National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

[hj197steve]

Kennedy wins, Gary, Torres, Webb, Abirahgman follow.
Just got home, dressed warmer than yesterday !

A GREAT race..... those five ran pretty much together for 8k, then Kennedy opened up a 25 meter lead that he never relinquished. The other 4 stayed very close, in the last 1000 meters Gary pulled into 2nd with Torres close behind, then Webb and Abdi another 10 back. Finished that way, all about 10-15 apart after Kennedy's 25-30 meter winn.. They all looked very strong ... and happy with how they had done.

Flanagan won the women's 4k by about 15 meters, Fleschman 2nd or 3rd.

[az2]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

thanks for the report...

so it would appear webb has a very nice strength base...

if he can stay healthy, and he has the quickness of HS, the 1500 rounds in Sacramento will be well worth attending...

[ed gee]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

perhaps it is time for webb to consider the 5 and 10 outdoors, as he appears to lack the race savvy for the shorter races

[hj197steve]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

>perhaps it is time for webb to consider the 5 and 10 outdoors, as he appears to
>lack the race savvy for the shorter races

having watched him run both days, I got the impression that he was "warming up" for today's 12K on Saturday in Saturday's race. Todya, he was really busting it, but just lost to very good runners in a great race for all of them.

[Dutra]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

>>perhaps it is time for webb to consider the 5 and 10 outdoors, as he appears
>to
>lack the race savvy for the shorter races

having watched him run both
>days, I got the impression that he was "warming up" for today's 12K on
>Saturday in Saturday's race. Todya, he was really busting it, but just lost
>to very good runners in a great race for all of them.>

A friend of mine who saw Saturday's races thought that Webb wasn't going all out at the end of the 4k. Originally he thought that Webb might have been wary of injury because of the conditions.

[hj197steve]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

in today's Indy paper, he said he wore too-short spikes yesterday and felt unsure afoot as a result. But to repeat, he humped it today, presumably with longer spikes. As said before, course was completely frozen and covered with ice-covered snow, albeit well-beaten down. And he also looked very happy with his performanace afterwards.

[ed gee]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

webb finally makes a US team...and at 12km.

i wonder if he will ever make a us team at 1500m...

[MJD]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

>webb finally makes a US team...and at 12km.

i wonder if he will ever make a
>us team at 1500m...

He can't win. The guy mixes it up with a bunch of distance guys AT THEIR DISTANCE and came out of it pretty good. Give the kid some credit.

[hj197steve]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

I agree. He ran a great race, and if I ever saw an athlete that had his head together, both during and after the race it was him today. There is nothing wrong with his head. Wipe the slate clean of past performances, expectations, etc. and root for him just like all the others.

[Lynn Cannon]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

Yes...nice summary Steve of how I feel also about the whole Alan Webb thing. Let's get behind him, leaving the past in the past...I think he's on his way to a successful season.

[EPelle]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

You are as good as your last race. Your US runners are world championships qualifiers over a very tough discipline, and no one can take that away from them.

[az2]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

A coupole comments off the news above...

1) a nice showing, and I'm sure a big boost to his confidence...doesn't mean he'll make the 1500 team for athens, but his mental health should be in nice situtation...

2) two races shows he has a decent strength base to apply towards the summer..

the big key will be the return of his overall qucikness, and specific tactics for running 1500...

And that's the huge unanswered question about webb, whether he is tactically ready for the trials environment.

[miler monkey]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

Tactics are important, but I don't think it's tactics that were Webb's problem last year. He just didn't have the zip; maybe didn't have the strength to maintain the 1500 speeds he'd achieved before. Can anyone recall a 1500 Trials winner who competed in cross this late in the year (much less did so well)?

[kuha]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

If I can wedge this thought in between all the Webb chatter:

Congrats to Bob Kennedy for a gutsy run. It's great to see him back on top of the rest of the US contingent. I sincerely hope the rest of his season goes well...

[az2]

Re: National CC Champs/ Sunday eyewitness report

I'll second the Kennedy praise..

And I agree, Webb was missing the zip he had as a high schooler.

He did once have the ability to accelerate, one of the reasons I was excited by his pottential.

I still believe, even with the OLD ability to hit on the jets when he needs to, he still needs to be exposed to grown men, who are tactically savy.

Holman with all his talent, didn't display this talent.

One hopes Webb will...and even if not for 2004, there's still many competitive years coming, assuming health.