Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

[Dutra5]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

2:01.68 for Cain.

Looks like Martinez ran well but...in reality...who cares?

[aaronk]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

I started a thread about this meet last night!!

[oldhalfmileguy]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

I second the opinion that someone's enthusiasm has went over the line into the creepy zone.
I know i am new here, but been around enough to recognize behavior.
Remembering when that odd person in the stands seemed to have a greater emotional investment in your race than you did. You could kind of ignore them and just smile.
But when you stop and think for a second it is too creepy.
I remember one race in my short career vividly, a guy had talked smack to me for 4 years in high school, i destroyed him all the time,then in my senior year things were different. A bad decision on tactics and bronchitis has me behind and it took everything i had to come around the guy, literally, at the line. Same time. I shake his hand, he really had run a great race, deserved to win and i kind of felt bad for him, despite his big mouth.
I turn around and this fan comes down to the fence, i recognized him. He was always cheering me on and congratulating me. He was out of his mind with excitement, and he let out a long tirade that was both far too complimentry to me and too vile, rude,criticical at my opponent. He even was swearing at him. At first i thought he was drunk or high but he wasn't. He was just a huge "fan". Frothing at the mouth.

Whenever i see someone who is not a relative to a competitor and of similar emotional investment to that competitor i am reminded of that one disgusting moment.
Yes, far too emotionally invested = far too creepy

[aaronk]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

I second the opinion that someone's enthusiasm has went over the line into the creepy zone.
I know i am new here, but been around enough to recognize behavior.
Remembering when that odd person in the stands seemed to have a greater emotional investment in your race than you did. You could kind of ignore them and just smile.
But when you stop and think for a second it is too creepy.
I remember one race in my short career vividly, a guy had talked smack to me for 4 years in high school, i destroyed him all the time,then in my senior year things were different. A bad decision on tactics and bronchitis has me behind and it took everything i had to come around the guy, literally, at the line. Same time. I shake his hand, he really had run a great race, deserved to win and i kind of felt bad for him, despite his big mouth.
I turn around and this fan comes down to the fence, i recognized him. He was always cheering me on and congratulating me. He was out of his mind with excitement, and he let out a long tirade that was both far too complimentry to me and too vile, rude,criticical at my opponent. He even was swearing at him. At first i thought he was drunk or high but he wasn't. He was just a huge "fan". Frothing at the mouth.

Whenever i see someone who is not a relative to a competitor and of similar emotional investment to that competitor i am reminded of that one disgusting moment.
Yes, far too emotionally invested = far too creepy

YOUR "tirade" and "emotional investment" and "frothing at the mouth"....has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with my so called "creepy" enthusiastic boosterism of what HER OWN COACH (Mr Salazar) has called "the greatest female distance talent he's ever seen"!!

What you described is NOWHERE NEAR the behavior I have shown at track meets.
Yes, when I watched Gerry Lindgren race 6 miles in San Diego in 1965 to a "WR", I cheered loud and long, to the point I almost went hoarse!
But did I "froth at the mouth"?
Did I boo angrily at Billy Mills, because he tied (or beat) my "hero"?
Absolutely NOT!!!

And the same would go if i were ever LUCKY enough to see Mary Cain race in person!!!

So I ask everyone again.....
PLEASE STOP accusing me FALSELY of being anything BUT.....a "fan and supporter" of Mary Cain!
It begins there.....
and it ends there!!!

IMO, your inferring otherwise is......well, CREEPY!!

[vencio2]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

aaronk ... a small number of people have mentioned it feels creepy ... so, you can possibly assume even more people are thinking it without saying it. i'm sure you don't mean anything untoward, so why not just show a little emotional intelligence and quit going on endlessly about her?? yes mary cain is a great talent, yes you are perplexed why international elite runners aren't PR-ing in April, but a less liberal use of CAPS LOCKS and exclamation marks might make you appear a little less HYSTERICAL!!!!!!

for me the weirder thing is this expectation you have that everybody should be running WRs and PRs in every race. regardless of what level, do you run yourself? how close to your PR are you in every single race or run? it's pretty tough to be in that shape 24-7 (mentally and physically), no?

[aaronk]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

Vencio2.....
Let me answer some of your remarks.

1. I'm a writer---1000's and 1000's of pages of all forms of writing, from novels to haiku's in length---and since I'm still in the age bracket of typewriters and handwriting, I tend to use "CAPS" to show where emphasis/change of voice volume should be given a word or phrase. Same with "!!!". Those are used to show emphasis also....or "hystericalicity" (LOL), as Woody Allen might say it.

2. If you read ALL (Oops!!) of my posts, on every subject and athlete, you'll notice I'm similarly enthusiastic as I am with Cain.

3. Read what I wrote about her Re-RUN race. I predicted she'd come in 4th or worse, not be the winner. (Even though I feel she's close to entering the top 5 or 10 of America's elite!) I also said she would NOT break Gallagher's HSR. Too tough of a record. (Note that Cain, in an interview after the race, said she'd "love to go under 2:00", and that she was "just throwing that out there".)

4. As for expecting WR's or fast times in early season, or in every race, I don't, really. I HOPE for them (fast times), but don't expect them! But in the past, there've been some quick races at Mt SAC, Penn, the early Stanford meet....as well as indoors.

5. Yes, I ran for 30 years. And I always ran for time, even in my slowest runs. I'd go for a course record (my courses, not official race courses!) almost every time. Then I'd create new courses when I couldn't run faster on the old ones! Stupid way to train, but that's the way I was!

Now, on to Doha!

[26mi235]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

Us middle-of-the-pack guys can go for time because we are not racing others very much (beating someone for 51st just isn't the same). But top guys are interested in winning races and that makes them great. Barrier breakers are a little in between, because the are racing that barrier. I think top guys are interested in time, but a substantial portion of that is that it is a marker for where they are at competitively. Take The Big O -- she is not defined by her PR but by her two top races.

Salazar is more concerned with Cain learning how to race at the international level than what her specific times are, I think.

Nicely composed post -- I will read more of what you say when it is in that format than the scattered lines going down a big swath of the screen. Also, on the 'top line' there are the bold, italics and underline functions (as well as the quote, etc.) They make posts look cleaner and classier than using caps a lot. Take the time to respect your audience.

Also, welcome to the board, half-mile guy ; I have already read three of your posts.

[ExRun]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

I like Aaronk's posts and don't find anything creepy about them. This site would be a lot duller without him!!!!!!

[aaronk]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

I like Aaronk's posts and don't find anything creepy about them. This site would be a lot duller without him!!!!!!

Thank you, dear Sir or Madam!
You just made my day!

Now, on to the Doha meet!!

[gh]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

[...
I agree. If she fails to make the team for the Senior World Championships - as I expect - she can qualify for the Youth World Championships at St. Louis two days later. ..

That is apparently the plan.

[26mi235]

Re: Mary Cain vs America's Elite at Drake [4:10.77 HSR]

And that is a good plan because it has her in international championship competitions where you learn to compete in that different environment. The Trials have some championship similarity, but they are individual competitions with no national team competition element.