German Fernandez likely to race Championship 800 this year

I think another aspect that many might be overlooking as well and not giving Smith any credit as a coach, is that German is not the only stud in his stable.... he has a few... especially an emerging Colby Lowe that I feel will make a statement in a few distances Indoor and Outdoor.... and instead of letting these guys kill each other in races and training, maybe just maybe, smith is grooming the other studs to reach their potential as well.... just food for thought....and at the same time letting German race with not pressure or as much expectation on his shoulders at a shorter distance that will help his development as well....

Did all you "negative" idiots listen to the same interview I did. Smith talks about long term goals for his athletes and what is important is what what makes sense to him and his athletes. He then slams all you "negative" idiots when he say it may not make sense to people on the outside. Well after reading some of these post it obvious to me that some of you outsiders really do not have any sense. Smith coaches a freshman to a NCAA 1500 title and then a few months later he coaches his team to a Cross Country title. He is then slammed by idiots that have no clue on how to coach.

Can anyone confirm that he's running the 800 championships from the video. I only heard Smith say German was running a couple of 800s....

Virens ghost wrote:

A man that totally embodies long term development with a single goal in mind is Lasse Viren. Total commitment to aerobic development for years enabled Viren to peak unbelievably well when the time came (olympic games). Viren would lose international races in between olympics de to a lack of sharpening and other factors.

Maybe he peaked so incredibly well because one of those "other factors" was the blood doping he performed in Olympic years.

and your proof of the blood doping iiisssss..... oh yeah speculation, hearsay and rumor!!!

Buzz kill

Virens ghost wrote:

I agree with the above post that the priority should be developing German's aerobic system for the next few years. Working on ones speed for a season seems more as a mechanism for fast performances at the climax of the respective season not a mechanism for long term development.

Agreed. Smith rattles on about German being a 10000m guy in 2025? That is nuts. The 800 has nothing to do with 10000m development. Smith is using German to get points, and double talking while he's doing it, nothing else.

Wanjiru and Geb can run 3:50 for the mile. A 3:56 doesn't make German a miler. He went to OSU to run cross country and develop his endurance, for running the 10000m and eventually the marathon.

Another thing strange is Smith was talking about how bad it was for Colby to run all those 5k's in the spring, but it turns out that Colby ran the best in cross country season of any of them. So much for that theory. Good for Colby for standing up for himself.

sooo ummm German should be just running long slow mileage and racing 5000 and 10000 meter races,eventually shuffle his way to the Marathon and Gallowwalking on his long Sunday runs??!!?? Man, If this board is any indication of the majority of athletes being coached out there, who in the effing world would want to be a coach, to a bunch of second guessing, know it all,never your fault, back stabbing,point the finger and run for cover at the slightest setback, whiny, gossip mongering biotches??!!??

'Wanjiru and Geb can run 3:50 for the mile. A 3:56 doesn't make German a miler'

Geb's best for the mile is 3:52.59 and German ran 3:55.02 not 3:56 At least get your stats right. Geb's time was done outside & I don't think he was 19 when he ran it! Which Wanjiru are you talking about as well because I think you've mucked that one up as well

By the way even Geb ran an 800m indoors! Didn't Aouita do quite well at the 800m too? It didn't seem to do him to much bloody harm over the longer distances

Running is running. What possible bloody harm can it do to to do a couple of 800m's?

First off, I am nooo German fan, I have never really liked him much however I do respect him for all he has been able to accomplish. That being said I have a couple points about this thread. First a lot of you need to listen to the damn interview. A couple posters were talking about how it's bad to train for the 800 cause he's a 5k guy?? First off in the interview coach Smith talks about how his main plan is to DEVELOP HIS AEROBIC SYSTEM. So listen to the interview. Another point is some posters argument is that the 800 doesn't teach him the 'racing strategies' he needs for the 5k & 10k (he will be a 10k runner and a good one at that). Well on it's own I would agree with that statement, butttt if you were to listen to the interviewwww, you would know that the reasoning behind it is that he wants German to have to experience what it's like for German to have to try to hold on to runners clearly to slightly better than him. He doesn't want German, although to be honest he can't run away from the likes of centro in a mile or derreck and chalenga in the 3k & 5k. So in summary read the damn article before you bash coach smith .

