LUKE PUSKEDRA is so talented, so what's the problem?

Confidence for some athletes isn't so easy to regain or obtain...many careers have been riddled and destroyed by athletes psychological mindset.

SlowAfterburners wrote:

Confidence for some athletes isn't so easy to regain or obtain...many careers have been riddled and destroyed by athletes psychological mindset.

i agree. i'll admit sometimes it isn't simple.

VIPAM wrote:

Don't know what you consider having a good kick but he closed the last 200m in sub 30 secs of a very fast 3200m (8:49) to outkick Colby Lowe. He isn't a blazing kicker but Luke Puskedra has a good kick or did in high school:

video of his sub 8:50 with sub 30 sec last 200m

http://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?do=view&video_id=1841

Had to reply to this: 30 second 200, even running an 8:49, is not a particularly fast kick. I've watched D3 5k and 10k runners kick in sub 30. Think about it, 30 seconds is what you have to run per 200 to run a 4min mile, something that a lot more collegiate runners are doing these days. Not saying that 4 mins isn't fast, but a 30 second last 200 isn't, not even in a 10k.

SlowAfterburners wrote:

Confidence for some athletes isn't so easy to regain or obtain...many careers have been riddled and destroyed by athletes psychological mindset.

This is probably the number 1 factor. Luke came into college with a guy on his team who he probably saw as an idol and all he had to do was try to hang on as long as he can and he knew he'd run well. His confidence was soaring and he didn't have much to think about. Also don't forget that Shadrack Kiptoo is gone as well, probably Lukes closes training/racing partner from his freshman year. Those two are out and it's a whole new thing for this obviously long distance guy.

Derrick has picked up momentum from his frosh year, but most people forget that Derrick was out with mono his senior track season so it makes sense that it took him a bit to get up to is full potential. Seeing him get to that level is also probably tough for Luke and may have a reverse affect on his confidence.

AJ went thru very similar things during his 2nd and 3rd season. Things will change with time and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him come back around. Expecting him to beat Derrick and Fernandez is not really fair considering those guys were certainly on a higher level in high school. Colby Lowe is probably a better mark for Luke but as time goes on the whole high school thing counts for nothing as we've seen with hundreds of top high school runners year after year. For now Luke needs to not see it as success or failure if he beats/loses to Chris or German and just focus on getting Luke back to being the best he can be. Once he does that he may find himself back in the races with these guys.

Nobody said that luke was still injured from the alcohol incident last year, what they said is that maybe it was a sign that alcohol or alcohol related activities are messing with his training. I have no idea how luke acts off the track so I don't know if there is any possibility that statement is accurate but thats what the person who wrote it meant.

Don't know where you got 30 secs because in the quote you posted I repeatedly said sub 30 seconds (as in faster 29.9 or better) and off a VERY FAST pace in HIGH SCHOOL. Not only did you miss the sub 30 secs, you missed the fast race, and you missed in high school. Since you posted the quote you should have made statements regarding the actually quote and not misinterupt the statement. You missed the last part as well as I said, "GOOD kick" not fast kick as you stated- and I said, "or did in HIGH SCHOOL". ......................

komenator wrote:

VIPAM wrote:

Don't know what you consider having a good kick but he closed the last 200m in sub 30 secs of a very fast 3200m (8:49) to outkick Colby Lowe. He isn't a blazing kicker but Luke Puskedra has a good kick or did in high school:

video of his sub 8:50 with sub 30 sec last 200m

http://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?do=view&video_id=1841

Had to reply to this: 30 second 200, even running an 8:49, is not a particularly fast kick. I've watched D3 5k and 10k runners kick in sub 30. Think about it, 30 seconds is what you have to run per 200 to run a 4min mile, something that a lot more collegiate runners are doing these days. Not saying that 4 mins isn't fast, but a 30 second last 200 isn't, not even in a 10k.

MindGames wrote:

It maybe that he is having psychological difficulties as the other Oregon athletes seems to be thriving. Haven't heard of any recent injuries of Luke and its not uncommon for some young athletes to fall into a slump mentally after several years of previous success.

College can be stressful, romantic difficulties can arise... Remember college?

learn to read dumbass wrote:

Nobody said that luke was still injured from the alcohol incident last year, what they said is that maybe it was a sign that alcohol or alcohol related activities are messing with his training. I have no idea how luke acts off the track so I don't know if there is any possibility that statement is accurate but thats what the person who wrote it meant.

Doubt it, more likely that Vin and company cracked down on that and nipped it in the bud (no pun intended).

I get more than tired of the inane posts about Luke on this board. First off, Luke is an intelligent, hard-working runner. He had an almost unbelieveable freshman season for Oregon, cracking onto their national XC champion team. Though it may be somewhat sensitive for him, a limited number of us are aware that Luke has been dealing with a stomach and digestion problem for quite awhile now. Anyone who has has his problem (and many of us have), knows how frustrating it can be, and how difficult it can be to get under control. The "biotic" balance in all our digestive systems are fragile, so don't think yourself immune to this problem. You can be assured that once his doctor finds the right medicing or probiotic to get it under control, he will regain his strength quickly and will shut up the dumb ass posters for awhile.

