Prepping for final 8 weeks

This is how you feel when, at a big meet, you watch as the best athletes are introduced, knowing you're about to see a GREAT event happen, and waiting for those long intros to end, and for the REAL action to begin!
Okay, a bit overdone.
There HAVE been some pretty fine races, jumps, and throws already, starting a bit over 2 months ago!
But come on, guys & gals, let's get this show STARTED!!

As a maybe incomplete indication of where the 2016 INdoor season is at, I did a count of how many 2016 marks are on my 4 DDD's.
As long-time readers of this blog know, there are normally between 300 and 400 marks that make my World, US, Collegiate, and HS Top 24 Performers lists (DDD's) each INdoor season.
Well, here's the current numbers, which might be slightly UNDERcounted!

World----------Men (2), Women (3)
US-------------Men (2), Women (11)
Collegiate------Men (5), Women (7)
HS------------Men (10), Women (7)
Totals---------Men (19), Women (28)
Grand Total (47)

Waiting on the next 300---or so!

But here's what happened this past week!

The Roads provided 2 important races.
In the Houston Half-Marathon, Mary Wacera ran 1:06:29, the fastest Half on US soil!
Cynthia Limo was 2nd in 1:06:41, with Mare Dibaba 3rd in 1:07:55.
First American was Sara Hall in a PR time of 1:10:07.
She was 5th overall.
40+ Jen Rhines finished in 1:14:57!

Lelisa Desisa took the Men's race in 1:00:37.
Second was Mosinet Geremew in 1:00:43.
First US finisher was Luke Puskedra in a PR of 1:01:29!
Good OT Marathon prep for both Hall and Puskedra!
(Reminder: The Olympic Trials race is 3 weeks from yesterday!!)

The other big Road affair was the Dubai Marathon, which began at 6:30 a.m., about 20 minutes before daylight!!
Tesfaye Abera, in just his 2nd Marathon, crushed his PR by 5:22 (!!), winning in 2:04:24.
This is the Age 23 record!
It makes him 10th A-T World!
(My list includes the Boston Marathon!)

Hayle Berhane took 2nd in 2:04:33, with Asefa Mekonnen 3rd in 2:04:46.
This makes Berhane 16th A-T World, and makes Mekonnen 18th A-T World!

The 30K point was reportedly hit in a "WR" time of 1:27:20!
The pace slowed dramatically once the rabbits left the course somewhere around 25 or 30K!

Tirfi Tsegaye joined the sub-2:20 club, winning in 2:19:41.
Amere Beriso took 2nd in her debut 26.2, timing 2:20:48.
Meselech Melkamu took 3rd in 2:22:29.
Tsegaye's time makes her 12th A-T World, tied with 1 other!

BTW, the livestream was excellent!!
(Except that splits for the Women were not as complete as for the Men!!)

Now onto Track and Field!

Akela Jones came THIS close to breaking Kendell Williams's Collegiate Record in the Pentathlon, scoring 4643 points.
Her HJ wasn't up to par, and her 800 was a bit too slow.
But her LJ tied her PR of 21-9.50!
For the Pent, it's the Senior Class record!
It's also the National Record of Barbados.
And it moves her from 11th to 2nd on the A-T Collegiate list!
Looks like Williams has a "new" rival to replace Erica Bougard!!

In a separate meet, Karli Johonnot joined the Collegiate "elite", scoring a PR of 4282 points!
This makes her 23rd A-T Collegiate!
But she just missed the US list--by 7 points!!

Besides Jones tying her 2015 PR, the Collegiate LJ saw other good marks.
Topping the list was Quenesha Burks, whose 22-0.25 is now 9th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others.
She's also now 14th A-T US, tied with 1 other!

Sha-keela Saunders jumped 21-5.25.

The Pro's hopped in too.
Marquis Goodwin led the Men with 26-2.75, while Janay DeLoach topped the Women with 22-1.75.

The Women's TJ saw a great "bound" forward by Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, who improved from 14.20 to 14.69--or from 46-7.25 to 48-2.50!!
This is the new Age 20 record!
Also the National Record of Venezuela.
Plus, it gets her on my Top 24 World list---in 24th!

Keturah Orji TJ'ed for the first time this season--hitting a solid 44-5.50!

Titiana Marsh continues her rise in the HS ranks, her 41-8.75 making her 17th A T HS!!

The Women's 60H saw some interesting results.
Kendra Harrison's PR of 7.83 led the way.
She moves from 19th to 9th on the A-T US list.
She misses the World DDD by 0.01 seconds!!
Her heat time was 7.86!

Janay DeLoach ran 7.94, after a heat in 8.08.
And not far behind was one Lolo Jones, whose 8.00 in the final wasn't bad, after returning from surgery last week with a rust-busting 8.32!  (See previous post!)
Lolo ran 8.19 in her heat!

And Brianna Rollins had a good meet.
Running 3 events, her 60H time was 7.99.
She also did the 200 (23.64) and 60 (7.29, in a heat)!
She didn't run the final in either the 60 or 60H!

Brigetta Barrett is BACK----or maybe that should be in lower case, as her HJ of 6-0.50 was good, considering it was her first competition since 2014 (??), but won't shake the world!
She made all her marks (1.70, 1.75, 1.78, and 1.81) on 1st try, but needed 2 to make the 1.84.
She missed all 3 tries at 6-1.50.

Randall Cunningham got the leading Collegiate HJ of 2016--leaping over a bar set at 7-5.

The Throws had some good stuff.
Raven Saunders was short of her week-old PR in the SP--by 4.25 inches!
Her winning Put of 60-10.75 led a series which included 2 other 60-plus throws!
She did PR (again!) in the WT, hitting 65-5!

Filip Mihaljevic had a SP of 67-10.75.
This makes him 21st A-T Collegiate!

