I think the real question should be what is up with NAU. Their men were pretty atrocious.
Bosley is basically irrelevant at this point. I would’ve thought a couple years ago he’d definitely get a pro contract. Not so sure anymore
If Bosley was smart he’d try a new coaching situation as a pro. He’s been hurt every year with Smith and Smith will never get him to the place his talents deserve.
Nothing wrong with him. His race tactics are atrocious! He had perfect position the first 400 meters, got bumped and flushed all the way to the back, then spent the rest of the race running in lane 2/3. Who tf runs in lane 3 for half the race and expects to win??? Teammate Elise Sterns did the same thing in the 3k for NAU. Who tf is coaching racing tactics at NAU? They are essentially running 10-15 meters more than their competitors by running in lane 3 on an indoor track! As an NAU fan it’s frustrating to watch.
Nothing wrong with him. His race tactics are atrocious! He had perfect position the first 400 meters, got bumped and flushed all the way to the back, then spent the rest of the race running in lane 2/3. Who tf runs in lane 3 for half the race and expects to win??? Teammate Elise Sterns did the same thing in the 3k for NAU. Who tf is coaching racing tactics at NAU? They are essentially running 10-15 meters more than their competitors by running in lane 3 on an indoor track! As an NAU fan it’s frustrating to watch.
His race tactics were bad but that’s part of the package here. He just looked unsure of himself in the races and trying to do too much. That need not be the case. Sure outdoor is different but last year he was very decisive and committed in his races, and didn’t get sidetracked.
This year it looked like starting with the Ethan Strand mile he was part of, he was more focused on fiercely defending and challenging competitors for space than doing what was best for himself. This is something he can rewatch and fix, and there’s a fine line between doing too much and then the far opposite of running like a Steven Jackson or Beamish. He can get there, but he’ll need to go back to focusing on conserving energy, making meaningful moves in races, and getting rid of the ticky tack stuff that isn’t going to go his way.
You could say Gary Martin’s tactics in the 3k weren’t so good either. He expended a lot of extra energy except for the first and last 2 laps. Strand otoh was well positioned throughout the race, thus the better kick.
Colin is somewhat of an enigma to me. His foot speed is obviously very good as evidenced by a 1:45 800 PB, but he is always tying up in the final stages of championship racing (or the BU Terrier mile). That could suggest a lack of strength, and his NCAA XC results might confirm this hypothesis. At the same time, Colin ran 8:33 for 3200 and was the best XC runner in his high school class; he trains at altitude; and (my bias here) it seems like his build would be a little more conducive for 3k/5k than 800/1500. I have been surprised the infrequency at which he's raced 3k (4 times over 3 seasons) and 5k (twice over 2 seasons) as a collegiate athlete
It would be interesting to know whether Smith has Colin on a long-term plan to gradually move up in distance and is therefore working on speed now, or whether the NAU coaches (and Colin) just determined that he was more geared toward mid-d. It would also be interesting to know what his mileage is like and how he responds to those long sub-T sessions, assuming those are still part of the rotation over in Flag
I think he will be a viable pro miler and probably even run 3:30 this spring but it does seem like he's missing the X factor he had in high school (though maybe others, like Martin, are just training better now) when he looked like a generational prospect
Nothing wrong with him. His race tactics are atrocious! He had perfect position the first 400 meters, got bumped and flushed all the way to the back, then spent the rest of the race running in lane 2/3. Who tf runs in lane 3 for half the race and expects to win??? Teammate Elise Sterns did the same thing in the 3k for NAU. Who tf is coaching racing tactics at NAU? They are essentially running 10-15 meters more than their competitors by running in lane 3 on an indoor track! As an NAU fan it’s frustrating to watch.
His race tactics were bad but that’s part of the package here. He just looked unsure of himself in the races and trying to do too much. That need not be the case. Sure outdoor is different but last year he was very decisive and committed in his races, and didn’t get sidetracked.
This year it looked like starting with the Ethan Strand mile he was part of, he was more focused on fiercely defending and challenging competitors for space than doing what was best for himself. This is something he can rewatch and fix, and there’s a fine line between doing too much and then the far opposite of running like a Steven Jackson or Beamish. He can get there, but he’ll need to go back to focusing on conserving energy, making meaningful moves in races, and getting rid of the ticky tack stuff that isn’t going to go his way.
That’s a lot of crap. I don’t know what’s causing it, but his fitness is not good right now.