Amy Begley Interview - Interesting Comments On Salazar

Peter Andersson wrote:

If you're paid to be on a team, and someone else is the team captain or number one, you're supposed to run for that person first and yourself second.

If not happy with that, find another team.

Cyclists understands this, many runners apparently don't.

Exactly. And also, many elite runners don't seem to understand that you can't win games without good offensive rebounding, not to mention hitting your free throws. How are you going to compete with the best if you can't hit the curveball when it's down and away, and you keep double-faulting on game points?

Although I do not look at Salazar as anyone's savior I will not join the Sal Bashing faction. My detached view is Salazar does not know how to coach the 800 and has limited ability to coach the 1500. If Cain cannot run a world class 800 after running a sub 2:04 as a freshman then the sun does not come up in the east and set in the west. Salazar appears to have convinced Cain to forget about the 800 -- which is self-serving for Salazar. Salazar has said Cain tends to fall asleep mid race. An antidote for that is to put Cain in 800s, which demand full time race management, wire to wire.

There is Team Salazar. There is also Team Cain. It will be interesting to see if Team Cain decides to move on in late summer, 2014.

Peter Andersson wrote:

If you're paid to be on a team, and someone else is the team captain or number one, you're supposed to run for that person first and yourself second.

If not happy with that, find another team.

Cyclists understands this, many runners apparently don't.

hold the phone wrote:

Exactly. And also, many elite runners don't seem to understand that you can't win games without good offensive rebounding, not to mention hitting your free throws. How are you going to compete with the best if you can't hit the curveball when it's down and away, and you keep double-faulting on game points?

This is the correct response.

There are no domestiques in running. Getting treated like them is why Salazar's athletes (other than Rupp) keep getting tired of him.

Wait for more like this interview to come out as the lid gets rattled and people aren't scared to talk. It's like any abusive pattern. Secrecy then a flood of disclosure.

36:30 +/- "cost Kara the race and then he didn't talk to me for two weeks" Then a sentence or two later "the next day he told me"

Speaketh the truth wrote:

I understand the plight of elite runners, but do they have any grasp on reality?

I mean, I could be fired at a moment's notice for nearly nay reason. If I can't do my work then I probably wouldn't be paid either. They are getting to do what few can.

There are millions out of work for long periods of time.

These runners seem to act like if they weren't running they could just roll into a six figure 9-3 job. Check out the median income.

The problem is they've been spoiled all their lives because of their talent and now they suddenly find after college the world isn't there to coddle them.

It's clear you didn't listen to the interview, and you don't know much about Amy Begley. She was one of the most decorated NCAA females of her era, but her era was just not that great. I believe she ran around 15:35 and 33:06 in college, but I could be wrong. When she came out of Arkansas, I remember she was given a lot of grief because she said she wanted to be a dog groomer as a career. She ran track some, but her level was characterized by 9th place finishes in the 5k and 10k at the 2004 Olympic Trials. She ran mostly road races until a resurgence in 2008 and 2009.

It is stupid for me to argue about her, because you have your opinion and that's what it is, so I will leave it.

But "millions out of work for long periods of time"? There are not even millions of distance runners (or any kind of runner) in the entire world that are good enough to be paid, much less millions unemployed. There may be millions of 17:00 5kers who dream of running for a living, but that is the same in any profession.

Also, I don't know if you listened to the whole interview, but she says that she is doubtful about ever reaching her best level again, and is not even sure she could race a marathon. She also just turned 35, so I don't think the "suddenly find that life after college" comment applies at all. She graduated 12 years ago.

She even comments that she is used to having her own way and that when she goes to work at a traditional job she may find the fact that she can't (have it her way) very difficult.

To the other people commenting: How can you defend Salazar telling her that she ruined the race for Kara? Who cares about that? If Begley finishes third at 31:50, she doesn't go to the Olympics. Period. What would you guys do in that situation? I would make sure I placed in the top-3 and ran faster than 31:45 (the A-standard).

It is clear that Salazar cared more about Goucher winning the race (for her sake, for Salazar's sake, and for the NOP's sake) than getting two of his athlete's on the team.

The bottom line is most commenting don't know either Amy and Andrew or Salazar. By "know" I mean have met, developed a relationship, and know where their philosophies and drive lay.

Amy and Andrew are good people who've had decorated and from an outsiders point of view possibly not as successful as hoped running careers. There is disappointment in not being able to run as well as you would wish, whether it be from a knee injury or a medical ailment. There is frustration that wells up and colors emotional states of being. But there also comes the choice of acceptance and perseverance and deliverance.

Watching Amy develop, crush the OT and become an Olympian was amazing and inspiring and affirming, Watching Andrew continue to develop young runners and just as a couple be the good people they are make this a better work.

Salazar's petty scorn and limitless self interest are no secret to anyone, but the dude wins and produces winners. He is contemptuous, demanding, and just like a lot of runners I know, difficult at times, so what? Amy sounded like she hadn't reconciled the bitterness of him focusing on Kara Goucher's "loss” over her triumph, but her history will get her there.

Move on.

QTPi wrote:

i find it kinda hard to believe that alberto would care more about kara winning the trials than about getting a second runner into the olympics

It's entirely possible that Kara missed a nice performance bonus; but even if that's the case, it's incredible that he wasn't happy for Amy on some level. ("I wish you had run the race differently, but congrats anyway.") Even if she strayed from some strict pre-race plan, he should have understood that she had to do what she had to do in order to make the team. But it's not hard to imagine Salazar literally fuming for two weeks because Amy had the gall to defy his orders.

