Ryan Hall to run the US 1 Mile Road Championships

Heck, I'll be impressed if he cracks 4:10.

I wouldn't put any money on Hall in the mile, but it ought to be entertaining and maybe give Torrence something to think about. I think in high school Hall wanted to be the next Jim Ryun.

Well he ran close to 4 flat in high school.

He certainly is more fit now.

So does marathon training just kill your speed?

Good for him. He probably doesn't want to turn 40 and wonder why all of his PRs don't come close to equating to his half marathon time. Plus, he does love the mile. And he's probably jealous of Solinsky.

I wish he'd run it on a track, though. Wind aided mile?

Speed doesnt go away with marathon training

How much time did he take off after Boston? I think he learned after 2008 not to start training right after a marathon, but it seems quite soon after the race for him to begin racing again. I predict 4:06 though

i dont think predicting mid 4:0_ is too bold. we know the race usually runs a sit and kick, the winner right around 4minutes. we all doubt ryan has the closing speed to match a miler. the top pack moves with a quarter to go, and ryan gets caught attempting to switch gears and finishes within the pack.

this race is definitely not geared toward sub-4.

what might make things interested is if Ryan decides to lead sub 60. i doubt he wins, but maybe he holds on for a close 2nd/3rd, and pushes himself to a sub4 that way?

Guess Sara H. was going to be running the women's mile anyway, so it kind of makes sense if he was going to be there anyway. Assuming he has the natural speed to break 4, he's probably not at the right point in his training to do it next week but it sounds like it's just the start of a serious track season. Don't know how many actual miles he'll be able to find, however. Wonder if he'll be trying to get into 1500's. 5000's?

But I'll sure as heck watch the race to see what happens. Hall is always fun to watch.

With his marathon level fitness, I think the best tactic is to take it out hard and see who can hold on. He'll never be able to kick with Torrence if he lets it go out slow. The trick would be judging how fast you're going when you don't run the mile regularly and are running down an unmarked street.

I'll predict a 3:55.

i don't know if he can break 4, i think he should just stick to the marathon.

Will any of the other top 5 finishers at Boston or London be racing a mile race this close to their marathon? HELL NO, because they all have coaches.

It doesn't matter how fast he runs, it is still a dumb decision with far too much risk.

I don't see how it's possible for a guy to come off a marathon and less than four weeks later push the pace sub-60 from the start. That sounds like a terrible way to win it. He would just end up rabbiting the race or flaming out.

This isn't like a 5k or 10k where you use your strength to up the pace 1% and take the kick away from people. Going out in a <60 second quarter when it's a debate whether you can even go under 62 or 63 is pretty much going to annihilate the guy, because that's like 5% faster and speed taxes your body exponentially more than endurance running.

I think Ryan's best time will come from struggling in the pack and getting blown away in the final kick. I'd expect him to finish in the bottom 50%, but hopefully in 4:0x.

Joki wrote:

Speed doesnt go away with marathon training

There are lot of people who say that, but it has never been true; I would not expect Hall to run faster than 4:05 and that's being generous. Marathon training makes you strong and able to run negative toward the end of a race, which in essence is a kick, but that is not the same as speed. In a mile, you have to run fast the whole race, which something different from usual lopping or slouching marathon stride.

stupid parents wrote:

Will any of the other top 5 finishers at Boston or London be racing a mile race this close to their marathon? HELL NO, because they all have coaches.

It doesn't matter how fast he runs, it is still a dumb decision with far too much risk.

He's doing a road mile, not the TdF.

For everyone thinking he may have trouble breaking 4:10 - this guy ran 3:42 ten years ago as a high school kid and he's developed into one of the best Americans ever over hm/marathon, you can't be serious. I remember watching Josh McDougal run a low-key mile after everyone had been talking about how he didn't have the leg speed to run sub 4 and he runs a 3:57 by himself. I dunno what the course or competition is like, but it's ludicrous to think Hall couldn't break 4 if he wanted to.

Til the World Ends wrote:

How much time did he take off after Boston? I think he learned after 2008 not to start training right after a marathon, but it seems quite soon after the race for him to begin racing again. I predict 4:06 though

Yeah, sounds like a stupid idea from the timing perspective. 2 weeks off, 2 weeks easy, then buildup. Where does this fit in?

I don't think anyone doubts that Hall has the physical ability to break 4, but whether he can do it just a little while after a full thon is the f***ing question...also motherf***er is a headcase, so that has to play into discussion cuz4 is mental barrier.

The quote doesn't make it clear if he is targeting sub-4 for this race. I'd think he would need at least a bit of speed work to be ready run a fast mile, but I'm far from an expert.