Allie O Leaves Brooks, Takes Step Back from Pro Running

You do realize you're writing about another human being, right?

Boasting a 15:18 pr she was never likely to be a top tier pro but this definitely seems to indicate the end of a career. She's like 26(?), has already taken tons of time off., and she's atleast a year away from peak fitness again. The steeplechase is no longer a weak event for American women. It is super unfortunate she has ED struggles bc she seems like a genuinely lovely person but this is probably the end for her running career in terms of what she will achieve. She can still consider herself a pro obviously but I think her pr's will stay in the past.

Mr. armchair expert commenting on what it takes to achieve success at the very tip of the spear. LOL

swagmoneyamongus wrote:

Jared Dunn wrote:

You have bought in heavily on the psycho babble. Tyler Hamilton is fine. There are literally countless things that people do that are not beneficial to health in order to achieve their goals. From sports, to the military, to oil rig workers, to doctors not sleeping enough. It’s life.

Are we really using Tyler Hamilton as an example of being healthy???? Have you read his book? He was injecting mad amounts of EPO and taking testosterone pills. Underfueling might of been the least of his worry. Let’s see if he even makes it’s past his 60’s

Are you saying Tyler Hamilton has an eating disorder?

let's go buffs wrote:

Tin cups wrote:

Psycho babble? *inserts massive eye roll*.

There is a difference between needing to do something and how you go about achieving it. Do TdF riders need to count calories and get to their optimal race weights...weights that are likely unhealthy to be at long term? Of course they do!

Is it better to do this: A) with expert nutritionists and sports scientists who dial in nutrient needs, recovery needs, and calories? B) By starving yourself after a long ride when your body is depleted, not recovering efficiently, and taking sleeping pills so you can sleep since you are so hungry?

Please. Common sense is not psycho babble.

Mr. armchair expert commenting on what it takes to achieve success at the very tip of the spear. LOL

Am I a professional athlete? Nope! Do I personally know professional runners, cyclists, professional coaches, sports doctors, and a nutritionist to pros? Yep! I 100% guarantee that none of them would recommend riding five hours and pounding some sleeping pills in hopes you sleep through dinner.

Tin cups wrote:

let's go buffs wrote:

Mr. armchair expert commenting on what it takes to achieve success at the very tip of the spear. LOL

Am I a professional athlete? Nope! Do I personally know professional runners, cyclists, professional coaches, sports doctors, and a nutritionist to pros? Yep! I 100% guarantee that none of them would recommend riding five hours and pounding some sleeping pills in hopes you sleep through dinner.

LOL

Armchair experts always have "credentials"

Thank you for sharing this, CopperRunner. As a mid-d guy under 6' and over 175 lbs, I personally relate to what you describe with comments about your physique. So many people think they are giving a compliment when they say "you don't look like a runner, you look built like a lacrosse or football player" because distance runners exist as lanky and malnourished in their minds, whether they realize it or not. They see a non-distance runner physique as a compliment, because they see looking like and identifying as a distance runner as a negative. It's incredibly harmful if people both inside and outside of the sport expect successful distance runners to look a certain way. People really need to be careful with word choice when talking about the bodies of any athletes, because careless words can bring up small insecurities that an athlete didn't even know they had. I never had body image issues until I listened to people talking about how abnormal my figure was compared to the guys I was lining up with.

Disordered eating is not always starving yourself. It can simply be an unhealthy relationship around food. Some people get the right amount of calories, but not without suffering from intense anxiety around the choices of food that get them there. I never underfueled enough over a long period of time to have physical damage done from eating habits. But in the year of college that I ate most healthy, my anxiety around eating spilled over to the track where I was a complete headcase. If one thing did not go right in a warmup or during a race I would freak out and have a terrible performance. It is naive to think that having mental issues around eating cannot relate to mental issues with racing, even if you are fit and appropriately fueled.

Honestly it sucks to be in the public eye and have your life picked apart without at least getting financial security from that. She seems like a nice person and I hope she finds happiness at the end of this journey.

participation award wrote:

There was no offer.

Prove me wrong.

You can’t prove something didn’t happen Sherlock. Are you in a red state?

Brooks Leasts wrote:

A special message from Allie to the LetsRun boards

https://gcdn.pbrd.co/images/dIZQxFihO4Vn.jpg?o=1

^ x 100

1. She has already had a running career most would dream of (NCAA Champ, World Competitor)

2. She has the talent to continue running and have an amazing career

3. #2 can happen if she is healthy.

4. Just throwing this out there, but she seems to be a little bit of a free spirit. In my experience, she might benefit from a coach who trains individuals (rather than being part of a team). This might not be too much different than Molly Seidel. Keep her healthy and she will perform.

