Spencer Brown Is Leaving Brooks Beasts

This is Jim Kiler wrote:

He won't do the 3-6 month base thing, though.

He'll be back to 3x400 soon enough, and zero mileage. This is why his coach/father had him run 5x1600 - so he'd actually have volume for once. Maybe Spencer should jump on Igloi training or whatever. 40x200 and that sort of stuff, every day.

I think he will listen to his dad, and I think his dad's training plan will be good.

I think his lifestyle and youtube videos will be the biggest barrier to his success. Probably a very common problem for the yuppie types like Spencer.

Look at the biggest yuppies alive, Tinman Elite. It started with the same explicit goal as Spencer--document the training of almost-elite runner(s) on their way up. Almost like an instruction manual for post-collegiates with an aspiration for glory. Devolved to cheap lifestyle garbage that several posters accurately refer to as "breakfast burrito" videos. 20-25 year olds looking cool while lounging about in long sleeve shirts and backwards hats. Idk if hs kids love it but, as a 25 year old, it lost my interest incredibly fast a few years ago.

Spencer hasn't been focused, humble, or exciting to watch since 2018, regardless of how he appears on youtube. He could change that and get back to his roots, in which case youtube could help keep him attached to running. Or he could continue on the path he is on, which will hurt his running.

"The Last Ride" indicates what we all already knew.

Spencer has no more 'up,' he is where he is. We all went though this, remember? Three weeks of centering at home isn't going to change his world. Then it's back to Seattle on the trustfunder dime. Only question is, how long until a cell phone photo proves he's working at Starbucks.

At around 47 secs in the video, he says he is "blue-collar"... yikes.

Yes, and those top 3 are low 13's guys with far more development under their belt than Spencer. And Mantz is an aerobic monster with decent speed, same as Brandt. If you actually read my comment, I said I think Spencer has the potential to break 13:20 within a year IF he switched completely to 5k-specialized training now. I don't think he has the ceiling to be great at the 1500 or 800, but I think he has a much higher ceiling in the 5k and 10k.

I don't think that all mid distance guys just need more miles to be good at distance. But I think a lot of 800-1500 specialists have a higher ceiling at the 1500-5k range. I think Spencer is already nearly at his ceiling for the 800 to 1500 range, but I think based on his progression and running style that he'd have a higher ceiling at the more aerobic events. Spencer was never going to be great at the 1500, let alone the 800, but again, it's my opinion that he's shown the potential for much higher ceiling at the 5k/10k range.

It's said elsewhere, he's too weak and can't handle the mileage to get not weak. All he can be is a speedy little guy, and the speedy isn't fast in a pool this big.

He's a slow 8/15 guy, could never steeple, and isn't going to handle the mileage to be a 5 guy. That 30m XC outing was on fumes. Wanna' prove me wrong? Get to XC Nats.

Yikes, especially considering how nice his parents house looks in the video. He needs to check his privilege

hhhhhhhhrunner wrote:

Yikes, especially considering how nice his parents house looks in the video. He needs to check his privilege

Blue collar my ***. I do think he's likeable and I like his channel.

I think it's the same guy who farted on his g/f on video, and she didn't get pissed or hit him back (sorry, TMI, it was one of the weirdest things I've seen and I've seen a lot in this world). If I were her I'd get even. :)

I like Spencer’s channel but the guy needs to build a decent aerobic base. He never got that in the last year because of COVID then injuries. I would have given it another year with The beasts if they didn’t kick him off. He ran his best times in college when he was stronger from cross country than any time recently so it’s no wonder he ran slow this season. He looks like he has some aerobic ability considering he ran close to 30 min for 10k cross country but he also seems to have a weak mindset for that type of work. I’m 41, work full time, have two kids and train harder than him. I run more mileage and my tempos and long work outs are generally as fast as him. I am running 14:30 to 14:50 5ks and 31 min 10ks which is well below his ability. It always surprises me that he is running so slow on the longer work outs. Dude needs to lift as well which others have pointed out or at least do more effective strength training than he is doing to improve his form and hold it.

