We have a fellow on the cross country team who consistenly trains with the #3-5 runners on all runs, intervals, tempos, longs, etc. In fact at times he will lead that pack. However, when it comes to 8k race time, he finishes 10th or so on the team and AT LEAST 2-3 minutes behind the #3-5 guys. I can understand that some might say he is blasting himself in practice and is worn out by the weekend, however this occured even when the team was relaxing in order to peak. He had to have been rested for at least a couple races during the year, but he consistently runs very poorly for his training times. For example in a 5 x mile workout, he might hit all of his splits between 5:00-5:08, but in races he sometimes doesn't break 30 (for 5 miles). At times he runs mid 29s. These numbers just don't add up. Has anyone encountered this sort of mental block before? Does anyone know how it can be overcome? Any advice will be greatly appreciated because it is painful to watch someone work so hard during a season only to perform so dismally in respect to his potential.