Solinsky 2008

Word is?

Uhhh, the "kid" already ran 13:12 for 5k.

how fast makes the 5k trials? does Chris have a shot? or is he more of a 1500 guy? i know 3000 suits him real good, but he's never really touched the steeple, has he...

Solinski is amazing. i still remember when my coach gave our team this speech about how Chris was done for good after his lousy finish at NCAA cross his Senior year...oh that was sweet when he ran the 13:12

i would say he had some "big improvements" in 2007. where have you been?

do you follow pro track in America at all? He had the 2nd fastest 5k time in the country this year. Hes one of like 5 active American runners who has run under 13:14, and only 3 of those guys are likely to run the 5k (fam is a maybe, goucher may pack it in or move up). At this point, Solinsky is perfectly poised for that 3rd spot behind Lagat and Teg. If the trials were tommorow, his only competition for 3rd would be Fam if he decided to run it, or if Goucher somehow got back to 13:10 form.

i don't think anyone doubts that chris has made some big improvements this year and could continue to make some more big ones in the near future. the thing i've heard from my former HS coach(i ran in the same conference as him in high school, only a few years behind, so i kinda get some of the latest news on him) is that he was not sure that he would enjoy the professional running lifestyle. i think his concern was that he didn't want to be just another professional racer out there. he's always been the best and he doesn't want to be anything else. so i think if he doesn't climb to the forefront of the world scene he might quit. he's always kept improving whenever people said he just didn't have the right buid or wasn't made to go much faster, so who knows

when's he gonna run a marathon?

too big of body type, leave that to Hall and Ritz.

I don't see Solinsky getting a championship medal right now, but he's run some seriously good times. This past summer he ran 7:36.9 and 13:12. That's pretty damn fast. In 2006 he ran what, like 13:27? That's a huge improvement. His track season was long as f*** too. I'm sure he got some breaks in there, but he ran NCAA indoors, NCAA outdoors, and then the pro summer circuit. He just keeps improving and if he continues to improve over the next 5 years or so, even if it's only a little each year, he could be in shape to break the current 3000m and 5000m AR, though I suspect Tegenkamp will have those records 5 years from now.

Goucher is not going to pack it in and he is not going to move up. There is no way in hell in Eugene Oregon he is not going to make this team. Do you know anything about Goucher? Anyone at the trials in 2000? See what he did there? This is almost certainly his last chance to make an Olympic team-it isn't going to matter if he is dinged up like it seems he often is. How many times has Teg run under 13:10? How many times has Goucher run 13:10 to 13:15? Now compare that to anyone else in the race also. Lets remember who he is again. The guy was seen as stong as a bull and tough as nails when he got done at Colorado. This is still the guy that is mentally harder than anyone that will be on that line. No way in hell he doesn't make the team.

If you think that the odds of Goucher making the team are better than for Teg I think that you are mistaken. How many times has Goucher (male) come within inches of winning a medal at Worlds/Olympics? How many times has he beaten guys like Bekele Jr in an important race? Goucher and Teg are not quite in the same league.

Solinsky and Goucher are more evenly matched but you are using a historical Goucher and Solinsky for the for that comparison and Goucher is on the decline and Solinsky is ascending. Furthermore, Solinsky had this great marks after 10 months of almost continual top-level racing, some of it while a bit sick (XC). He won indoor and outdoor crowns and then beat some pretty good runners in Europe. I am not sure that Goucher had a race all year that compares with 7:37/13:12; neither did he win any championship medals or qualify for any teams.

Depending on how good Withrow really is (he ran a 13:35 several years ago and finished as the first American at Worlds XC), there is an outside chance that either for the Olympics or the WCs the first three at the Trials race could be Wisco alums (and I think that Withrow can outkick Goucher, Goucher will have to run away from him before the end and Teg will let it go a bit longer, so Goucher might have to make the move, which will put him at a disadvantage).

It's almost starting to look ridiculous. Well, not exactly just yet.

But if Withrow comes along as a top knotch 5000m runner(I know it seems like he's slated to since his 13:35 5k, but people probably thought the same about Ritzenhein- let's see what Withrow can do in the 1500m and the 3000m first), we might as well just let Jerry Schumacher decide who goes to the Olympics for the mens 5000m event. Seriously, Schumacher knows how to pump them out. I would pay college tuition to pick his brain for 2 years.