The Booty Hunter wrote:

It's said elsewhere, he's too weak and can't handle the mileage to get not weak.

Call me crazy, but why doesn't he try to slow down and hit the trails for his mileage. I don't know call me crazy, but what about changing the stimulus up a bit. Move to Flagstaff and just focus on getting a good amount of vert while maintaining his speed with some strides a few times a week and some 200/300s twice a week. A solid 12 weeks of that should boost his strength by a good bit.

If you aren’t a generational talent, you need to build that 70-80 mpw base to be a good miler. Maybe even more than that. Some people are gifted with that elite Vo2Max and muscle fiber balance where they only need 40-50 mpw to be a great miler, but spencer is not one of those people. I genuinely think he can be VERY fast if he does more of the not so fun part of MD training, which is the long slow miles and the work in the weight room.

I hope the best for him, but if you want to make running your living, you need to treat it like a living. Your diet, your daily activity, and your effort all need to reflect that this is what you do for your livelihood.

I ran a freeking 30 at NCAA 'cross and nobody knew, or knows my name.

Exactly how Spencer would be, were there not a thing called YouTube and a year that we all sat around looking for something to watch.

bugattiaron wrote:

hurrikane wrote:

WRONG. He gets DESTROYED in the 1500m by 5k/10k guys running down in distance. Just to name a few ~

Cooper Teare - 3:35

Fisher - 3:36

Klecker - 3:37

Mantz - 3:37

Brandt - 3:38

Yes, and those top 3 are low 13's guys with far more development under their belt than Spencer. And Mantz is an aerobic monster with decent speed, same as Brandt. If you actually read my comment, I said I think Spencer has the potential to break 13:20 within a year IF he switched completely to 5k-specialized training now. I don't think he has the ceiling to be great at the 1500 or 800, but I think he has a much higher ceiling in the 5k and 10k.

He's doing 1500m training and is still losing to guys not training for the 1500. He'll never catch up to them in the 5k or 10k. He's not tough enough. He's soft.

Win at All Costs wrote:

He's announcing his next steps on his YouTube channel at 2. I'm not surprised at all.

My guess is he'll have his dad coach him. I could be very wrong though. I don't imagine he'll get another contract. Possibly become the next Seth Demoor?

I mean this with the utmost respect for Mr. Brown, but who the $#@% is Spencer Brown?

come on, guys... running a 49 400m in high school means exactly that, a 49 400m in high school. this does not mean a higher ceiling in long distance.

i guarantee spencer has personally met several dozen runners who do LESS mileage than he does and are still better than him at 5k/10k. does that mean they ran 48 in hs? no, they're actual distance runners.

-Less mileage

-They're distance runners

I know some are able to do good off lower mileage, but still

The mods must have a special relationship with Spencer because all my insightful suggestions for his future were deleted and I was given a one-day LRC Timeout. Who knew you couldn't give advice to a Blue-Collar YouTuber without getting cancelled!

Anyway, I hope Spencer recovers from his being dumped by Brooks and his move back home for a short time is able regain his mental focus. I would advise him not to head back to Seattle, but instead head south to Florida for some winter training. Everyone knows humidity is the poor mans altitude training. Maybe he can team up with Danny Duncan for some crossover YouTube connection.

cramister wrote:

-Less mileage

-They're distance runners

I know some are able to do good off lower mileage, but still

The formula for distance running success is not 400 PR * Mileage

Pretty much any sub-elite 5k/10k guy could never run a 49 in the 400m. But if they were doing TAS's mileage, they would still be much faster than him at 5k/10k.

If he wasn't a YouTuber I'm sure nobody would know who he was. I certainly don't think he's in the league of those you mentioned here, or even worthy of comparison, no matter the distance.