I grew up with Bob Kennedy. I didn't actually go to school with Bob in Westerville, Ohio - just outside Columbus, but he and I both graduated in 1988 at the top of our running game in our prospective states. Bob was the top miler in Ohio; I was the state champion 2 miler in Texas. However, Bob was the top high school miler in nation that spring (4:05) and I never even made the lists. The following November, Bob parlayed his top prep miler in the nation credentials to top harrier in the NCAA's while representing Indiana University. It was the first and only time an American freshman had won the NCAA XC title (the only other frosh to win the title was the incomparable Henry Rono).
So I say I grew up with Bob Kennedy because I don't think I lived a week of my collegiate or post-collegiate running career without thinking of him. I shaved my head in the winter of 1988-1989 because Bob wore a burr cut; I read every interview or article on Kennedy I could find, trying to determine how he trained, what his secrets were, how he stayed at the top of the competitive running food-chain for so long. For me and the other runners I trained with, Bob was an enigma. He was quiet and focused, not given to brash statements or vast conjecture. He seemed to be a man among boys.
Kennedy seemed to approach his entire running career that way--and what a career it was. Bob, considered by many to be the greatest American distance runner over the last 15 years, was a two-time Olympian, a four-time 5000 meter national title holder, and a four-time NCAA champion. Bob still holds the American record in the 3000 meters (7:30.84 in 1998) and 5000 meters (12:58.21 in 1996.) He was the first non-African athlete to break the 13-minute barrier in the 5000m. which was Bob's signature event.
Bob retired from competitive distance running in January. He said, "I made a great living, traveled the world and met special people because I ran in circles quickly. And that's lucky."
In early April, PUMA North America announced a partnership with Bob. As part of this new relationship, Kennedy will serve as PUMA's Performance Running Advisor for the Complete Running division, where he will help contribute to the category's growth in all aspects, including product, sales and marketing.
Q: So, how's retirement? Have you been able to relax and let the daily pressures of an elite distance runner melt away?
Kennedy: Retirement has been great. Running has pretty much been my entire life. I owe pretty much everything throughout the years in my life to running, both positive and negative experiences: the people I've met; the friends I have; my wife; all of that, through running. So that has set me up to retire from competitive running very nicely. I have a good life--two kids, a wife, a business--life is wonderful.
Q: How did becoming a father of twins (Marcus and Sophia, on Jan. 11, 2005) effect your decision to continue running competitively?
Kennedy: I think it tipped the balance of the scale. In a sense, I was almost to the point of retiring anyway. I was 34 years old, had been running at a high level for a long time, and I was getting to the point where I thought maybe I had used up the ultimate of what my body has to give, what with the injuries, the little nuances: how long it would take me to come into shape and how long it would take to heal. A lot of things made me say, "You know what; I've done a lot of great things." Of course you always think you can do much better and more, but that never ends and at some point you've got to draw the line. But as I started to think about that, I started to think, "So what if I keep going? What would that involve?" The way I did things, I really put myself in different situations to try and get better and that involved being away for between 5 and 6 months of every year and I just wasn't willing to do that with children. Because I had kids later, at 34 years old, I at least had the luxury.If I had had kids at 23 or 24 or 25, you'd probably do both; some people have done that very successfully. Having Marcus and Sophia just tipped the balance at 34 years old, with the career I'd had, again, asking the question, "What's it gonna take to keep going and how is that going to impact my family?" It just tipped the balance.
One of the things that I think that many folks don't understand is the amount of time and energy it takes to compete at the level you competed at for over 15 years. It is more than a full time job, and I don't think many folks understand that about the requirements necessary to compete at the world-class level.
It really is more than a full time job. I've described it to people in the past and you know it really is a 24 hour a day job, 7 days a week, 12 months a year. Everything that you do (or don't do) has some effect, positive or negative, on your training and as a result your competition. It is not just showing up to practice in high school or college or to your training sessions after that and doing the work out and then being done. There's food; there's sleep; there's massage, ice baths; there's core strength and flexibility. All that, and that's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Saturday, Sunday.it never ends. It is a huge, huge commitment if you are going to train at that highest level.
Q: One of the most amazing things about your career was your ability to move to the top of the competitive heap in almost every transition of your career. How were you able to so consistently make the necessary jump from one level to the next?