Look at it this way -

Can you imagine Arthur Lydiard treating one of his runners like this? What about Bob Timmons? Jack Daniels?

NO!

Amy should have told alberto to go f**k himself

Alberto Salazar did not let me go until it was that time.

http://www.flotrack.org/video/67909-Amy-Begley-UNCUT

orbitboy wrote:

It's entirely possible that Kara missed a nice performance bonus; but even if that's the case, it's incredible that he wasn't happy for Amy on some level. ("I wish you had run the race differently, but congrats anyway.") Even if she strayed from some strict pre-race plan, he should have understood that she had to do what she had to do in order to make the team. But it's not hard to imagine Salazar literally fuming for two weeks because Amy had the gall to defy his orders.

It's entirely probable that Begley would have missed "a nice performance bonus" if she had failed to meet the A standard and failed to make the Olympic Team.

We're only hearing one side of the story. In any case the secret about running is that it is not really a team sport. You are always free to do your own thing. Yeah, I know that runners will help each other but in the end it is just you alone on the track or roads or trails. That's the freedom that comes with being a runner. As soon as you take the money, someone else is in a position to dictate your behavior and performance to you.

No amount of money would make me want to be in that position.

I was never an Olympic calibre runner but was a decent runner for NorCal.

One shoe company offered to sponsor me but wanted to tell me which races I had to run.

I said "no".

Another shoe company said "just wear our shoes". I went with them.

There are plenty of programs and if you aren't getting what you need in one then go somewhere else.

newname wrote:

It's entirely probable that Begley would have missed "a nice performance bonus" if she had failed to meet the A standard and failed to make the Olympic Team.

Kara's would have certainly dwarfed Amy's.

Worse thing about this interview is she said her career is likely over.

So this girl was injured and not running well before getting the opportunity of a lifetime that propelled her to an Olympian and now, 5 years later, she is upset that she wasn't invited to eat pizza with Shalane, Kara, Jordan, and Alexi?

So I'm pretty sure she said 356 days in a year not 365..

Headline should read "Bitter runner tells let's runners exactly what they want to hear so they can pretend they are better off never having run for Salazar even though most of them wouldn't have a chance to begin with"

nah that's too long

orbitboy wrote:

Kara's would have certainly dwarfed Amy's.

You do understand what was going down right? The three runners who did make the team had separated from everybody else as well as Katie McGregor (who was running in fourth - well back).

Shalane, Goucher and Begley are running together at the front and are on about 32:00 pace. For her own reasons McGregor was in 4th and not trying for 3rd.

(Begley says that McGregor thought that since Begley had made 3 tries at 31:45 and failed, and had never run 31:45 in a 15 yr career at a high level, that she would not make it under 31:45)

Approaching the end Begley goes to the front hoping to place in the top-3 AND run under 31:45. If she wins the race and doesn't run under 31:45, she doesn't go to the Olympics, McGregor does (as she has the A-standard).

With me so far?

So, at this point, Begley is calculating in her head how close she is to the 31:45 standard. She realizes that she MUST GO NOW and with 600m to go she runs a 1:40 last 600m. 32:00 pace is 1:55 for 600m.

She ends up running 31:43 for 3rd place. 3rd place with the A-standard is ON the Olympic team. 3rd place with the B-standard means she stays home and McGregor goes.

Are you picking this up?

Because she pushed the pace for the last 800m, she made up 17 seconds on 32:00-flat and ran 31:43. This is the scenario:

Flanagan wins - makes team

Goucher second and makes team

Begley third and makes team

(three women likely get bonuses for their respective performances - TWO of them run for Al Salazar and all three run for Nike)

McGregor gets 4th and although she also has the A-standard she stays home.

If she had NOT gone when she did or run the last 2-3 laps as fast as she did, but "left it late" here is the scenario:

Flanagan still likely wins

Goucher still likely gets 2nd

Begley gets third and run 31:50 AND DOES NOT MAKE OLYMPIC TEAM

McGregor likely maintains her 4th place and makes TEAM.

(THREE women likely get bonuses for their respective performances AND MAKE THE OLYMPIC TEAM - ONE of them runs for Al Salazar and two run for Nike)

Which scenario would you want to see for yourself if you were running in the Olympis Trials?

Are you telling me you already understood this and you still think that someone should sacrifice making the Olympics because of their coach's selfish plan?

Anyone who speaks poorly of Al Sal is petty and jealous, just like all those peole who spoke poorly of Lance Armstrong.

After actually listening to the interview, I think it is pretty clear that most folks are just spouting off not having heard the interview.

She seemed to be somewhat conflicted about even bringing it up. It all seemed pretty believable to me. I think it showed that in many ways Salazar viewed Amy as nothing more than a training partner.

A few minutes later though she does go on to say that she does owe AlSal and he did a lot for her. He took her on when many wouldn't, gave her the resources and mind set to achieve what she did. And she had a pretty good 2009.

To me it seems like he probably behaved/reacted poorly but perhaps not unexpectedly. He clearly got past it as she had a good 2009.

News flash for folks. Sometimes someone can be a great couch and still be mostly a tool.