Congrats for making it to the "Finals" and please keep these races "honest" & help select the fastest Olympians versus the best last-lapper so we don't embarrass our nation this summer in London. Furthermore, give yourself a chance to accomplish the following:
- run a PR
- gain national TV exposure
- demonstrate to Meet Directors your ability to "rabbit"
- take personal pride when you look yourself in the mirror at the end of the race & know that you gave it your best shot
- appreciate the Hayward Field fans and TV audience
To date, particularly with respect to the men, the preliminaries have been ridiculous and do not simulate what are Olympians will experience this summer in London. In other words, heats that will probably require PRs to advance versus this flawed idea that "holding back" will save you energy for the next race.
Be Tom Byers!!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3djhvmhFXc
Dear Olympic Trials "Non-A" Standard Men & Women 1500M Finalists
Report Thread
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Filbert Byers, Forever!
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Too bad Matt Scherer isn't in the final.
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Miles Batty Asics
Jordan McNamara Nike / Oregon TC Elite
Andrew Bayer Indiana University
John Mickowski Unattached
Craig Miller New Balance
William Leer Nike
Which one "steps up" to the plate and goes for it ... Tom Byers style? -
Filbert Bayi world record front running at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand. Beat Jim Ryun's 1967 world record of 3:33.1 (Walker beat the old record as well). 1:51.8 through 800, 2:50.8 through 1200, closes in 41.4 for a 3:32.2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjhC-1W9QTE -
I'm all about Filbert Bayi and how he raced as well as Pre ... that said, in today's era that is much more difficult to accomplish: Up front from the start!
All I'm pleading for is that we our non-A standard finalists go after it in the finals versus think they'll out-kick the A standard athletes. Nothing to lose, everything to gain. Even the "Dark Horses" need a "A" standard. -
The BROJO's recent analysis reinforce my point w/respect to the Men's 1500M as reflected below. This is about "man-ing up!" versus the BROJO's "prisoner's dilemma" analysis. I have the following questions for the non-A folks:
* "Perhaps most dominate w/respect to "man-ing up,", can you really live with yourself knowing that Galen Rupp has the "A-Standard" & you do not and can probably clean your clock at YOUR event?"
* "Are you relevant w/o the A?
* "At the end of the day, career & w/your children years later, how do you want to look on "You Tube" in an event that occurs every 4 years?
* "Do you want to be part of the pack or do you want to lay it on the line like Tom Byers & have folks like me ... decades later, provide an appropriate concrete example?"
* "Do you really think you'll get an opportunity to PR again this summer with this type of Start List & at Hayward Field?
* "Why wouldn't you want the "A-List" folks to work for it?"
Ex. Manzano's been known to fold
Ex. Wheating's become a "head case" & fitness is in question
Ex. Andrews is a "1-Trick Pony" as far as tactics
Ex. Centro's fitness is questionable given the recent injury & to date, you all have accommodated his weaknesses.
Ex. See & Torrence remain "... on the fringe." Do THEY really believe they're Olympic material.
BROJO ANALYSIS "QUOTE"
We definitely see the pace going out fast for 400. But unless these guys without the 'A' have gotten together and formulated a plan, it's going to hard to do it after that as it'll be your classic case of prisoner's dilemma as to who leads.
To us, the easiest way to get the 'A' is to go out fast - in about 1:55, then slow down and run a 60 and then kick in 40.
LRC Prediction: The fact that so many guys need the 'A' is going to make this a great race as it should be honest enough. We'd love to see a guy with pure guts do the work and make the team like Kim Conley did in the women's 5k, but that's not likely to happen.
"END QUOTE"
Lickety Split says " Be the Game-Changer!" -
I tried to read your post but all the needless quotation marks around terms requiring none distracted me "too much"!
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Thanks for the Byers video - hadn't seen that before.
Your post is spot on. One need not look any further than Kim Conley's spectacularly gutsy mega PR run in the women's 5000m to see what's possible for the runners for whom your message is intended.
“Normally, you wouldn’t put yourself in the lead and do all the work for everybody else, but I had to take the risk,” Conley said.
Yes, we can talk all we want about how race dynamics differ between the 5000m and 1500m, but now it's a matter of who has the stones to take that risk. Prize money shouldn't matter as there's little difference, anyway:
Place Amount
1st $4,000
2nd $3,000
3rd $2,000
4th $1,000
5th $500
6th $500
7th $500
8th $500 -
it will need to be a team effort... thats the only way
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- Apologies
- Admittedly, I have limited ADD experience -
kanny wrote:
Thanks for the Byers video - hadn't seen that before.
Your post is spot on. One need not look any further than Kim Conley's spectacularly gutsy mega PR run in the women's 5000m to see what's possible for the runners for whom your message is intended.
“Normally, you wouldn’t put yourself in the lead and do all the work for everybody else, but I had to take the risk,” Conley said.
Yes, we can talk all we want about how race dynamics differ between the 5000m and 1500m, but now it's a matter of who has the stones to take that risk. Prize money shouldn't matter as there's little difference, anyway:
Place Amount
1st $4,000
2nd $3,000
3rd $2,000
4th $1,000
5th $500
6th $500
7th $500
8th $500
Are they really thinking about the money at this point? -
jim bob rays wrote:
it will need to be a team effort... thats the only way
Jim Bob:
- What team?
- Why is the 'What Team" the only way?
- What is the purpose of this alleged team? -
The 1st semi Friday was an absolute embarassment to American Track and Field. 67/2:16? WTF! Why not just run a 300 meter semi? Running slower than women's splits in an OT semi? You think that racing mindset has something to do with us getting our clocks cleaned every 4 years in this event?
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Tom Byers has a PB of 3:50.8 in the mile. He ran 3:39 in the 1500 in that "famous" race. None of the non As have the talent/ability to run a 3:50.8 mile (does anybody in the field have a 3:50.8?). Therefore, a solo effort would probably yield them something like a 3:40. They stay home with a 3:40. Please do not be a Tom Byers in this case. I can't even believe that this is suggested by somebody who has race the 1500 competitively before.
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They got to go for the A standard. There is nothing to lose by going for it and since so many guys need it they could share the work. I hate to see so many guys just give up their Olympic dreams just because guys like Centro want a slow race. The least they can do is make the guys with the A work to get on the team.
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Uhhhhh, I think you mean DEER Olympic trials non A standard men & women
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Reminds me of the ~78.5 lap during the 5000m final at the 2004 Athens Olympics (400-800m - tough to get exact splits, but it might have been slower than that). That pace is slower than the US high school girls record... indoors.
has beeen who never was wrote:
The 1st semi Friday was an absolute embarassment to American Track and Field. 67/2:16? WTF! Why not just run a 300 meter semi? Running slower than women's splits in an OT semi? You think that racing mindset has something to do with us getting our clocks cleaned every 4 years in this event? -
Lickety Split.....Butterfly55 agrees 100%
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Ruth Wysocki, where are you when we need you most! Be like Ruth.