Kennedy: There were a number of factors that helped me accomplish this. One is that I am fortunate enough to have a level of talent that allowed me to adjust to the changing needs in my training, allowing me to go to the next level. My training of the different systems, the ability to process oxygen efficiently, my ability to buffer lactate at a high level for a long period of time--as I trained my system, my body adapted very quickly because it was naturally predisposed to do so. That talent is one thing, but then I think that the core reason that I was able to jump from level to level (and why I was able to be successful for a long period of time) was I learned through running to look at the big picture, to look at the end goal and then break it down into smaller, manageable pieces by identifying the most important pieces and then executing them. For instance, going from collegiate to post-collegiate running after the '92 Barcelona Olympics, I realized from my experience there that there was a whole different level of competition. As a result training that was required to compete at that level had to be different--and then identifying what those needs were, identifying a way to achieve them, for me meant reaching out to some of the greater Kenyan athletes and training with them and learning from them and different international coaches and then following through. It is getting outside of the box, outside of our layer of comfort. For me, that meant leaving home for extended periods of time, which is not necessarily fun year after year, but you do it because you think it needs to be done in order to see how good you can be.
Q: After placing 12th in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, you commented that you couldn't compete at the international level with the training levels that brought you collegiate success. What changes to your training were required to help you become one of the best distance runners in the world by 1996, where you placed 6th in the Atlanta 5000m. final?
Kennedy: I think just the sheer volume of training increased drastically from what I was running in college. I probably ran 75-85 miles a week in college on average, and I probably averaged 100-110 miles per week post-collegiately. That in and of itself--if you can remain uninjured and do all the training around that in order to stay healthy and fresh (rest at the right time, work at the right time)--allows your body to train itself to more efficiently do all the things you are asking it to do. That's the basic thing. The secondary thing, again, was identifying athletes and groups of athletes better than me and seeking them out as people to train with and learn from. One of the things I learned was levels of intensity. Our minds--we sometimes subconsciously set barriers in our mind about what is hard and what's not hard, and I found very quickly that what I thought was hard was actually a whole other level than what I was capable of doing. That's a personal thing, meaning that you have to find your own barriers and your own limitations, and that's what I think all of this is all about: honestly seeking out what your limitations are. To me the answer to that, in theory, is that we'll never truly really know. It's an interesting dilemma; we're in pursuit of this question, and for years we're still pursuing it. An example I would give is just simply a workout: 6 x 800 meters, 2 min recovery, the same workout I did in college. I used to start out at 2:06; 2:05; 2:04 maybe do the last couple in 2:02; 2:01. And that was a great workout, a great collegiate workout, especially. Go overseas, the same workout with the Kenyans: first 800, 2 flat. Another 2:00, 1:58, 1:58: 1:57; 1:56, you know. It's all at a whole different level. Same workout, different intensity. I realized that I had another level of what I thought was hard that I was capable of finding. All of a sudden, I am working that really anaerobic strength, which I call processing, buffering, at a whole other level, which then makes 62 or 2:04 very comfortable. It is important to note that that is what my limitations were and so, maybe for someone else the level is 2:12 to 2:08, I don't know, that is for them to find out.
Q: For many years the pundits have complained about the lack of competitive American distance runners. Throughout this time, however, you competed at the highest levels of international competition. Was it frustrating to be making an international impact yet remain seemingly overlooked by those hoping for resurgence in American distance running?
Kennedy: You know, I never looked at it from a point of view that frustrated me.I took it as it was. It was just me. As I described earlier, I had an ability to break things down into their constituent parts and focus on what I needed to do compete on the international level. And that's what I'd like to communicate to others, the benefits of (number one) running in general and then (number two) the process of being successful. And I really look at it as a process or, as Billy Mills refers to it, as a journey. That, to me, is the most important lesson from all this, and that lesson can then be translated to anything.to business, school, whatever. It is just a process of thought--vision, goal setting, planning, education--developed to establish the best plan and then the discipline needed to execute. That is what it takes to be a great runner, and that's the lesson I'd love to share from my running career.
So, to answer your question, other than me there was a lull. And I enjoyed that in a sense because it allowed me to train through trials and American championships to prepare better and more appropriately for the world scene. So, even though it wasn't great in total for American distance running, it was good for me. As I got older and guys got better and the American ranks got deeper, I had to really focus through injury and illness to try to maintain my level in the American ranks. And I think that detracted a little bit from being a better overall runner.
Q: Since retiring, you have mentioned you would like to see a better adjustment among top collegiate distance runners to the post-collegiate ranks. You've mentioned that leaving the very protective support system in the collegiate ranks can be very disconcerting to a young athlete. What system would you envision to help provide resources for American post-collegiate athletes? Where does the responsibility for this successful adjustment lie, with the USATF or the sport in general?
