To some extent, nobody cares about raw speed of distance runners. Dropping .2ths off your flying 50s doesn't mean much. But a lot of programs don't touch 400/800m speed much either. Maybe a couple 150s but that is about it.
Now to some extent it makes sense. Drew isn't closing 3s faster in 3:55mile by working on his speed. He his closing 3s faster by becoming a 3:52 miler instead of a 3:55 one . That is coming from more aerobic capacity and efficiency than from sprint speed. And this is doubly true in the 5000m. Become a 13:00min runner like the other top guys and we can start comparing kicks...
Tell that to Grant Fisher, a 12:53/26:33 guy that lost the U.S. 10,000m champs to an athlete with a 10,000m PB 50s slower than his because he let it come down to a kick.
Very few programs develop RAW SPEED. Even Bowerman. Even OAC. They rip some fast 600s, 400s, 300s, 200s, 150s but they don’t develop RAW SPEED. That’s done by shorter reps. There is a good thread, titled “5x60m all out” or something of that nature, that discusses into this. How many middle distance and distance programs do stuff like that? Very, very few.
To some extent, nobody cares about raw speed of distance runners. Dropping .2ths off your flying 50s doesn't mean much. But a lot of programs don't touch 400/800m speed much either. Maybe a couple 150s but that is about it.
Now to some extent it makes sense. Drew isn't closing 3s faster in 3:55mile by working on his speed. He his closing 3s faster by becoming a 3:52 miler instead of a 3:55 one . That is coming from more aerobic capacity and efficiency than from sprint speed. And this is doubly true in the 5000m. Become a 13:00min runner like the other top guys and we can start comparing kicks...
To win you can either-
run a super fast race, and close fast (because it is super fast).
Or run a tacticle race, and close fast.
Regardless if you want to win you need to be able to close fast. You best be working on that every day.
** Sorry to be late to the game, but what was his performance at the national champs? I didn't see his name anywhere, so I'm assuming it didn't go well? Event? Placement? Thanks
To some extent, nobody cares about raw speed of distance runners. Dropping .2ths off your flying 50s doesn't mean much. But a lot of programs don't touch 400/800m speed much either. Maybe a couple 150s but that is about it.
Now to some extent it makes sense. Drew isn't closing 3s faster in 3:55mile by working on his speed. He his closing 3s faster by becoming a 3:52 miler instead of a 3:55 one . That is coming from more aerobic capacity and efficiency than from sprint speed. And this is doubly true in the 5000m. Become a 13:00min runner like the other top guys and we can start comparing kicks...
To win you can either-
run a super fast race, and close fast (because it is super fast).
Or run a tacticle race, and close fast.
Regardless if you want to win you need to be able to close fast. You best be working on that every day.
Closing fast has little to do with sprint speed. If you lined up the field and had them run a 60, the correlation with last lap time would be almost non-existent.
Follow us down to Ferry Field where Nick Willis takes on a full-fledged sprint workout (sort of) and attempts to out-kick Hobbs Kessler. #NickWillis #Distanc...
Drew is a miler. We’ve seen plenty of results like this over the years. His 1,500m and mile results have been comparatively better than his 5,000s. He’s been trying to train for the 5 the last few years and has been consistently injured and underperforming. When he trained/trains like a miler, he’s been healthy and running well. The men’s 5,000 is the U.S. is insane right now. Drew will never make a team at 5,000. If he gets in 3:34 or better shape, he can make the 1500 team. FFS he ran 1:48 in high school.
I honestly feel like he’s neither. He seems to fall somewhere in the middle with those 3K and 2 mile performances. Unfortunately for him those aren’t Olympic events.
Just watched replay of race this morning. While 3.54.8 is a solid time, Hunter doesn't appear to have the ability to run much faster. Without super spikes we're talking a high 3:55/low 3:56.
He's a grinder as his form is rough. Maybe he could find a place in the steeple, but he's clearly out of range of the sub-3:50 required to compete internationally and for sure not as light and efficient to be a sub-13:00. Closing in 55 off a 2:59 1200 isn't that amazing.
We need guys like him pushing the 3:50-52 guys and filling race fields. If he can make some coin and pursue his sport then that's great. But lets not expect him to make Olympic/World teams and especially be competitive on the elite world stage.
