EVAN / JERRY - RACE MORE!!

Agreed!! Racing tactics and strategies are not perfected in time-trialing practice methods.

Old Runner wrote:

Agreed!! Racing tactics and strategies are not perfected in time-trialing practice methods.

That might be true, but that's not what i'm referring to. Evan raced perfectly regarding tactics and strategies.

He needs callousing. The kind you can only get from racing and suffering.

One steeple in the last 3 months before the champs is just not enough.

Agree. His positioning over the last 700 meters and losing a spot for a medal was predictable...in that it was not surprising at all.

For him to get in the medals he's got to get calloused, and he's got to have confidence in his making a move to be in position to not get gapped and out of the medals.

We do have to give him this credit, he has made a TON of progress and his form over the last water jump was pretty impressive.

Can you imagine Jager on a NOP doping regime? Medalist for sure on that program.

I don't understand this either. Especially in a more technical event like SC, you need to race more.

Jerry's penchant for under racing + screw in Jager's navicular = too few steeples per year. I think they're just too worried about his foot.

I agree he needs that 'race toughness' - it looks like he has the physical shape. Maybe some 5k's to get him changing gears better at the end. Heck, even some 15's. SOMETHING!

Same thing with Chris Derrick in the 10k.

canadaCoach wrote:

I don't understand this either. Especially in a more technical event like SC, you need to race more.

Steeple is like the 10k, not too much.

Jesus, do you guys listen to yourselves?

Jager ran great. Racing more throughout the season would not have helped him here. Look at the 4 guys ahead of him.

Kemboi - No one in the past 5 years can outkick Kemboi in a championship race.

Kipruto - Future leader of the kenyans in the steeple. Undefeated on the year.

Benabbad - Two time Olympic silver medallist. Ran 8:00 and 3:33 this year.

Koech - 9 sub 8 steeples as well as a 7:54 PR.

Based on their resumes, Jager should not have been within 3 seconds of them, yet he finished within 3 seconds of gold.

He closed way better than last year.

Kemboi and Koech should be gone by 2015 and Benabbad is getting on in years as well. I predict Jager to get a medal in 2015 and 2016.

When are you going to stop with this drivel. This is a guy who has been steeling for two years and in those two years he's made an Olympic final and placed fifth in WCs and was there on the bell lap. If this were rupp you'd be saying how Alberto's slow progression is getting him there and all this other bs. Sorry a Duck not everyone is a doper like your precious Slaney who was coached by your man crush. Jaeger is fine and will medal in the next WCs and break 8:00. All without the help of AlSal.

guize pls wrote:

Jesus, do you guys listen to yourselves?

Jager ran great. Racing more throughout the season would not have helped him here. Look at the 4 guys ahead of him.

Kemboi - No one in the past 5 years can outkick Kemboi in a championship race.

Kipruto - Future leader of the kenyans in the steeple. Undefeated on the year.

Benabbad - Two time Olympic silver medallist. Ran 8:00 and 3:33 this year.

Koech - 9 sub 8 steeples as well as a 7:54 PR.

Based on their resumes, Jager should not have been within 3 seconds of them, yet he finished within 3 seconds of gold.

He closed way better than last year.

Kemboi and Koech should be gone by 2015 and Benabbad is getting on in years as well. I predict Jager to get a medal in 2015 and 2016.

I think if you read everyones posts, everyone agrees he ran great. I think the discussion is, if he somehow found a way to race a bit more, as someone suggested (because of the navicular history), some additional 5ks or whatever if the foot / limb stress of the steeple needed to be avoided, he would have gotten the one thing you can't get from workouts, race callousing.

And i'd say this as well, he was that close to those guys because they are NOT superior to him. that's the point of this post. If he set out to go for it and raced 3 or 4 more times this season, even if its one steeple, he will get near to cracking 8. Those guys ARE his now, not in 2015 or 2016. he's that good.

I never raced my best until having several under my belt. It's impossible to race your best without actually racing somewhat consistently. They should race more.

I think I read somewhere that your 5th or 6th race of the season is typically your best, but I don't remember if that was a study or just some coach's gut feeling.

If NOP had drugs to share, they would undoubtedly be effective, though I personally have come to the conclusion that if NOP is doing it, so is Schumacher.

That being said, what Jager would benefit as much from is some time with NOP sports psychologist. Jerry only knows how to get people stronger through pounding, Salazars true gift is Stronger and faster AND Psychology/TACTICS. Listening to Jager stammer through his goals is painful and has no winners attitude to it at all. Mary Cain's I am in it to win it comment showed more direction.

Obvious77 wrote:

If he set out to go for it and raced 3 or 4 more times this season, even if its one steeple, he will get near to cracking 8. Those guys ARE his now, not in 2015 or 2016. he's that good.

But those guys are all SUB 8 except Benebbad, who is 8 flat. Getting NEAR 8 doesnt get those guys. Period. Jager did as well as he was going to do with that crew in there.

Lamong doesn't make finals either.

So all the Nike contracts of people in the group, all of Nike's resources, Jerry and Pascal's paychecks and altitude training camps nets one person even close to being relevant at these Championships (Jager).

Salazar meanwhile has his whole stable except for Levins as potential medal threats.

Quit giving Jerry a pass; underperforming for all that talent and resources!

Obvious77 wrote:

It is so frustrating to watch Jager take 5th and even more frustrating to hear his post race interview expressing disappointment.

He is right: He is more fit than ever. He should have been able to challenge for a medal.

How do you define "challenge for a medal"? I'd say being in the lead group with 200 meters to go, well clear of the field, counts as challenging for medal, as does finishing within a second of the third place finisher.

All of this BS about "callousing," whatever the hell that is, is irrelevant. Jager ran 8:08 off of a 5:32 opening 2K. His PR and the AR is 8:06.8. He should continue doing exactly what he's doing right now.

Quit giving Jerry a pass wrote:

Lamong doesn't make finals either.

So all the Nike contracts of people in the group, all of Nike's resources, Jerry and Pascal's paychecks and altitude training camps nets one person even close to being relevant at these Championships (Jager).

Salazar meanwhile has his whole stable except for Levins as potential medal threats.

Quit giving Jerry a pass; underperforming for all that talent and resources!

Wait, which of Salazar's American runners have medaled at the WCs? From where I stand Mark Rowland and Mark Wetmore are the two coaches who have led Americans to medals thus far. For now, everyone else is a step below.

I've never heard the term, "getting calloused" to describe running tactics.