Konrad Bukowiecki got the Age 18 record with his 67-1.50!

Ashley Jenkins threw the Weight out 71-0.50, for a good Collegiate mark.

What to say about the Pole Vault?
After the Circus of great marks so far this season, the event "merely" held steady the past week!
Which ain't exactly rotten moldy cheese!!
Here's the line-up!

In Renaud Lavillenie's 1st meet of 2016, he lost to Raphael Holzdeppe's 19-2!
Both Lavillenie and Shawn Barber made 18-8.25.

Changnui Xue got the Chinese National Record with his height of 19-0.75!

OUTdoors, Eliza McCartney continues to rack up New Zealand National Records!
Her latest was 15-3!

Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou made 15-5.50 (INdoors).

Melinda Withrow jumped 15-1.50.
This makes her 9th A-T US, tied with 1 other!
She then missed 3 tries at--15-7!!
Kylie Hutson took 2nd with 14-11

New Mexico's meet saw a good competition.
Mary Saxer won with 14-9.
Following her were---
Lexi Weeks (14-5.25)
Katie Nageotte (14-5.25)
Kaitlin Petrillose (14-1.25)
and Tori Weeks (13-7.25)!

More 14-plus vaults by female Collegiates--
Jessie Johnson rose to 14-1.75.
Alysha Newman hit 14-0.

On the Track---the one set to be used at the WC--the 2nd of 4 open meets produced some decent marks.

Paul Chelimo outkicked Eric Jenkins in a 3000, 7:44.68 to 7:45.14.
William Kincaid, also the Collegiate 5000 leader, ran the leading Collegiate time of 7:48.89!
He beat, among others, Cam Levins of NOP, who ran 7:52.67.
For Kincaid, this makes him 18th A-T Collegiate!

Andrew Wheating's winning time of 3:39.83 in the 1500 missed my US Top 24 list by just 0.08 seconds!
He beat Trevor Dunbar's 3:40.78, and Will Geoghegan's 3:41.08.

Jenna Prandini opened her Pro INdoor career with a winning time of 7.28 in the 60.
Octavious Freeman was 2nd in 7.35, while Brittney Reese ran 7.52.

Laura Roesler ran her fastest 800 of 2016--a 2:04.04 for the win!
Sheila Reid won in an okay 1500 time of 4:18.27.
She then ran 2:09.08 in the 800 an hour later.

A Collegiate 1000 saw Andrea Keklak's 2:42.76 beat Tori Gerlach's 2:43.15.
Keklak is now 11th A-T Collegiate, while Gerlach is 14th.

In the 600, Isaiah Harris's 1:17.74 makes him 23rd A-T Collegiate!

Lalonde Gordon improved to 20.77 in the 200.
In the NB Games in the Armory, he also won the 300 in 32.83.

Trayvon Bromell took over the World lead in the 60 with his PR of 6.54.
He misses the US list by 0.03 seconds.
Cameron Burrell was 2nd in 6.60.

Shayla Sanders ran 7.25 for the 60.

Nathaneel Mitchell-Blake, from Great Britain, ran a Collegiate-leading 200 of 20.57.

Felicia Brown leads the Collegiate Women with her 22.88.

Age 39 Kim Collins ran a rare OUTdoor 60--in Jamaica--in 6.53!!

The "elite" portion of the snow-delayed NB Games saw some good marks.

The best was the Women's Mile, won by Kim Conley.
Her 4:27.88 wasn't a PR, but was enough to beat the PR by Kate Grace, whose 4:28.30 moves her from 19th to 14th on the A-T US list.
Stephanie Garcia's 4 second PR of 4:28.97 makes her 21st A-T US.
Cory McGee followed with a good 4:30.93.

Conor Lundy ran his 2nd great race of the season!
He'd opened with a solid 3000 in 8:22.06, a HS leader!
He moved from 18th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 15th!

In the NB Mile, his 4:08.25 (also a HS leader!) makes him 19th A-T HS!!
He ran against the Pro's, the race won in 4:01-plus.

Sammy Watson doubled, running 39.34 and 1:32.25 in the 300 and 600.

On Staten Island, Marielle Hall beat Ajee Wilson in the Mile, 4:43.61 to 4:50.22!
Slow, but interesting nonetheless!!
Hall also ran the 3000 in 9:07.46!

Leah O'Connor ran a 3000 in 8:59.44.

Oversize Tracks saw some good marks DEFEATED by the size of the tracks!!
But I'll report them anyway!

Erin Finn ran a mile in 4:40 and change.
Anna Rohrer didn't win, but her 3K time of 9:17-plus was promising.
On a different OT, Florida's Women's 4X400 team ran 3:30.51, while their Men's team beat Baylor's, 3:05.57 to 3:05.90!

Finally, from "banned" Russia comes some good marks!
Mariya Kuchina HJ'ed 6.4.
Aleksey Fyodorov TJ'ed 54-10.
And Anzhelika Sidorova PV'ed a great 15-7!!

I'll expand on the following news items in a future post, but here in brief--
Chris Derrick is NOT going to run the OT Marathon!
Nick Symmonds and his Run Gum company are suing both USOC and USATF about whether athletes can advertise their brands on their uniforms!
(Many support this suit, including Lauren Fleshman---and myself!!)
Symmonds also said his INdoor career is done!!
No USATF--or World Championships!!

Lastly---WHEW!!!---I must make a CORRECTION!!
I made a MAJOR GOOF in a recent post!
I stated that Bralon Taplin's great 400 of 45.20 made the US list!!
Well, guess what?
He's from GRENADA!!!

So he's OFF my US DDD, and Steve Lewis's 45.53 from 1992 is back ON!!
Apologies to everyone!

See you soon---with a post of---"thoughts" on a variety of topics!