Roth automatically gets an * for a deliberately short everything!



On the "how they train" podcast, David McNamee says that whilst he respects Alistair as an athlete. (says he's the best ITU athlete ever) He doesn't get on with him and to quote him "I get you have to be selfish, but you don't have to be a dick"


As for AB at Kona. With Jan out and others experiencing cost issues. It might be the best time for him to win it. And then retire!

ProTriNews reports that Brownlee will not be racing Dallas. Focus on Kona (and he wouldn't be able to stop himself going all out at Dallas).
So he joins the 2 Norges and Lange in not racing Dallas (and Ryf, Philipp, Moench and Haug). Notably, though, both Great Danes will race Dallas on the way to Kona.

Stress fracture in his femur according to his Instagram. Out for the rest of the season.

alistair.brownlee
Verified
The annus horribilis continues. Unfortunately I’ve got a stress fracture in my femur and won’t be racing for the rest of the year. The last few months have been more than a little testing.

But I’ll do everything I can to work out what the problem is and be back training soon.

---

Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Just seen it. Gutted for Alistair. After a 7:38 at Sweden his season was finally looking up. I guess that sums up the general feelings through this thread though - he could be the GOAT at some point down the line but he pushes himself so hard is he ever going to be fit enough to get to the finish line? I never though he would win Kona this year, but next year would be his year and possibly the start of long string of Kona wins. Once he gets one and breaks the formula he needs he would be away with it. I still got my fingers crossed for him but I feel he is starting to run out of time. Now he has his role within the IOC - will he have the motivation to get there?

---

He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.

Am imagining him setting a bit of a pattern we're he's good for about two races, we get the old superhuman Ali back for one race then his body breaks down on him through injury training for a big race or at the big race, maybe he just needs to learn to time this properly for the big race!

He’s made of glass, Alistair ☹️

Most of the time for athletes of that stature, the last thing to go is the mind/desire to do it even when their body has failed them.

What is interesting is his “training body age” and his “biological age” likely don’t match up anymore. Similar to Lebron James in basketball. Because he’s played in so many post season games he’s played like 2 full extra seasons of basketball that has to be accounted for.

Sucks for the sport to not have AB racing.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I actually thought this year would have been AB's best chance at Kona. Because JF will not be there and AB has both Kona experience & a front pack swim, I had come to terms with a Brownlee victory this year.

Kind of sucks that now the two athletes with arguably the best case for GOAT status will not be racing...........

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Anyone know if this is the same area his stress reaction was when he pulled from Sub7? If these are different areas then he must be WAY over doing it (2 bone issues a few months apart) or if it's the same area than maybe just not enough time off to heal.

A femoral stress fracture is not a quick or easy injury to get. He's gotta be overdoing it in more than one area. Might be a good time to take a step back and look at his approach to training.

I dont think an athlete at that level of success can change how they train. That bulldog type of personality has given him the greatest of successes, but now I think we are just kinda seeing the "cost" of it now. And yes I'm sure the training is going to be "changed", I just dont think it'll actually change to the point of an athlete with this type of injury history, doesn't stay injury prone especially at this point in their career.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

if we are going to play it that way I prefer to say he walked through fire but couldn't resist looking back.

I feel bad for him. I really do, but he is not meant for long distance. He has proven this over and over as he builds.

He can probably be a great 1/2 and PTO racer, but not IM distance. And that’s ok

---

http://www.TriScottsdale.org

This is a weird take, what makes you say not IM but everything else?

He can’t train for them. He is always injured. He does well in a cold race with little competition and we drool over him.

I think if he went to shorter distances less training would keep him healthier and less prone to injury.

He always gets Injured no matter what distance he's training for though, the difference is now he's older with more history of injuries.

And longer training exasperates that

I would tend to think that WTS level short distance training is more taxing on the body than long distance.

Eh, I tend to think he's going to get injured no matter what the distance he's training for. He had plenty of ITU off and on injuries, etc. As I said I still think the single great performance I've ever seen was Kitzbhul 2012 when he came back from an Achilles injury and smoked the field, won an ITU race I think by over 45s, which at that level is an ass whooping.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Probably because he is the greatest short course athlete of all time, but he is wildly erratic and unreliable at IM distance.

As said above, it doesn't matter what distance he's racing/training for he's going to get injuries.

As I said, I reckon he's absolutely great for one race a season and needs to accept his body won't hold up for multiple races, work out how to time
the greatness none injury form for whatever his A race is going to be.

Agree ref short. Might I point out that he's won 3 out of his 4 IMs (7:44, 7:45, 7:38) and failed at Kona (as a debutante going for the win). Unproven? Unreliable? Finishes every time, with course records half the time. Erratic at IM distance? You set a high 'erotic' threshold.

He's not done too bad at his 70.3's either! Two runners up at the Worlds!! He doesn't get the credit he deserves really for his LC career on ST, I suppose its a back handed compliment really.

That’s quite the disparagement of Alistair! LOL

---

David T-D
http://www.tilburydavis.com