Luke Puskedra-4th at USA 20k After Quitting Running

Ritz 12:56, Sam chelenga 27:10ish for 10k... I'd say those are A class athletes

semperfi4 wrote:

A "bunch of nobodies"?

Dathan Ritzenhein

Jared Ward

Matt Tegenkamp

Sam Chelanga

Fernando Cabada

Abdi Abdiraham

Tyler Pennel

Scott Macpherson

Luke Puskedra

Sorry to disagree, but this is one of the best field put together in several years, that is not an OT.

Best field put together does not make it a good field. That just means it's the best field out together in several years. Name recognition is not the same thing as a good field. How many of these guys are in top form?

Teg has run 12:58 for 5k as well... Yeah that's a world class field...

comprehend wrote:

semperfi4 wrote:

A "bunch of nobodies"?

Dathan Ritzenhein

Jared Ward

Matt Tegenkamp

Sam Chelanga

Fernando Cabada

Abdi Abdiraham

Tyler Pennel

Scott Macpherson

Luke Puskedra

Sorry to disagree, but this is one of the best field put together in several years, that is not an OT.

Best field put together does not make it a good field. That just means it's the best field out together in several years. Name recognition is not the same thing as a good field. How many of these guys are in top form?

Well it came down to a sprint between 5 guys, so it was an exciting race. Most of those guys will contend for spots on the Olympic marathon team. There is no arguing that for an American field, this was a great one.

Now are there Kenyans who could have come here and won by a minute? Yeah probably. But so what, that is boring and I am more excited to see these guys I have been following for years duke it out in what is sort of a Trials preview (I know Meb, Vail, Hall weren't there).

Yea we got to get with Luke and tell him to start entering 20k's with better American runners. Maybe before he runs he could call up some of the Great men and get them in the race. Imagine if the big boys were in this 20k. I mean everyone has been warning that Chelanga and Ritz are on a freakin mission. What if guys like that were in this 20k...Luke would have got destroyed.

The guy ran close to 1:01 flat and the next year about 1:02-low in terribly windy conditions. He was what - 23? All Americans can't seem to run marathons but his best distance might be half - with 59-low in his scope. Not world-beating but top all time for US.

Yes I think he is like 24, and I believe has a newborn. IMHO, if Luke wants to, I think it is a matter of time before he puts it all together. Would love to see a great work with him one on one. Someone like an Ed Eyestone or a Frank Shorter. I'm dreaming I know, I just think if he hit it off with a great like these guys, it could all come together for him.

MyFormerSelf wrote:

Let's all be clear here. If you are 6'4" and you probably weigh 160 lbs it's not a big deal to gain 23 lbs.

When you stop running you still eat and drink just as much as when you do when you are running and the lbs pack on quickly. I can attest when I was 145 lbs and 5'11" to gaining 15 to 20 lbs relatively quickly after I stopped.

Glad he's back at it, but not a crazy weight gain when you are that tall and skinny...

Let's be clear here. 23 lbs is 23 lbs no matter your height and weight. We're talking about the quantity of weight he gained not whether or not it looks good.

this right here wrote:

I quit for 2 years and only gained 13.

I quit for 3 months and gained 45, he's doing alright.

I gained 17 lbs in just 3 weeks during my season break this summer. I had been running around 100 miles per week in sweltering conditions before that. I gained so much because I didn't cut down my dietary intake much and I started having very frequent dehydration headaches (apparently with the end of the exercise, the body starts shedding water rapidly), and my cure was potato chips and chocolate milk. I usually drop the weight gradually just from running again, and then when I am at the office, I can't eat an unlimited amount of pasta, like at home, and I lose weight each day there.

Surprised no one has considered that maybe he was racing under his optimal weight the last few years of his career? While he obviously gained excess during his break (by elite running standards), it's not to say that this didn't potentially give him a chance to add skeletal muscle that could improve his power v weight output when he did make his comeback.

Mr mcDuck wrote:

Who?

A runner who ran much faster times than you will EVER run....

ds wrote:

How do you gain 23 pounds in 2 months?

It was probably just his body bouncing back to a health weight. Elite runners are really freaking skinny in person.

peekay wrote:

TLW wrote:

Quit running? He took a 2 month break.

Quitting running is when you don't train for years.

He stopped running with the intent of no longer doing it professionally. I would say that is like quitting. It turned into a 2 month break because Powell got him back into running

Sorry, that is NOT "quitting running."

Poster Formerly Knownas Goober wrote:

Surprised no one has considered that maybe he was racing under his optimal weight the last few years of his career?

Thyroid supplementation will do that.