She needs a proper plan. I think she pushed herself through marathon training without her heart really being in it. She ran A+, all out efforts in the 10k and HM in her London build, all while (presumably) trying to train through and maintain marathon mileage. That would increase anyone's injury risk - how many people set 10k and HM PBs on the way to a marathon goal race? Hopefully her team can put in place a proper plan to get her fit for the remainder of the year
I think her and her team were looking to cash in big on the marathon ~ appearance fee and fitness.
It's pretty undeniable that going for all-out, PR-chasing efforts in 10K/HM (mind you with injuries cropping up around them) indicated that they really wanted to get something out of the fitness.
If you were really convinced that you'd have the same success in the marathon besides the appearance fee, the need to run a HM would've been smaller as the injury concerns mounted. Ultimately it backfired because if Kara got paid $175K to run the NYC Marathon, what did Eilish forfeit in not running London? $250K?
Also, I understand the counterpoint to my original take that doing nothing isn't always the answer. Clearly the current approach has been ineffective in resolving the issues, so whether it's time off or just more effective rehab, PT etc. she shouldn't be having the same issues crop up after 2 days of training for the 4th or 5th time since coming back.
P.S. apologies for not putting the tweet in the first post here
She was certainly looking to cash in on her fitness, it's hard to see how she's go into a marathon build looking to break 30 and while still retaining the marathon as the goal race. Then the Berlin HM was just playing with fire. I know she's raced in the past against the advice of her mum/coach, I wonder if she did so this time. As for her London fee, hard to say. An athlete with the potential to finish on the podium would be worth a lot but London famously puts most of its money into time bonuses rather than prize money and appearance fees. And as much of a fan as I am of McColgan, she's not the same draw that Mo Farah was a few years ago. £200k? That sounds like a lot to me. London isn't known for being overly generous to British athletes in the same way that Boston/Chicago/NY are for Americans.
I think her and her team were looking to cash in big on the marathon ~ appearance fee and fitness.
This is where the problem lies. As soon as there is a large financial incentive to think and act short term, injuries happen. Watch the Andy Murray Resurfacing documentary and you'll see this in action. Whilst barely recovered from surgery and enjoying literally his first pain-free day, his coaches get him to sprint up and down the court as fast as he can, presumably to fast track those big cheques rolling in again. I watched it utterly horrified. Obviously it was a very short time until his next injury.
This is where the problem lies. As soon as there is a large financial incentive to think and act short term, injuries happen. Watch the Andy Murray Resurfacing documentary and you'll see this in action. Whilst barely recovered from surgery and enjoying literally his first pain-free day, his coaches get him to sprint up and down the court as fast as he can, presumably to fast track those big cheques rolling in again. I watched it utterly horrified. Obviously it was a very short time until his next injury.
And at her age you can see why. But looking at Sara Hall, D'Amato etc. she should not be thinking she'll be washed up in a few years, but rather if she takes the long view she'll still be a force in the 10K+. I hope they reassess and 2026 can really be the year to explore the Marathon if things continue to be rocky.
It isn't normal to be injured all the time. She is either overated, under nourished, or both.
In 30 years of running I never missed more than a week. Only here is it considered normal to have repeated injuries.
I'm sure you are a great runner (30 years of uninterrupted training and all), but you have no idea what you are talking about.
It is extremely common for elite runners to get injured repeatedly due to the nature of their training. Eilish McColgan has been training and competing at the top level for years, and that has most definitely taken a toll on her already injury-prone body.
I don't understand your comment about her being "overrated", she is the 2nd fastest in the world this year, #13 all time, and the winner of many big races and championships.
We hear a lot about her being malnourished by some clowns on this message board. However, these people only make this claim based off her appearance. She has said publicly that she is healthy with regards to nutrition multiple times, which makes sense. She is a professional runner and definitely sees a nutritionist, who unlike us message board idiots is a professional.
It isn't normal to be injured all the time. She is either overated, under nourished, or both.
In 30 years of running I never missed more than a week. Only here is it considered normal to have repeated injuries.
Everybody's different - I have horrible connective tissue. I'm a mesomorph with an ectomorph's tendons/ligaments. I've had so many running injuries in my life that it derailed me during high school and ended any hopes of a college career. Crappy shoes also exacerbated my shin splints, and then when shoe tech finally helped me get over that, I started having annoying muscle injuries as I got older.
It's becoming more and more apparent that Eilish just doesn't have the body type meant for the durability of a competitive long-distance runner. She is tall and extremely lanky - total ectomorph - plus she suffers from menstrual-related bone and muscle issues to boot. She is one of my favorite runners - watching her run is a thing of beauty - but I can't see her having anything resembling a long career.
I'm a big fan, rooting for her to succeed, but can't help feeling Eilish needs to listen to Jake Smith's new 'Running with RED-S podcast'.
You mean confront her obvious anorexia? I agree.
She is very thin, but world class distance runners are freaks of nature. There are a handful of women who are unusually lean, even for distance runners. She may be one of them. In fact, she has publicly responded to comments about her body weight and accusations that she has an eating disorder.
