Sara Hall - how do you explain her comeback?

Undivided attention helps. I think part of it is having the focus be entirely on her being “the runner” in the relationship. Before the focus realistically was on Ryan being the best runner in the family and the one who needed to train, perform etc. Now, it can be all about her. It helps.

Ryan's retirement + moving up to the roads instead of trying to be a 15/5k runner. She has always been good.

2000 FL champ wrote:

Ryan's retirement + moving up to the roads instead of trying to be a 15/5k runner. She has always been good.

Agree. She just found she was better at longer stuff.

Also her improvements have been incremental, not revolutionary like one would expect with PEDs.

2000 FL champ wrote:

Ryan's retirement + moving up to the roads instead of trying to be a 15/5k runner. She has always been good.

Agree as well. With Ryan retiring Sara then had the time available needed for longer distances and she just happened to be better suited for them.

She is in many ways the precursor to fellow SoCal native Jordan Hasay, with similar talents and trajectory to the marathon (though with far fewer injuries). She was crushing Desi and Amy in high school 20 years ago.

Sara is a NorCal girl

YMMV wrote:

She is in many ways the precursor to fellow SoCal native Jordan Hasay, with similar talents and trajectory to the marathon (though with far fewer injuries). She was crushing Desi and Amy in high school 20 years ago.

Ryan Hall is a better parallel to Jordan Hasay because they have the EXACT same Socal accent and they moved up to the marathon at a younger age.

Consistency is the most obvious explanation, silly rabbit.

marathon results:

2015: 2:48 (debut with cramps)

2016: 2:30 (London)

2017: 2:28 (Tokyo)

2018: 2:26 (Ottawa)

2019: 2:22 (Berlin)

I don't think you could have a marathon progression that says "no PEDs" any better than that one. It looks like someone who has been relatively injury-free who has been putting in the work for years and making slow but steady progress. She was great in high school and won Foot Locker so it's not like it's crazy that someone that talented would eventually be a great marathoner.

She never left.

pierre_paris_206 wrote:

Sara is a NorCal girl

Jordan is a Central California girl.

lwood wrote:

She never left.

X2

Magness the Great

Rupp Fan Boy wrote:

marathon results:

2015: 2:48 (debut with cramps)

2016: 2:30 (London)

2017: 2:28 (Tokyo)

2018: 2:26 (Ottawa)

2019: 2:22 (Berlin)

I don't think you could have a marathon progression that says "no PEDs" any better than that one. It looks like someone who has been relatively injury-free who has been putting in the work for years and making slow but steady progress. She was great in high school and won Foot Locker so it's not like it's crazy that someone that talented would eventually be a great marathoner.

Progressively better shoes?

Rick Sanchez wrote:

lwood wrote:

She never left.

X2

Yeah, she's always been good.

More focus and roads where she competes better.

She has had the fortune of consistency and good, healthy marathon training for a while. I am not surprised at all for her running these times.

Note also she doesn’t do the silly annual Boston and New York. Plus she races often...unlike most of today’s elites.

Hope she makes the team. Tired of Desi and think Hasay is a bust.

Watch the video. She outkicked everyone..after 10 miles!

All of the above. Consistency, focus, distance, coaching, but do not discount Peace of Mind. She is focussed on her family and her running. It is obvious that both bring her great joy. Too many athletes think Physical Health is the key to success. Social, emotional, mental, environmental and spiritual health all need to be at optimal levels to be your best. (Occupational and financial health can also be key) Seems Sara, with the support of her family including Ryans coaching, is working at close to optimal levels

The Ghost of Brian Sell wrote:

Consistency is the most obvious explanation, silly rabbit.

Consistency, and never overtraining (maybe thats the benefit to staying on the track longer ---- easier to not get in recovery debt).