Thread to discuss Pan American 5000m champ Laura Esther Galvan Rodriguez's crazy improvement

Working hard in Quality Assurance. Check her resume on Linkedin... moved back to Guanjuato with some solid results at altitude (4:16 for 1500m at 4600ft) and ran 15:27 this year.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-galvan-7a117110b/

I just don’t understand how she didn’t run a single race between 2015 and 2019 but somehow shows up in the best shape of her life by far. I understand that people plateau, but you would have expected her to have started racing back in like 2017 and slowly improving her times to now. Something isn’t right.

Veryconfused wrote:

I just don’t understand how she didn’t run a single race between 2015 and 2019 but somehow shows up in the best shape of her life by far. I understand that people plateau, but you would have expected her to have started racing back in like 2017 and slowly improving her times to now. Something isn’t right.

Looks like she ran the RnR Seattle Marathon in 3:29 last year (and the above link confirms she was living in Seattle). Then at the start of 2019 decides to move back to Mexico and runs huge PRs. Interesting to say the least

Was she running under a different name? Hammering road races as a man, so she was under the radar?

Agree it seems really weird to not run any races and suddenly really improve.

Maybe she was injured badly for three years? But then how do you explain her one marathon last year?

Right here is the answer wrote:

https://twitter.com/KipropAsbel/status/1122119012186509313

I don't know why he used this stuff, it obviously didn't work.

Runs a 3:26 marathon then a year later comes out and beats two sub 15:10 runners in a 5000.

Huh.

Her Mom's home cooking?

Mexican beef is tainted with clenbuterol.

Hardloper wrote:

Veryconfused wrote:

I just don’t understand how she didn’t run a single race between 2015 and 2019 but somehow shows up in the best shape of her life by far. I understand that people plateau, but you would have expected her to have started racing back in like 2017 and slowly improving her times to now. Something isn’t right.

Looks like she ran the RnR Seattle Marathon in 3:29 last year (and the above link confirms she was living in Seattle). Then at the start of 2019 decides to move back to Mexico and runs huge PRs. Interesting to say the least

So she went from running hobby jogger marathon times to being a world-class athlete in a year. She must be a high-responder. ?

mexican beef its whats for dinner wrote:

Mexican beef is tainted with clenbuterol.

I think she just skipped the beef part entirely.

LoneStarXC wrote:

Hardloper wrote:

Looks like she ran the RnR Seattle Marathon in 3:29 last year (and the above link confirms she was living in Seattle). Then at the start of 2019 decides to move back to Mexico and runs huge PRs. Interesting to say the least

So she went from running hobby jogger marathon times to being a world-class athlete in a year. She must be a high-responder. ?

Is it possible she ran the marathon with a friend or something and didn’t actually race it?

[quote]DreamsBecomeReality wrote:

Today she got 4th in the Pan Am 1500 (breaking her own NR in 4:10) and then winning the 5K 45 minutes later over Kim Conley and Jessica O'Connel (PRs of 15:05 and 15:06).[/quo]

She ran a smart 1500. She was just off the back of the lead pack at the top of the final turn. Because she was patient, she was able to pick off the two runners in front of her.

https://youtu.be/WmR--8RmCjo?t=269

Ditto for the 5000. She ran at the back of the lead pack for most of the race. She started to move up with a little over two laps to go. At the bell, she was at the front with O'Connell and Conley. Again, she waited and timed her kick perfect:

https://youtu.be/EcwTgDay3eo?t=774

perhaps she's discovered epo,and other drugs,and its getting her into olympic qualifying class. or she'd been injured for years,and has come back to fulfill the promise she showed as a junior.

.... and perhaps she's a hell of a talent. I saw her in Kansas St. ripping off sub-6:00/mi 10-12 mile long run and then being able to run 6 x 1600m in sub-5:00. She's a great runner.

mooonshot wrote:

.... and perhaps she's a hell of a talent. I saw her in Kansas St. ripping off sub-6:00/mi 10-12 mile long run and then being able to run 6 x 1600m in sub-5:00. She's a great runner.

What about her racing at Kansas State?

fethi wrote:

mooonshot wrote:

.... and perhaps she's a hell of a talent. I saw her in Kansas St. ripping off sub-6:00/mi 10-12 mile long run and then being able to run 6 x 1600m in sub-5:00. She's a great runner.

What about her racing at Kansas State?

Yes, if she's really running 6 x 1600 in sub-5 in college then how was her mile PR 4:56...

I think you have the wrong Galvan. Laura ran high 4:20's for 1500m while at Kansas St.

an honest assessment wrote:

fethi wrote:

What about her racing at Kansas State?

Yes, if she's really running 6 x 1600 in sub-5 in college then how was her mile PR 4:56...

DreamsBecomeReality wrote:

She graduated Kansas State in 2015 with PRs of 4:26 1500, 16:30 5K, and her highest finish in XC was 45th. There are no results listed on her IAAF profile from then until 2019. This year she has improved to 4:11 (national record) and 15:29. Today she got 4th in the Pan Am 1500 (breaking her own NR in 4:10) and then winning the 5K 45 minutes later over Kim Conley and Jessica O'Connel (PRs of 15:05 and 15:06).

That sounds like a crazy improvement but on the other hand, she ran her PRs in high school and basically plateaued in college which is pretty common for women. She had some talent and if you ignore the decade between then and now, wouldn't be that suspicious.

However, the mystery is what was she doing the last 4 years and how did she break her plateau and make her epic comeback.

There's no mystery - she's been reading the LetsRun message boards for the last 4 years and has learned how to properly train.