Just watched replay of race this morning. While 3.54.8 is a solid time, Hunter doesn't appear to have the ability to run much faster. Without super spikes we're talking a high 3:55/low 3:56.
He's a grinder as his form is rough. Maybe he could find a place in the steeple, but he's clearly out of range of the sub-3:50 required to compete internationally and for sure not as light and efficient to be a sub-13:00. Closing in 55 off a 2:59 1200 isn't that amazing.
We need guys like him pushing the 3:50-52 guys and filling race fields. If he can make some coin and pursue his sport then that's great. But lets not expect him to make Olympic/World teams and especially be competitive on the elite world stage.
He Needs to adopt an Jacob Ingebretsen approach to racing. He doesn’t have the foot speed to run a crazy last lap. also, look at his Strava. He’s running ~7:15 pace on some of his runs. His workouts are not hard enough to run that slow.
Being world class in the 1500 is a tough trick. Need to run 3:31 or better with a 53 second last lap, and preferably, do it with some consistency.
Hunter's performance is very good for the local meet in which he participated. A strong runner.
I come from an Igloi background - my father trained with Igloi and Jim Beatty - his college roommate.
There are never any simple answers in the running game but I wonder how much focus this athlete has on speed. My guess is more than we surmise but developing a fierce kick and the ability to quickly change gears is simply essential in today's 1500. Some of it is tactics too, including not running extra distance on outside lanes when the going gets intense and working the field to your favor. Some of that is confidence. Again, easier said than done. I don't know enough about training today to determine whether his runs are too slow - 7:15 felt pedestrian in my day but I lacked the right kind of patience, so it is indeterminate to me. I do know the kind of speed intense Igloi training (or a modern variant thereof) generates, however.
With 1:48 speed in high school, I do agree that the 1500/mile is where it is at for him. Best of luck in getting there. I do think this guy is talented, and just needs to adapt somehow to be a thoroughbred at the highest level. He would likely agree with this view.
I'm sure he's thinking the same thing, but we needed this from him at USA's, not at Sound Running. On the right track though.
Spot on!
Drew and some other younger elite runners need to start focusing on WINNING! and making national teams. Running 3:54 mile (3:38ish) is a "good" time, but not a time that is going to get you on the USA 1500m national team. You need to be a 3:50-3:52 miler (3:32-3:33) guy at worst, and be able to run that time consistently. Clearly, Drew's event is 5000m, and he needs train for that event, not the 1500m. He can develop his 1500m time via specific speed workouts, but they need to be in line with his 5000m training. The dude ran sub 4:00 in high school, there is NO reason he isn't sniffing low 3:50's if not sub 3:50, and sub 13:05 or better.
He's still relatively young and has time, but the clock is ticking and he needs a major national team (World X-C, World Champs, and Oly Games) birth soon.
I'm sure he's thinking the same thing, but we needed this from him at USA's, not at Sound Running. On the right track though.
Spot on!
Drew and some other younger elite runners need to start focusing on WINNING! and making national teams. Running 3:54 mile (3:38ish) is a "good" time, but not a time that is going to get you on the USA 1500m national team. You need to be a 3:50-3:52 miler (3:32-3:33) guy at worst, and be able to run that time consistently. Clearly, Drew's event is 5000m, and he needs train for that event, not the 1500m. He can develop his 1500m time via specific speed workouts, but they need to be in line with his 5000m training. The dude ran sub 4:00 in high school, there is NO reason he isn't sniffing low 3:50's if not sub 3:50, and sub 13:05 or better.
He's still relatively young and has time, but the clock is ticking and he needs a major national team (World X-C, World Champs, and Oly Games) birth soon.
He's not young anymore. He's turning 25 soon and only 3 years left on his 10 year contract. Who is going to offer a contract to a guy getting beat by unsponsored athletes (Maggard, Eric Holt) and who insists on being coached by his mom?
There's a high chance he might quit pro running when his current contract ends. The problem is he has no other skills for a real job.
About a half second faster than a HS kid (Colin Sahlman) ran this year, and a FULL 2 seconds faster than a HS kid ran by himself this year at his district meet (Gary Martin). Drew Hunter has arrived, baby!
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