Non-runners love to look at runners and claim they’re ruining their knees. And, granted, any high impact activity like running does put enormous stress on your joints. But while I’m certainly not a doctor, I do know this: My knees feel a lot better when I’m running than they do in the times I’ve lapsed into inactivity. My very unprofessional opinion is the sedentary life forces bone and tendons to do the work meant for strong, healthy muscles. My knees aren’t perfect. And they may get worse over time. But I’ll take the running life. Any day.
How I kept Bob Kennedy out of the Olympics
It was 2004 and all I wanted to do was make a cool television commercial for a local hospital. And since Bob Kennedy was already affiliated with them, I wrote a spot starring America’s premier distance runner of the last decade. So late one night I found myself and about 30 other members of the film crew watching Bob run around a deserted high school track. I remember thinking, take after take, that I hoped he didn’t get hurt. Hoped he hadn’t trained today. Hoped he’d warmed up enough. Because, you see, this was 2004 and all Bob Kennedy wanted to do was make his last Olympic team. Flash forward to the next day as I’m running by a track at a local university. And there, training, is Bob Kennedy. I give him a look that says, “Hey, it’s my old friend Bob!” He gives me a look that says, “Hey, why are you stalking me?” And off I waddled at a pace he hadn’t run since he was four years old. Flash forward again to a late night broadcast of the 10,000 meters at the 2004 Olympic Trials. Bob’s hanging around, just waiting to make his move, and then suddenly steps off the track. Just steps off. The next day I read he tweaked an Achilles in training. But that’s not all. It gave the date he injured it. And my heart sank. I went through my work calendar and, true enough, he hurt it the day after I kept him up running late into the cool night. Hurt it during the very workout I witnessed. Hurt it, I hope, due to circumstances beyond his – and my – control. The spot? It turned out fantastic, really beautiful. And ran nightly during the broadcast of the 2004 Olympics to the enjoyment of a million local viewers. Minus two.
