Allyson Felix said she was a little surprised when she ran a 21.98 at her Diamond League race. I wasn't surprised by her time, because when she ran 11.09 in the 100 meter dash last week, I knew she was due to run a really good time in the 200 meters. Anytime she runs the 100 meters, that fast, this early in the season, it shouldn't be surprising, that 21.98 was in her grasp.
The only thing I'm worried about, is, I'm hoping she's not peaking too soon! Sometimes, if you run too fast, early in the season, your body tends to go downhill from there. I've never seen Allyson Felix run this fast in early May, so we'll have to see what happens the rest of the season. I remember when Kimberlyn Duncan, beat Allsyon in Des Moines, Iowa in the 200 meters and ran under 22.00 seconds with the wind at her back. I think Kimberlyn peaked too soon, and she hasn't beaten Allyson since that day, and hasn't run under 22.00 again.
If Allyson starts to peak too soon, I hope that her coach Bobby Kersee, backs off on her workouts, and start giving Allyson light workouts, to allow her body to tone down. Peaking too early can also cause injuries, like pulled hamstrings, etc. But if Allyson is not peaking too soon, it can only mean, we'll see some really good running from her this season, not only in the 200 meters, but also the 400 meter dash.
Good luck Allyson, and stay healthy!
**The views expressed in this article are those of the author (Louis Ritchie) and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, trackalerts.com.
