WTF GERMAN?

I think that he knew from his experience of putting back a shoe and still running a 4:15 mile that it was hopeless.

rojo wrote:

Given his foot injuries, no chance should he have run any of that with no shoe. I would say no US based runner should try to run 3k without a shoe. Maybe 800 or so but it would be foolish to do the whole thing without a shoe.

Wearing Nike Matumbos or Victories is essentially like wearing no shoes at all. The only difference between running in spikes and running barefoot basically comes down to protection and a little bit of leverage. You are just as apt to get hurt (by hurt I mean something serious such as a strained tendon, torn achilles, strained achilles, aggravated plantar fascia) wearing spikes as you are going barefoot; the only thing spikes will protect you from is getting spiked - the threat of which goes down as the pack spreads out. The purpose of a spike is to allow your foot to flex and gain that leverage that a bulkier training shoe doesn't offer, and that flexing, when done for extended periods of time, can aggravate the unaccustomed foot.

What many people are forgetting/not mentioning is that these are the NCAA Championships, not some regular season invitational or last chance meet. This is the real deal. In our tendency as "LetsRunners" to make "runner gods" of these high school and college prodigies, we tend to focus on the long term, on things such as the Olympics and World Champs. But as a fellow NCAA D-1 runner who would have given ANYTHING to be on that starting line today, I am insulted by the lack of effort that occurs sometimes. No one is entitled to anything. And I admire a lot about German; I really do. But look at someone like Reed Connor, who went balls-out on a flat track at a non-competitive meet just to qualify for this meet. I miss the old German, who ran ridiculous doubles in high school and worked at Applebee's and gave me that hard-working, blue-collar, hard-nosed feel that I always felt defined a distance runner.

The point is to remember those commercials that the NCAA runs that say, "most of our athletes will become professionals in something other than sports," and to realize that these guys need to show the effort and toughness that comes with putting your ass on the line at a meet that less than 1% of college athletes get the chance to compete in.

lillliiiilll wrote:

Rupps shoe came off once and he put that shit back on and caught back up.

scoreboard, Rupp stopped put it on and won, you would think german would have tried at least, crazy anybody see it live the video stayed with the pack.

The comment on Derrick by the one poster as being done is absurd, he was legit injured, had no underside races at all going in and stil ran a credible 13:37.

He will go in the 20's outdoors and be back on track , unless omething is seriously wrong.

Heath does look like he could be another level type runner, he beat some good guys here and had 5K last night. And Blankenship and Bayer had to go to the wall last night, very credible spots for them.

This is the clip where Jenny Barringer-Simpson loses her shoe at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor steeple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdqLvL28grw

:30-1:20

and 6:30-7:15

Take some notes, German.

If German really wanted to run the race he would have put his shoe back on and finished. If winning is the only reason he runs, he is gonna have a hard time in this sport, e.g., Alan Webb.

I wish him well this outdoor season.

One of the most injury prone guys in the NCAA doesn't want to run without a shoe.

Forget the earthquake in Japan, get the government working on this sh*t.

Seriously.

Didn't Rupp lose a shoe during the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville a couple years ago, and put it back on only to win the race?

Nothing Better wrote:

This is the clip where Jenny Barringer-Simpson loses her shoe at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor steeple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdqLvL28grw

Back when Jenny B. and Anna Willard were bad asses. I blame the name change.

NY Wintertime wrote:

Didn't Rupp lose a shoe during the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville a couple years ago, and put it back on only to win the race?

The difference was that Rupp's fitness was head and shoulders above every one else going into the race and he knew it.

