stats.gangsta_the_real_1 wrote:
stats.gangsta_the_real_1 wrote:I dunno. I wouldn't be so sure about that.
46.5 with 1:41.73 gives
13:20.88 for 5k.
Coe MIGHT have been closer to 13:20 capability than you think. With regards to the thread topic, has anyone considered another of Coe's races?
I'm not that familiar with his career, but I just watched his 3:31 in 1981 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-W7B483K8). He OPENED in about 1:49.18 according to the announcer. That was in a 3:31 vs Centrowitz's 3:37. This race of Coe's was equivalent to a 3:29.14.
Just looked at the date of that 1981 3:31 - It took place just a month before his 800m world record of 1:41.73. Those two times were run pretty close together, so I'll use them in the calculator.
3:29.14 & 1:41.73...
400 0:46.03
800 1:41.73
1000 2:11.50
1500 3:29.14
1-mile 3:46.56
3000 7:39.41
2-mile 8:17.30
5000 13:36.85
10000 29:34.29
...for the summer of 1981.
Coe's 3:31 1500 in Stockholm was a month after his 1:41 800m, not before.
In that 1500, he not only ran through first 800 in 1:49.1, but his first 400 was 52.4! World record pace for 1000m. He also had no drafting after 200m and was given no lap times. He said in his biography that he was in 3:28 flat shape that night, which I'm inclined to agree with when splits are evened out and lack of drafting taken into consideration. I can't see Centro running within 1 sec off his pb in a race with the same opening splits as 52.4, 1:49.1.
If you see his Zurich Mile WR in August that year, he runs the first 5 bends wide, covering about an extra 10m and is always wide of the pacer. He gets no drafting during the entire race. And he was really disappointed with the time. That had to be worth at least 3:45 flat when the splits are evened out and the extra distance and lack of drafting is considered.
Frank Howell, UK chief middle distance coach for many years in the 80's, witnessed Coe doing a 5000m training session with his own athlete, Tim Hutchings (13.10 runner and Olympic 4th) on Battersea Park track in 1986. It was a series of 6 x 800m with 30 sec rest between each. Howell was concerned Coe would be 'shown up' in such a 5000m session, beforehand.
The times went 2:06, 2:04, 2:02, 2:00, 1:58, 1:56. Coe led every one.
Howell told Coe after that based on that, he 'could run 13:20 whenever he wanted to'. Coe agreed, stating that he did a lot of 5000m tempo training, but he also told Howell that he didn't like the distance.
Coe also beat Coghlan (World 5k champion 83) and McLoud (Olympic 10k bronze medalist) in a 4 mile road race at the end of the 1978 season, when he had been mostly running 800's, with a 17:55, beating Brendan Foster's course record by 11 seconds. Both McLoud and Coghlan had run 13:20's during that 78 season. Coe was still only 21 at the time.
Coe was certainly capable of 13:20 based purely on his 800/1500 training. There was nothing wrong with his endurance. It certainly wasn't inferior to Centro's.