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JAMAL THALJIThe Land O'Lakes sophomore is tougher, both mentally and physically, this season.
LAND O'LAKES - A year after his baffling freshman season, Steven Bell is no easier to figure out.
But he's a lot harder to beat.
And that's all that matters when the Land O'Lakes sophomore lines up before a race this season.
"I think he's a little more focused this year," coach Kris Keppel said. "I think he's trained harder. Maybe he just couldn't handle the pressure of being a freshman last year.
"I don't know what went on last year, and I don't think he knows either. He just kind of fell apart mentally in a few key races. But he's been more consistent this year."
Bell's best time this season is 15 minutes, 44.33 seconds, which he ran to place third in the elite division of the Sept.13 USF/Jesuit Invitational.
It has been the second-best time in the county this season behind Mitchell's Jeff Masterson. Bell placed 29 seconds behind champion Andy Biladeau of Jesuit and 17 seconds behind Masterson.
But more importantly, Bell's personal-best time is also the fastest 5-kilometers in school history.
"I'm a lot better trained," Bell said. "I think I did a lot more over the summer this year than I did last year."
Last year. Bell and his coach keep trying to put it out of their minds, because Bell not only displayed his limitless potential but his maddening limitations.
In 2002 the inconsistent Bell went from the varsity to the junior varsity and back. At the district meet he ran 16:13. He entered the regional meet seeded third with a berth at state on the line.
Instead he finished 76th, finishing in 18:52.55. But that's because he walked part of the course.
For every race Bell excelled at last season, he also tanked. What was going on?
"I still have no idea actually," Bell said. "I had a couple of good days and a lot of bad days.
"I have no idea ... I would just go out and try to do my best. For some reason that didn't always happen."
His coach has several theories: the pressures of running varsity as a freshman, Bell's inexperience at that level and his inexperience coping with the mental and physical roadblocks runners must overcome.
Or maybe the coach doesn't really know.
"I couldn't figure him out sometimes," Keppel said. "He would have a good race, and then he would come back the following week and walk in the middle of a race. I couldn't figure out where that was coming from.
"He had something ... I don't know ... I couldn't figure it out."
All that matters, Keppel said, is that is in the past.
Bell started to break out of that frustrating cycle last track season. In a major upset in the region 1,600-meters race he beat Masterson by .06-seconds to qualify for his first state meet in 4:25.75.
It continued this summer, as Bell worked on his "base" for cross-country season, squeezing in 60-70 miles of running a week.
"I knew that a big part of distance running is the endurance and getting in a good base during the offseason," Bell said, "and I really didn't get to do that before last year. I really tried to do that over the summer and make sure I was prepared for the season."
Getting in shape has boosted the sophomore's confidence, and Keppel wonders if that wasn't another one of the problems he faced as a freshman.
Bell knows he's in good enough shape to finish, and do well, in his races. He didn't have that feeling last year.
"More mileage is basically what it came down to," Keppel said. "With a little more experience, I think he's a little bit more confident in himself."
So physically he's better. But what about mentally? Bell said his approach to running is simple now.
"I go out and I kind of run and hope for the best," he said. "It's been working pretty good for me lately."