Mary Cain is Officially DONE

What a bunch of hogwash. Has everyone forgotten her runner-up finish at U.S. Championships? She ran 4:06.34 in a tactical race, closed well, just 1.38 behind Jenny Simpson, who just 5 days later would go on to nearly get the American record with a new PR of 3:57.22 in Paris.

I'm not sure why Cain didn't race after that last summer. Was it the adjustment of moving to go to college or just Salazar having her hunker down and increase her training load, not sure. But until we see how she does at the U.S. Championships, it's way too early to predict anything with Cain.

Alot of criticism on this thread and really harsh words. More than anything I would like to know Salazar and Cain's view on what's going on - do they know what is up or are they guessing as many people on this thread are? However I think a statement from either is unlikely as it would be a tough topic to deal with.

Best of luck to Mary and hopefully she is just in a rough spot and will get through it.

really tho wrote:

It takes transition time, but luckily you come out physically stronger and more capable than you could have been in high school.

Anecdotally, this has been my experience and I've heard similar from other female runners my age who did not have stellar performances in college, but stayed consistent and healthy. I've set all my PRs, from 800-half, in the last two years, when I was 28 & 29.

really tho wrote:

You're around hundreds of other women every day and your hormones are affected by that.

Do you believe in menstrual synchrony and periods following lunar cycles too?

How anybody can defend Cain is beyond me.... Oh wait her defenders are blind lame Oregon/NOP/Al Sal fans who blindly support anything with that group.

Message to those people; get your head out of the sand

Stick with eharmony wrote:

How anybody can defend Cain is beyond me.... Oh wait her defenders are blind lame Oregon/NOP/Al Sal fans who blindly support anything with that group.

Message to those people; get your head out of the sand

WTF are you talking about? Defend her from what?

She has done nothing wrong that I can tell. She has had some great performances and some mediocre ones. What is there that requires defense?

11th Place wrote:

There's nothing else you can say.

This is a serious problem. No longer an isolated incident, but plenty of poor races. The wunderkind is gone and there's nothing sleazy sal can do about it

I disagree!

Kim Gallagher, Suzy Favor, Mary Decker, Ruth Wysocki, Meredith Rainey, Jordan Hasay and Channel Price were all youth phenoms and they all had a year or two were they actually went backwards.

Kim Gallagher - Had a phenomenal high school freshman and sophomore year, but her times were much better she ran as an age grouper.

Meredith Rainey - Is a two-time Olympian and to this days she still holds the Heps 800m record. After numerous youth AAU records, at age 15 she could run the times she ran at age 12. I can't recall if she ever ran for her high school and went to Harvard as a walk-on.

Mary Decker - Was running so poorly in her early 20s that she quit the sport and eventually quit. She started running again and ended up being ranked number one in the world with in a year after started back running.

Ruth Wysocki - Most of the high school records Decker set belonged to Ruth. I can't even tell you where she went to college, but I am pretty sure she never won an NCAA title. She went on to make several national teams.

Channel Price - Her times at TN were not much better than what she ran in high school and it has taken 6 year to become a world class athlete.

truthsayer wrote:

stop using the physical maturation excuse.

LOL. Stop using the scientific excuse!

Be patient-- Mary Cain will be just fine. My bet is that her endurance has gotten better at the expense of her speed. In two months when she is running low 4's, you all will be comparing her Genzebe Dibaba.

I don't know why anybody cares about what this goblin does. Fast or slow, she decided to be part of the evil incarnate. She's a doper, and any results she has are simply irrelevant.

ethioipianrunning wrote:

Be patient-- Mary Cain will be just fine. My bet is that her endurance has gotten better at the expense of her speed. In two months when she is running low 4's, you all will be comparing her Genzebe Dibaba.

Or maybe to Ajee Wilson, who is doing fine by the way!

She is slow because she spent a few hours at the high school prom last year. Oh, and graduation took up another hour or so.

Ridiculous NOP fanboys. It will be satisfying when that whole pit of snakes up there in Portland gets thrown into prison.

Oneword - Worldchampionships.

Oneword

Spaghetti

gbunny wrote:

ATLnation wrote:

I like how everyone is basing her career off this season. Illness and overtraining can go away, talent cannot.

Lol what? Of course talent can go away

Bill Rodgers is an example of talent not going away. From a cigarette smoker to US record holder, I firmly believe that other things tarnish ones athletic ability and that talent doesn't just "go away." (Overtraining, injury, illness)

Regarding rupp and last years oxy , you need to read up on training through unimportant meets

Do the words Trafficway or Bombay have any significance to you?

This is the sort of classic short-term thinking that defines the Letsrun board and the oft contradictory nature of the site's own journalist view of professional development. How many times are we told "talent does not go away" and yet the site's recap of the Hoka meet worries over "the Mary Cain narrative." I find it odd. Cain can have a rough spring, even a rough summer. Hell, she can have a rough year and not be "done." Downward trends are common in running as it is very difficult to be constantly improving and PRing.

I suppose it is just the need to generate a story and drama, which I understand. A sport needs drama. But I'm perplexed why Letsrun perpetuates the myth of the short-term. Cain might simply be off this year. Such cycles are common enough in running. Jordan Hasay has emerged from a relative trough; Rowbury has had rough seasons; Manzano has struggled mightily in certain years of his career; Alan Webb's career was DEFINED by ups and downs, but the naysayers from 2004-5 ate it after his 2007 season.

Is this just the pressure we like to level on the prodigy? Silliness.