Roughly a year ago, Alan Webb felt the inverse of the itch felt by so many pioneers and frontiersmen before him, and returned east to his home state of Virginia. The American mile record-holder had grown dissatisfied with his situation in Portland. Race results suggested stagnation, and doubters everywhere voiced their incredulity over Webb's ability to return to peak form. The decision was made to leave Alberto Salazar and the lush green confines of Nike's bosom and return to a more familiar -and colonial- place. With former UVA standout Robby Andrews as his new training partner, and former UVA middle distance guru Jason Vigilante as his new coach, Webb sought out to reclaim a spot among America's miler elite.

Based solely on precursory glances at results or browsing the boards at Letsrun.com, it would seem that this back-to-the-basics approach has done little to rejuvenate a career in crisis. But despite a slurry of high 3:3X 1500s, Webb remains optimistic about his training. Additonally, a 3:37.26 (1500m) showing at Occidental in May offered a glimmer of hope for those remaining ardent Webb supporters. While the Virginia native has seemingly gone back to his roots in a geographic sense, recent reports indicate that Webb will once again pack up his bags -this time metaphorically- and move up in distance. The US Olympic A-Standard in the 1500m of 3:35.50 has continued to elude the musclebound and Asian-character-tattooed miler. It seems as though the event that gave him his initial success, stardom, and an appearance on Letterman, is being cast aside for a 12.5 lap mistress.

Once America's preeminent miler, Webb, 29, now joins the ranks of other athletes in the Olympic Scramble. These competitors, finding themselves just short of a requisite time or mark, are taking deep breaths, looking themselves in the mirror, telling themselves “hell, you're good enough, champ,” and hitting the road looking for opportunities to chase down, and hopefully, live the dream. At meets across the country the sense of urgency will be palpable. (The alternative to The Scramble is to simply attack the trials with a reckless abandon, as NY-NJ Track Club's Liam Boylan-Pett -boasting marks of 1:46.87 and 3:37.05- describes:

I didn't really do much chasing, and I'm going into the Trials without the Olympic A, but we felt that the best way to get ready was with the right schedule rather than flying around the country chasing times. Definitely sucks not to have an A, but whatever, I'm gonna try to sneak in and beat as many guys as possible either way. )

Team Webb-Vigilante opted for the pursuit, and unlike Boylan-Pett and his Trials qualifying teammates, Webb will be on the prowl for an Olympic “A” Standard. At the American Milers Club meet on June 16^th, Alan Webb is entered in the 5,000m with the intent of hitting the Olympic A-Standard of 13:20.00. According to the meet's website, Webb will be the sole entrant in the 5k looking for this time (the remainder of the field -comprised primarily of University of Wisconsin guys- are chasing the Trials standard). Accordingly, his success will be heavily dependent upon superior rabbiting, fitness and mental preparedness notwithstanding.

Webb has acknowledged that his greatest roadblocks are often of the self-imposed and mental nature. His 3:46.91 mile came at a low key Belgian meet, far from the judgmental gaze of the track media, but close to some fantastic waffles. So if we've learned anything, it's that Webb is not a fan of the pressure cooker that is a nation's expectation. Give the guy a break. Alan Webb and his notoriously finicky psyche will be flying under the radar in Indianapolis -the Belgium of the Midwest- this weekend, and here's hoping he gets out there, runs fast, and has fun doing it.

To watch Webb's interview after his recent 1500m at Ichan Stadium, click here.