Bob Kennedy killin it at 8 minute miles.

Good for him I say. I'm sure if you have run 12:5x for 5k , you have no desire to train your butt off to run a 16 for 5k. Glad he is still keeping his hand in it.

Sesamoiditis wrote:

There are current elites out there who do easy runs at 8 min pace. Maybe he did a trail run. Maybe he was running with a friend. Maybe his first couple miles were 9 min pace because his body was a little funky from taking some time off and he had to warm up a bit.

But I think Bob has been back since he did that Marathon. The point is that not much of his shape returned despite him running a fair bit.

shank wrote:

vivalarepublica wrote:It's called moving on with your life and focusing on other things, like career, family, etc. Running isn't everything. He went for it all in his prime and has a lot to show for it, including enough recognition to be the subject of message board rates. If Bob is happy with the way his life is now, I'm sure he could care less what the message board crowd thinks about his current fitness.

^ This. Viva means to say "couldn't care less", but otherwise this. /thread

Thanks for the correction!

TheSalientFacts wrote:

Ok, the most important facts that have been unmentioned thus far:

1) that spork shirt is pretty cool

2) 5 miles at 8 flat pace is faster than I could run after even a few months off, so I wont knock him for having a "slow" baseline

3) 5 miles at 8 minute pace is faster than a majority of the population can achieve even with an attempt at training. Im consistently surprised how slow my self proclaimed runner coworkers are compared to all my actual runner friends.

4) That shirt is still pretty sweet. I would pay a few bucks for shirt like that, while you would have to pay me to wear something toolish like a tracksmith shirt

5) Bob Kennedy has a bit of moobs happening there. Im glad he is attempted to get back into a healthy lifestyle.

6) did I mention that I like that shirt?

I believe you can buy that shirt from Patagonia online if you want it. Get it!

I'm kind of disappointed he's running with a Garmin GPS watch.

I thought he'd run old school with a Timex chronograph watch that says he ran 40 minutes and he can gauge his pace himself to tell how far he ran.

I'd love to see the smug look on your face melt into horror if you could look forward in time to when you're his age.

It's just a workout. I don't know what has been going on in his life, but the content of the post seems to indicate he's just overcome something and is coming back from some injury or other life setback.

Given 3 months focused training I'm sure he could still run some times that could kick many asses here. But he's retired from racing so I doubt he is going to try to prove anything to sneering a-holes like you people.

Fastnbulbous wrote:

I'd love to see the smug look on your face melt into horror if you could look forward in time to when you're his age.

.

I am his age. It's really not what you are making it out to be.

I just find it puzzling as to exactly which aspect of ability completely disappears for most elites who pack it in for a while.

melted horror wrote:

I just find it puzzling as to exactly which aspect of ability completely disappears for most elites who pack it in for a while.

I believe there are numerous aspects of ability that may disappear, or at least decline dramatically.

Physiological (flexibility, strength, balance, recovery rate, VO2 max).

Psychological (drive and ambition, competitive fire, life situation and priorities).

Everyone is different. It is likely not just one thing but a combination of many things

Chili Sawce wrote:

I wasn’t nearly on that level and wasn’t what would be considered an elite runner, but i did finish in the top 5 at USAs a bunch of times on the track and in cross.

.

ALERT! ALERT!HUMBLEBRAG ALERT!

I admired the hell out of Kennedy as a young runner. He was a stud. Has nothing to prove now. The fact he's still lacing up shoes and finding enjoyment out of the sport is awesome. Would love to see the haters on here post their times in 30 years when they're his age.

It is well known anecdotally that those who train very hard for a very long time in their youth and early adulthood seem to decline more dramatically in middle age and afterward. Bob Kennedy trained as hard as anybody for a lot years. I'm not surprised he's slow now-and 8 minute pace isn't even that slow for a man aged 47.

Vaprfly wrote:

I admired the hell out of Kennedy as a young runner. He was a stud. Has nothing to prove now. The fact he's still lacing up shoes and finding enjoyment out of the sport is awesome. Would love to see the haters on here post their times in 30 years when they're his age.

I am not a hater at all. I just find it interesting that guys like Kennedy are the type who lap all the ordinary kids in the gym class mile with no training and then come back and are basically the equivalent of the guys who were lapped.

I have basically sustained my mediocre ability even with big gaps in training and wildly fluctuating training levels.

Ehso wrote:

It is well known anecdotally that those who train very hard for a very long time in their youth and early adulthood seem to decline more dramatically in middle age and afterward. Bob Kennedy trained as hard as anybody for a lot years. I'm not surprised he's slow now-and 8 minute pace isn't even that slow for a man aged 47.

It would be nice to have a comparative study done to figure out why. I think I've actually seen something like this.

Ah, here it is. Have to re-read it. Not sure if it addresses a washed up old guy trying to get back as much as possible. That might be most interesting.

http://www.owascoveloclub.com/Education_files/8%20Aging%20Elite%20Distance%20Runners.pdf

Ehso wrote:

It is well known anecdotally that those who train very hard for a very long time in their youth and early adulthood seem to decline more dramatically in middle age and afterward. Bob Kennedy trained as hard as anybody for a lot years. I'm not surprised he's slow now-and 8 minute pace isn't even that slow for a man aged 47.

Exactly. When 1990s top runner Joe LeMay retired he kept doing 40 mile weeks witn no speed work, and it didn´t take long before he was unable to break 16 for 5k.

It's nice to see he still runs at all, even if at a slower pace. Last I knew he had nothing to prove to anyone, including the idiotic OP of this thread. As a former decent, but not elite runner, when I gave it up, I really quit. I literally stopped mid-run one day and never went back. Fast forward a couple decades and I now have some regrets that I didn't at least stick with it for the health and social benefits. Good to see he's still out there. Bit of incentive for us older runners, or anyone who is pondering lacing up their shoes for reasons other than prize money or podium spot, to give it a shot.

OK OP lets see a pic of your wife. He appears to be doing fine

Makes me feel better about my no training 26 min 5k after not running for 10 years.

Why are so many exNFL players cripples?

Why did John Egg Head end up in the memory care unti at 60?

How come SOME mediocre runners who age well laugh at others who used to kill em?

Theses are just a few questions that need not be answered