If Mo Ahmed ran 12:47, i'm convinced Cheptegei can run 12:35 in Monaco!!

Lion belt wrote:

Mzungu in Iten wrote:

First of all, you don't know how it all happened.

After his horrible injury in 2018, he came back pretty strong and managed to run a 41:05 WB at 15k.

Then, took a break, and resumed his intensive training from January with the focus to win the gold medal which he achieved. Then, he took 4 weeks of total rest, and then started to build-up for DL 5000m final and especially Doha 10,000m.(8 days apart)

After only 3 weeks of training and still in base phase, he ran 13:06 in Shanghai(7th, Kejelcha won in 13:00). Then at the end of the base phase, he ran 7:33 for 3000m with limited speed work and 8:07 for 2 miles + a 13:03 in Lausanne for 4th.

Only after that he truly started the specific phase, and after a short tapering period, he became DL champ and 10,000m World Champ.

The message to take away, never underestimate Cheptegei, he is still improving, year after year. If he trained at 100% during this break, i expect him to break the 5,000m WR in Monaco. Whatever he sets out for...he seems to achieve.

I exactly know how it happened.

He did not win because he blew the field nor because he was faster. He followed a runner who tried to make the pace faster. The ethiopians sat far far behind and gave him a 50m headstart before reacting too late.

Cheptegai did not drop them because he went too fast and he did not outckick them.

He had a 50m headstart and managed to keep 10m until the end.

That's how it went.