Brooks Leasts wrote:

A special message from Allie to the LetsRun boards

https://gcdn.pbrd.co/images/dIZQxFihO4Vn.jpg?o=1

a lot of people on the boards are fans of hers. A lot of people on the boards look up too her.

dc doctor wrote:

participation award wrote:

There was no offer.

Prove me wrong.

You can’t prove something didn’t happen Sherlock. Are you in a red state?

Huh?

Just show me an offer. You can’t because there wasn’t one.

Allen Webb wrote:

She has never looked underweight which is odd. So maybe she gets injured at what is a normal race weight for others because it is by definition, underweight. That doesn't make it an eating disorder. She is smart. She sees herself and her competitors. So wanting to achieve an average race weight for an elite at her height is normal for her and her competitors. 70% of Americans have an eating disorder. They are unable to control eating in order to maintain a normal healthy body weight. 69% of those people can't control overeating whole 1% can't control undereating yet the 1% is the group that has gained focus recently while the 69% has gained acceptance. I wish society cared about everyone.

She also never looked like a world champion. Might as well hang 'em up before she washes out (I mean prolonged ignorance about an ED could really end any hope of getting into elite form). Always wondered if going to Boise State would mess up her career. Notorious reputation for that kind of crud happening there. Worked out for Emma Bates though.

Nell Rojas' father is also super knowledgeable (just judging from his career and website) not to say it was a coaching issue but I think Nell coming from a tri-athlete background gives her more strength both aerobically and cross-disciplinary as how to train plus if she has a niggle or naggle she can cross train at a high efficiency. Not surprised the issues Allie has faced have persisted as ED has probably manifested since day one at BSU and the long term repercussions are hard to reserve. Don't agree with Jamin POV as he primarily was citing males who would not be as severely affected by ED as woman can be. Obviously weight management is necessary for high performances but should only b a factor if the person is already doing everything else right and should not be eating less, but just focusing on foods with high energy return with low fat or something to that affect. Nutrient timing is crucial for refueling the body and keeping it from breaking down. Your east african example makes sense...until you consider Jakob and his brothers. I look at Yakob and think man, he could just throw his competitors off the track.

calico cat wrote:

Boasting a 15:18 pr she was never likely to be a top tier pro but this definitely seems to indicate the end of a career. She's like 26(?), has already taken tons of time off., and she's atleast a year away from peak fitness again. The steeplechase is no longer a weak event for American women. It is super unfortunate she has ED struggles bc she seems like a genuinely lovely person but this is probably the end for her running career in terms of what she will achieve. She can still consider herself a pro obviously but I think her pr's will stay in the past.

If her early success was due to her ED keeping her weight down, just not sure where the trajectory is from here. Is it possible to run fast at her healthy weight? She is still very small compared to other elite US women. Maybe it's time she move up to longer distances. I always thought that was her best bet anyway. She has pretty smooth running form. US women's track is so competitive now. There is no room for anyone who can't go at least sub 15.

Listed at 5'3". Schweizer is listed at 5'4" and looks thinner to me. Koko and Hasan are super thin.

Moo G wrote:

If her early success was due to her ED keeping her weight down, just not sure where the trajectory is from here. Is it possible to run fast at her healthy weight? She is still very small compared to other elite US women. Maybe it's time she move up to longer distances. I always thought that was her best bet anyway. She has pretty smooth running form. US women's track is so competitive now. There is no room for anyone who can't go at least sub 15.

Allie can definitely run fast at a weight by which her body is healthy. There is no doubt that inconsistency was the main obstacle holding Allie back in her professional and collegic running career. The frequent bone injuries Allie experienced caused her to miss a tremendous deal of training time, necessary to improvement as a runner. Similarly, this has also prevented her from increasing her mileage, which by is absolutely necessary if she intends to move to up to longer distances. Reaching a healthy weight and correcting RED-S is an essential step towards improving her durability as a runner, which in turn would enable her to partake in the training needed to run at her best.

Some on here have mentioned Molly S as someone who benefits from getting her disorder under control.

I am trying to remember another example from the early days. Vicki Huber was a great runner for Villanova and made the Olympic team at 21 in 88. I remember her as being unbelievably thin. After a tough personal life, many Allie O-type injuries, and a baby, she came back to make another Olympic team in 1996. Although trim, she looked a lot healthier with 10 more pounds of muscle the second time around.

If Allie does get healthy, she should look for others who have followed her path.

notabully wrote:

She also never looked like a world champion.

She actually is a World Champion.