart person like you.

rojo wrote:

The fact that Charlene Lipsey got 5th should make the 800 runners shutter.

I'm not the only one impressed.

https://twitter.com/AjeeW/status/858136147171696644

- Why? because last month's 1000m National Indoor champion in Albuquerque

....

* was 5th in this field? an additional 500 meters is that big of a deal?

* was 5 seconds slower than her February indoor PR at the Armory?

* other than Brenda, the only pure 800 meter runner in the race but closed in one of the SLOWEST last 400 meters in the field?

rojo wrote:

The fact that Charlene Lipsey got 5th should make the 800 runners shutter.

Shutter what? Their doors, so that Lipsey doesn't blow them off in their next 800?

simpson and Bmart shorts look ridiculous

This is Drake. That means that they are offering a LOT of prize money for first place. Middle distance runners in America rarely get such a chance, which is why so many top runners are there. That means they are all going for the win and they will not pace the other runners to draft off of them. That is why you get a very slow race. Plus, Jenny is not going to want to push the pace the whole way months before she's in top shape, so that is why this time differs so much from what she usually runs at the Trials.

Uh, maybe they would "shudder", not "shutter". Yikes.

Would have been more exciting if they ran faster, by all accounts that should have been a faster race. The best middle distance runners in the U.S. in a non championship race should have been in the single digits under just about all circumstances.[/quote]

No athlete wants to peak and run fast in April.

To another poster, I also dislike the odd green color...

"If I'm going after JS & BM in their 1st 1500 of the year, with no indoors, & coming off of altitude then your darn right I'm hammering from the get-go"

I'd sure hammer them both from the get go!

pert wrote:

simpson and Bmart shorts look ridiculous

agreed. they should have taken them off before the race

zxczvxcvxzc wrote:

This is Drake. That means that they are offering a LOT of prize money for first place. Middle distance runners in America rarely get such a chance, which is why so many top runners are there. That means they are all going for the win and they will not pace the other runners to draft off of them. That is why you get a very slow race. Plus, Jenny is not going to want to push the pace the whole way months before she's in top shape, so that is why this time differs so much from what she usually runs at the Trials.

- Did not know this .... thank you ... now I understand better

- Maybe Drake should weight the prize money on times or based on splits (5th Avenue) to encourage athletes to get after it. As I've posted before, for both Jenny and Brenda, this was their 1st race of the year & their coming off altitude so a tactical race played to their strengths versus a sustained anaerobic effort.

I'm all for the sexy shorts but would be ok if they just took them off. Simpson and Martinez would make a great tag team in my humble opinion.

Just watched the race on NBCSN.

Kate Grace was too far back with 200 to go. Pretty much back of the entire field. Had to run too hard from 200 to 100 to go.

Asbel Kiprop even learned this lesson finally at the Olympics. In a slow race, it's almost impossible to win if you are way behind with a lap to go.

pert wrote:

simpson and Bmart shorts look ridiculous

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that the NB kit this year is weird. I love Jenny and Brenda but agree that those shorts are a little odd.

Hasn't anyone on here ever raced? If I was in a race in those conditions I would not break the wind for the Olympians for three laps. I would trust my speed training for the last lap and try to be in position coming into the last lap. By the way ain't no way in a men's race Jenny cuts through two runners to get to to the lead going into the last lap. Had they kept her boxed in then it is anybody's race. Sounds like smart racing to me.