Why is ritz so scared race a 1500/mile?

Why indeed! He's the first athlete ever in history to experience fear. What to do!?!?

Who said he was scared? Maybe he just doesn't GAF?

Someone choosing not to run a particular event doesn't necessarily indicate fear--maybe he just has other priorities?

Salazar is always stressing racing shorter distance, rupp and farah run 1500s, why doesnt ritz? I mean w 1256 and 811 prs wouldnt curiousity get to u and want to run one?

I recall him writing in a blog post about dipping under 4 in a mile. Not sure why he's never just gone and done it, for posterity's sake. But it is what it is.

Good to know

let me make this very clear: fear is not part of his equation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVDDhIU1O1k&t=12m3s

it would probably kill his confidence, lol

this is coming from ritz's #1 fan

I wonder why that p*ssy hasn't run a 100 yet. He could probably dip under 12.

It must be autism or an aneurysm or wait -brain cancer?!?! What a waste of a perfectly good day

I always thought it was, as he said in interviews, that he got injured doing short speed work. This was kind of the creed of Brad Hudson for Ritz's training cycles: strength work, and little speed. They did tempos all the time, which is probably why they thought he would handle the marathon distance better. Salazar has sort of eased him into faster reps, with the aid of all the cross training and strength/flexibility drills.

He could probably run the mile now if Sal told him he should, I would guess that he just doesn't want to any more. The kid ran 4:05.9 (1600) as a junior in high school alone at a league meet, he could have definitely gone faster since then.

Afraid of compound fracture.

Has he ever climbed Mount Everest or gone skinny dipping or done base jumping? Or is he afraid of those too?

probably because he has no kick and would embarrass himself. he juuuust might be able to crank out four 59's, but that might be pushing the limits of his speed

Why hasn't he tackled the 110HH? Or even the pole vault?

photofinish wrote:

Why hasn't he tackled the 110HH? Or even the pole vault?

Exactly. Unlike his training mates Farah and Rupp, he is a marathoner. While Farah has dabbled once in the half (did he finish? I can't remember) and so has Rupp, still they are not devoted half athletes. Ritz is an established marathoner. It's just under-distance and not relevant to his career. IMO at this point, a 5k race would be like a, relatively speaking, speedier, or, better said, fraction race. Also, I know he has had a career long sensitivity to injuries, hence his very strict training regimen of underwater treadmills and long mileage on a short loop of trail on the Nike Campus, etc. This might be a consideration, too, to eschew any nonessential track and road excursions.

A Ducck wrote:

Has he ever climbed Mount Everest or gone skinny dipping or done base jumping? Or is he afraid of those too?

Yeah, good point! I don't think he's tried to visit the international space station, or attempted neurosurgery either.

djx wrote:

Salazar is always stressing racing shorter distance, rupp and farah run 1500s, why doesnt ritz? I mean w 1256 and 811 prs wouldnt curiousity get to u and want to run one?

Watch the video of Rupp, Farah, and Ritz running 400's before the Olympics last year and you might have your answer as to why Rupp and Farah have run 1500s and Ritz hasn't.

probably he gets offered money to run at 5/10k at least in the USA, may not be the case in the mile at his level TRYING to run under 4 in the mile does not cut it, sub 4 in the mile at preclassic is expected evenin the B race, some years they put in a high school kid, but that is a gimmick.

his stated goal of sub 27 for 10000 i am sure has a lot more value to meet directors, fans, peers and most importantly him.