I'm not joking when I say that Luke should look into korean cabbage kimchi. Full of probiotics, much more than even the kefir yogurts. Obviously he should do some research or have his doctor and start out in moderation since cabbage can cause problems of it's own (gas) but kimchi is super healthy and a good way for a college guy to sneak in a lot of nutrients, fiber and veggies.

If there is an Asian or Korean market in Eugene they will have kimchi, but check the label for msg since it is often used. The more fermented the better for the belly (more probiotics) but it will ferment more as time goes on and eventually gets pretty damn sour.

You might want to pass this on to Luke if you are friends with him. His roommates may hate him for it but his stomach won't.

Come on now give us a break you talking about the Oregon program not some local junior college. If that had been indentified as the problem Vin would have Puskedra in so many specialists in a spilt second.

Luke Puskedra digestive situation my be giving him trouble but it is not the reason for his subpar performances. Vin and Oregon letting a thing like a stomach problem severely sidetrack one of their star athletes- NO WAY!

I know Luke and I saw him train in high school. His coach was Dan Quinn at Judge Memorial. What I know of Dan is that he is smart. Luke did not over train. What Luke did do very well was master high intensity workouts where he maximized opportunities to challenge anaerobic threshold. Luke definitely did not over train.

Luke was a phenomenal high school prodigy. I remember watching him run as a freshman in the mile. That year his teammate was Notre Dame standout Pat Smyth. Smyth was a 9 minute two miler, none of that phased Luke as he would just go all out from the gun. It seemed as if dying or failure was not an option. He started college on a high note as well.

So many factors can be causing this "stagnant" and often erratic running behavior. For one, he is young. Two, he is a student at one of the most pressure packed and academically challenging schools in the country. Oregon is a Tier 1 University.

Another option, perhaps the training he has been doing is not working. The proof is in the pudding. If you try something and do not like the result, tweak things, and try again.

I think Luke will ultimately end up at the 10k. I for one am a Luke Puskedra fan. I drove to Eugene to watch him try for the sub 8:40 attempt at the Prefontaine Classic. I also watched Alan Webb fall to pieces and Kenenisa Bekele run the 4th fastest 10K of all-time solo.

Two lessons, the first is that even record holders, champions, the best have off days, weeks, and years...welcome to the real world. The second lesson is that it's a 50/50 deal, at anytime you can come back, we all get in ruts.

My advice as a friend would be to run for the love of running and throw all the other crap out. Passion drives everything, find the passion, lace up your shoes and hit the trail. Go get'em Luke! We are all so proud of you here in Utah!

I don't think you get it. This problem causes food to not be digested properly, leading over time to a lack of strength and energy.

I can't speak to the help he is getting from the U of O, but I'm sure they are trying to resolve it. This is not something that one always finds a solution for immediately, this can be a complex balancing act.

Reeling and Slow wrote:

I don't think you get it. This problem causes food to not be digested properly, leading over time to a lack of strength and energy.

This is not something that one always finds a solution for immediately, this can be a complex balancing act.

True, think anemia, which apparently has been a major problem for fernandez this year. And actually anemia should be easier to fix I would think.

The last two post have made serious allegations towards whats been hampering two of America's bright young distance stars with no hard proof. Those post should be removed as they have no grounds in which they base such damaging statements. Digestive problems occur so much that there are several dozens of outstanding specialists in every state- to think that Vin couldn't find one to assist Luke's problem if that is it is ridiculous! The same with Fernandez's supposedly problem and his prospective college and coach!

Those college track programs have several hundred thousand dollar a year budgets (wouldn't be shocked if they exceeded a million) and digestive problems and anemia of their such stars wouldn't go on for over a year- if that was the only problem with prementioned athletes.

Are you serious? In case you are, let me educate you a bit: (1) You are not going to get "hard proof" of anything on a message board; (2) You are pretty ignorant of this problem if you think something like this is always quickly resolved.

What are the "damaging statements" other than your polyanna view that throwing money is going to solve every medical issue?

Has Luke Puskedra been reshirted already if not why not redshirt him til he can have the "digestive" problem corrected? It really isn't doing the team or Luke's confidence any good having him perform at the current subpar level.

Fer chrissakes, there is nothing wrong with Puskedra except the extremely high expectations the posters here have of him. He's a sophmore in college, years away from his prime. Runner's don't improve in a linear trajectory. Give him time and a little seasoning.

I saw him run the Pac 10s and thought he had a great shot to win, but blew it badly in the last 2 laps. He had the three Stanford runnings leading him out with Derrick in the lead. If I'm Puskedra, sitting on Derrick making him do the work for as long as possible, leg speed or no leg speed. But Puskedra jumps into the lead at the gun, Derrick sits on him and gathers for 180 meters, then accelerates FTW with the other Stanford guys. Puskedra shot his wad too early, and once he got passed it was game over. End of story.

Derrick is a once or twice in a generation, three sigma talent. Puskedra is a two sigma talent and there's one or more of them almost every year.