Alan Webb is now the 25th fastest 1500 runner ever!!!!

Pamela Andersons Left Nipple wrote:

goog wrote:

This is insignificant. You are the fastest American or you are not. We should stop this native-born mentality, it puts an artificial limit on people's accomplishments. I'm sure that Alan does not think like this....

To a lot of people, this is not insignificant. For someone like Webb, he probably doesn't view it that way now , but later in life, after his career, I'd bet that he would wouldn't mind if "American-born" was added when describing his accomplishments. Especially if he sets any records that are broken by "non-American born" runners.

Well, of course, you mean "North American-born," but I get it...I think it is significant. We cannot overcome the evolution of the Africans.

Hello Jim,

My name is eamon dempsey, and you probably don't rememeber me at all.

I went the the Brown/Asics running camp in rhode island, and i ran with you a couple of times, and i lerned a lot from you. I was there for 2 years, and it was great. THe thing i remember the most is laying down and putting your legs up on the wall to drain the lactic acid, and pass that on to a lot of people that i run with.

I also remember the story about the atlanta olympics, and you had to take a drug test after the 5k, and you had to drink water, and more water and all the bball players were coming in and peeing, it was a lot better when you told it... i'll never forget that stuff..

hope all is well...

EaMoN

Thanks Jim for posting to this site! Go Big Red!

In no other democratic country would this discussion take place. In my home country (France), sport is dominated by immigrants and nobody gives a damn about that. We are not happier when a "French -born" wins.

Todd-

That race in Boston, over 1500 meters, was a huge step in my preparaton for the Olympic Trials in Atlanta. To run 3:41 may seem not that important, but I had over trained the two weeks leading into the event.

I had run a 3k in 8:09 at North Central college, in 88 degree heat and felt terrible the last 2 laps running 66's. Two days later, put in an 11.0 mile workout, with about 8 miles on the track consisting of 6x200's, 5x250's, 500, 5x200's, 4x250, 400, and 3x200 with bookends of 10x100 to start and 8x100 to finish. 87 degrees.

Another workout on Tuesday and Thursday, then the Pre 5000m in Eugene - 13:52.65 - I did not even write down my place. Not the form you want to exhibit 4 weeks before the Olympic Trials finals.

A 13 mile run after the flight to Chicago from Eugene, a 3200m paced interval at 71 pace, running 9:28 followed by a 5:06 mile on Tuesday, and another track workout on Wednesday. I was toast.

I took Thursday off, and ran 17 minutes and no strides in Boston on Friday. The first time I felt good, was on the warm-up before the race. Here's what I wrote in the log:

"1500m - 3rd, 3:41.1 mt. Felt really good. Knocked to lane 4 with 1 lap to go. Did not care. Just good to feel good racing again. Cost me the win. But really encouraged."

Next week rabbited the 5k for 3200m at South Bend, running 8:37, with 8:05 at 3k.

You had goals of your own that day, and ran the race you wanted. Here was a 36 year old runner ahead of you, with a goal of "hoping to feel good again."

js

illinois runner:

my non-work address:

jimcspivey@comcast.net

Pamela Andersons Left Nipple wrote:

[quote]goog wrote:

This is insignificant. You are the fastest American or you are not. We should stop this native-born mentality, it puts an artificial limit on people's accomplishments. I'm sure that Alan does not think like this....

this is not insignificant. Lets pretend in 10 years time that the uk have 5 world class runners who were born and raised in Africa but came to the uk for a better life. If the UK sports fat cats then pipe up and say that UK middle distance running has returned to it's glory days, would you agree with them?

If Alan wants to be the best athlete in the world and doesnt compare himself to US born athletes only, thats great and thats how you force yourself to be the best you can be. But if Bekele became an American tomorrow, what would that mean to US athletics?

The truth is that we live in a world that is increasingly more global. Naturalized citizinship makes national records a little different. If Bekele moved to the U.S.(he never will) and dominated, this would be incredible for U.S. distance running. Only the Letsrunner's on this site would have a problem with it.

If Lagat's kid (born in the U.S) becomes the best Distance runner in the world someday, he is american-born, yet his genes are east african, then can we include him in your native-born classifications. What new PC classification would have to be created then to distinguish athlete's accomplishments when africans become native born Americans?

pre841 wrote:

Maree and the marathoner (I forgot his name) came to the US from South Africa, which was being torn apart by an unjust system of government.

mark plaatjes i assume? won the 1993 world champs marathon for the US just weeks after gaining US citizenship.

Regarding Webb peaking, the most interesting thing to me about his '05 season was that he ran three races at three different distances in three different months that were all almost identical in their point value/equivalents:

June: 8:11 2M

July: 3:48 mile

August: 13:10 5,000

I always found it interesting that a miler would move UP in distance at the END of the season with no loss in form. Not often you see guys moving up distance at the end of the season. Up distance stuff is usually saved for early season or transitional periods.

In seasons where he's been healthy the whole time, I think he's done a very good job of holding his form. And even if we assume he's "peaked" right now, that peak is on top of a base that produced a 27:34 10,000. With that kind of strength behind him, and his his history of holding over the season, I think its possible for him to form through Osaka.

The wild card is just how much emphasis he has placed on his speed this year already. He's made it clear in numerous interviews that his emphasis is on the middle distances this year, and his results so far confirm that. If that's been race pace emphasis, then he should still have another gear. If it's been faster than that, then it is a matter of holding form.

Its significant goog, its signficant. Why should "we" should stop this native born mentality? Our running and racing system in the USA bears no resemblance to those in Africa or Ukraine, so,

Its Significant.

clock keeper wrote:

Tony wrote:

That's a TOUGH 2 seconds, though.

a thousand one, a thousand two...

This post is so letsrun i'm in stitches lol

Zat0pek wrote:

Regarding Webb peaking, the most interesting thing to me about his '05 season was that he ran three races at three different distances in three different months that were all almost identical in their point value/equivalents:

June: 8:11 2M

July: 3:48 mile

August: 13:10 5,000

I always found it interesting that a miler would move UP in distance at the END of the season with no loss in form. Not often you see guys moving up distance at the end of the season. Up distance stuff is usually saved for early season or transitional periods.

That's a good point and not something I'd realized at the time. I'm trying to think of another instance of a miler moving up at the end of the season and I'm drawing a blank.