Congrats to Shalane Flanagan...

GoldenMiles wrote:

North Shore wrote:

Shalane was gonna FVCK SH/T UP!!!!

I'm curious where this joke ca,e from: did she use it in an interview or something?

She had "FSU" stitched in her shoes or something at Boston, and people asked what it stood for and somewhere that phrase was allegedly the answer. there's a thread discussing it somewhere...

Here's the thread. Runners World quoted a teammate, she and her hubby said its not true.

shoes or something wrote:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=5757615

Here's the thread. Runners World quoted a teammate, she and her hubby said its not true.

Haha, that's actually pretty damn hilarious.

I get the feeling that Shalane shot her marathon bullet and this is going to be her lifetime best.

Yes! wrote:

I get the feeling that Shalane shot her marathon bullet and this is going to be her lifetime best.

Why? If they really think they can run the record, why not go ahead and take another crack at it in London (or Dubai?), and then Berlin again (if necessary) before the Oly Trials. That record is pretty prestigious, and you can't wait around to get it.

Sciatica Road wrote:

If they really think they can run the record, why not go ahead and take another crack at it in London (or Dubai)...or Paris....

Paris is at the top of the RTB list:

Shalane is getting older. She picked the Berlin course because it is fast. She had two male pacesetters. She said her training went as planned. She felt ready. She ran a PR but did not get close to Kastor's American record. What else could she possibly do that will make her significantly faster?

I respect her courage, but her approach to the marathon is too aggressive. If the goal was the AR (2:19:mid), why go out at 2:19:00 pace? I understand the concept of giving yourself some "wiggle room" to get under the record, but I think it's a generally ineffective strategy for the marathon - particularly chasing records.

With pacers that are running so within themselves, why not have a more carefully calculated, negative split? She needs to be going out in 70:00 next time. If she wants wiggle room, get it from 30-35k. In both instances where she went under 70 for the first half she has not fared well the last 5k, which you just can't get away with in a record attempt.

I think this AR attempt was squandered with either over confidence, poor strategy - or both.

Yes! wrote:

Shalane is getting older. She picked the Berlin course because it is fast. She had two male pacesetters. She said her training went as planned. She felt ready. She ran a PR but did not get close to Kastor's American record. What else could she possibly do that will make her significantly faster?

Based on your view, one could ask how Shalane's camp could be so far off in their projections? Look at Ritz...repeatedly a 2:10 guy with late race fatigue/cramping issues, until they did eventually get him to a 2:07 guy.

But if you are asking specifically what I would suggest, to improve Shalane's condition, that is a different post.

I'd like to hear what she could do to possibly get faster.

PR is great, can't be disappointed. What I can't understand is that the two who beat her have no definition and one even has a little round belly and she beat Shalane! They look like middle school runners who haven't been running that long so thus having no muscle and a layer of fat.

Bleu wrote:

I'd like to hear what she could do to possibly get faster.

Well, it would probably involve training changes in stimulus/recovery if she actually is plateauing. (You know the old saying regarding the definition of insanity...doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. lol)

Bleu wrote:PR is great, can't be disappointed. What I can't understand is that the two who beat her have no definition and one even has a little round belly and she beat Shalane! They look like middle school runners who haven't been running that long so thus having no muscle and a layer of fat.

Which seems typical, generally, for Ethiopians; e.g., remember the young Tiki Gelana from the 2012 Olympic Marathon? The Kenyan east Africans are typically more 'cut'/defined than Ethiopians.

It would be interesting to compare the fuel consumption between the two groups...to see whether the Ethiopians are more 'fat-burners', while the Kenyans rely upon more sugar fuel?

Sciatica Road wrote:

Bleu wrote:

I'd like to hear what she could do to possibly get faster.

Well, it would probably involve training changes in stimulus/recovery if she actually is plateauing. ....

But...I think there is potentially a big gain to be made, specifically for Shalane, if their camp looks at improving her running economy. Yes, I know, the naysayers are probably rolling their eyes about now. But Shalane's camp should look into it. I first thought this when comparing her to Jeptoo at Boston.

Sciatica Road wrote:

But...I think there is potentially a big gain to be made, specifically for Shalane, if their camp looks at improving her running economy. ... I first thought this when comparing her to Jeptoo at Boston.

What you talkin' about, Willis?

I'm talking about...(here come more rolling of the eyes from the peanut gallery) some minor tweaks to her form, to preserve precious energy reserves per kilometer.

My gosh man, just compare her form to Jeptoo! They are both strong physical specimens, but Shalane is powering down the street like a 10000m runner! Jeptoo is bounding, but concentrating on conserving energy over the distance, primarily wilth her quick, but minimal when compared to Shalane's, arm carriage.

Shalane Flanagan (US) 2:21:14

(1:09:38/1:11:36)

25K—1:22:36 AR—

old 1:24:36 Janet Bawcom [Atlanta TC] ’12)

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=6038650

Speaking of Shalane and the 10,000. Wish we could have seen her break 30.

Yes! wrote:

Shalane is getting older. She picked the Berlin course because it is fast. She had two male pacesetters. She said her training went as planned. She felt ready. She ran a PR but did not get close to Kastor's American record. What else could she possibly do that will make her significantly faster?

Change her coach. Schumacher doesn't seem to know how to train a marathon runner.

Every one of this runners seems to underperform when they move to marathon, and this includes Flanagan herself.

Underperform?

As a reader of the Running Formula, you yourself should know that her marathon time is well under the time projected off her 10000m PR, using the Daniels and Gilbert VO2 max formula. So in that sense, she is already over-performing, as did Deena Kastor and Paula Radcliffe.

Sciatica Road wrote:

Underperform?

As a reader of the Running Formula, you yourself should know that her marathon time is well under the time projected off her 10000m PR, using the Daniels and Gilbert VO2 max formula. So in that sense, she is already over-performing, as did Deena Kastor and Paula Radcliffe.

Based on her 30:22, she should be able to run about a minute faster than her Berlin time. Of course, she may no longer have that 10K speed in her.