WEBB 3:46 (1500m)

Actually he ran 27:34

ASDFGH wrote:

Actually he ran 27:34

Yes, thanks.

Actually, I'm really pulling for him, I just think he got too far away from 1500 workouts. What other top 10 1500 guy races 10k on the track? It's a lot different than racing cross-country, the legs get beat up. I understand racing 5k/10k in the winter, Steve Scott ran 13:32/28:15, (about), on the roads, I just don't get the track 10K.

Sure, the 1500 takes strength, but it also takes speed which it is obvious he's gotten too far away from. It's a delicate balance. Perhaps that hammy problem was caused by trying to make too quick a transition from 10k work to 1500 stuff.

I don't see this as surprising. You can't expect to take time off and come back in with a super fast time. That's about a 4:03 mile pace. I'm not a pro, nor am I even close, nor do I know what kind of training Webb does. However, in my experience it sometimes takes months, not weeks to come back to previous levels. Other times, it takes days, not weeks to get back. Last fall I got sick and I took two weeks off during mid-XC season and still PR'd. Another time I got shins splints pretty bad, took 2 months off and cross trained, ran the last race of the year and still placed in a championship race by out sprinting about 5 guys on the last lap after only running for about 5 days.

Yes, Walrus, I do think that Webb did a good thing, here. He put himself back in the game as soon as he could. He had enough courage to not "wait" until he was in 3:32 shape to race again. You may not like it when he races 3:46 in the 1500m but in the bigger picture, Webb's running career is not about what makes you happy. It's all about taking steps in the right direction. Every elite runner I know of has had bad races, periods of injury, and setbacks that were out of their control. They successful ones always get back on the horse as soon as possible to ride again.

Tinman wrote:

Yes, Walrus, I do think that Webb did a good thing, here. He put himself back in the game as soon as he could. He had enough courage to not "wait" until he was in 3:32 shape to race again. You may not like it when he races 3:46 in the 1500m but in the bigger picture, Webb's running career is not about what makes you happy. It's all about taking steps in the right direction. Every elite runner I know of has had bad races, periods of injury, and setbacks that were out of their control. They successful ones always get back on the horse as soon as possible to ride again.

i'm sorry man, but i think you are missing some points. (oh, and will this post get deleted too? the deletion policy here is amazing.) "in the game" you say? do we "race through our problems" or could that be the realm of training perhaps? of course it is not about what makes me happy. wtf did you say that for? taking steps in the right direction is a good point though. so this race is one of those steps? and the last 3 races? name me another world class miler who ever had 3-4 races like webb has had recently, but just kept on racing. getting back on the horse means working things out in training. webb's last few races are an abomination, and are beneath him - he is a 3:48 miler, and he and his team are acting like idiots. ok, go ahead and delete this post now.

Perhaps Webb should have gone to California and run in the race against Acosta?!?!? When I first saw the time I thought he had run a fine mile but then discovered it was a 15 and began to laugh/cry. I think the early 10k is catching up on him as how many other milers (El G., Coe, Morcelli, Scott, Cram, etc.) run the 10 for strength training?

they might strength train and have the ability to do that kind of 10000m. the difference between them and webb is that webb actually did a 10000m in late april. silly rabbit. there he was with a 3:48 mile in his early 20s, on the verge of an american record season. and what do he and his "team" do? sure, 27:34 is wonderful. but what does webb want to accomplish? i invite anyone who thinks the "team" is on track to carefully read ray flynn's last few statements to the press. read them and ask yourself, in view of the last 3 races, if webb is being properly "managed" to the top. tinman?

Just a little update. I saw Webb's race at Oordegem and I have to admit it looked very bad. He was in the front of the pack the whole race untill the last 25Om. From there on he just felt way back. Not like the others were accelerating but he ran his last 200m in about 32,5sec. If I see runing like this from a top miler, there is something really wrong.

He's coming back from an injury, you idiots.

Can anyone understand that he has done about ZERO high end speedwork since the pre mile and that he was using this race just as Malmo said, to test his hamstring/injury and see if it is still lingering.

apparently it is not if he led the whole way until the last 250m. sounds like he just doesnt have the "zip" from lack of speed training which i am sure he promptly eliminated after pre and went back to base mileage for a few weeks after the injury healed.

what will he run, if he runs in paris, who knows and who cares. he's f-ing racing, that's all that matters.

and i don't see anybody trashing heshko for winning soem european meet 1500m in 3:50....and that's not a mile time.

webb, after the 2 mile and pre races, will be listening to himself from now on as far as training/racing and that is a good thing.

Yeah were're not trashing Heshko 'cause HE WON! Times are irrelevant, it's place that counts.

Anyway I don't really think of it as trashing Webb per se, we're all just having a little discussion about why he is racing when he's not ready.

If he faded in the last 200 it sounds like he just needs to feel that deep burn of an anaerobic capacity session a few times. Racing can do that, but in my experience racing yourself into shape gets you sharp fast but your peak isn't as high as it would be through training.

Mel wrote:

Yeah were're not trashing Heshko 'cause HE WON! Times are irrelevant, it's place that counts.

Anyway I don't really think of it as trashing Webb per se, we're all just having a little discussion about why he is racing when he's not ready.

If he faded in the last 200 it sounds like he just needs to feel that deep burn of an anaerobic capacity session a few times. Racing can do that, but in my experience racing yourself into shape gets you sharp fast but your peak isn't as high as it would be through training.

yeah and if webb would have won in 3:46 or 3:41 or 3:39, anything above 3:35 he would have won but not fast enough for the poser......errrrr i mean posters here.

That 10k race was a big mistake.

Webb was told to run the race at around 4min mile evenly as a prep for the 5000 a week from now. They wanted to get a solid effort in and not reinjure the hamstring trying to kick or go out too hard.

In Europa wrote:

Webb was told to run the race at around 4min mile evenly as a prep for the 5000 a week from now. They wanted to get a solid effort in and not reinjure the hamstring trying to kick or go out too hard.

and again, i'm wondering what other great milers would do this? ie enter a race in order to, well, not race. it's mickey mouse. it's a really stupid thing to do.

Maybe you should look at careers of other milers, it's not uncommon. And this is a unique situation - coming back from injury and preparing for a 5000.

The theme of this thread, like most about famous runners, is "Let's hammer on Webb again. Anytime he is struggling, it is fun to say he's an idiot." Then, a month later when he pops a good race, all of sudden Webb is a great guy again. What a load of b.s.! Such a cycle has been repeated often by posters unable to look past the moment. Reality Check - it's tough being an elite runner. You are hero if you run fast or win a gold medal. You are a disappointment, stupid, or a fraud if you don't.

Webb has far more pressure to perform well than the average runner will ever know, but critics abound who make his life worse. The sad thing is his supposed "fans" are some of the biggest critics who are unable to ride through the tough times with him.

fair enough, tinman - but please address my previous questions regarding when to race, when to train, the purposes of each. webb's last 3 races - were they a smart decision? was it abvious before each race that he was not ready to race well?

i am a webb fan, and i really do wish him all the best. that's why it pains me to see this kind of idiocy coming from "his team".