We merged two threads on the same topic and combined the thread titles although the first thread wasn't posed as a question. It was posted as statement: "Put a fork in Joe Klecker"
Klecker 8th place in 1:01:34 at the USATF half marathon champs. There’s no way you can spin this result. Absolutely terrible outcome. What does he do now? Given his size, I’d predict he’ll only be worse in the Marathon. Doesn’t have the kick or ability to be a contender on the track. Where does he go from here? Or I guess the better question is, how much are sponsors willing to pay him on his next contract? Luckily for him, I’m guessing he has a few years left. I wouldn’t give him more than $80k/year when his contract is up
Tbh I wouldn’t be mad at all making $80k a year to get to race and train as my job lol. do you guys think most athletes of his caliber are making 80k base or better? not a bad situation to be in at all..to get to do what you love, get paid that much for doing it, and not have to work a typical 9-5 imo
What kind of rent can you afford for $80K in CO or the east coast? A grown man with roommates? Running every day? Having to race when you're not up to it because agent said so? Feeling like crap but having to go out for a 15mile run because coach said so? and run again later that day? Sorry, but that isn't exactly a glamorous life. Its like everyone envying corporate people who get to travel all over the world - and in reality it gets old after the first year.
Tbh I wouldn’t be mad at all making $80k a year to get to race and train as my job lol. do you guys think most athletes of his caliber are making 80k base or better? not a bad situation to be in at all..to get to do what you love, get paid that much for doing it, and not have to work a typical 9-5 imo
What kind of rent can you afford for $80K in CO or the east coast? A grown man with roommates? Running every day? Having to race when you're not up to it because agent said so? Feeling like crap but having to go out for a 15mile run because coach said so? and run again later that day? Sorry, but that isn't exactly a glamorous life. Its like everyone envying corporate people who get to travel all over the world - and in reality it gets old after the first year.
I'm sure he is making more than 80K in base salary. He owns a home in the SW part of Longmont, CO. Home prices in that area start at 800K. It's a very non diverse area if you know I mean. No one and I mean no one can afford to live in that part of town making 80K a year.
We can’t voice opinions on the sport unless we are better than him? Do you hold that same logic for NBA, NFL, etc?
You can voice whatever opinion you want. Just realize that when you say a guy who ran 1:01 is done, what are you saying about yourself? Your opinion tells me more about you than it does about him.
The same is true of people who voice opinions about the NBA or NFL.
15 years ago 61 minutes was top end world class. Times have improved where now 59-60 minutes isn’t regarded as top tier. I quite like Klecker but even on a fast course he is finishing up to a kilometre behind the winner.
I knew the letsrun jackals would be out in full force, not unlike the right-wing and russian trolls on a Zelensky thread. Even then, the vitrol on page 1 alone is incredibly strong. I bet the majority these guys have PRs of 1:24 or slower but think they're god's gift to running.
Some people can. I earn $95K per year. I have my house paid off which is worth $1.2M I have almost $2M in my 401K. I could move to Longmont today and sell my house here and pay cash for a very nice house.
Some people can. I earn $95K per year. I have my house paid off which is worth $1.2M I have almost $2M in my 401K. I could move to Longmont today and sell my house here and pay cash for a very nice house.
Except he doesn't have a previous house and equity. Huge difference
Sick of these arrogant OAC people constantly promoting themselves and their workouts. Where do they get their inflated egos from? Oh yeah- Ritz who thinks his s doesn’t stink either. At this point you just have to laugh at their narcissism
Wow, you must have some personal connection to them to have this level of bitterness. Sad for you.
OTOH Alex Maier looked like a boss the last couple of miles. Considering Taylor Roe's win also, it looks like the Craggs/Puma know what they are doing right now.
Clayton Young made an Olympic team in the marathon last year. Why would we be putting him out to pasture? Or are you just equating two runners who have made wildly different claims while putting up wildly different results over the past two years?
He’s only 28. He should go back to running 10k on the track.
