Brenda Martinez "Your not good enough, your not a championship runner"

Les wrote:

BEST COLLEGE TIMES:

Athlete A

800 - 2:01.75, 1500 - 4:17.18

Athlete B

800 - 2:00.85, 1500 - 4:09.52

Highest NCAA finish: Athlete A - 4th. Athlete B - 2nd. Both make USA outdoor finals while in college. Clearly both had potential as pros, yet Athlete A (Morgan Uceny) gets accepted to Mammoth. Athlete B (Martinez) gets rejected.

Morgan Uceny was ranked #1 in the world in the 1500 in 2011, someone who decided Uceny had more potential than Martinez can't be faulted for making a bad decision.

Not a Coach,

Here is a better progression...

2013: 1:57.91, 4:00.94

2012: 1:59.14, 4:09.96

2011: 2:01.07, 4:10.77

2010: 2:04.76, 4:18.17

2009: 2:00.85, 4:09.52

2008: 2:02.34, 4:17.09

2007: 2:04.22, 4:21.18

Looking at the above, Brenda looked poised to break out in 2010 but for whatever reason, she stalled that year. Looks like 2011 was a year to get back to where she was in 2009, 2012 was a continuation of that with clearly a focus on the 800 and this year she put everything together. The above progression is exactly what one would have expected from Brenda back in 2009 if she continued to progress and add a more aerobic base to her training. In my eyes, people should have been jumping all over her in 2009 thinking ahead to 2012. Would not have been a bad bet to make. After going from 2:04 ro 2:02 to 2:00, and 4:21 and 4:17 to 4:09, as good a bet as anyone at that time, I would guess.

Morgan Uceny was ranked #1 in the world in the 1500 in 2011, someone who decided Uceny had more potential than Martinez can't be faulted for making a bad decision.

----

Exactly. Uceny achieved that ranking because she was accepted into the program and was able to develop as a runner. Had Brenda been given the same opportunity she would have been performing at the world stage much sooner.

asdefjh wrote:

Les wrote:

BEST COLLEGE TIMES:

Athlete A

800 - 2:01.75, 1500 - 4:17.18

Athlete B

800 - 2:00.85, 1500 - 4:09.52

Highest NCAA finish: Athlete A - 4th. Athlete B - 2nd. Both make USA outdoor finals while in college. Clearly both had potential as pros, yet Athlete A (Morgan Uceny) gets accepted to Mammoth. Athlete B (Martinez) gets rejected.

Morgan Uceny was ranked #1 in the world in the 1500 in 2011, someone who decided Uceny had more potential than Martinez can't be faulted for making a bad decision.

Uceny is very talented. My point is Martinez is just as talented, if not more so, than Uceny, yet was not given the same opportunity to develop that talent.

In fact, Knight called it the biggest mistake of his coaching life.

The whole story...Bird was an introverted kid, and so Knight had him room w/ the most outgoing kid on the team, which didn't go well and contributed to his poor "fit".

What a class act not to name the group(s).

Any guesses who? The obvious two, perhaps?

spade detector wrote:

*You're

You never know. Maybe Brenda got an email that said "your." We are talking about coaches after all.

pfff, they were right, she barely got a stinking bronze because Montano ran like an idiot.

Should be Added wrote:

Sounds like she's doing a screw you right now. Not attractive.

She was asked HOW SHE ENDED UP WITH HER CURRENT COACH.

What is she supposed to say? "I twiddled my thumbs for a year and didn't try for any groups?" Lie?

800 coach wrote:

i also don't agree. She handled that interview with class. She didn't name names - and could have. Who is the idiot that turned her down. It was pretty obvious to me 2 years ago that she had massive talent. She was vary aggressive, had great running form and speed. She just need someone like Vigil to get her into a consistent training and racing routine. Some of these club coaches have no idea how to develop and simply want athletes who have already shown themselves to be top notch. I would have said a lot more than she did after winning a bronze in Worlds. Well done Brenda. I have a lot of respect.

+1

pace was too much wrote:

pfff, they were right, she barely got a stinking bronze because Montano ran like an idiot.

I'd take a "stinking bronze" at the WC any day over my "didn't do diddly squat" career.

For Brenda:

"Living well is the best revenge."

---origin unknown.

brenda is so pretty.

just wanted to let all you brahs know.

she is down right beautiful.

I think it is probably better that it worked out the way it did. She lucked out with a great coach and nothing motivates a person like being told what they can't do.

stuff you like to pee out wrote:

brenda is so pretty.

just wanted to let all you brahs know.

she is down right beautiful.

.

And has beautiful running form!

You are not ... You are not ...

Facts straight wrote:

Pretty sure the two coaches that turned her down were Terrence Mahon and Julie Benson.

Spot on. Brenda also had a huge falling out with Irv Ray at Riverside before she graduated. Her collegiate career did not end the way one might have expected after her summer in Europe before senior year.

alanson wrote:

Going from 1:59.XX TO 1:57.XX is the big difference between medal and no medal in the 800. But who can predict this? Odds are Wilson, Judd and Cain will stagnate right where they are, never get a medal. Think about Vessey, Pierce. Coaches are just a little better at figuring this out, but it's still a crap shoot for them too. Before this year Brenda was best known as a decent, not great, 1500m runner. She probably wouldn't have a medal if she had stuck with the 1500. It took a lot of insight and guts for her to focus on the 800. She wouldn't have medalled in the 798, either. But Martinez deserves all the credit and all the "Told you so's" she cares to issue. But I can't really blame the track clubs for not being clairvoyant.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I think Brenda might have medalled at the 1500. I'm not sure if Simpson could beat her right now at 1500m

Agreed. She will beat Simpson and run 3:58 in the next 2 weeks.