Gwen running at Stanford

fyrehaar

Gwen Jorgensen is running the 10k at Stanford tomorrow night - her team is listed as Nike - Bowerman.

http://www.rtspt.com/events/stanford/invite2018/sections_open.htm

Anyone else in the Bay gonna come down? Her section is set to start at 9:07 PM.

Robert Rankin

I’d like to watch if I can find it online. I know she’s been running with Bowerman, has she officially signed with Nike yet?

fyrehaar

I think Flo Track will have it. I don't think she has "officially" signed but it's her club listing for her races this year.

EmilyCocks

Why do track meets have run races so late? Running a fast 10k at 9pm sounds awful.

Granpa Chook

I don't live in the area anymore (thank god) but I used to go every year to the Stanford Invite and Payton Jordan. Watched Shalane run laps around everyone one year, Ali Brownlee's 28:30, and lots of other great racing (including Matt Mcelroy while he was at NAU). Really fun to see in person, especially if you are a track nerd. I used to just want to see the running races, but I went early with pizza one year and it was way better seeing the jumpers, and vaulters do their thing.

@EmilyCocks What do you think is worse, triathlons starting at the crack of dawn, or track meets that go really late?

Matt

Late meets are better since there's beer before/after. A super-early tri means struggling to get good coffee.

KenElPescadoPelado

I would go, but I've got to return some videotapes.

KHilgendorf

I know I always ran best around 5-8 pm. It aligns well with the normal training patterns of practice/training in the mid afternoon. Also, the 10k is boring as hell, so you don’t want to make it prime time viewing. Something about weather, too, if you’re looking to run a timed race. Generally cooler with less wind late in the evening.

AaronWebstey

I always loved the world cup triathlon starts at 3pm. Did I ever tell you guys I used to race itu?

EmilyCocks

There is a big difference between 3pm and 9pm. I liked having Pacific Grove start at 12pm for elites. 8am at Wildflower was fairly civilized. Anything starting before 7am or after 7pm is dumb.

Jennifer Post

I saw promos to watch Stanford Invitational so thought I’d give it a try. Was on my way to signing up for subscription before I saw the prices. Has Flotrack always been this expensive? $150/year is insane. I pay $30 for NBC Sports Gold Cycling per year and $25 per year for ITU Teiathlon Live.

Robert Rankin

Guess Nike's officially official now

fyrehaar

Well it was super exciting! I thought I would be bored watching a 10k but it was actually really good, even with a jumpy five year old.

Gwen went 31:55. It seemed close until the last 200 but she was just being tactical. She shifted gear and left Dimoff with no trouble.

My kid took this amazing pic, so I clearly get to retire as family photographer

Matt

It seemed weird that the weren't all wearing track spikes.

KHilgendorf

@matt you don’t need them to run 3:12/km (5:10 miles for us ‘muricans). If it’s not a championship meet where you expect to kick the last lap, spikes are irrelevant; and even then it’s questionable depending on your foot strike and toe off. Better to run in something comfortable.

Matt

KHilgendorf

Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh saying they're "irrelevant." Like most things in life, their importance is more an "it depends" situation. Wet weather, mondo track, you might slip a little bit since those are hard and smooth. In that case, spikes are beneficial. Stanford has a surface that is pretty grippy, and the weather was dry, so spikes would be of little to no benefit, and could be too harsh on the legs for an early season 10k where injury risk for a lot of the girls is more a concern than running a second or two faster. Even distance spikes have very little cushion, and fast tracks are actually quite hard. You definitely feel the punishment of a 10k.

trineuropa

It was rumored Gwen didn’t use spikes due to Achilles issues, but I think this quote from her recent SI article is more telling. She is referring to the influence of Shalane.

KHilgendorf

That’s might explain gwen’s reasoning, but I doubt some of the others wearing flats have that same access. Nor are they pursuing the marathon.

Tad_M

It's to prevent unnecessary injuries to high school middle infielders.

IanL

This conversation makes me remember a few months ago when I told one of my athletes not to wear spikes because she wasn't ready for them. She couldn't resist and managed to run a PB in the 3000. Now she has been out for the past 6 weeks.

Perhaps these women were just not ready strengthwise to wear spikes for such a long race.

Granpa Chook

10k on the track in spikes. My calves hurt just thinking about it.

KHilgendorf

Cheers.