Question:
I've got two boys, 7 and 9, and
have been taking them jogging a
few times times per week for the
last 6 months or so. My oldest can
run up to 3 and the youngest may
be able to also. As I've starting
running again, they want to go run
a race in the spring. We will probably
do a 5k in the spring. Does anyone
think this is unreasonable for kids
this age ?
They are
both big strong kids, with respective
PR's in the mile of 7:30 and 8:00
(OK, maybe it was bad to take them
to the track but I was curious).
Obviously, as a runner, I'd like
to get them interested but not burn
them out by the time they reach
high school.
Answer:
My 12 year-old really got into running
3 years ago and ran his first 5K
then, though he ran some 1 and 2
mile races before then. I think
running is great for kids as I have
noticed that they look and feel
better and they do better at other
sports. My 9 year-old has run for
2 years and competed in several
5K's this year with a PR of about
26:30.
My 12 year-old talked to a university
coach who advised him to do 50-100
meter sprints (work up to about
10) with full recovery 2-3 times
a week. He stated that one's sprint
potential is malleable between the
ages of 8-15. After that, the top
potential is pretty well set. He
said that normal distance running
is fine in addition to the sprints
but that speed was important. He
said the obvious things about burnout
which is important but I haven't
noticed any of those issues. The
important thing is to keep it fun
by going to cool races and have
the kids do running games like relays
or giving the younger kid a headstart
or something.
BTW, the 12 year-old does 10-15
miles a week (was 18-20 during the
summer with
quite a bit of track time) and the
9 year-old does 7-11 miles a week.
The 5 year-old does 3-4 1 mile walks
a week with mom.
Above all, keep all issues about
running positive.