Here's a quote from a Scottish news story:
She said: "Nothing pisses me off more than someone making a comment that I'm 'too skinny'. I'm naturally small, always have been. Some people are just slim. "I doubt they would comment on someone slightly larger than 'average'. I'm a healthy athlete and human. Go body shame elsewhere!
I agree that she's unusually lean, even for a professional distance runner, but I don't see this kind of criticism leveled at average-weight distance runners when their actual behavior (social media posts and public statements) suggests body image issues and possible eating disorders.
I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't think a woman training like she does and looking like she does still has her periods.
And didn't she have marathon fueling issues ? She didn't tolerate gels well if I remember correctly.
The belief that female athletes generally suffer from amenorrhea is a common misconception. Extreme training can sometimes lead to menstrual irregularities, but it's a rarity for complete cessation of menstruation altogether. The bigger culprit in amenorrhea is the more insidious eating disorder/heavy training combination that lead to extremely low BMIs (that's why a number of female gymnasts have that issue - Kathy Johnson said she didn't have her first period until she was 24?!?). Eilish is refreshingly open about her challenges in this area and has written several articles - here's one example:
The average woman will have approximately 500 periods in her lifetime lasting anywhere between 2 and 7 days . That’s potentially a whopping 3,500 days or 9 and ½ years spent dealing with Mother Na...
It isn't normal to be injured all the time. She is either overated, under nourished, or both.
In 30 years of running I never missed more than a week. Only here is it considered normal to have repeated injuries.
I'm sure you are a great runner (30 years of uninterrupted training and all), but you have no idea what you are talking about.
It is extremely common for elite runners to get injured repeatedly due to the nature of their training. Eilish McColgan has been training and competing at the top level for years, and that has most definitely taken a toll on her already injury-prone body.
I don't understand your comment about her being "overrated", she is the 2nd fastest in the world this year, #13 all time, and the winner of many big races and championships.
We hear a lot about her being malnourished by some clowns on this message board. However, these people only make this claim based off her appearance. She has said publicly that she is healthy with regards to nutrition multiple times, which makes sense. She is a professional runner and definitely sees a nutritionist, who unlike us message board idiots is a professional.
Then they are training wrong. It's more important to prioritize long-term health over short-term results. I would never in a million years trade 30 years of running for 5 or 10 years of running faster when I was young.
Train smartly, don't push yourself too hard, and you can remain uninjured and frankly have a better quality of life.
It isn't normal to be injured all the time. She is either overated, under nourished, or both.
In 30 years of running I never missed more than a week. Only here is it considered normal to have repeated injuries.
I'm sure you are a great runner (30 years of uninterrupted training and all), but you have no idea what you are talking about.
It is extremely common for elite runners to get injured repeatedly due to the nature of their training. Eilish McColgan has been training and competing at the top level for years, and that has most definitely taken a toll on her already injury-prone body.
I don't understand your comment about her being "overrated", she is the 2nd fastest in the world this year, #13 all time, and the winner of many big races and championships.
We hear a lot about her being malnourished by some clowns on this message board. However, these people only make this claim based off her appearance. She has said publicly that she is healthy with regards to nutrition multiple times, which makes sense. She is a professional runner and definitely sees a nutritionist, who unlike us message board idiots is a professional.
That was auto-correct. It should have said over trained, under nourished, or both.
I'm sure you are a great runner (30 years of uninterrupted training and all), but you have no idea what you are talking about.
It is extremely common for elite runners to get injured repeatedly due to the nature of their training. Eilish McColgan has been training and competing at the top level for years, and that has most definitely taken a toll on her already injury-prone body.
I don't understand your comment about her being "overrated", she is the 2nd fastest in the world this year, #13 all time, and the winner of many big races and championships.
We hear a lot about her being malnourished by some clowns on this message board. However, these people only make this claim based off her appearance. She has said publicly that she is healthy with regards to nutrition multiple times, which makes sense. She is a professional runner and definitely sees a nutritionist, who unlike us message board idiots is a professional.
That was auto-correct. It should have said over trained, under nourished, or both.
That makes way more sense.
I would guess overtrained. Or maybe just not doing the right stuff for her. I'm not her coach, so I don't know.
I worry she and her coach will try to salvage her season, which might work, but could hurt her even more in the long term.
What is getting 'Hard to Watch' is the bunch of haters full of envy that post in here. But now I get it. You just keep complaining about Eilish's running form, about her weight and whatever you want, but her half marathon record is more than a minute faster than Molly Huddle's record... Go home devastated, you losers!!!
Please men stop giving advice or opinions on women’s weight or periods. She’s an elite distance runner for goodness sakes! They run 80 plus miles a week. Even over eating she’s going to be leaner than your average female.
Then they are training wrong. It's more important to prioritize long-term health over short-term results. I would never in a million years trade 30 years of running for 5 or 10 years of running faster when I was young.
Train smartly, don't push yourself too hard, and you can remain uninjured and frankly have a better quality of life.
At her level, you absolutely prioritize short-term (5-10 years) results. That’s how you achieve great things and earn a living. It’s generally been working very well for her.
For hobby joggers like us, obviously there is no benefit to crushing training outside of a personal PR. Long term health is the goal.
