Desi was my surprise at the trials.

how does that make any sense at all as a conclusion? Des runs within herself and knows what she's doing. She left it on the course and it wasn't enough. The end.

sit and kick. wrote:

how does that make any sense at all as a conclusion? Des runs within herself and knows what she's doing. She left it on the course and it wasn't enough. The end.

No. She usually puts herself in the right position. This race she did not. She made the wrong decision when Seidel dropped the pace. She didn’t respond and that is why she didn’t make the team. She still felt okay and proved that with how well she closed.

She told RW in an interview published online a few days ago that she had missed the move, which came at a point when she was feeling a little fatigued, and she didn't respond to it until too late. I'm not sure if she actually said she briefly gave up, but that's the impression I had.

If you miss a move because of fatigue, it’s called getting dropped.

C Prouse wrote:

She simply missed the move. It was not lack of fitness. Her closing miles were much better than Sally but she missed the move. .... The smartest marathoner was out smarted. I never thought I would see this. It is horrible to watch.

I'm going to have something on this in the WTW that should be out soon but can I give you a preview and just quickly say, "Are you insane?"

The reality is Des closed her final 3 miles in 6:01, 5:59, and 6:00. That's pretty bad.

At mile 23, she was in 4th place, 16 seconds back of Sally Kipyego. Kipyego ran 5:56 for mile 24, 5:59 for mile 25, and 6:10 for mile 26. If Linden had closed at 5:55 pace for her final 3.2 miles, she'd be going to the Olympics yet again.

Update: My article is here:

What does it even matter? She wasn’t all that excited to run in the Olympics again, and considered not even running the trials at one point.

Will she run Boston?

C Prouse wrote:

sit and kick. wrote:

how does that make any sense at all as a conclusion? Des runs within herself and knows what she's doing. She left it on the course and it wasn't enough. The end.

No. She usually puts herself in the right position. This race she did not. She made the wrong decision when Seidel dropped the pace. She didn’t respond and that is why she didn’t make the team. She still felt okay and proved that with how well she closed.

She would have been fried if she went with the move. She only did is well as she did because she wisely chose not to go with the move.

Rojo got this one right - are you insane?

It wasn't poor tactics. Desi herself said Seidel ran a 5:17 mile and she couldn't go with it.

C Prouse wrote:

No. She usually puts herself in the right position. This race she did not. She made the wrong decision when Seidel dropped the pace. She didn’t respond and that is why she didn’t make the team. She still felt okay and proved that with how well she closed.

That is true. However, her 4th place was still a surprise me. I thought that she doesn't have the speed and will finish behind Sisson, Jordan, Molly and Hall. Perhaps I didn't pay attention to hills enough. They 'killed' all the faster ladies.

rojo wrote:

The reality is Des closed her final 3 miles in 6:01, 5:59, and 6:00.

I was going to write this. If Des had had the gas left to run her final mile in 5:40 (2:28-pace), she'd have made the team. If anything Des's slow last three miles (2:37-pace) means she ran too hard too early.

Desi's entire running career has been centered around game plan running, not racing. To her credit, she can crank out a 2:25 marathon on any day of the week. But that is only if she can pace it how she wants. She always lets the pack take off and then tries to real them in when people blow up late in the race. Had she spent her career in the lead pack trying to stay with the leaders all the way to the finish, she may have been able to hold on and make the Olympic team.

missed wrote:

If you miss a move because of fatigue, it’s called getting dropped.

Precious Roy wrote:

Desi's entire running career has been centered around game plan running, not racing. To her credit, she can crank out a 2:25 marathon on any day of the week. But that is only if she can pace it how she wants. She always lets the pack take off and then tries to real them in when people blow up late in the race. Had she spent her career in the lead pack trying to stay with the leaders all the way to the finish, she may have been able to hold on and make the Olympic team.

Her “career” includes two Olympic teams already.

proptotic wrote:

Precious Roy wrote:

Desi's entire running career has been centered around game plan running, not racing. To her credit, she can crank out a 2:25 marathon on any day of the week. But that is only if she can pace it how she wants. She always lets the pack take off and then tries to real them in when people blow up late in the race. Had she spent her career in the lead pack trying to stay with the leaders all the way to the finish, she may have been able to hold on and make the Olympic team.

Her “career” includes two Olympic teams already.

He didn’t say it didn’t. She’s so talented that her tactic of letting other runners go out faster and reeling them in works great for netting a top 3 or top 5 but there isn’t as much risk involved as there would be if she had tried to go for the win more often over the years. That said, I’m still a big fan of hers.

Aussiestatman wrote:

Will she run Boston?

Unlikely. As I suspect it too will be canceled . I bet several thousand will try to run the course on Patriots Day though. Much like NYC and hurricane Sandy

I love Des. She and her team may know if it was lack of speed or lack of stamina or just not her day. It was a great run. Just a bit shy of good enough. Maybe she makes the team as an alternate. I'm not wishing ill upon the top 3 women

Des reminds me of the NBA consistent A-/A star that will give you 20/10/5 every night. Very good. May not win the game but a solid star player. She's not an A+ Giannis or an aging LeBron but close.

Or in NFL terms she is better than a game-manager QB--no turnovers, very low TD/INT ratio, and makes great moves and plays within herself--but is she a Brady/Brees? She did win Boston though.