Why did Willis DNF in the 3k?

fgfg wrote:

\"absolute task focus.\"

That seriously has to go down as one of THE most ridiculus things I have ever seen posted on Letsrun.

Nick is one of the stongest willed people I have met. He has read/watched and documented pretty much all there is to know about middle distance running. You obviously have never had the pleasure of meeting him as you no idea about the willpower he possesses.

He DNF\'d in one race, I\'ve never heard of him DNF ever before - in his school days he won an Australian national title after losing a shoe, on the road to the Olympics he finished races after falling heavily. He was probably more cut up about it than anyone else but I\'d say that he\'s over it because he is so totally focused.

All this melodramatic crap about quitting and your teacher giving you the most life-changing talk seriously got me all choked up but was indeed unnecessary to say the least.

If he read this he would probably form the same opinion as many of the posters have on this thread - that you sir are nothing but an absolute tool.

fgfg wrote:

You go ahead and teach your kids its ok to quit.Its just like courses in school you have to keep going. Quitting gets you nothing. In school I had a principle that even if it seems impossible I have to stick it out. Even if I get the lowest mark in the class. By doing this I have learned that you can do things that you were convinced were impossible. Doesn’t matter how good he is [undisputed]. John Walker and Willis can quit if they want; me and my type only achieve anything [maybe nothing] by not quitting.A guy on another thread used the term "absolute task focus." He said that kids who did well were not nessarily the gifted ones but those who absolutly refused to quit.If Willis wants to be better he needs "absolute task focus." No quitting!

Who knew Tony Robbins posted on Letsrun?

Guess we'll see what the future holds for young Willis. What if his quiting the race makes him want it all the more in the future? Perhaps this was the best thing that could ever have happened to him.

You guys like me a bit, come on.

You're an easy target i'll give you that much

Come on.

I recently read a journal entry by willis on runnerx.com where he describes a change in focus in his life, especially regarding his religious convictions and the priority he places on his running.

In the article he says that since his injury he has realised that running isn't such a big deal and that if on any given day he doesn't feel like it, then he will not train.

I think his pulling out of the 3k probably reflects this change in focus, during the race he obviously decided for himself that at that moment the discomfort he was feeling wasn't warranted for whatever reward he might obtain through finishing.

Read into what you will, but I beleive we are probablt witnessing a different nick willis this year, weather this makes hom run faster or slower?? we'll have to wait and see.

Michael Bautista wrote:

Nate Brannen had a very long indoor season, in my opinion too long for most, this is his races from tilastopaja.net and it doesn't even include his dmr legs(atleast 2 dmr legs)

Not that is makes a huge difference...but the 1500 was part of the mile also listed on there...can't count the same race twice.

Also he got sick,he wouldn't have had to race that 800 the week before nationals if he hadn't gotten sick and gotten in his qualifier earlier.

I think people are over-analysing this way too much.

Nick dominated in the Mile and then was expected to back it up an hour later and it was just too bigger ask on this occasion.

He is just as determined just as strong willed and I think his added spirituality/change in focus, what ever you term it, will only serve so spur him onto greater things.

He is not about to sacrifice all that he's done in running with this change, he's very clued up and if things aren't working he'll step up.

I've got nothing to say about Mr. Willis - except he's an awesome runner - but I will like to make the point that the qualifying procedure needs to be changed in light of the attempts to double or triple.

This becomes even more critical outdoors, as it affects the 5k and 10k quite a bit.

The athlete should have to show that he/she can run the two races (with trials and finals where appropriate) in the same two day format or four day format for outdoors as the the actual NCAA championships presents. In other words, if an athlete wants to be able to run the 3k after the mile indoors, let him run a qualifying mile time on day one, a qualifying mile time on day two, and a qualifying 3k time on day 2. If he/she can do that, then let the double happen.

What isn't right is to have an athlete qualify in the mile on one day, then a week or two weeks later run a qualifying time in the 3k. Where has it been shown that the athlete can handle the double? This is especially true in the 5k/10k doubling that goes on.

If you can't over analyze Track and Field on a Running discussion board? It’s probably a fairly healthy outlet for over analysis.

Yea, I'm sick of you willis bashers. He is the greatest collegiate runner of the last 5 years! I wouldn't worry about his mental strength, you can't tell anything from one race. Nate Brannen....that guy is a stud, 1.47-8.05 given an hour, lord thats sick. He would also be one of the greatest collegiate athletes out.

You just don’t seem to get it and maybe that’s why where you’re from isn't the number country or why you are not the number one athletes at what you do. You see, when you give up once you create a certain internal model that you can always revert back to. Nick now has experienced pulling out, an experience that he may never have had before. This experience allows him to know what its like and he will be conscious of this experience and the circumstance that surrounded it in the future, especially under similar circumstances. Finishing that race when Nick felt like he did would have been the best thing he could have done, unfortunately pulling out may have been the worst.

uncle sammy wrote:

You just don’t seem to get it and maybe that’s why where you’re from isn't the number country or why you are not the number one athletes at what you do. You see, when you give up once you create a certain internal model that you can always revert back to. Nick now has experienced pulling out, an experience that he may never have had before. This experience allows him to know what its like and he will be conscious of this experience and the circumstance that surrounded it in the future, especially under similar circumstances. Finishing that race when Nick felt like he did would have been the best thing he could have done, unfortunately pulling out may have been the worst.

\

If English is your second language I can understand the reason but seriously I did not get what you are on about.

Goose, I completely agree with you.

My junior year of high school, one race the pressure was really getting to me, I wasn't running well, and I just dropped out. No reason... just didn't feel like finishing because I knew I was going to place poorly and run a terrible time. I just flat out quit.

I ended up dropping out of 4-5 races that one outdoor season (out of probably 12-13 races) because I let the pressure get to me so bad, I felt like i had to run great every race, and I'd just drop. I regret that season more than anything else in my athletic career.

Senior year, I got my head on straight, started enjoying running again, and I swore I'd never drop out of another race again (unless injured). To this day, I haven't dropped out of another race. I hope that Willis gets so pissed off about this race that he makes himself promise never to do it again, because let me tell you, it's a slippery slope... what someone said about it becoming an option and becoming a habit is really true. I hope it doesn't become a habit for him. I am shocked that someone that would just quit like that has made it to his level.

Schlong wrote:

I am shocked that someone that would just quit like that has made it to his level.

Please.

You don't think that sentence is slightly sensationalising things?

This has gotten more ridiculous than most threads. Nick Willis is a human being. As such he is prone to making very human mistakes, much like the rest of us. Everybody makes tons of mistakes, has mental lapses, loses focus from time to time, whatever you want to call it. He is also an incredibly fast runner, and to make it to the level he is at he must have a large amount of natural talent combined with a dedicated work ethic and the ability to focus, not to mention the ability to handle pain.

Willis did a very human thing. How many times do you screw up in school, at work, at home? How many times do you stop thinking for a second and say the wrong thing to a friend, a parent, a teacher, a spouse, a child? How many times do you lose focus at your job? That's exactly what he did, he lost focus at his job (of winning the NCAA 3000m), and this was AFTER doing extremely well at his previous job (winning the NCAA mile).

He stepped off the track, let it go.

Thank you so much for the late arrival of the voice of reason

Out.