Talk about rose-coloured glasses.
In Pfitzinger's Advanced Road Racing, he talks about how Solinsky upped his mileage and ruined his hamstring. All it took was him tripping over his dog in the dark one night for it to tear right off his pelvis. If he was in such amazing shape, why was that all it took to tear a major muscle clean off a bone? Kind of ridiculous. It's clear his body was struggling to adapt to his training.
You know who actually did run those times? Galen Rupp
Jenny Simpson ftw wrote:
You know who actually did run those times? Galen Rupp
And Alberto made sure Galen didn't have a dog to trip over.
YMMV wrote:
Jenny Simpson ftw wrote:
You know who actually did run those times? Galen Rupp
And Alberto made sure Galen didn't have a dog to trip over.
That's pretty good.
I'm kind of torn on this. On the one hand, it can be seen as immodest. On the other hand, "He was just answering a question." Either way, it obviously doesn't make him a bad person. But, perhaps a "tie breaker" in how one might view this is to ask, "How many other elite runners over the years have estimated (boasted about?) what their PRs shoulda/woulda/coulda been?" I've been a fan for a long time, and I think it's pretty rare. But maybe that's just because the question isn't asked much? In the end, I think that Track Fan Dear Abby would say, "Do you very best NOT to speculate on 'Potential PRs'....or prepare to suffer accusations of immodesty."
dadsfadsfdasfdsafdas wrote:
In the last 10 years we have had the following sub 12:50 performances
12:45.82 Hagos Gebrhiwet
12:46.81 Dejen Gebremeskel
12:47.53 Hagos Gebrhiwet
12:48.77 Yenew Alamirew
12:49.50 John Kipkoech
4 were in one race.
A few more:
In 2018, Selemon Barega & Yomif Kejelcha were in that same race (12:43 & 12:46, respectively)
And from Paris 2012:
3 KOECH Isaiah Kiplangat KEN 12:48.64 PB
5 LONGOSIWA Thomas Pkemei KEN 12:49.04 PB
6 KIPKOECH John KEN 12:49.50 PB
To think, Kipchoge and Bekele were in that race too, way back i 12:555...
https://www.letsrun.com/news/2018/08/legendary-company-selemon-barega-runs-1243-4-time-brussels-join-bekele-geb-komen-sub-1245-club/**
https://www.letsrun.com/2012/paris-0706.phpI agree his 2010 looked suspicious. He leaned down for no apparent reason and improved a lot.
Those are hypothetical times. Everyone hypothetically could run faster. We made the headline, not him.
Counterargument: 13:12 did not represent his ability. Teg ran 13 flat years earlier and did not consistently outrank Solinsky in training. Overdue PRs.
I think Solinsky ran to his potential. 12:56 and 26:59 is legendary. I just wish he had been more competitive in championship racing. Not being an Olympian hurts. No medal in World XC or Diamond League win or medal in World Champs, just wish he would have been as much as a winner as he was in high school and college. Rupp was able to continue winning. Solinsky was not.
It speaks volumes that Solinsky won't go on the message boards. It sounds awfully childlike to avoid something that might upset you.
Also that interview was a really painful listen. Could you all please ask him about how he actually got to that kind of fitness or maybe what training was like? So damn dry...
Modestiness wrote:
YMMV wrote:
And Alberto made sure Galen didn't have a dog to trip over.
That's pretty good.
I'm kind of torn on this. On the one hand, it can be seen as immodest. On the other hand, "He was just answering a question." Either way, it obviously doesn't make him a bad person. But, perhaps a "tie breaker" in how one might view this is to ask, "How many other elite runners over the years have estimated (boasted about?) what their PRs shoulda/woulda/coulda been?" I've been a fan for a long time, and I think it's pretty rare. But maybe that's just because the question isn't asked much? In the end, I think that Track Fan Dear Abby would say, "Do you very best NOT to speculate on 'Potential PRs'....or prepare to suffer accusations of immodesty."
Seriously. You don’t ever see Ryun giving interviews about how he was in 3’24” fitness in ‘67.
This is so cool. Chris and I have two things in common. I, too, believed I was in that kind of shape. And Just like Chris, I, too, didn't run Sub 7:30, sub 12:50, or in the 26:40/26:30 range.
Mr. Oakley wrote:
I agree his 2010 looked suspicious. He leaned down for no apparent reason and improved a lot.
Those are hypothetical times. Everyone hypothetically could run faster. We made the headline, not him.
Counterargument: 13:12 did not represent his ability. Teg ran 13 flat years earlier and did not consistently outrank Solinsky in training. Overdue PRs.
When will they post the new training rankings? Gesh, I wish they had this when I was in college.