He needs to stick to the roads. His training got derailed from hamstring issues after doing 200s. He needs to keep at it and do more sessions all at half marathon pace or faster like: 6-8 mile tempos, 15 x 1k 6 x 1 mile, 4 x 2 mile, 3 x 5k, 2 x 4 mile
the kind of stuff mantz does all the time and Klecker really hasn’t done at all
ritz gets too cute with it. Ritz needs to think less about cute sh*t like neuromuscular development and aerobic development etc and more about: he’s trying to get Klecker to run 4:3x pace for 13.1 miles.
Now I think they were getting to that this time around but shoulda got there earlier and he doesn’t need to do 200s at that pace.
Ritz had Klecker to one workout where it was like 6 mile tempos on the dirt roads at 5+ pace, then a 2 mile on the track in 9:10ish and then one mile in 4:2x pace.
that workout should’ve been: 4 mile tempo at 4:44 or faster followed by fast 2 mile then fast mile.
Or when’s the last time Klecker has done anything like this?
very interesting.
Ritz after all did train with Al Sal the mad scientist with so so IQ
I'm under the impression that Ritz isn't the type to go into the grey area and isn't happy with Sal, and some of his shenanigans, at the end of it.
I like the aw shucks low key Ritz coach thing, if it ever existed, and then he comes off as some kind of a big deal coach, if that take even exists.
with 200's and quality work, well, if you're pressing 430 mile pace workouts and mileage and not recovering very well, challenging speed repeats is looking for trouble, which may or may not be the case.
Technology and hacks are great, and over coaching and over thinking, that negates.
With the half, certainly repeats at race pace of a mile to five miles is the specific work. Big fan of a lot of easy full recovery fast strides, not done on heavy legs of course, that is to recruit some fast twitch and not catabolize them.
Then you want the full tank of gas come race time, which is peaking, which is something really to focus on with your athlete,
Ritz was personally terrible or erratic in coming to the line with the full tank, of course he's not the worst, as he was a top runner with nice results. except he left it in training for sure with the marathon.
At the end of the day, if you have a great runner and luck, and don't do anything real stupid, you will be a great coach.
you do want that and with sophisticated cross training techniques, or rather well informed and focused. that's next level.
mixing and matching with tough long distance training out of the blue, that's a recipe for disaster, and I think that's what a poster meant by being too cute. though of course from afar, I have no idea what is really going on.
Peter Coe got Coe to the next level, but he was dealing with a young fellow, and when Coe was doing depth jumps, and what not, the guy more quality than quantity, was fit and trained and prepared for explosive movements,
and for aerobic development, the "next" level is to do other forms beside running for a percentage to avoid over use, degeneration.
if you had a top of mount Everest simulation gas mask, just walking on a tread mill will give 5 minute/mile aerobic stress. these are the hacks
You can voice whatever opinion you want. Just realize that when you say a guy who ran 1:01 is done, what are you saying about yourself? Your opinion tells me more about you than it does about him.
The same is true of people who voice opinions about the NBA or NFL.
15 years ago 61 minutes was top end world class. Times have improved where now 59-60 minutes isn’t regarded as top tier. I quite like Klecker but even on a fast course he is finishing up to a kilometre behind the winner.
So what time did you run? If 1:01 isn't anything special these days, surely you're running faster than that, right?
This logic is so bad. “What are you saying about yourself?” No one is paying him to run, genius. And he also didn’t claim to be gunning for the American record in the half. We are all allowed to discuss and criticize professional athletes. They are paid to run for our entertainment. Part of that entertainment is discussion and criticism. Do we always know what we are talking about? Of course not. But there’s no reason for you to make a half-arsed dig at the poster who never claimed to be a notable runner himself. We get it, you like Klecker. Try not to get too emotional about it.
Who is getting emotional? I didn't even know who this Klecker guy was before opening this thread. I now know that he's faster than I ever was or ever will be.
I'm not good enough to get paid to run. He evidently is.
Your criticism of others says more about you than it does about them.
He’s only 28. He should go back to running 10k on the track.
You say that like it's young - it's not. I mean, he can maintain his track fitness for several years, but he's not going to improve, and his current peak isn't good enough.
Sad to say, he's best off sticking to the roads, and hoping a training change will help him get good enough to make the weak US marathoning team. That or else magically develop a kick in your late 20s like Mo Farah