Solinsky has run 26:59, 12:56 and 12:55 and has yet to win a US title - and he may never!!!

Okay I'm not arguing with you on two different threads. Ill choose this one. Here are two things you have assumed about me without question:

I'm in love with Chris Solinsky's drugged out drama queen style. Remember XC nationals his senior year (you probably don't)? He placed somewhere in the 70s. It was as bad as Barringer's meltdown. He has on many occasions blew up and raced like a huge pussy. However, you compared his 2004 DNF to Rupp's which is a totally different situation.

This brings me to your next assumption:

You think I hate Rupp when to me he is no different than any of the other talent from Oregon. He does the same training as everyone else under Salazar he just started it during College (which I think is why people don't like him). If I make fun of anything about Rupp it would be the way he bends over for Solinsky this summer. Must be rough when you're thinking you're in awesome shape and someone has a huge breakthrough and steals your thunder.

I don't share the double standard you're accusing letsrun of. I'm a fan of track and field, I don't care about which athlete is my "boy." I think your assumptions are false and I also don't believe you ran under 14:00s in the 5k (was that you who said that or a troll?)

wowowowo wrote:

If you included Fernandez you may as well of included Derrick, who I would say had an even more impressive Freshman year.

You loss all credibility with that statement.

Fair enough coach. I think we got confused between whether there is a double standard or not, and maybe be we still are but it doesn't really matter. That's a different discussion.

As for me and every other guy I trained with ran under 14:00 many of them closer to 13 than 14. It's not a big deal and certainly not fast when put into proper perspective. There must be 50 college boys a year who break 14:00 which is precisely why I stopped chasing "the dream".

soksi wrote:

I can't believe Solinsky has yet to win a US title after not competing at USAs. It boggles the mind. I mean, he broke 27min and 13min for the first time this season. And now, after not competing at USAs, he has no US title? Am I missing something here? WTF? SOMEONE EXPLAIN HOW THIS IS POSSIBLE!!!!!!

Was he born this spring or was he sick at the last 7 US championships???

US Champ wrote:

Fair enough coach. I think we got confused between whether there is a double standard or not, and maybe be we still are but it doesn't really matter. That's a different discussion.

As for me and every other guy I trained with ran under 14:00 many of them closer to 13 than 14. It's not a big deal and certainly not fast when put into proper perspective. There must be 50 college boys a year who break 14:00 which is precisely why I stopped chasing "the dream".

I don't care if you broke 14 or not, I just said that to piss you off. That's a very fast time, and there's no reason a 13:5x guy can't run for Hansons or another training group and run the marathon. Nice work.

Anyway, there's certainly a double standard, but I have nothing to do with it.

the xmas poo wrote:

soksi wrote:

I can't believe Solinsky has yet to win a US title after not competing at USAs. It boggles the mind. I mean, he broke 27min and 13min for the first time this season. And now, after not competing at USAs, he has no US title? Am I missing something here? WTF? SOMEONE EXPLAIN HOW THIS IS POSSIBLE!!!!!!

Was he born this spring or was he sick at the last 7 US championships???

He was nowhere close to 26:59 and 12:55 before this spring. Not even US#1 in either event. So, yeah what the hell is taking this guy so long to become a US title holder??? It may be too late already. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER CHRIS!!!

does he take vitamins to clear steroids or is he tipped off apriori ?

soksi wrote:

the xmas poo wrote:

Was he born this spring or was he sick at the last 7 US championships???

He was nowhere close to 26:59 and 12:55 before this spring. Not even US#1 in either event. So, yeah what the hell is taking this guy so long to become a US title holder??? It may be too late already. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER CHRIS!!!

So you have to be ranked first in the event to be the US champ? Nobody told Rupp or Teg that last year.

Chris was ranked 2nd in the 3000 last year, same as Teg in the 5000, hell Rupp was ranked 3rd in the 10000, but yet Teg and Rupp became U.S. champs.

In 2008 Chris was ranked 2nd for 3000 and 2-miles and basically tied for 2nd at 5000 (both he and Vaughn at 13:18 ) and do you remember who beat him out of an olympic spot? 6th ranked Teg, 9th ranked Dobson and 17th ranked Asmerom! Chris finished 5th with essentially a 2nd ranking.

Thats a 2nd ranked guy getting beat by 6th, 9th and 17th ranked runners.

Are we starting to understand what it means to win championships? Or for that matter get it done on US Championship day relative to your ability?

Heck you can go back to 2007 he was ranked 4th for 3000 and 3rd for 5000 (it's not like he was born this spring folks) and yet he only managed 7th. He was 3rd ranked and beaten by 17th ranked Lagat, 18th ranked Goucher, 8th ranked Riley, 9th ranked Moran and 4th ranked Asmerom.

This is worse, as a 3rd ranked guy he was beaten by 17th, 18th, 8th and 9th ranked runners as well as a 4th ranked.

We can go all day from 1500-10000 listing guys who won the US championship that weren't ranked 1st in that event that year, but point is certainly clear that rankings don't win championships or determine placing there, only getting the job done there does.

Soksi Mzungo is awesome - check out this picture. Try to imagine any other US distance guy, covered with blood, eyes bugging, in a Kenyan sandwich, rockin'.

Love this guy.

But where were his socks, anyway?

That Rocks Even without the socks !!!

xmas poo, you're cracking me up with your analysis. Solinsky has a long career in front of him, and barring serious injury, he will get a US title somewhere along the way.