Acosta 9:35 Steeple

ALL CAPS wrote:

WOW PEOPLE CLEARLY 9:35 SUCKS FOR ACOSTA THE OP WAS BEING SARCASTIC!! UNBELIEVABLE THAT PEOPLE DONT SEE THIS AND CONTINUE DISCUSSING HOW GOOD OR BAD OF A TIME IT IS. THE GUY IS A SUB-4 MILER, THERE IS NO DISCUSSION ABOUT 9:35 BEING GOOD OR NOT. IT IS CLEARLY GARBAGE

He is now, i don't think he was when he ran 9:35 for the steeple which was 4 years ago.

I've seen plenty of sub 14:00 guys blow out a 9:10-9:20+ steeple the first time if they haven't been trained for it.

Assuming acosta is doing steeple drills now, and the fact that he's a lot faster than in 2006 he will probably run 8:5X but Vin is not notorius for being a steeple coach and to me AJ just doesn't look like a steepler. Who knows.

i know a 9:34 guy and he only ran 4 flat in the 1500...so yea, it's not so great.

bloob wrote:

i know a 9:34 guy and he only ran 4 flat in the 1500...so yea, it's not so great.

It's certainly not great, but running a steeple is a lot different than running a 3k for the first time. In your example, what did the guy train for? Did he train as a 1500 guy for 6 years and wing one steeple or did he train as a steepler for 3 years and run occasional 1500's with no speed work? I'm not saying 9:35 is great (heck I went under 9:10 on my first attempt and I never ran as fast for 1500 or 5K as AJ) but it matters significantly if you have actually trained for or focussed on the event or just jumped in because you thought you could do it.

ttc wrote:

Actually for a 4:03, 8:4x guy, a 9:35 SC is subpar.

Not really, that's not bad for his first one; no body runs run fast in their first SC. I bet he run nearly 10 seconds faster in his next one.

Alrighty then what di you guys run your first steeplechase in and what were your mile and 2 mile times when you did it?

Talk is cheap.

I think I ran 9:19 in my first steeple my soph year under Rojo. i fell on my face in the water pit on the last lap, too. and at the time my pr's were 8:28 (indoor 3k) and maybe 4:20.

but i'm not bashing aj. just throwing some stats out there and talking about my amazing accomplishments.

TrackCoach wrote:

Not really, that's not bad for his first one; no body runs run fast in their first SC. I bet he run nearly 10 seconds faster in his next one.

That's ridiculous. 9:35 is horrible for a 4:03 miler.

There is a mitigating factor at play here. He ran that 9:35 in a Summer meet in Puerto Rico, 4 years ago when he was in high school. No doubt it was very humid that day (73 degree dew point) and the competition was more of a vacation than a serious competition. I wouldn't read too much into it.

If he doesn't run 50 seconds faster on the next one he is not a steeplechaser. Period.

Other than that, he certainly has the basic pedigree for the event, it's just a matter of seeing how well he responds to the herky-jerky nature of the event. He could be the next Dan Lincoln, or he could be the next Brandon Bethke. Most likely he'll be somewhere in between.

mpug wrote:

When Acosta can run 9:02 in the steeple, like Noel Bateman, then i will be impressed. NEW YORK POWER!!

Who the hell is Noel Bateman?

Oops, I was thinking of 8:35, 9:35 is not very good at all.

Over a minute slower than his high school coach, who has not broken 4:00 in the mile yet.

TrackCoach wrote:

ttc wrote:

Actually for a 4:03, 8:4x guy, a 9:35 SC is subpar.

Not really, that's not bad for his first one; no body runs run fast in their first SC. I bet he run nearly 10 seconds faster in his next one.

Wow, have you not read the people who commented with their experience?

I couldn't even run 4:03, 8:4x in the 1500 or 3000 at the time and ran under 9:30. My second race was under 9:20. He should have been able to slow down and climb over the barriers and run faster than he did.

9:32 today. back to the 1500...

http://www.goducks.com/fls/500/track/0910/pepsi/100410F016.htm

Event 16 Men 3000 Meter Steeplechase

=======================================================================

Wterfall start.

Athlete with hip #1 placed on inside.

Meet: * 8:40.91 1996 Daniel Das Neves, Oregon

UO: ! 8:20.97 1980 Ken Martin

Name Age School Finals Points

=======================================================================

Finals

1 Engnell, Kyle Illinois 9:00.76 9

2 McNally, Kevin Oregon 9:17.59 7

3 McCary, David Washington 9:19.37 6

4 Drosky, Greg Washington 9:21.48 5

5 Acosta, A.J. Oregon 9:32.51 4

6 Bonn, James Texas A&M 9:33.90 3

7 Snapp, Ryan Texas A&M 9:56.65 2

8 Hunt, Mitchell Oregon 10:11.02

Something is not right. Can he even break 9:00 for 3K right now?

road rashed wrote:

TFN already has him #10 on the form chart too

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/lists/display_list.php?list_id=12&sex_id=M&year=2010

e

Track and Fields News is projecting him 10th? What a bunch of alcoholics.

STEEPLE

1. *Hillary Bor’ Iowa State

2. Stephen Lisgo’ Butler

3. Barnabas Kirui’ Mississippi

4. Richard Nelson BYU

5. *Gilbert Limo’ Texas Tech

6. *Steve Finley Virginia

7. Ryan Gasper Wisconsin

8. *Evans Kigen’ Liberty

9. *Martin Kirui’ Mississippi

10. A.J. Acosta Oregon

Athletes have been known to sandbag in the steeple...while looking like they are trying hard...all as a way of letting the coach know it is really not an event for them.

With AJ's recent injury history, having him run the steeple may not be the wisest choice. Maybe this is his way of getting that message across.

Yeah, I'm sure he knows better than his coaches. He has a history of making brilliant decisions.

yeah... all i have to say is AJ is not a steepler.

NO ONE! who has run as fast as him in the 3-5-and 1500 should run that slow

He looked strong for 3.5 laps..then fell apart...with a capital F! I thought he was going to stop and walk at one point. He got a rude awakening to how hard the steeple is! :) On the bright side, his hurdle form wasn't that bad.

Who's the most natural steepler you've ever seen? gotta be dan lincoln or me.

I was there.... wrote:

He looked strong for 3.5 laps..then fell apart...with a capital F! I thought he was going to stop and walk at one point. He got a rude awakening to how hard the steeple is! :) On the bright side, his hurdle form wasn't that bad.

You're kidding? It was absolutely painful to watch.