Deena --PLEASE RETIRE

Her birthday is in February, so it would be real close. However, she would need 6 months away from serious training to be able to get pregnant. She will never have her own children.

better opinion wrote:

Actually if she got pregnant today she'd still be 37 when she delivered.

Well, I suppose technically...she'd still be recovering from the episiotomy though when she turned 38.

it is ridiculous and I think, even rude, to speculate over her getting pregnant. you have no idea if she wants or can have kids - maybe she has made some statement about it but i don't think so.

Flagpole wrote:

better opinion wrote:

Actually if she got pregnant today she'd still be 37 when she delivered.

Well, I suppose technically...she'd still be recovering from the episiotomy though when she turned 38.

Obvious to all wrote:

It kills me to say it, but her days as a threat in a major marathon are behind her.

It never surprises me how quickly you ding dongs write someone off after a few bad races.

Of course her days as a threat in a major at not at all behind her. How foolish to think so. She didn't "forget" how to run fast. Her body has not fallen apart on her. She's had a couple of big days where she could not get it done. A bad day in a 5k and you look bad. A bad day in a marathon and you look really really bad.

If she were concentrating on shorter races nobody would have noticed because she would run another one in short order. With the marathon, you only get a few shots a year unless you drop out.

speak for yourself. deena is not done and it is pitiful for anyone to sit around and dictate that. put your energy toward something more positive and leave her business alone. deena rocks and will always have a special place in runner's hearts no matter what else she does. pick up on some of her class please!

What a dumb thread. As far as I'm concerned, Deena should run as long as she wants, and I'll be rooting for her.

It is way past time for her retire, like her cohort with the stiff upper lip.

London works with a crazy budget for appearance fee's. Bedford knows what Deena's fitness is , her value is being a american , olympic medalist etc. she helps build the field out to have balance and not be all african. Her fee to show is around $50k , 10% to the agent. Clause for not finishing and slow finish time , hence the finish ( she's not happy as expected ) She and her agent know she can still pick up appearance fee's for the majors until the next great american woman can take her spot. Race directors are ok with it as she is a great ambassador and draw at the running expo's.

truth911 wrote:

it is ridiculous and I think, even rude, to speculate over her getting pregnant. you have no idea if she wants or can have kids - maybe she has made some statement about it but i don't think so.

I'm not speculating at all. I have no idea if she wants kids or not or can physically have them or not, and I don't care. I responded to another poster who said I would tell Deena to quit running and have kids NOW to prevent problems. I'm telling that poster that NO I would not tell her to have kids NOW, because she is above age 35 when problems really start to mount for child and mother. Her wanting them or not really matters not with respect to my comment...she's simply too old for ME to suggest that she go have a baby.

whine for my team wrote:

Flagpole wrote:

Well, I suppose technically...she'd still be recovering from the episiotomy though when she turned 38.

In other words

1. You were mistaken.

2. You remain classless.

Thanks for clarifying.

Average pregnancy is 40 weeks. If she were a LITTLE long, she could hit her birthday and be 38...a few DAYS either way doesn't really make a difference. The fact that she's 37 now (as opposed to 33 or younger) is really what makes the difference.

If it makes me classless to be concerned about the health of anyone's new baby, then classless I'll be!

Don Draper wrote:

You might want to read this:

http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=470576.html#kastor+felled+cramps+tightness+allergy

I take issue with that article and this quote, "The American marathon record holder, who won the London race in 2006, had a rare off-day, struggling to the finish line in 18th place in 2:36:20"

David Monti who wrote the article secures the athletes for the NYC Marathon. He has already paid Deena to run NY this year. The article does not say anything about this conflict of interest. But I wouldn't call it a "rare" off day.

Deena has not been top 4 at a World Marathon Major since her American Record in London in 2006. Marathons since then and how far back she was:

2006 Fall:

NYC 6th 2:27:54 1st place 2:25:05

2007

Spring: Boston

5th place 2:35:09 winning time 2:29:18

Fall

World half marathon 16th place (1:09:38)

No Fall Marathon?

2008

Spring: Olympic Trials 1st 2:29:35

Spring: Broken Foot Olympics

2009

Spring: None

Fall: Chicago

6th place 2:28:50 (winning time 2:25:56)

bathroom excuse:

2010:

Spring: 69:43 NYC Half 2nd

London 2:36:22

This happens every week with the NYRR and David Monti. He puts one hat on and calls himself "media" and then changes hats to call himself an employee of the NY Marathon.

deena should do us all a favor and take up curling

Deena, please DONT retire ... until you feel like it.

Simply coz it's nobody else's business.

And because you can!

:)

hold on...she ran a 2:28 last year and people think she should retire? wtf. If she loves doing it, there's no reason not to race. If you follow the logic that she's not going to compete at the international level, then why do any of us train and race? Besides, it's possible for her to still have a great day and be up with the leaders and win if everything goes perfectly.

holbythebear wrote:

hold on...she ran a 2:28 last year and people think she should retire? wtf. If she loves doing it, there's no reason not to race. If you follow the logic that she's not going to compete at the international level, then why do any of us train and race? Besides, it's possible for her to still have a great day and be up with the leaders and win if everything goes perfectly.

Retiring doesn't mean never running again or even never racing again...just means retiring from professional elite racing...getting appearance fees and such.

I want to thank Letsrun for backing this issue. It is an honest question and all of her fans deserve to defend her honor. I don't want Deena to ever retire as I find her entertaining. However, I realize that her best days are probably behind her. She has put herself in a tough spot. If she doesn't run a sub 2:24 in NY the doubters will have even more ammo and she will drop another 10 points in the popularity contest. If you don't think that the popularity contest is important, then you don't know what her appearance money is for.

This is very disrespectful. Deena is great and as runners if you are even a runner whoever started this rant, you know that we have good race days and bad race days and just the fact that she was having a bad race day and she stuck with it and finished says a lot about her.

she def. doesn't need to retire.

she should stop the talk of running a PR though.

that just isn't gonna happen and makes a day like London look even more ridiculous.