LateRunnerPhil wrote:
Scoop McNewspaperguy wrote:
Sheer idiocy. Conspiracy theory buffoonery. In other words, typical LRP post.
Stick to the facts - many of Mary Cain's injuries happened AFTER she left NOP. She left in 2015 (first moved back to NYC being coached from distance, then the entire NOP), and was injured most of 2017 and 2018 BECAUSE OF HER OWN TRAINING.
Salazar limited her mileage, and focused on two very hard workouts a week, improving her form and strength training. Yes, he also recommended and helped her with weight but that's not the point here yet.
Cain was successful at NOP initially, but then stagnated and couldn't perform anymore. The training and environment did not help her reach the next level as a runner. She got a calf injury in 2014, and a stress fracture in 2015 due to the hard training Salazar prescribed her. She quit, because she wanted to try something new with coach Henwood. They departed on GOOD TERMS, Salazar was still available to help them.
With Henwood, she dramatically increased the mileage - easier workouts, but going up to 90, 100 mpw. THIS is what caused even more injuries. She was not built to handle high mileage, low intensity and she got worse and worse. She was working WAY too hard again, because she wanted to show NOP, Salazar and the whole world what she can do.
Now in 2019, she had a great performance at a 4-mile road race in NYC, stomping the whole field while doing merely a slow tempo effort in ~5:20 pace. She feels like she has one last chance to reach the top in running again, and that's going back to Salazar and the NOP. Salazar was laughing her off, making fun of her trying to come back and telling her she is done. This is what triggered her, realizing that she never meant anything to Salazar and he never cared for her as a person but just saw her as a gifted runner that he could use and take advantage of to win more medals. As a result, she went on a revenge trip, trying to ruin Salazar, by cooperating with big media which she achieved.
Sure, Salazar is min/maxing athletes in unethical ways - often referred to as "grey zone", same with him playing doctor for athletes. But there is much more to Cain's story than has been shown so far, it was a series of many events that led to her downfall and not just Salazar trying to optimize the weight of his athletes.