This was mentioned on another thread but I don't think many people caught it. In a flotrack interview at NCAA's Fernandez indicated that he was not going to run USA's in Eugene. The only indication of a reason was it sounded like he was burned out.
From a cross country standpoint it makes no sense since it's only two weeks longer into the summer and he has plenty of time to rest and get his base going. Shoot Rupp ran Worlds and Olympics the past two summers and still came back in time for the meets that mattered.
And there is that outside shot that he might make a team in either the 1500 or the 5K, especially if the 5K isn't under 13:25. And if he did the 5K he'd have a last chance to get that AJR from Derrick. Not too mention that he has never been to Eugene before and will be racing NCAA's next year so this would give him an opportunity to figure out where to eat and run and understand what it's like to run in front of 15000-20000 stomping loud fans.
The strange thing is that his outdoor season seemed so short. His only competitive races were Cardinal 5K and then NCAA's in the 1500. Outside of those he had a couple 1500's and a slow 5K at conference (correct me if I'm wrong). That has to be one of the easiest and shortest seasons of any NCAA runner, including freshman.
It just seems like a great opportunity where:
A) He's not expected to win or even make a team
B) He can finally compete against guys where is near the top but will not likely win
C) Racing tactics are paramount and this will be a valuable experience.
Thoughts? Discuss.