Disappointing News For US Mile Fans- Alan Webb Is Apparently Done for 2009

You guys are ridiculous - Webb will be back.

if i was webb, i'd quit running altogether to avoid the positive, but mostly negative, emotional responses of the public.

The only public that cares about Webb are on this and a few other running forms.

I think the most funny thing to me, is that of all the people out there that always bash on Webb for one thing, have not brought up the most likely scenario....rather you folks stoop even lower and suggest quitting or retirement.

The funny thing is the guy could run with his achillis falling off and still beat half of the people on this message board, possibly myself included yet he is being smart. He is getting himself healthy, figuring out everything that needs to happen and is preparing to be back into competative race shape in 2010 most likely as a support year for 2011 since that is the next WC year.

Remember that just because his name has been around forever, or so it seems, that is because of his success in high school. He is still on 26 years old. He has the potential for a long future ahead of him.

Alan Webb, I do really hope you take the rest of the year off, all july through december of this year. You need some downtime, maybe rethink your training a little bit, but not for awhile yet. Then get back to it.

someone should tell lagat this... he seems to do alright in the 1500 at 34

asdsd wrote:

Alan should move up to the 5k and eventually the 10k. He is reaching an age which is at or past peak for the 1500m. Maybe he can be the first sub 12:50 white guy.

hmmm, i sure hope that would be the case... none of us have contracts with nike that pay us to run fast. i'm not sure what your point is. the guy has insane genetics to run fast... no one disputes that

this is funny wrote:

The funny thing is the guy could run with his achillis falling off and still beat half of the people on this message board, possibly myself included

I will take that bet with me against Alan with his achilles torn off. Seriously, I will train like a banshee and beat the guy at the mile with him on one achilles. No problem.

Good luck though to Alan. I wouldn't be surprised at anything with him, with the ups and downs we have seen. Hell, he could come back next year and run 13:00 for 5k.

Nobody, not even Webb, knows what the limits of his talent are. He could have already reached them, or he may be the first man under 3:40.

Until everyone just accepts Webb's performances (as good or bad as they are) as the best that he can do, we'll all be disappointed in how he does.

I think Webb has the unfortunate mental problem of believing his goals are reality. His goals are simply a hopeful guide and have no basis in reality until they've been achieved. If he can come to the understanding that he doesn't have to achieve his goals to succeed, he will lose a ton of the pressure that is weighing him down. Comparing his performance every race versus what he thinks or hopes he should be able to do is not productive for him.

What has been overlooked is how he overachieved on the surprising side when he ran 800m in 1:43. Maybe it was in the plan, but somehow I suspect that he ran way beyond what was expected of him. Another example of how goals are not reality, but on the positive side of the equation...

Steve Scott's logbook was posted on here and I read through it during the year where he set his AR. What struck me was the large number of races he ran and half of them were not real spectacular or he won and wrote in his log "a terrible race". Perhaps Webb should just race a lot more and not put too much stock in what each race means.

Anyway, like everyone else I am just an uninformed fan and I hope that amongst his inner circle they are doing what they think is best for Alan. I hope to see him back ASAP and would support him in any event from 800 to marathon.

[quote]hsdjfhdsk wrote:

Nobody, not even Webb, knows what the limits are

not even 5 Guys Burger and Fries knows

Webb will probably break a few more 3:50 miles before his career is over. I say there is a 50% chance he will be at the next Olympic games. With runners like Holman and now Webb you never know what is going to happen.

By next season Webb may have gone over 900 days without breaking 3:55 for the mile. Right now Webb is no better or worse than Grant Robison or Jason Lunn were in their prime. Webb is now just very good. What is wrong with that.

AW is probably a injury prone type runner. My opinion is he should be a miler who moves up like jim spivey or eamonn coghlan. perhaps less mileage, less base and shorter seasons filled mostly with races. I don't think the guy peaks too early I think he just gets a lot of nagging injuries with a long build up.

So Alan. Keep the seasons short, keep the mileage under 50, and do some pool running.

Why do you think he needs to recover mentally? Do you know something the rest of us don't?

cooksferry king wrote:

Why do you think he needs to recover mentally? Do you know something the rest of us don't?

Webb has trouble with his mentallity. He thinks too much when training and running, and worries too much.

I saw him in the Carlsbad 5k road race where he was in the back part of the lead pack at 3+k. He could have finished without a problem, but he was not going to win that day. Instead he stopped running at ~4k and walked off the course. Rather than finish somewhere around 10th, he quite.

The above is a serious mental issue. If you keep quitting because you don't think you can finish as high, or as fast, as you want too then you are in serious trouble.

Maybe AW needs some Zen-type training. If he stopped worrying so much he would do better, and he'd be happier.

Isn't it sad that a guy who attended Cornell doesn't know what irony is?

No one on this message board can beat alan webb.... in anything...ever

Mr. Truth:Please change your name to Mr. BS.Your statement about Webb being no better or worse than Robison or Lunn in their prime is nonsensical. Comparing Webb, at this injury plagued stage in his career, to anyone else is like comparing apples and oranges. And saying that now he is "just very good." Fool's talk.What garbage you spew forth.LOL.Dick

Mr.Truth wrote:

By next season Webb may have gone over 900 days without breaking 3:55 for the mile. Right now Webb is no better or worse than Grant Robison or Jason Lunn were in their prime. Webb is now just very good. What is wrong with that.

Seidel wrote:

You guys are ridiculous - Webb will be back.

that's what you said last year..maggot

hang in there webb.