Kennedy: I think conceptually, what you are referring to.in order to become better, or become one of the best in the world, you have to go seek those people out and learn from them. You better yourself because you are around them, the best coaches in the world, the best athletes in the world.so it's important to try to get in with them. Now you can't just go and show up, of course; there is a system in place that you have to work your way into. At lot of times, young American athletes - well, we have a great country; we have, in general, comfortable lives (especially relative to a lot other parts of the world), and it's hard to leave that, to leave the circle of friends you know, the circle of coaches and support that you know. One of the hardest things I did at 24 years of age was to talk to Sam Bell (former head track coach at Indiana University) about using a different coach. He wasn't a bad coach; he helped me win multiple NCAA titles, make an Olympic final, and I ran 13:02 under him. But all of that is no reason to not evaluate this and see if there is a different opportunity out there to even go to another level; fortunately, he is a very good man and he looks out for the athlete's interest first and his last, and he said, "Great.go for it." He was very supportive of the decision. I think a lot of young athletes are afraid to do that.
But the second part of this whole thing is the support.whose responsibility is it? Is it USA Track and Field? The shoe companies? Is it the sport's in general? I think USATF needs to play a large role in it, to organize, and to move it all in the right direction. Can they do it all? No. One of the things that we really miss a lot is that a lot of coaches, athletes, agents, think it is the responsibility of the shoe companies to support the sport and it's not. They forget that this is a business for the shoe companies; they are in business to sell a product, all of them, not to support track and field. Now, they feel that it is good business to support track and field, and it is, along with distance running and marathoning, but it is not the shoe companies' responsibility to do that. I think it is the responsibility of the sport. And when I say that I mean it is the responsibility of the athletes to band together. If you want to call it a union, call it a union; who cares? But athletes need to organize as a group and develop more power as a group. People make money out of this sport. The shoe companies benefit because there is more brand awareness, so they sell more product; there are meets out there, and TV.
You know. USATF, they're making money; it was published last week in the local paper that Craig Masback (CEO of USATF) is making $400,000+ a year. That's fine; he's actually done a great job for that organization, but it shows that there is money out there. And, like the player's unions of the NFL and the NBA, their power is to see that it is distributed on a fair basis. The problem we have in our sport is that it is either feast or famine. If you are one of the better athletes in the world, you're doing very, very well. If you are the kind of athlete who has a chance but you're not quite there yet, maybe finishing 8th in the trials or 6th in the trails, then you are struggling, you're scraping by. There is no equality there. And that support needs to come from, in my opinion, organization within the system. I don't have a specific plan for that but that is just a general thought. The problem in the past--because a system like this has been tried or at least talked about before--has been that the highest profile athletes are not willing to step up and support the lower profile athletes. Why? Because they're already doing well; they have the leverage, they make the money. And why do they want to risk or detract from that to help other athletes?
Q: Or create their competition.
Kennedy: Or to create their competition, exactly. The nature of the sport is such that, with athletes being at the top of the sport for such a short time, many think you have to get what you can get now. Which is not a bad thing--we know it could end tomorrow for any athlete. It could end tomorrow, literally. So you have to watch out for yourself, certainly. But I would hope that, myself and some other former high-profile athletes (and there are a lot of ex-athletes who are more high profile than me), might step up and help this process, if the ball ever gets rolling.
Q: You spent much of your later career training with international athletes; throughout your post-collegiate career, you were always racing in Europe against the best in the world. In your 15-year international running career, what training changes have you seen, both at the international and national levels? In other words, from a training perspective: Is there anything new under the sun?
Kennedy: From basically 1990 to 2000, the biggest difference I basically saw was athletes being much more scientific with their training, especially in relation to the 70's and 80's. Then, it was a feel thing, a gut thing; you had your workouts and you did them and I remember guys, older guys, who were done competing but used to compete in Europe, said, "Yeah, we used to go run 3:53 for the mile and then drink a few beers, and race again in a few more days and do it all again." Very few people do that now. This is business and there is not a lot of socializing at the bar. It is a different world in professional sports. The first thing you'd do before going to a bar after the race is to get a massage, sit in the ice bath, take your ibuprofen, get your food in your system and make sure you are ready to run tomorrow.
The other thing I saw toward the end of the 90's (and even more so now) is more people using things like lactate threshold and heart rate and being much more scientific with their training, which ultimately has made those athletes faster.
Q: So scientific in using those indicators, like heart rate and lactate threshold to dial in their workouts to their particular needs, so the workouts would be more beneficial to them?
Kennedy: Exactly, and at the right time. I've always felt--and Marcus O'Sullivan helped me see this at the end of my career to a degree--that our sport is really a combination of science and art. You need to understand the physiology behind what you are doing (your LT numbers, what the heart rate corresponds to) and use that. But, at some point, there is a gut feeling on when to go, and when to back off, and when to really go to the well. There is science and experience; you have to mold it all together, and I think that's what makes it interesting.
Q: In a career of amazing performances, which performance would you consider your greatest? Can you describe that race for us and what makes it so special?
