Well said! Rest assured, there is always so much negativity here, and it’s not just about Rob.
Rob really is one of the most amazing runners out there, as evidenced by this current record attempt. As for you haters, let me just tell you one story about how fast and cool Rob is. That will shut up all you jealous little girls here.
When he was visiting us in Philly, I let him stay in my luxury basement apartment, because all of our buddies have their own families, while I am a free spirited bachelor. (I am somewhat related to the lady upstairs, but we are not married of course.)
On Saturday morning, Rob wanted to go on a progression run, but as a runner, he is just too much for the rest of us. On the other hand, he is a very social guy who loves company, and also he didn’t know the area. So we figured we'd split the joy of running with him. Mike knows a hilly trail inside and out, and mapped out an exact 10 mile loop so we wouldn’t need to bother with GPS watches on the run. Plan was for Rob to run three of these loops in something like 70, 65, and 60 minutes – on Mike’s hilly trail! Specifically, the first with Mike and me, the second with Gill and me, and then he planned to speed up and run with Gill alone.
So here’s what Rob pulled off: 68 minutes for first, just under 65 for the second, and 58 (!!) for the third. Can you believe that! The first 10 miler was of course jogging for him, but we couldn’t run faster because of Mike (sorry buddy!). Mike was struggling on the hills in the beginning, because it was just in the low 70s at that time. Good thing too, because we almost finished that leg too early for Gill to be there after her son’s emergency (broke his leg while skateboarding). As the run progressed, it got warmer and Mike began to run smoother to finish in sub-70.
Likewise for the second leg: I was slowing down the group, but Rob (like Gill) is way too nice a person to drop me. He was also very concerned about Gill’s son’s arm (which healed perfectly in no time, no worries). In the meantime, Mike reserved as a special table at a fancy restaurant for lunch, where one of Mike’s many friends was working.
On the third leg, now without us hobby joggers, Gill and Rob put the hammer down, while still worrying about her son’s hand. 58 minutes on those hills, after running steadily for 20 miles, that really proves what kind of a runner he is, doesn't it. And he could have done the same thing all over again.
As for the lunch, it was great! Unfortunately, Gill had to dash off to check on her daughter. But otherwise, lots of fun, including discussions about some of the letsrun trolls. In the end, Rob, Ken and Mike fought over the bill, and humble Rob won and paid, as a thank-you to us locals for the great day.
