Alan Webb hopes to become the first U.S. runner to medal in an Olympics or Worlds 1,500 meters since Jim Spivey in 1987. Andy Lyons/Getty Images

It didn't help that Webb struggled for the rest of '06, never getting under four minutes (or its 1,500-meter equivalent). He was anemic. He was hurt. And he was becoming forgotten.

Yet, it turns out there was a plan. Not for the anemia and the injuries. But for the long term. Webb has returned to the mile and 1,500, where he always wanted to be and better than ever at age 24. "I'm a miler,'' Webb told me in the spring. "There's lots of time to move up when I'm older.''

Raczko says, "Everything has been part of a master plan. Of course we've had to re-focus and re-adjust along the way, like everyone does, but there has always been a plan. [Years] 2005 and 2006 were all about training for 2007 and 2008. The last couple of years, we were trying to build up the strength he needs to win championship medals in the 1,500.''

(Training 101: This part will be like See Spot Run for running nuts out there. But a middle-distance runner benefits from building a potent aerobic base to which he adds speed training. In 2005 and 2006, while second-guessers were suggesting that Webb's talent at longer distances compelled a competitive move upward, Webb and Raczko were, in fact, just building a base from which to jump forward in the championship and Olympic years).

Through much of '05 and '06, in addition to high volume training on land, Webb also did extensive water running (in a buoyant vest). "That enabled him to keep the life in his body, while still getting an strong aerobic base,'' says Raczko. "Alan built up a very high level of aerobic strength.''

Webb is an emotional guy. Always has been. His double fist-pumping homestretch run at the national championships last month was no surprise to people who have known him through the years. It was the culmination of the hard training, and also the whispered implications that he was finished as a miler. "I've always been a speed guy,'' says Webb. "All of sudden people were talking about me like I didn't have any more speed.''

Moreover, because of his early success, Webb has not had the opportunity develop quietly. His every race is monitored and dissected by the tracknuts -- god love 'em -- of the world.

As for speed, though, Raczko ran Webb consistently in 4x400-meter relays in high school and four days before his Paris 1,500-meter breakthrough, he ran a 1:45.8 PR in the 800. There's a sense that he can go much faster than that, as well. Again, serious range. And it's clear that his speed in race sharp at this point.

Whether Webb breaks Scott's mile record in Belgium or not, the true test of his -- and Raczko's -- plan will come a month later in Japan, when Webb tries to become the first U.S. runner to medal in an Olympic or world championship 1,500 meters since Jim Spivey took a bronze at the '87 Worlds. (The last Olympic 1,500 medal was Ryun's sliver behind Kip Keino in '68 at Mexico City).

Webb -- and every other world-class miler on the planet -- understands that championship 1,500s are dicey affairs. "It's a weird one,'' says Webb. "It's sort of the tweener race. You don't want to lead, but you don't want to go slow, either.''

At this point, it looks like Webb and Raczko have done the requisite work to maximize Webb's talent. He appears to be strong enough to weather almost any pace, and yet now sharp enough cover late moves and outkick people. That was the plan all along.

And it's not over. Raczko says, "Alan is already talking to me about his plans for 2009, 2010, 2012, even 2013.''