No disrespect to Solinsky, but if you believe you are in shape to run fast times you need to step up, take the lead if necessary, and just try to do it in a race.
There is no reason to wait for the perfect race (perfect weather, perfect pacing, etc.). Get out there and lead/push the pace if the splits are not what you believe you can run.
Great example: Bekele wants to set the 10k world record. He goes through 5K in 13:09 (under record pace) in second place with 2 or three other people. Instead of sitting in, he takes the lead and solos the entire second 5k in 13:08+ to smash the record.
Seems like Jerry let his athletes race a bit more then than now, but you need to seize the opportunity and go for it when you can.
Solinsky went with 900 to go when he broke 27 for 10k, although he seemed to be more focused on racing than time then.
I didn't watch the interview but did anyone ask Solinsky why the William and Mary team got much worse with him as a coach? Or did they ask him why the Florida distance runners are horrendous?
His best long distance men were 8:20 in the 3k and 14:28 for 5k. For the women 9:48 in the 3k and 17:07.
He wants to build a powerhouse at Florida. I hope they give him a few scholarships.
sprint fast wrote:
He wants to build a powerhouse at Florida. I hope they give him a few scholarships.
He’s got his work cut out for him. The weather in Florida for at least half the year is not conducive for fast running. It’s not a place where I could see a powerhouse forming, but that was probably the best coaching job he could have applied for at the time.
rare wrote:
sprint fast wrote:
He wants to build a powerhouse at Florida. I hope they give him a few scholarships.
He’s got his work cut out for him. The weather in Florida for at least half the year is not conducive for fast running. It’s not a place where I could see a powerhouse forming, but that was probably the best coaching job he could have applied for at the time.
Florida State women built a powerhouse, so he really has no excuses.
The Florida track teams are usually in contention for NCAA championships. If he can't recruit talented athletes when he can sell NCAA Track championships then he should be fired.
The Florida men tied with North Florida at the South Regional. They lost to Lipscomb and almost got beat by Belmont.....
Hobbyist wrote:
Sub Everything! wrote:
His claims of what shape he was theoretically in are believable. Imagine if he ran these theoretical races in Rieti and they were paced for the initial 50-60% of the race right on target he could've done it. It's hard to get in that perfect race where everything in and out of your control goes just right for a maximal output.
Given sub-7:30, 12:50, 26:40 were in the cards, where do you all think he was at for 1500, 800, 400, 200?
At 6'1" and 165 lbs, Solinsky was a complete badass distance runner.
Usually such rarified air i(sub 13, sub27) is the domain of 130-140 pounders. Even the "giant" phenom Jakob ingebrgsten is only 6'0" and 140 pounds.
Imagine watching Rudisha run 10ks!
I'm guessing Solinski could've gone low 3:30, 1:44, :48 high, and sub:23.
5 or 10 lbs lighter and he would've obliterated his predicted prs.
No chance that Jakob is only 140 even at race weight. He’s probably 155.
good runner but wrote:
Castro Castro Castro wrote:
Any runner can say they could have ran faster than their PRs. What you do matters. What you say is irrelevant. Injuries are part of being an athlete. I know he was answering a question but just giving some perspective.
I agree he could of just said yeah I think I could of lowered my personal bests had I been healthy and left it at that. To say sub 12:50? and 26:30s? My goodness that comes across as very disingenuous to just how fast those times are. Its a very millennial thing to do. I’m a millennial myself and stuff like this is why old timers dislike us so much.
lol imagine what kind of life you have if you read this interview and are triggered by it
Mr. Oakley wrote:
I agree his 2010 looked suspicious. He leaned down for no apparent reason and improved a lot..
What does "no apparent reason" even mean? haha
Is this poster serious? The reason you would lean down is because you wanted to lose weight. Maybe his training was better than ever. Do you know how weight works? Are you an idiot?
Modestiness wrote:
YMMV wrote:
And Alberto made sure Galen didn't have a dog to trip over.
That's pretty good.
I'm kind of torn on this. On the one hand, it can be seen as immodest. On the other hand, "He was just answering a question." Either way, it obviously doesn't make him a bad person. But, perhaps a "tie breaker" in how one might view this is to ask, "How many other elite runners over the years have estimated (boasted about?) what their PRs shoulda/woulda/coulda been?" ."
If memory serves me right :
John Walker 3:47 (without injury problems starting 76)
Steve Ovett 3:27 1500 (if he hadn't 'disliked the clock')
Seb Coe 3:27 1500m (Stockholm.81 Robinson)
Steve Cram 3:28/ 3:44 (1985)
I only know these because I've read a lot of interviews with those guys or seen it quoted here. I guess nearly all runners have thought they could have gone faster.
Of course, the guys who set the crazy times like El G and Bekele had a strange ability to avoid injury.