injuries crushing kids wrote:
If this is true about Shelby Houlihan, it reinforces the concept that you should ALWAYS go for fast times and records when you're firing on all cylinders. Shelby was on fire last year and should have kept going after records/times. Then shut it down and hope to do it again if possible....
The problem most runners (including myself!) seem to have is that they have a good string of races/a good season and they think they need to go harder the next year (more miles, faster workout etc) but it's a recipe for injury. If you just keep training without interruption you improve. Kipchoge is a great example of this.
Alan Webb ran his 800m, 1500m, and mile PB within less than a month of each other. Then fizzled and we all know the rest.
Jager should have chased sub 8:00 after he tripped and missed the mark and not assumed he would get it the next year.
It's hard, but runners should understand they may not recreate the form they're in ever again.
All great points. If someone has been an ultra elite freak all their life, then it doesn't matter. They can assume next year and be correct. But for the vast majority they need to cherish and take maximum advantage of that short peak window. Too many of them think late blooming status due to hard work is suddenly the equivalent of someone with that incredible raw ability.
They don't understand applied odds. That's another problem. When Jager stumbled over that last barrier he probably assumed he was favored to break 8 minutes multiple times the remainder of his career. Meanwhile the odds reset and don't particularly care about your one near miss. Odds don't change appreciably unless it's demonstrated numerous times, just like slow-creeping power ratings for a sports team.