Robby Andrews leaves NJ/NY TC and Gags to return to Jason Vigilante

Wow. I wouldn't want to be a US 1500 runner now.

Why do I say that? Well I know Vig views Robby as a 1500 guy, not 800 guy.

Despite his struggles of late, it needs to be remembered that in 2012 Robby ran 3:34 and was 5th in the OTrials. I think the return to the 1500 is a smart move.

Robby's simply not fast enough to be truly world class at 800. The move back to Vig and the 1500 make sense to me. It might be easier to make the Olympic team at 800, but Robby's only chance at being a medal contender is the 1500.

We've already got medallists in Leo and Centro. If Wheating and Andrews get their acts together, it's going to be a hell of a 1500 in 2015/2016.

It's hard not to root for the studs but then again it's also hard not to root for the underdogs like Will Leer who deserves to make a US outdoor team.

Should be a lot of fun for us fans, i mean journalists.

I always have the feeling that when professional athletes go coach hopping that they are looking for motivation externally to replace motivation that wanes within.

Yes, if it's an athlete nearing the end of their career like Goucher and Webb. No, if the athlete's still in their prime like Simpson and Andrews.

Well this is weird.

Les wrote:

...No, if the athlete's still in their prime like Simpson and Andrews.

Let's hope that's still the case. Fingers crossed for Robby.

I watched his flotrack pro episode when he was still with Vig and his dad......he was training like a middle schooler. Eating pizza, doing runs with his 65 year old pops and his sister at about 8:40 pace. Now, I understand the purpose of the recovery run and maybe I'm being hard on the guy. He also attempted to pace some college guys in a 10k and barely made it 2 miles at like 4:45 mile effort. Any elite 1500m guy in the US could jog 9:20 pace regardless of if they're in base phase or not, this kid just coasted off of talent until it didn't take him any further. Come on, he ran 1:44 and never touched it again. He's aged, now the talent is fading and he either needs to work hard or move on, and from what I saw he just wasn't getting it done. But, I very well could be wrong, but he needs to stop training like Alan Webb (ie. Jumping from coach to coach because he isn't automatically a 1:44 guy again). I love robby andrews and would love to see him run well, but leaving Kyle Merber and NJNY wasn't a good move.

Chicky Chicky Parm Parm wrote:

Via Chris Chavez on Twitter

"BREAKING: @RA_Andrews will return to training under @jasonvigilante1 bit.ly/14DjCkw (Now on @sportingnews) pic.twitter.com/ukWUO0RVPW"

“After some struggles over the last couple years, I decided to look back and revert to what used to work in my training,” Andrews told Sporting News. “Working with Vig was great and I’ve always trusted my dad. He’s been there throughout my entire life. I’ll meet with him for practice every day while Vig will be the one writing the workouts.”

http://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2015-01-09/us-middle-distance-runner-robby-andrews-returns-to-coach-jason-vigilante-adidas

Looks like he's getting the band back together!

This never ends well. What "used to work" usually isn't what works now. He's not a HSer, he's not competing against HSer and collegiate runners, and his body reacts differently. Maybe Vig has good chemistry with Robbie and can get that through to him.

No one cares. He will never return to form and leaving the first system that showed promise in years is a mistake.

I'll bet on Matt Elliott before I bet on andrews in the 1500.

This is exactly my view on the subject. I now look for him to appear in big races for a little while, coasting off of the reputation he made for himself in his prime, and then I expect him to fade away into obscurity.

Another Option wrote:

I always have the feeling that when professional athletes go coach hopping that they are looking for motivation externally to replace motivation that wanes within.

I agree you see it all the time one here.

and the more they talk the worse they run. Like Goucher why not announce your comeback with a fast time instead of blabbing on about how they are doing things differently

The dude is flat out lazy. Nothing more to see here.

He's like a slacker version of Webb.

Rojo,

How do we know Andrews doesn't have the speed to compete world class at 800m? Symmonds appeared to be similar in ability and progressed to 1:42 over his career. Is 1:42 and silver not world class?

I would even argue andrews has better quarter speed then symmonds.

And an argument for another day, does andrews have enough endurance to be world class at 1500m?

You know, for all the criticism Webb gets, he actually did really well under Raczko. And it's one thing to go coach hopping to the hot coach of the moment, and another thing entirely to go back to the coach who brought you to success.

I don't know the various PRs and current shape of NJ/NY guys.

Would Andrews be on the NJ/NYs best DMR?

WiT wrote:

I don't know the various PRs and current shape of NJ/NY guys.

Would Andrews be on the NJ/NYs best DMR?

yes

Neither Andrews nor Wheating will make the US Olympic team. Those are two guys who coasted on talent for a while, and don't know how to be professional runners. It takes a special kind of mentality and work ethic to compete at an elite level over an extended period of time.

If things aren't working out for Andrews up in NY/NJ, I doubt it has much to do with the coaching or the training regimen. However, given the fact that he's still pretty young, I suppose it's possible that he could experience a resurgence and pop a few more fast times before all is said and done. And perhaps that resurgence will coincide with the 2016 outdoor season.

Wheating, on the other hand, is past his prime and out of his depth.

As a huge fan of what is and used to be a huge talent, I cannot see this working out.

I disagree with Rojo however as Andrews could just as easily be an 800/15 crossover runner and run in the 1:43's and 3:31/32 range , altho I do NOT think that will happen, it could have been the improvement curve.

Just does not seem to take it that seriously, and his drop outs, give ups and run to the back in a hurrys, are just too frequent and indiacte a bigger problem than just doing the work.

I missed the boat badly on what I thought would be a guy who could finish very fast in tactical style 1500's and possibly be a factor in big spots. You cannot coach will and grittiness, you either have that or not, it would be hard to say after last three year results that he has that, and guys today are just too good.

800 would be an easier road right now in the U.S. to make teams though, event has gone completely soft.

"Hey Robbie, turn off that video game and come out of the basement. It's time for practice." Dad