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Alan Webb on his way to a mile victory at the 2007 Reebok Boston Indoor Games.
Another week, another PR. Alan Webb dominated the Reebok Boston Indoor Games men's mile from the start, following pacemaker Moise Joseph through splits of 55.3 and 1:56.2 before taking off on his own, eventually winning in 3:55.18 over Canada's Kevin Sullivan (3:57.33). Webb dropped the field so quickly it seemed as though the pacemaker must have been going faster than anyone else wanted, but Webb wasn't convinced. "Everybody knew the pace was going to go fast; we talked about it beforehand. The rabbit was scheduled to go 1:54 [for 800m], 2:23 [for 1,200m], so I don't know how I surprised anybody by going out fast. I thought everybody was going out fast. By the time we got to 250 meters, I was alone already. I was like, 'Alright, we were supposed to go 1:54.'"
Isn't a 55-second opening quarter a bit hot for a proposed 1:54 first 800? Webb disagrees with that theory, too. "If they'd been behind me, they would've been 56 or so, right?"
Webb's likely to be in for a tougher race next weekend at the Millrose Games, where he will face (among others) U.S. outdoor champion and four-time Millrose winner Bernard Lagat, and Aussie Craig Mottram, now the owner of the fastest 3,000m in the world this year. Said Webb, this race "means I'm ready to go. Hopefully, I won't get embarassed like I did last time. I hope there's still room for improvement. I always tell kids that if you get a personal best every time you race, eventually you'll set a world record. I'm not saying I'll [get] there, but another PR is another PR."
Webb sees the strength he's built in recent years as the key to his recent indoor mile PRs. "I think my strength is already good. I ran 27:34 last year for 10,000m, so I think it's more just getting used to running this pace, getting used to running this fast. I'm feeling more comfortable. We're starting a little early this year, because I've been basically base training for the last three years. Now I have the luxury of running fast indoors. I don't have to do strength; that strength is inside me. I still have it in me. I can last all year, if not the next two or three years, on the base I've built over the last three years. I'm reaping the benefits of all that training."
Webb's belief in his base echos that of Mottram, who explained, "We're just fit all year round, like the Africans are. Every time I come to the line, I'm fit and ready to race."
Posted by Parker Morse at 7:16 p.m. | Tags: Web Sites, Race Reports
Jacques commented, on February 2, 2007 at 1:37 a.m.:
Looks like the hard work is paying off. I can't wait to see what happens.
jack unruh commented, on January 29, 2007 at 10:09 p.m.:
Webb is truly amazing!! Hope he wins at Millrose!!