Wait, weren't guys ragging on him for losing his shoe in another indoor meet? That is too funny. The guy obviously has problems tying his shoes.

the race went out at 2:15 at 800 and kept that pace through about 9 laps. it is absolutely ridiculous to think that german could not have put back on his shoe and been in scoring contention by the mile. so maybe he has to run a little faster the first couple laps to catch up, but at least he would have done the manly thing and put himself in contention to score points for his team. the smart thing to do would have been to fall and force a re-start but i can't really blame him for not thinking of that in a split second

while i am not one to read too far into things, i would definitely conclude from what happened that german was not fully invested in this race. maybe a nagging injury or sickness or something came over him in the days leading up and his head just wasn't there... just speculation but something was up

Nothing Better wrote:

This is the clip where Jenny Barringer-Simpson loses her shoe at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor steeple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdqLvL28grw

:30-1:20

and 6:30-7:15

Take some notes, German.

"What a gutsy run for Barringer. I mean she was way out of the race, but she got back up, and she is finishing with a kick. Should be a proud moment for her, a great performance after a terrible mishap for her at the beginning of the race."

A performance deserving of those words!

But as a fellow NCAA D-1 runner who would have given ANYTHING to be on that starting line today, I am insulted by the lack of effort that occurs sometimes. .[/quote]

Hey Blue-Collar guy...must be nice to be you. Apparently you are doing EVERYTHING in your power to be the best possible runner you can be if you would give ANYTHING to be on the starting line.

Everyone keeps saying "why didn't he just put his show back on and catch up", he didn't know at the time it would be a slow pace. If the pace was actually fast he was screwed. It has to take at least 4-5 seconds to put your shoe back on, more if it was tied tightly. I know I can't just slip my spikes back on.

What is the point of him putting his shoe back on...this should be the hardest race to do that...its the NCAA championships. He wasn't out there to win a conference title or something where he was the class of the field, he went there to win, I don't see what the point would have been to try to catch back up, his chance of winning is decreased too much.

It's ridiculous for people to say that they are insulted because they would give anything to be there. I am sure his goals are far different than yours.

Where is the video from this race?

What are you talking about? Derrick of Stanford is recovering and will be back with a vengeance. Same with Luke at Oregon. He has a calf injury and couldn't stay with the pack this weekend. He was there a couple months ago for xc and he will also be back.

And what about Centro at Oregon. He had his shoe pulled off in the relay yesterday, but even though it took him out of the race, he put it back on and at least finished the race.

apparently his goals involve not trying.

2 Legit 2 Quit wrote:

But as a fellow NCAA D-1 runner who would have given ANYTHING to be on that starting line today, I am insulted by the lack of effort that occurs sometimes. .

Hey Blue-Collar guy...must be nice to be you. Apparently you are doing EVERYTHING in your power to be the best possible runner you can be if you would give ANYTHING to be on the starting line.

Everyone keeps saying "why didn't he just put his show back on and catch up", he didn't know at the time it would be a slow pace. If the pace was actually fast he was screwed. It has to take at least 4-5 seconds to put your shoe back on, more if it was tied tightly. I know I can't just slip my spikes back on.

What is the point of him putting his shoe back on...this should be the hardest race to do that...its the NCAA championships. He wasn't out there to win a conference title or something where he was the class of the field, he went there to win, I don't see what the point would have been to try to catch back up, his chance of winning is decreased too much.

It's ridiculous for people to say that they are insulted because they would give anything to be there. I am sure his goals are far different than yours.[/quote]

seriously.. wrote:

apparently his goals involve not trying.

Thank you. Just because someone's "goals may be different" doesn't mean they shouldn't keep trying in the midst of adversity. What - is German so focused on being the next great Olympian that he can't give it his all in just-another-NCAA-championship-meet? For all we know, German may not become as great as we hope he does. (And believe me, I sure hope he becomes one of the greatest). So why does everything have to be about long term goals? Focus on the now, the present...especially when the present moment involves the NCAA champs.

If German keeps doing this, he's going to run out of races to prove himself.

People need to give this guy a break. He's had the weight on his shoulders because of being cursed with incredible talent that allowed him to run freakish times as a 17 year old. I wish people would be more invested in discussing Heath's incredible kick and sharing training tips on how they can improve their finish. But I guess I'm just naive in my hopes for fellow letsrunners.