11 year old wants to run 10 miler... whaddaya think? (Read 1965 times)

Young kids are born to run.  Their oxygen uptake level is actually better than that of adult simply because they have a smaller frame. 

I like what Sac had said but would like to add 2 more things:

1) You said she'd be running with you--IF she wants to walk or drop out, you should do so with her.  The important thing is not to give her an impression that it's bad to drop out or that she had failed.  Not big deal and you'd be there for her.  If you'd been training for that race, it'd be a bummer for you but I think it's very important to be there and make her feel like it's perfectly okay to walk or quit.  When our daughter smashed our car (), we rushed there and of course there's no point of yelling at her or anything; just give her a hug and make her feel like it's perfectly okay (and then scold the hell out of her a week later!).

2) So she's 11-years-old and turning out for XC practice...  Like I said, she might actually turn out to do very well in that 10-miler simply because of higher oxygen consumption ability of little kids.  But in a year or two from now, when she goes through puberty, her natural performance will drop UNLESS she continues with endurance training.  When they are little, their oxygen carrying capacity is ahead of their body; so they do well in endurance event like running--swimming is a perfect example; you see young teenagers constantly set world beating records simply because they don't have to worry about heavy body.  Now, with puberty setting in, body is catching up and, unless they continue to develop their natural oxygen carrying capacity, they lose that ratio automatically.  What happens then, particularly if the kid was setting some pretty good times, is they get discouraged, frustrated and, at worst, would try too hard to work on speed instead of going the distance. 

There are lots of kids out there who run very well.  I've seen many low-teens running very impressively (beating me along the way!!).  Invariably, they are with a very small frame.  But 3 years later, you don't hear about them any more.  Invariably, either they themselves or their coach or parents set out too high of a goal, based on those premature performances, thinking they'll be a world beater in the next 3 years.  There's nothing wrong with kids training very hard as long as it's been handled in a very sensible manner.  But once their focus finds the numbers--how many miles a week they run, how fast they run a mile, 5k, 10k or whatever, comparing the times they ran last year or how fast some other 12-year-old had run...then it'll become a problem.  The only thing kids can understand is number.  So, as a parent or, at this point, as a coach/mentor, you'll have to be very careful to make sure that they simply enjoy running for the sake of enjoyment of running.  Encourage them to run; shift the focus away from racing (racing I mean, not participating "a race" but any form of competitive racing including racing against him/herself).

It is absolutely great to run with your own kid.  Treasure the experience; set out days to train with her.  Next thing you know, she'll be heading for college, or spending more time with her bodyfriend than you.  Enjoy it while you can!! ;o)  The key, really, is to slow them down.  Go for how far/long you run; not how fast.

Ask Chris UK he was a childhood prodigy!

http://www.runningahead.com/logs/9a75cfb6f9d04493a7d8c0479f5d2917/profile

I agree with Ed (for once ).  I would say go for it.  I too think that as long as you keep it fun and not gruelling (as much as possible with 10 mi) there should be no problem.  Oh yah, and tell her to wear good shoes. 

I started running competitively at 12.

The key word being "competitively". 

I agree that an 11 year old should not be trying to race 10 miles competitively.  Because that would involve a serious daily training program, and that can take a toll.

But going out and racing 10 miles for the fun of it is a very different thing. 

Kids need very little training to be able to go out and run comfortably and safely.  A couple fun runs a week are not going to do any damage, and they're all the training that's necessary.  Just one or two runs a week.  Many kids can probably do 10 miles without even that.