Whats the harm in debating this. Don't you watch ESPN pregame football talk, all they do is agree and disagree with every call or play a coach makes.

double talking coach wrote:

Agreed. Smith rattles on about German being a 10000m guy in 2025? That is nuts. The 800 has nothing to do with 10000m development. Smith is using German to get points, and double talking while he's doing it, nothing else...

If Smith were trying to maximize points then running GF in the 800 in the championships (where he will have zero chance of scoring) instead of in the 3k, 5k... where he would have an excellent chance of scoring seems an odd way to go about it.

Proper trolling involves at least a hint of logic. Please raise your game to enhance the entertainment value for the rest of us.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

'Wanjiru and Geb can run 3:50 for the mile. A 3:56 doesn't make German a miler'

Geb's best for the mile is 3:52.59 and German ran 3:55.02 not 3:56 At least get your stats right...

...Running is running. What possible bloody harm can it do to to do a couple of 800m's?

Your main point is well taken. Running is running and folks getting all worked up about the horror of GF running a few 800s is so silly as to be not quite believable. Must be the slow season for trolling.

I would like to point out to you, however, that the previous poster said Wanjiru and Geb CAN run 3:50 for the mile. This is a different statement than that they HAVE run 3:50. In fact, as I am sure you are aware, Geb ran a 3:32 and change 1500m which by any reasonable estimate is superior to a 3:50 mile. As a result there is very little doubt that Geb could run sub 3:50 (at least in his younger days).

So, please get your reading right prior to telling others to get their stats right.

Thank you for your cooperation.

read it! wrote:

... So in summary read the damn article before you bash coach smith .

Read it? It was a video interview which I would be much more inclined to watch than to read.

old ndn runna wrote:

... who in the effing world would want to be a coach, to a bunch of second guessing, know it all,never your fault, back stabbing,point the finger and run for cover at the slightest setback, whiny, gossip mongering bitches??!!??

Well said, sir.

'said Wanjiru and Geb CAN run 3:50 for the mile'

He got the times wrong. But if you want just to argue here we go. Geb did not run 3:50 for the mile. Now he runs the marathon & is nearing 40, he cannot run 3:50 for the mile. Do you understand the difference between could and can? Anyway coulda shoulda

I asked which Wanjiru (ie his full name!) so you could at least made yourself useful by answering that one. Thanking you in advance for your cooporation

Plus, what time is German going to run in his 800's?

ukathleticscoach wrote:

'said Wanjiru and Geb CAN run 3:50 for the mile'

He got the times wrong. But if you want just to argue here we go. Geb did not run 3:50 for the mile. Now he runs the marathon & is nearing 40, he cannot run 3:50 for the mile. Do you understand the difference between could and can? Anyway coulda shoulda

I asked which Wanjiru (ie his full name!) so you could at least made yourself useful by answering that one. Thanking you in advance for your cooporation

Plus, what time is German going to run in his 800's?

Wow, it used to appear that you were sane. Now...not really.

"I asked which Wanjiru (ie his full name!) so you could at least made yourself useful by answering that one."

How is it that I am supposed to know which individual a previous poster was referring to?

So, if you would like to make yourself useful and you are no longer able to grasp simple concepts please stop posting altogether.

And I would prefer to thank you for your cooperation rather than whatever it is that you were trying to say.

"I asked which Wanjiru (ie his full name!) so you could at least made yourself useful by answering that one."

How is it that I am supposed to know which individual a previous poster was referring to?'

By knowing something about athletics, by having some level of intelligence. Whilst you ponder the irony of what a simple concept is, simpleton (do you like that one?) you can work on thinking up your next hilarious user name.

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru ran 3:50 alright. For 1500m not the mile

You didn't give the 800 time either

Fernandez doesn't get walked down in races and it didn't happen in his NCAA final at 1500, despite his alleged lack of speed. Smith wants to see what he can do and maybe too it is about his inability to stay healthy. That NCAA xc performance was ridiculous for a guy who had been eleventh at World Junior on a bum flipper, was NCAA fifteen champ as a freshman, and broke a tough American junior record in the five k, besting the NCAA's #3 finisher in XC this year. I'm not buying that he couldn't get ready for XC champs because he raced US outdoors, so he had to have been injured and not training much in the fall. The base, then, wouldn't be good enough for fives and tens outdoors. Hence, the 8 and fifteen. The speedwork will do him good. None of us knows what his distance will be as a pro.