Donavan Brazier was ruined by adding more miles. Why is a mileage increase the only thing offered by running coaches. It’s clearly not the best path to improvement for many athletes. More miles is lazy coaching.
Donavan Brazier was ruined by adding more miles. Why is a mileage increase the only thing offered by running coaches. It’s clearly not the best path to improvement for many athletes. More miles is lazy coaching.
TIL that getting injured at an inopportune time is being “ruined”
For a more fast twitch 800 runner like he I agree. Now if he was 5k+ then I would disagree.
He’s should of just done the same training he did in 2019. After this debacle I wouldn’t be surprised if they go back to it. But he’s getting older and his best 800 may be behind him anyway.
I have always thought this about Brazier. He was a noticeably weaker runner this year. Julian needed to keep him running and training for indoor 600s, with less mileage. He had noticeably less speed reserve this year just by looking at his stride compared to years past. Speed reserve used to be one of his key skills.
How do we know he was adding mileage?
More miles is lazy coaching wrote:
Donavan Brazier was ruined by adding more miles. Why is a mileage increase the only thing offered by running coaches. It’s clearly not the best path to improvement for many athletes. More miles is lazy coaching.
You're crazy. He broke the American record in a World final after adding more miles. In 2020 he was in excellent shape but the season was cut by COVID. Adding more miles also gave him the strength to negotiate rounds more consistently at Worlds. In addition, Brazier said himself they didn't add that much more. He just got hurt at the wrong time. That's it, plain and simple. He will be back next year in top form. He just needs some rest to get healthy again.
TheSummerSoldier wrote:
More miles is lazy coaching wrote:
Donavan Brazier was ruined by adding more miles. Why is a mileage increase the only thing offered by running coaches. It’s clearly not the best path to improvement for many athletes. More miles is lazy coaching.
You're crazy. He broke the American record in a World final after adding more miles. In 2020 he was in excellent shape but the season was cut by COVID. Adding more miles also gave him the strength to negotiate rounds more consistently at Worlds. In addition, Brazier said himself they didn't add that much more. He just got hurt at the wrong time. That's it, plain and simple. He will be back next year in top form. He just needs some rest to get healthy again.
I contend that he improved in spite of his training. He ran 1:43.55 as a 19 year old. Pay attention to your last three sentences. The mileage broke him down. Out at the absolute wrong time. If you coach the AR holder and current World Champ and your plan results in them not making the Olympic Team, your plan sucks. You are a bad coach.
What kind of "high mileage" was he doing ? I feel like every time I read something about his training it was highlighting the fact that he'd never gone over 10 miles at one time. Whew, that's pushing the envelope big time!
corndog99 wrote:
What kind of "high mileage" was he doing ? I feel like every time I read something about his training it was highlighting the fact that he'd never gone over 10 miles at one time. Whew, that's pushing the envelope big time!
Well it’s enough to break him down.
What do you know about Brazier’s training?
He was injured going into the US Olympic Trials, competed, and ended up making his injury worse. Tough break for an incredible runner and Olympic medalist contender.
How quickly people forget.
He will be back, competing and medaling on the world stage. He’s young, very talented, and a strong competitor.
MI Strong wrote:
What do you know about Brazier’s training?
He was injured going into the US Olympic Trials, competed, and ended up making his injury worse. Tough break for an incredible runner and Olympic medalist contender.
How quickly people forget.
He will be back, competing and medaling on the world stage. He’s young, very talented, and a strong competitor.
Why was he injured? Most likely it’s due to his training.
more than enough wrote:
MI Strong wrote:
What do you know about Brazier’s training?
He was injured going into the US Olympic Trials, competed, and ended up making his injury worse. Tough break for an incredible runner and Olympic medalist contender.
How quickly people forget.
He will be back, competing and medaling on the world stage. He’s young, very talented, and a strong competitor.
Why was he injured? Most likely it’s due to his training.
Jumping to the conclusion that the problem with the training was mileage though is what's silly. No one aside from Julian and Brazier no what his training was like. Maybe brazier tried to run through some niggles. Maybe there was too much intensity. Maybe they changed his lifting protocol in some way. Way too many variables for us keyboard warriors to conclude WHY he ran into an issue at such an important time.
The guy ran 1:45.00 on a broken foot. Saying he's "done" or "ruined" is bonkers.
highhoppingworm wrote:
TIL that getting injured at an inopportune time is being “ruined”
Unironically, yes. That's a good definition.
Pletan wrote:
more than enough wrote:
Why was he injured? Most likely it’s due to his training.
Jumping to the conclusion that the problem with the training was mileage though is what's silly. No one aside from Julian and Brazier no what his training was like. Maybe brazier tried to run through some niggles. Maybe there was too much intensity. Maybe they changed his lifting protocol in some way. Way too many variables for us keyboard warriors to conclude WHY he ran into an issue at such an important time.
The guy ran 1:45.00 on a broken foot. Saying he's "done" or "ruined" is bonkers.
We’ve gotta remember that braziers “more mileage” was moving from 25-30 mpw to 35-40 mpw. Most high schoolers can easy handle 35-40 mpw. I’m not saying higher mileage was the right choice for brazier, but I don’t think it directly led to his stress fracture. Probably lots of factors at play.
One has to realize that in order to improve on a 1:42 PB, you are going to have to fly really close to the sun, and I think Brazier just flew a little too close. He looked amazing last year. If he was in last years form for this olympics, he would have dominated that (IMO) underwhelming 800m final. Trying to hold that form through this year broke his body. That’s not his fault, and I wouldn’t even go as far as to blame his coaching either. You’ve gotta take risks to be the best, and they don’t always pan out.
whatever he was doing in 2019 is what he should be doing.
He added mileage to become the best in the world and it worked until he was injured at the end of his 2020 season. Then in 2021, he had a worse injury. Injuries happen all the time in track. Texas A and M's speedwork got him to 1:43.55 but that was only the cap, the finishing work, on his hs xc base and slower training, and it wasn't enough for him to advance at U.S. trials. For championships with rounds, some mileage usually helps and he wasn't exactly doing huge mileage. I still see him as a potential American champion at 8 and 15, so I hope Julian helps him get healthy again and they try that out. I see him as very similar to Murphy both at 400 and 1500 but with a higher ceiling.
Or maybe switch to the great upcoming expert on low mileage training?
Who? JS of course, the magic one.
Yeah Julian sucks as an 800 coach.
Covid robbed Brazier of gold in 2020. The man never lost until he got hurt. Mind you he beat Korir (your 21 Olympic champ) right before the USA trials where he got hurt. The Olympic final this year was a joke and Braxzier would have decimated that field. Bad luck and bad timing. Life happens. Meanwhile Julian brings Rogers back from the depths and peaks her just right for a medal and 1:56.
nike not wrote:
Yeah Julian sucks as an 800 coach.
Covid robbed Brazier of gold in 2020. The man never lost until he got hurt. Mind you he beat Korir (your 21 Olympic champ) right before the USA trials where he got hurt. The Olympic final this year was a joke and Braxzier would have decimated that field. Bad luck and bad timing. Life happens. Meanwhile Julian brings Rogers back from the depths and peaks her just right for a medal and 1:56.
You’re first and last sentence literally contradict each other
more than enough wrote:
MI Strong wrote:
What do you know about Brazier’s training?
He was injured going into the US Olympic Trials, competed, and ended up making his injury worse. Tough break for an incredible runner and Olympic medalist contender.
How quickly people forget.
He will be back, competing and medaling on the world stage. He’s young, very talented, and a strong competitor.
Why was he injured? Most likely it’s due to his training.
Distance runners sometimes get injured. It’s not always because of training.