Any high school runner who doesn't know the name Alan Webb is someone that I would not want on my college team.
Would I go to a school because Webb would be my coach? Not necessarily, but you can bet I'd return his phone call and hear what he had to say.
Great hire for Little Rock.
Peter Parker. wrote:
Will oversee the distance program.
Webb is back, baby.
Editor's Note: From Webb's twitter:
https://twitter.com/alan_webb1/status/1145559705965776896
Well, he probably needs money now, although he needs to work at least 20 years to get a pension.
Yugert wrote:
Any high school runner who doesn't know the name Alan Webb is someone that I would not want on my college team.
Dumb. I know a guy who ran in the 15:00's for the 5k in high school in 2007 who had no clue who Alan Webb was when I told him about Webb.
There are plenty of Kenyan 15 yr olds who can probably run in the 14:00's for 5k who don't know who Alan Webb is. Afterall, Webb wasn't a distance god as a pro.
Henry Conrad wrote:
I have serious doubts about his abilities as a coach.
First of all, he's always been incredibly mercurial. He has good seasons and bad seasons, good days and bad days. I believe trust and consistency in the process is a key component of success as a distance runner, yet Webb always seemed flighty and ready to shift at the drop of a hat. Heck, he even changed sports at one point! I think his narrow-mindedness or lack of foresight oftentimes led to him making a big change when things didn't go his way in the moment. How will these shifts in mood affect the runners he's coaching? Will he be erratic in his relationships with his athletes? Or in the workouts prescribed?
Secondly, I'd argue that coaching comes down to relationships as much as the physiological component. Webb simply doesn't have the disposition or confidence, in my eyes, to inspire the trust or belief of his young athletes. Have any of you ever spoken to Webb, or seen him speak? He comes off as one of the least "secure-in-your-own-skin" people I've ever met. I've spoken to Webb at numerous meets around the east coast, bounced ideas off of him at Footlocker Nationals, seen him speak at a coaching seminar, and have even had dinner with him (in a small group). The guy is super nice, but his stuttering, erratic, meandering speech patterns and inability to conform to social norms of active listening like making eye contact all serve as huge red flags for me.
I'm not sure why I felt compelled to post this, as I rarely post here at all. Maybe to serve as a "you heard it here first" type statement. .
Totally spot on.
They've made a terrible, thoughtless decision.
What was UA Little Rock thinking?
Wait a second..
You sound like YOU should have been hired by the school!
How could they have completely fumbled this one?
I've always like Alan Webb. Seems like a very nice guy. I would have love to have accomplished a fraction of what he did! Good luck!
Askin for da friend wrote:
Does he have coaching experience? WhT kind of graduate assistant program he work for?
I know he got his USATF Level 1 Cert back in January.
Alan’s wife wrote:
Hi ?? A response regarding the truck repair business: We are currently absentee owners at Elite OnSite - have been owning and operating this way since our third baby was born (Jan 2019). It is not a normal franchise. It is considered a “dealership” for Fleet Services International. They get you set up then it is 100% up to you moving forward. No ongoing fees.
Alan has aspired to be a collegiate coach since he retired from triathlon but we initially went a different route after he graduated at Portland State. 6 months after we started Elite OnSite he knew his drive/desire/calling to coach was much stronger. This past fall Alan was completely out of the office and was committed to coaching at PSU. I was still heavily involved with Elite until we hired a staff that could fully run without us being there. The timing was perfect. Our business specializes in OnSite repair/maintenance for fleets and roadside assistance for truck breakdowns. Alan was never the mechanic.
We are excited for this new chapter in our lives - a note we will be turning our house into Airbnb in Beaverton so come stay when you’re visiting Portland (starting mid August) ?
-Julia
How do YOU feel about moving to Arkansas?
If Webb was not a “god” his 3:46 American Record means maybe we have no mid-distance “gods”.
Previously UALR was associated with Leah Thorvilson (CR at Strolling Jim), so I guess they want to continue to have a name in their coaching ranks.
blamb61 wrote:
I've always like Alan Webb. Seems like a very nice guy. I would have love to have accomplished a fraction of what he did! Good luck!