Kennedy: I get asked this question a lot and it's interesting because I don't have an answer that jumps out at me every time. I am proud of two things. One is a collegiate race; it is one of a handful of perfect races that I've had in my life. In a career of 13 years professionally and 8 years in high school and college (so 21 years), I have had few perfect races. I think that is important to point out to the average or aspiring runner that the perfect race is what we are always seeking, but they are few and far between, for sure. It doesn't mean you can't run well when you don't have a perfect race, though.
The race was my very last collegiate race at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships in 1992 in Bloomington, where (maybe it was home-course advantage, whatever) I could do no wrong. I won by 41+ seconds, which I think is still the largest margin of victory in that race, I believe, and it was one of the easiest races I've ever run. I mean, I had workouts on that course that season that were ten times harder than that race. That's not saying that my competition was bad; it was just one of those days. It just was perfect. If I'd run that race again with the same people a week later, maybe it wouldn't be perfect.who knows what would happen?
I remember Jeoseph Kapkory of Washington State and I were the favorites that year. We set off for the first three kilometers, which is an upper loop, and my plan was to just run in the front of the pack, suss things out. Right around 3 kilometers, I started fartleking: upping the tempo, backing off, upping the tempo.there is an art to that--you don't just do it blindly. You want to drag people into that up tempo and down tempo because that is what affects them, the changing of the pace. If you just do it on you own and they don't change pace, then you've done nothing other than tire yourself out. So it was working. I knew it would work with Kapkory because I knew as a Kenyan athlete they run that way sometimes without planning, it is just part of how they run. He would come with me and then we'd back off. 1K into that, at 4K, with just him and I. and at 4 ½ K, I was 10 seconds up and then at 5K, I was 15 seconds up. I just ran in and ended up 41 seconds up. I think I just kept accelerating, although I felt it was easily run. I remember at about 7K, Coach Bell slides up next to me in a golf cart-remember the home course advantage-- and looks at me, and you know we have this communication since we've been working together for so long, and he said, "Everything OK?" and I said, "Couldn't be better." and he drove off and that was it. It was just one of those days. It was exciting.
I think the other race that always stands out is the Olympic 5000m. in Atlanta. To be able to compete in the Olympics at a time that you are running your best is certainly thrilling. Many people remember that I was 6th and that I took the pace with two laps to go but what they may fail to recognize are the number of races necessary to be in a position to be able to make that move at that time. After running a 13:50 on Wednesday and a 13:24 on Thursday, I was in the position to make a difference in the Olympic final with 2 laps to go. I made a go of it and I am proud of that.
Q: You said in 2001 that your ultimate goal in running was "to be able in 10 years to say, 'Look, you ran as well as you possibly could run.'" Now that you have retired, do you feel as if you accomplished this goal?
Kennedy: I am very confident that I left little on the table. In training, preparation, commitment and focus, I don't believe there was anything else I could have done at the time to have greater success. Having said that, what makes great athletes great is that they want to be better, and they think of the one that they could have done better. That is the nature of competitive athletes and I have had thoughts about what I wish I could have done. Do I wish I could have run a faster 10,000? Yes. Do I wish I could have completed a marathon in a competitive time? Yes. But at the end of the day, I know that I did everything I could do to be successful, so I do believe that I accomplished my goal.
Q: Marathon participation in America continues to rise; in fact, MarathonGuide.com recently compiled statistics that show an average of 6.5% increase in participation every year over the last four years. How do you view this--is it a sign of an increased interest in the sport in general? How will this increase in marathon participation relate to your new role with PUMA?
Kennedy: It is great to see participation is the sport increase and especially so with the marathon. As a specialty store owner, I provide a service to people who are interested in changing their lives through running. It's about more than times or finishing races; as I mentioned earlier, the sport of running helps people be successful through a process of seeing the sport and life as a journey. I was attracted to Puma because they share the same vision. It is more than just selling a good product, and PUMA is a company that understands that performance is more than shoes and apparel. It is also about stepping outside the box and generating excitement for events, like the Congress Avenue Mile.
Q: You are coming to Austin for a series of events connected with the Congress Avenue Mile, which is sponsored by Puma and RunTex. There are many runners who have been training for and racing 5K's and 10K's in town and are considering racing the mile. What advice might you give them in their final weeks of preparation coming into an event they may not have prepared specifically for?
Kennedy: One of the misnomers of mile racing is speed. Athletes believe they need to be exceedingly fast in order to compete in a mile. But the mile is a strength race. I see a lot of collegiate and post-collegiate athletes run their best mile times after getting their miles up and the strength work done. The biggest mistake many runners make is losing touch with their strength throughout the whole season. Stay with the strength work regardless of the phase of training you are in. If coming off a 5K or 10K season, I would recommend that a runner rest and get some strides in. Run the Mile from a position of strength coming from the work done in preparation for the races already run.
 
 
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Bob Kennedy Interview with Steve Sisson
by Steve Sisson, 5/16/2006 |
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