Olympic 5000m Mens Trials:

I was thinking about this the other day, and I would automatically have to go with Tegenkamp, Lagat, and Solinsky, and maybe not in that order, but Tegenkamp is starting to get to the point where its possible he might be able to outkick Lagat, maybe in a long 600m kick, because like Goucher, Lagat is slightly fading as well, although he still shows he can have the big cajones on the day it counts.

Here's some off the top of my head way too early but probably not too far off predictions for next years 5000m trial finals:

1. Tegenkamp

2. Lagat

3. Solinsky

4. Famiglietti

5. Riley

6. Goucher

7. Withrow

8. Bolota

9. Summerside

10. Moran(maybe Vaughn?)

The competition is deffinately getting better. I imagine the 5k could be one of the more competitive races on the mens side at the olympic trials in eugene next summer, even though there's probably no one who can kick with lagat and tegenkamp, but i think solinsky, famiglietti, riley, goucher, and withrow will be close to each other and not too far back. since solinsky trains with tegenkamp, they'll probably run the whole race together, or maybe even work together to help get them away from the rest of the pack. there are deffinately some balsy runners out there now though, as i would expect fam, goucher, and withrow to have the gusto to go with them if and when they ever made moves. there is no 'us and them' anymore - it's every man for himself and everyone knows it just takes the right preparation and a lot of balls to the wall to get to the top.

By the by, I can't imagine Solinsky having a more perfect 2007 track(in and out) year. I mean, I probably could imagine(making it to worlds?) but nothing I would have expected him to do, and even the things he did do I wouldn't have thought he would be able to do after a long indoor and outdoor season. Schumacher really prepared him just right, and without overdoing it so that he still had enough(even if he did take breaks the body can still be taxed) to make it through the next training block and pull some awesome accomplishments out of it.

2007:

NCAA Indoor 3000m 2nd Place(2 previous 1sts)

NCAA Indoor 5000m 1st Place(1 previous outdoor first)

NCAA Outdoor 5000m 1st place(2 total)

7th @ World Champs 5000m Mens Trials

4 consecutive PR's in 1 month(all in Europe too I think), a while after NCAA's:

3:39 (1st?)

3:37 (1st)

7:36.9 (3rd to Bekele, Mottram)

13:12 (4th by a mere second or two)

Not a bad start.

With all due respect to the smart-alecks who have replied earlier, irun got the point that I didn't make well enough. Solinsky wasn't a pro-runner until the end of June. He ran the entire year through and was sick at the end of XC. I fully expect him to improve a lot in 2008 since he will be able to train unimpeded by NCAA XC, indoor, and outdoor. He can pick his spots and peak when he needs to. I was aware of what times he ran last year, but going in you have to go with Teg, Lagat and Goucher based on what they have done up until now. Chris will be very competitive with them on that last lap and I am betting that he will find a way to kick past 1 or 2 of them on the last straight.

I guess the wildcard is named Lomong. He can screw up the form chart for any race he enters at the trials.

Notice that four runners in your top ten are training in Madison. That should make for some great preparation for the trials provided everyone stays healthy.

Lomong will probably run 1500, guy missing from that list will be Bobby Curtis, with a 3:57 mile and tactical 13:39 in only his second 5K, my guess is in a tactical trials race, he would be right there, by then in 2008.

It is not clear if Lagat is going to try to double at the Olympics. If the schedule is spread enough he might do the 1500 and then see how he is recovering. What time is needed to switch runners. In know at the WCs they called the hurdler who left immediately and had less than half a day to his first race -- he ended up third, one place higher than his placing at UASTF Nationals.

At the WCs the next year the US gets 4 entrants and Lagat does not need to run either race in the Championship, so it will be interesting to see who is 1/2/3 + Lagat.

I really hope Lagat runs the 5,000 in Bejing. the only downside to that would be if he knocks Teg from a medal. But then there is the chance that there could be 2 americans getting medals if Teg can improve on his WC finish.

So if Solinksy decided to show up to the marathon trials on Saturday, where would he have placed?

I'm thinking that without marathon specific training he would have finished 2nd. Probably with some MP specific work he could've won it.

possibly, but he would have held back so as not to make hall look bad.