2010 Alan Webb Prediction Thread

I was just thinking about Alan Webb and wondering if was doing ok.....hope his training is going well, sure is boring around here without him!

I'm up to about 15 MPW...is that more or less than Webb right now?

RuKiddingMe! wrote:

I was just thinking about Alan Webb and wondering if was doing ok.....hope his training is going well, sure is boring around here without him!

He is an exciting runner and an extreme talent. Like you, I just hope things are well with him physically and mentally. 3:46 and an AR is an incredible acheivement, but I really feel like he's capable of a lot more (not so much timewise in the mile, but at 3000-5000 and championships). One thing about Salazar's group, you don't hear of injuries or overtraining. I'm as ignorant as any other letsrunner about Webb's health issues he's had, so all I can do is speculate, but if Webb is healthy and has had some months of consistent training, I could see him running extremely well this year, though even a SB of 3:33 would be a success compared to some of his past years.

Totally blind speculation, but here're my predictions:

800m - 1:44-1:45 depending on how often he runs it

1500m - 3:30

5000m - 13:08 I don't think he'll probably run many of these. Depending on how Salazar trains him and what he wants him to focus on I could see him dip under 13:00 though. I feel like Webb is a 12:55 guy waiting to happen; he just hasn't really focused on 5000m yet or gotten in the right races at the right time.

Considering Ritz ran 12:56 last year, I gotta say that anything is possible. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened as I thought Ritz's absolute max potential under perfect circumstances was 13:05 or so. If Ritz can run 12:56, so can Webb.

Regardless, again, I just hope all is well for Webb. High highs and low lows can really screw with you.

I really think he is focusing more on the bench press this year and should get his PR up to the 250 range.

I also project that he will be able to 5 taco bell chalupas in 2:30.

GOOOO WEBB!!!!!!

I predict that a thread will be started and a whole bunch of crazy expectations will be discussed. Then, hoped-for times will be thrown out as though anyone can reach them and those times will be ludicrous at best.

Question: Why would Alan Webb be able to run times that are near or surpass his best season on the books when there are no indications that he is even done rehabbing yet?

I can't believe anyone would predict a time within half a second of his best 800, better than his best 1500, and better than his best 5000 when he, most likely, hasn't been able to put in the required base to hold up under those speeds.

This is typical LetRun Over-hyped Expectations...Like the claims last year that Rupp would break the American record in the 10K this year. Crazy I tell you!!!

(Insert f***ing stupid comment on how fast he can eat something fatty)

(Insert f***ing stupid comment on how he is a head case)

(Insert f***ing stupid comment on lifting too much)

(Insert f***ing stupid comment that Webb has always sucked)

you forgot the bald thing

I predict that lots of posters on here will insult Webb despite not being anywhere near as talented as him. This prediction could be applied to anyone in the world of athletics, but especially Galen Rupp.

I hope Webb can have a good year, it's not good to see a fellow athlete struggle with injury.

haha, YO (super serial) wrote:

(Insert f***ing stupid comment on how fast he can eat something fatty)

(Insert f***ing stupid comment on how he is a head case)

(Insert f***ing stupid comment on lifting too much)

(Insert f***ing stupid comment that Webb has always sucked)

haha, YO (super serial), you sound like a nice guy, so I wanted to oblige.

Alan Webb will eat a bucket of the Colonel's special recipe in under 4 minutes

Alan Webb's mental strength is the only thing weaker than his ability to pass up a Klondike bar after 2 hours at Shakey's All-You-Can-Eat buffer (see what I did there?)

Alan's vanity will cause him to spend more time in the weight room, and refresh his hair plugs (again, see what I did there?)

Webb hasn't always sucked. He was a phenom in high school, a wash out in college, and he's been up & down ever since he went pro.

The fact is that he's a time trial runner, but he's weak in racing at the elite international level in championship situations. He can't deal with the pressure & expectations.

Not that I'm any better, but I'm not being paid $250K/yr by Nike, either.

Lenny Leonard wrote:

...and he now has the best coach in the country.

I think it can be argued that Salazar isn't even the 2nd best coach in the country.

I'd say it's a toss up between Cook and Schumacher, and THEN Salazar.

Sure, he has Rupp (who he's had for year and years), and then Dathan, who yeah, broke 13, but like Salazar said himself, all the training that he did in the past is what got him to run that. It was just Salazar's peaking that was better. But now Dathan is already hurt, Rupp is constantly riding the line or hurt/sick, Adam Goucher hasn't done a thing for years.

I think if you stack it up, Schumacher and Cook have had way more success in the last few years than Salazar has.

geeks all around wrote:

I predict that a thread will be started and a whole bunch of crazy expectations will be discussed. Then, hoped-for times will be thrown out as though anyone can reach them and those times will be ludicrous at best.

Question: Why would Alan Webb be able to run times that are near or surpass his best season on the books when there are no indications that he is even done rehabbing yet?

I can't believe anyone would predict a time within half a second of his best 800, better than his best 1500, and better than his best 5000 when he, most likely, hasn't been able to put in the required base to hold up under those speeds.

This is typical LetRun Over-hyped Expectations...Like the claims last year that Rupp would break the American record in the 10K this year. Crazy I tell you!!!

I don't want to be a typical letsrun idiot, but I wouldn't really be that surprised if Rupp did break the American 10k record this year. As far as Webb, some consistent races in the 3:34-3:36 range, with maybe a 1:47 800 and a 7:40-45 3k would be good step in the right direction.

then some wannabe kid will ask he "update"

Webb will not be running this season.

To the OP:

You do realize you're a day late for April Fools, right?

edumacator wrote:

I don't want to be a typical letsrun idiot, but I wouldn't really be that surprised if Rupp did break the American 10k record this year. As far as Webb, some consistent races in the 3:34-3:36 range, with maybe a 1:47 800 and a 7:40-45 3k would be good step in the right direction.

I don't believe Rupp will get within 10 seconds of the AR in the 10K this year. I'll agree with you on the predictions for Webb as a step in the right direction, but would make the 1500 range from 3:35 to 3:38. I would like to see him run faster, but It would be in the right direction for a good year in 2011. However, I expect his 1500 times will be more likely in the range of 3:37 to 3:45. Unless he has been putting in some kind of major aerobic conditioning no one knows about, I can't see him making too big a splash this year.

DD-XL wrote:

The fact is that he's a time trial runner, but he's weak in racing at the elite international level in championship situations. He can't deal with the pressure & expectations.

Not that I'm any better, but I'm not being paid $250K/yr by Nike, either.

Webb is not weak at racing on the international level. Webb performs as well as most of the guys on the international scene. There have only been a few guys to be consistent since 2000 anyway. The 1500m has been a crapshoot ever since El G retired. Webb has had as many championship wins and losses as most anyone else.

And who said pressure and expectations are what he can't deal with? Where did this idea even begin. Maybe he's just been dealing with injury or illness for years. Or maybe it's something else.

I'm waiting for the day El G is found out to be a drug cheat, just like 80% of the other athletes.

Webb has only been ranked in the IAAF top ten for two seasons. Even Holman was ranked in the IAAF top ten five times. These long slumps Webb goes into are like nothing I have seen from any professional athlete.

any legitimate updates on his training? a few weeks ago posts were out about him only running 2-3 miles a day so id on't see him running anywhere near 3:30 this season. i agree with the other posters about anything in the 3:35-3:40 range a few times would be a good step back to the road of recovery.