Buddha,
There are plenty of NCAA resumes just as good as McArdle\'s, or in many cases better. I think you put too much stock in what you see of his training log. It\'s impressive to most people, but pretty much on par relative to other All-Americans. Many do it in different ways; there are many ways to become good in this sport.
When I say \"plenty of guys,\" I\'m talking about the guys like Robison, Tegenkamp, Watson, Slattery, Sage, Lincoln, etc. These guys are the ones you don\'t hear much about (yet), but I see them getting REAL good. Why? Combination of:
1. Ability to show up in big races
2. Cross country ability
3. Track ability
4. Kick
5. Range
6. Resistance to injuries
Now, McArdle is a great runner; I don\'t dispute that for a second. What I AM saying is that there are plenty of guys who are as good or better than he is, but don\'t get talked about half as much. I think they can all be great, albeit in different events.
McArdle has excellent track ability (albeit in limited events), great cross country ability, and great ability to show up in big meets.
The 6 guys I listed above, along with J. Torres and Ritzenhein, probably have the highest overall indices of any American NCAA athletes. I should do a power rating-- now THAT would be interesting.
While I agree that there is an \"undertraining\" element, it\'s pretty difficult to judge. It was stated that McArdle goes to a small school without training partners-- this might be true. I must add that I know of some guys that go to bigger schools where one would think they have training partners-- but, they don\'t train together all the time. Examples of this would be Slattery at Colorado, who doesn\'t train with the Torres bros or Ritz all the time; or Watson at Notre Dame, who didn\'t train with Shay all the time.
What makes a great postcollegiate runner? Too many factors to talk about in one post. I tried to name a lot of them, ones that are more concrete.
There are many things like desire, work ethic, etc. that all factor in as well... but for the most part, if one is consistenly finishing in the top 10 in NCAA CC and track meets, one has the necessary mental and emotional ability.
Others, with more limited results: Spiker, Luchini. What makes me nervous about guys with limited results is that you don\'t know if they are going to be healthy, and if they are, are they going to show up when it\'s time to roll.
Of course there are plenty more guys out there that will be great, so don\'t get pissed that I didn\'t mention your name. The results will tell. Do your thing on November 25, or whenever it\'s time.
Who else do you all think can/will be great? What about Robison, Slattery, Watson, Lincoln, Sage, Tegenkamp? Spiker and Luchini? Do people agree that all these guys have what it takes, or am I the only one?
I really just wanted to highlight a few other great young American NCAA runners, stir up some convo, and say that I hope all of them will be great. They are the future.