We're Alberto Salazar's first two seasons at Oregon a bust?

Pete,

Dude, you can say:

My Bad

Dude

411

Low Down

Blunt

Spliff

Smack Down

Beat Down

Juju

Moded

Negatory

Parlayin'

Change your swag

Peace Out.

Ain't never to old to speak to the pups my brotha.

Yours in bliss,

Flagpole

but I don't know what any of those words mean...

Please read what I said, NOT what you've inferred. It's true that I'm a veritable storehouse of facts and trivia, ask anyone who knows me, I sort everything I think or say into four categories: 1) things that I know, 2) things that I think I know, 3) things that I think I don't know and 4) things that I don't know. What separates me from most is that I know the difference.

The statement "...he ran 7:43 as a sophomore? and was an All America as a freshman?..." is a category two remark. I did put questions marks after each, didn't I? That means I'm prompting the crowd for a clarification, doesn't it?

I'm not sure, maybe Alberto didn't make All America as a freshman. Maybe his 7:43 was as a redshirt sophomore (Oregon was one of the few schools during the 70s where athletes took redshirt years, most kids graduated with their class back then). Maybe Alberto ran it as a junior?, I JUST DON'T KNOW FOR SURE. Those pesky question marks (?), there's the clue.

One thing I do know for sure is that many of you get really emotionally involved in these threads. Even while using anonyms, it seems that many here think if they beat their chests like young silverbacks we'll all be impressed. We're not. We know what bleating lambs sound like.

We used to say "While you're sleeping, someone else is out training." Maybe we need to upgrade that to the twenty-first century: "While you're on the internet, someone else is out training."

GET YOUR BUTT OUT ON THE ROAD! Someone's got to be the winner, it might as well be you.

....but....if it's NOT going to be you, you might as well stay on the net and drag this thread out into another Hadd-like fillibuster. Here, I'll spill some chum into the water: "How about Willis kid with that :51 in a slow and meaningless college race? I'll bet no one's ever done tht before?" BLOOD IN THE WATER!

Alberto Salazar is a true legend. He had more balls and courage than every American distance runner of today combined!

If you want to count his freshman cross country season as a bust because he got severe stomach cramps, fine, but he ran 13:47 as a freshman. He and his cohort Chapa were the shit.

I remember in college swiping the Track and Field News from my coaches office with the cover of Chapa's American Record 3000 with Salazar behind. For young kids with big dreams Alberto Salazar was the hard training ass-kicker to aspire to be like, not a dead guy who you never saw compete and had movies made about him. Actually I was going to be Chapa and my college roommate was going to be Salazar but it didn't quite work out that way.

Regarding the conception that Salazar didn't have great first seasons at Oregon. That was probably his own perception. I read something in a religious pamphlet about how after his freshman or sophomore year he was frustrated with his running and was going to pack up and head back home. He made it a few miles but one of his headlights went out and he turned around. I guess he thought that was some sort of sign for God, or at least that's how the article went.

He was never the same after his fantastic year in 1982 where he ran 13:20 or 13:25 indoors, got top 4 at World Cross, won Boston and New York in super close finishes, and set American Records in the 5000 and 10,000.

I kept hoping and expecting he would return to form. I even had a bet with someone that he would be world ranked top 10 in 1985 or 1986. It was a sad day for me when I saw him run 14:25 finishing way back at Penn Relays one year.

He did get down to 28:30-40 around 1991 and qualified for U.S. Nationals but dropped out after about one lap there.

But he was the last American distance runner by far that would go up against the worlds best and be considered a favorite.

I have always been an admirer of Salazar as well. The reason for me starting this post was to get some insight on his first two seasons and to see if the rumor I heard was true. If it was, that is if Salazar did have slower times than his senior year in highschool, I thought it would be a good argument to use against the Webb bashers who claim that he'll never run faster than he did in highschool. Thanks for posting some insightful informaton Earl and thanks to the few who stood up for me while Pete aka "The Unofficial Waterboy" bashed me with the class that only a brownoser could have. I think it's safe to say theres a "Pete" on every highschool and college cross country or track team fulfilling his stereotypical role as the runner kisses up to the top dog. Make me a sandwich Pete!!!

ed gee wrote:

Al DNFed at DI XC in 1976, ran 13:47 for 5 as a freshman. finished ~4th in XC as a soph and ran 13:30s for 5.

That "76" DI XC race was awsome. It was the year Henry Rono burst into the scene. Winning two high powered meets by wide margins and stunning defending champ Craig Virgin. Ronos first mile was usually in the 4:18 range.

Anyways Al usually finished near Rudy but this day developed cramps and dropped out cause the race was so friggin FAST. Rudy was 9th in 28:49. Hunt was 13th 28:57.

Al cried uncontrollably on the flight back home.

[quote]Earl Slick wrote:

He was never the same after his fantastic year in 1982 where he ran 13:20 or 13:25 indoors, got top 4 at World Cross, won Boston and New York in super close finishes, and set American Records in the 5000 and 10,000.

It was a sad day for me when I saw him run 14:25 finishing way back at Penn Relays one year.

That was an amazing year Earl. It would seem that with things rolling so well he wouldn't need to spend as much time as he did that year at the Doctors office. Oh well just speculation. I mean we have no concrete evidence on Regina either. Have you ever talked to Alberto about Slaneys positive drug test? I have, it was very interesting.

Salazar in high school: graduated at 17, relatively young, si? As a sophomore ran @ 9:35 for 2 miles, just barely able to pick his feet off the ground. Also ran @ 25:15 for decently hilly 5 mile road race that year. Junior year struggled with back injury. Senior year lost state meet xc to Dan Dillon but went on to run 8:53 in BC's flat 200 meter indoor track for two miles and in hot and nasty conditions won USA vs. USSR 5000 at BU in 14:15 or so.

During that senior year he did a lot of running with the GBTC group, Rodgers, Sevene with Squires' guidance. His endurance was phenomonal at a very year age. In h.s. he was already ahead of guys who had been running serious training for 10 years or more. This was no long slow putting hay in the barn situation. This was quick, get out into the field and take a look because there's a tree out there putting out fruit of the rarest quality.

Out at Oregon he transformed from h.s. start to world class star in short order.

Yepper sounds clean to me wrote:

That was an amazing year Earl. It would seem that with things rolling so well he wouldn't need to spend as much time as he did that year at the Doctors office. Oh well just speculation. I mean we have no concrete evidence on Regina either. Have you ever talked to Alberto about Slaneys positive drug test? I have, it was very interesting.

Now, you can't leave us hanging like that!! That's not fair. What did you hear Alberto say about Mary's positive??

He said that even though he gave her the max amount she still couldn't beat Jennings.

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