Chris Derrick... WHAT A RUN!!!!!!

I don't think there's an adjustment factor. The impact would be minimal. It gets exponentially the higher you go, especially as you climb above 5000'. Great race.

exponentially harder... almost like a logarithmic graph.

Ask Derrick? Stanford is a decent school for what I here

Olympianandpreclassicchamp wrote:

Look for BIG thongs to come from him!

I have a feeling that this quote will be with us for some time! Big brass ones require big thongs.

So what are the thoughts on whether the aggression, intelligence, and speed (the sustained drive, that is, not the final 200) that Derrick showed makes him any more of a contender this summer at the trials?

He was only 6 seconds off his fastest 5K in a championship caliber race. Granted, many of the guys ahead of him have faster closing speed but he just showed that he's willing to challenge guys who, on paper, are much faster than him.

Is he coming into his own at the right time, or is he still a couple years away from making some real noise?

joho wrote:

Awesome wrote:

Why does everyone keep saying at altitude for Boise? 2700 feet is nothing, there is not even an adjustment available for Boise.

Good question. At what point does altitude start to become a factor? Does 2700 ft have a slight impact or none at all?

Of course there's impact. Tucson is only 2,389 to 2,584 ft., but Lagat and others live and train there for a reason. The previous facility record was only 14:08 by Rupp. So it was destroyed by 43 seconds. That is impressive.

It's definitely not as extreme as Albuquerque, at 5,312 ft., where the times are even slower. But anyone who does a morning run in, say, Chicago and then Tucson in the evening can tell the difference.

Anyway, I'm excited for Derrick. He should absolutely be a factor at the trials. I'm wondering if he might attempt a big 10K pr at one of the big outdoor meets at Stanford. Or will he make an attempt at the 5000 collegiate record? Chances are Lalang will bring that under 13:00 this spring.

But first, let's see how he does in the 3000 after yesterday's effort!

who is your daddy wrote:

Olympianandpreclassicchamp wrote:

Look for BIG thongs to come from him!

I have a feeling that this quote will be with us for some time! Big brass ones require big thongs.

And the Chris Derrick "big thong" internet meme is born

waitwut wrote:

Don't worry wrote:

You can watch a replay of the whole program on ESPN3. I'm re-watching it right now...

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/source/espn3/id/415131/

Oh awesome. Thank you very much.

FYI guys: the 5000 starts at around 3:36

I'm an idiot, that's the men's DMR. Men's 5000 is at more like 2:39 in.

Fastnbulbous wrote:

joho wrote:

Good question. At what point does altitude start to become a factor? Does 2700 ft have a slight impact or none at all?

Of course there's impact. Tucson is only 2,389 to 2,584 ft., but Lagat and others live and train there for a reason. The previous facility record was only 14:08 by Rupp. So it was destroyed by 43 seconds. That is impressive.

It's definitely not as extreme as Albuquerque, at 5,312 ft., where the times are even slower. But anyone who does a morning run in, say, Chicago and then Tucson in the evening can tell the difference.

Um..I'm pretty sure they live in Tucson so that they can live at low altitude and train at high altitude in the surrounding mountains. 2,500 ft. definitely does not make much of a difference, at all.

According to the run works calculator, a 13:26 run at 2,700 ft is about a 13:20 at sea level. Seems quite a bit to me though. What does it matter? If anything, Chris could have stayed with Lalang and possibly run 13:10 at Milrose.

http://www.runworks.com/calculator.html

Umm, he lost.

sohcahtoa wrote:

Um..I'm pretty sure they live in Tucson so that they can live at low altitude and train at high altitude in the surrounding mountains. 2,500 ft. definitely does not make much of a difference, at all.

True, but while lower elevations may not affect overall training/adaptation significantly, they may noticeably affect top-level performance. That 2+% decrement is probably what we are seeing in Boise.

freder wrote:

Umm, he lost.

Realize this: Derrick is, by objective measures like a comparable 5,000m time, running about as well as Rupp was his senior year. Rupp won everything. Lalang is a monster, one of the best distance runners in NCAA history (the fastest 5,000m runner, period) and he's the only one who has stood between Derrick and two NCAA titles this school year.

Being able to make someone like that look vulnerable, even for just a moment, is a great achievement for Derrick (who is also about a year and a half younger than Rupp was his senior year). He's been tremendously consistent in college, even if he hasn't won a title due to the tremendous strength of his competition, and he has great things ahead of him.

Those graphs are inverses.

Sagarin wrote:

exponentially harder... almost like a logarithmic graph.

And then did it again in the 3000, but even closer. What's great is that Derrick truly believed he could do it when few others did. He wasn't happy in the interview after the 3000 that he "did his best." He was frustrated and pissed, because he was so close he could taste it.

That kind of desire and self-belief is exactly what we want to see, and it's likely that if he stays healthy, it'll eventually pay off for Derrick.

Fastnbulbous wrote:

And then did it again in the 3000, but even closer. What's great is that Derrick truly believed he could do it when few others did. He wasn't happy in the interview after the 3000 that he "did his best." He was frustrated and pissed, because he was so close he could taste it.

That kind of desire and self-belief is exactly what we want to see, and it's likely that if he stays healthy, it'll eventually pay off for Derrick.

Tremendous weekend for Derrick. He ran at a new level and was so close to national glory he could taste it. He'll only be even hungrier outdoors. Please tell me someone has posted footage of this race and interview somewhere.

Derrick deserves all the love and praise...

...but can coach Jason Dunn get a little appreciation on here for once? He often gets bashed for underachieving with the stacked hand he gets dealt at Stanford, but I think he's done a great job with CD.

I remember posters on here criticizing Derrick's choice to attend Stanford after Vin left, saying he should've opted for Oregon or Colorado.

Looks like CD made the right choice, and that Dunn is pretty damn good after all.