Episode 375: Bob Kennedy – An Olympian’s Mindset Parenting High-Achieving Athletes

Bob Kennedy is an American Distance Runner, who is now retired. He once held the American record in the 3,000 meters, 2 mile and the 5,000 meters. Bob ran for Indiana University and went on to run professionally for Nike, competing in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. Bob has a 5k PR of 12:58 and Nike has named two shoes after him. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Bob, when he was on the Board of Directors for Back on My Feet Indianapolis and then at Athletic Annex, a local run specialty store in Indianapolis. Bob is also the father of two kids. He has twins. His daughter is very involved with running and his son is a soccer player. One of the things that we focus on in this episode is how Bob approaches parenting his kids through the lens of someone who was a very successful athlete himself and what kinds of involvement he has in their athletic careers. Bob was first on this podcast around 5 years ago on Episode 32 . What we talked about: 4:00- Introduction to Bob 8:10- Background on Bob’s running career and his work with Athletic Annex 14:00- His kid’s involvement in sport 17:50- Pushing his kids to pursue their sports to the highest level 23:00- Making sure his kids don’t overdo their training and burnout 30:50- Not setting the expectations that his kids have to live up to his athletic experiences 34:30- What he looks for in coaches for his children 41:30- How to promote longevity in sport for our kids 46:05- Promoting hard work in sport 48:00- When to specialize in sports 53:30- What he is like at his kids sporting events 1:00:35- Coparenting 1:04:45- The most exciting running moment that he has seen in the last year 1:12:55- Who he would choose for a 5k team from across eras 1:15:30- End of podcast questions Show notes: Talking to Strangers Conscious Capitalism Athletic Annex Website Bob on Episode 32 of the podcast Connect with Lindsey: Lindsey on Instagram Lindsey on Twitter Lindsey on Facebook Join the I’ll Have Another Facebook Group Support the I’ll Have Another Podcast on Patreon Follow SandyBoy Productions: Sandyboy Productions on Twitter Sandyboy Productions on Instagram SandyBoy Productions Shows: Why is Everyone Yelling? The Up and Running Podcast The Illuminate Podcast The Herban Farmacy Podcast Sponsors: The Amino Co. Use the code “Sandyboy” for 30% off your order Lily Trotters Use the code “IHA” for 20% off your orders Goodr Use code “another15” for 15% off your order