duathlon.com recently sat down for an interview with top American distance runner Bob Kennedy.  Bob primarily races the 3000 meters and 5000 meters on the European track circuit.  Bob has the American Record in the 3000 meters (set in 1998 - 7:30.89) and 5000 meters (1996 -12:58.21).  In setting the 5000 record, Bob was the first non-African to break 13 minutes.  He competed in the 5000 meters in the 1992 Olympics and 1996 Olympics, finishing 6th in 1996.  Bob is coached by his agent, Kim McDonald. Bob grew up in Ohio and graduated from Indiana University in 1992.  Now 28, he currently resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Melina, and 2 dogs. Below is the third and final part of the interview. 

Part III:

duathlon.com: What kind of mileage did you run in 1998.

Bob Kennedy: When I was in Australia in January and February I was up to a maximum of 141miles in a week. It was basically a gradual 105, 115, 135, 140, 135 miles per week. The bulk was in the 125 to 130 range. About 6 weeks of that. I raced at the end of February down there and ran 13:15 for 5000m, off of that training and a week of 90 miles.

duathlon.com: How did that kind of mileage feel?

Bob Kennedy: It wasn't bad. I have nothing else to do down there, and in fact, on my second 10 miler of the day, the first 30 minutes would be horrible, and the second 30 minutes I felt great. Time and time again the second 30 minutes would be much easier.

duathlon.com: Whom did you train with in Australia?

Bob Kennedy: I am with a smaller group of athletes. There are probably a dozen of us down there in the winter, including Graham Hood, Pascal Dobert, and Ryan Wilson. It used to be Jim Spivey Ruben Reina, and Mark Daily.

duathlon.com: What did you do after Australia?

Bob Kennedy: The World Cross-Country meet is in Morocco in late March [Bob finished 16^th in 1998], and then I head back to the US. I won't race again until the Prefontaine Classic at the end of May and then the US Track Championships. And then I head over to Europe the third week of June and I am based in London. [Bob will not be running the World Cross-Country Championships in 1999]

duathlon.com: What is your weekly mileage from March to May.

Bob Kennedy: Ideally I want to do 100 to 110 miles per week. That includes one long run of 13 to 16 miles.

duathlon.com: What kind of accommodations do you have in London?

Bob Kennedy: I am in a traditional English Row house with Steve Holman [a miler] and Pascal Dobert [steeplechase], and I would say within the organization there are 5 houses within a half mile, and there is a college right down the road that houses quite a few Kenyan athletes. All of Kim McDonald's athletes are there. He has a system set up for his athletes, predominantly Kenyans, and that is where we train. No one else from other groups is in our area.

duathlon.com: How many athletes train in that group?

Bob Kennedy: In the summer he will have 50 track athletes at any give time. All 800 meter runners and up.

duathlon.com: Who are some of the other athletes that Kim McDonald coaches?

Bob Kennedy: He coaches any Kenyan in Puma. The big names in his stable would be Daniel Komen, Moses Kiptanui and Luke Kipkosgei.

duathlon.com:: Any Ethiopians?

Bob Kennedy: The Ethiopians and the Kenyans wouldn't live together. They get along at a meet but they wouldn't want to live and train together. .

duathlon.com: What are your London training sessions like?

Bob Kennedy: There is always someone to do something with. If they are at different levels, sometimes guys might do portions of the training session with you. In total we, including the Kenyans, do two to three track workouts a week.

The way Kim coaches and the way the Kenyans train, when we have a session, he will say do 5x800 meters with 2 minutes recovery. There is no time gage. Kim's philosophy for that time of the year is to run as fast as you can and finish the session. If it is within 10 days of a major championship, he will tell me to run the workout but don't run it any faster than 2:04. Otherwise, we've been out there running 1:57's for 800 meters. Last year we did a session and it was 1600, 1200, 800, and 400, with 3 minutes between each interval, and it was myself, Daniel Komen, and Paul Koech, and the other top guys. And these are my times: I ran 3:57, 2:56, 1:55, and 55. And I was kind of in the middle of the pack. Komen ran about 3:54, 2:53, 1:54, and 55. Not many people would ever conceive of training at that speed.

duathlon.com: How structured are your workout schedules?

Bob Kennedy: Kim gives us the track sessions and then guidance in between, but he doesn't say today run 7 miles in the morning and 5 miles in the evening. Especially in the summer. In the winter and the spring he will. He gives a track session and an overall weekly mileage goal.

duathlon.com: What type of mileage do you do during the European racing season?

Bob Kennedy: Early summer it starts at about 75 miles a week and it goes all the way down to about 50 by the end of the summer. When I can, a day or two after a race, if I don't race again for another 10 days I will do a 75 minute run to keep the aerobic thing going, and that is my long run.

duathlon.com: Do the Kenyans do the same mileage during the racing season?

Bob Kennedy: I would say that during the summer they actually do less. Rarely twice a day. They just rest for the racing.

duathlon.com: Do you ever see the Kenyans doing 3 workouts a day?

Bob Kennedy: Sometimes in December, January, and February when they are in Kenya they do. Other than that, no.