Next time you're running a 1500 sprint the backstretch with everything you have mid- race.
juston.manville wrote:
If Webb was not a “god” his 3:46 American Record means maybe we have no mid-distance “gods”.
We're talking about "distance" not mid distance.
Will the university be putting weights in the cafeteria?
jesseriley wrote:
Previously UALR was associated with Leah Thorvilson (CR at Strolling Jim), so I guess they want to continue to have a name in their coaching ranks.
WTF
Ghost of Igloi wrote:
rojo wrote:
[quote]Tires and stuff wrote:
What happened to the truck repair business?
Maybe I should find as new profession as well as I have to admit I too am more interested in his truck repair business. I have seen pretty much all there is to see in running so nothing is novel to me in our great sport anymore but the idea of the truck repairs weirdly fascinated me. Like how does that world work?
As for Webb's coaching, here are my two thoughts of unsolicited advice.
1) The key to any coaching job is recruitment of athletes. A talent can run well for any coach. Webb ran fast for Razcko, Salazar, vig, etc. Centro ran well for Powell, Salazar and now Schumacher. So recruit your ass off (his name certainly will help at the lower level schools).
2) Your role model should Alberto Salazar. Not in the sense of using crazy supplements/doctors that probably made you feel uncomfortable as athlete. But in teh sense that Salazar as a coach learned a lot about what not to do as a coach from his own career. Salazar burned it REALLY hot early in his career and had a short career much like Alan.
So let's hope Webb is like Salazar and learned a lot from the mistakes he made in his own career.
But it's great that he's still got a love for the sport after all of the highs and lows he had in it and I wish him the best of luck.[/quote
Generally agree with the recruiting assessment. If he wishes to move up in the Division I ranks Alan would have been better off at a top tier Division I program. That way he could prove his recruiting ability. On the other hand, if he enjoys being more of a developmental coach, and can handle being a jack of all trades, he is in the right spot. I never enjoyed the sales side of recruiting, so gravitated toward smaller school programs. Understood the dynamics of coaching better toward the end of my career; probably one reason I got out.
I can’t soeak for Alan, but recruiting the top talent isn’t everything. There’s a lot of transition between high school and college, so you have to be able to adapt and develop even the talented athletes so they don’t crash and burn. Just look at his career for example. My guess is he has learned from his own experiences.
As far as him coaching in general, he has been a VA at Portland State like others have mentioned. Collegiate coaching isn’t exactly the easiest field to go straight into or stay in which is why it is smart for him to continue balancing the truck repair business.
That generally goes for any dream job. You have to balance where you are now while taking steps forwarding where you want to get. Otherwise you’re just stuck shaking your fists at a message board.
Does Little Rock even have a Five Guys?
P.S. I’m aware of the typos. Typing on my phone whose autocorrect is currently set to Spanish (work-related).
Bio Dome wrote:
Does Little Rock even have a Five Guys?
Five Guys is only a novelty in the organic vegan PNW. Little Rock doesn’t need a Five Guys.
Since Webb is not in his prime anymore and doesn't have the same "star" factor, can someone please reveal his Letsrun username?
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
Bio Dome wrote:
Does Little Rock even have a Five Guys?
Five Guys is only a novelty in the organic vegan PNW. Little Rock doesn’t need a Five Guys.
Actually, Little Rock has a Five Guys. And there is another one across the river in North Little Rock.
round and round wrote:
lkmn wrote:
WHY SHOULD HE GET A BREAK?
Olympian, American record holder, best high school miler of all time, 1:43 800m, 3:30 1500m, 13:10 5,000m, 27:34 10,000m, 8:11 2-mile, international experience, has succeeded, has failed, epic high school runner, personable guy, training knowledge, multiple USA championships, etc....
should i keep going?!
What this guy says. I’d rather have a coach who experienced success and failure like him. He has to climb up from falling down so many times - that is invaluable!!!
Webb is a really sincere guy and I think he’ll do a fine job mentoring young people and teaching them about running yes but more importantly life lessons. Kids don’t learn nearly enough about dialing and how its ok to fail and who better to speak to the resilience required to bounce back? No doubt he’s learned tremendous lessons he can share and - don’t forget- had periods of brilliance few will ever know.