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If you have children who run, (Read 270 times)


Baby bean!

    how old were they when they started?

     

    My son is 2 and I can do half a run with him in the B.O.B.  but then he wants out and tells me he wants to run.  So I try to plan my run and head into a park and let him run.

     

    Yesterday, he ran about .6 of a mile.  Last week, he ran almost an entire mile!!  I ask him if he's tired, if he needs to walk, etc.  But he seems happy and content and stops when he wants.

     

    He loves it!  But is he too young?

    Goals:
    Finish C25K

    I'm slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter, but I run.


    A Saucy Wench

      As long as everything is driven by him (pace, distance, rest, stopping to look at slugs) no problem.  Kids have a much better sense of pay attention to your body than adults do.

      I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

       

      "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

      catwhoorg


      Labrat

        My not quite 2 year old daughter does a similar thing.

         

        She runs some, walks some, runs more and decides when she has had enough.

        5K  20:23  (Vdot 48.7)   9/9/17

        10K  44:06  (Vdot 46.3)  3/11/17

        HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17

        FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18

         

          He's fine.

          "...You have to have faith, to know that you can do what you want to do."  -Joseph Nzau


          Feeling the growl again

            If they like what they are doing, I would just keep it fun and let them do it.  My kids run now and again, my younger one who I figure to be the competitive one, apparently ran pretty far and fast as part of soccer practice yesterday (age 3.5) and had a blast.  I would not take them to a mile fun run yet, but I'd do a 1K with them (older sister is age 6).  They are very interested in winning trophies/medals running but I'm holding off on that, for now I give them mine.

             

            I'm only aware of one case where a young kid was doing what they claimed to be fun running and it turned out to be too much too soon...5-year-old girl who have 4 older siblings who were in JH/HS and top on the team/state type of athletes.  Little girl was out beating junior high kids in 5Ks.  But by the time she was old enough to run JH XC, she had already burned out and quit running.  Not sure what happened, but only one of the older siblings ran in college (others burned out) and he didn't run all 4 years before burning out himself.  I think the competitiveness/pressure in the family just got to be too much.

             

            Just don't be like the dad I saw at an indoor track years ago, pushing his ~9-yo daughter in 200m repeats on the track and screaming at her when she did not hit the splits he wanted.  It was hard to restrain myself as she kept going around the track with tears in her eyes.

            "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

             

            I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

             

               

              Just don't be like the dad I saw at an indoor track years ago, pushing his ~9-yo daughter in 200m repeats on the track and screaming at her when she did not hit the splits he wanted.  It was hard to restrain myself as she kept going around the track with tears in her eyes.

               

              That is terrible.

              "...You have to have faith, to know that you can do what you want to do."  -Joseph Nzau

              jamlevasseur29


                If they do it because they like to and are allowed to stop when they want to, it is good exercise.  NEVER force a young child to run.  My boys always "ran" on the track when i went but neither had any interest in a race until the age of 9 or 10.  It should always be their choice

                GC100k


                   

                  Just don't be like the dad I saw at an indoor track years ago, pushing his ~9-yo daughter in 200m repeats on the track and screaming at her when she did not hit the splits he wanted.  It was hard to restrain myself as she kept going around the track with tears in her eyes.

                   

                  My son never thought about track until a coach took him out after basketball practice in 9th grade to see what he could do.  He ended up winning 5 state championships in the jumps in high school, being the state meet MVP, and the metro area TF athlete of the year.  This past year he was the Ivy League runner-up in the decathlon.

                   

                  Jumps are different than distance, but my friend/colleague (he's a sub 3 hour marathoner in his 50s) had his kids in swimming when they were little and then they started running XC/track in high school.  He hired private coaching for them.  They, a girl and a boy, were both multi time state champions and record setters.  His daughter was a D1 All American this year and his son redshirted in the top program in the country.

                   

                  My son's team just announced their new recruiting class that included one distance runner who didn't run until his senior year in high school.

                   

                  If the kids are active, they don't need specific running training when they are babies.  I've personally known a few families who pushed their kids in running when they were little and those kids all quit before they got to high school.  On the other hand, there are some famous stories out there of kids who were pushed into running as babies and it worked out well for them.  Years ago I read this article about some 10 year old who was in serious competitions and her parents were really pushing her.  Awhile back I googled her to see what happened, expecting her to have disappeared or flamed out, but it turns out she had a nice college running career at Harvard.

                   

                  My personal opinion is that kids should play and not "train" or "work" at their sport until after puberty.

                    My daughter is 6 and my son is 4.  Both did two kids triathlons this summer and loved it.  They both had run kids runs at different events and it started when my daughter was 4 and son was 2.

                      If a kid wants to run and play, and run and play hard, let them, encourage them, foster it!  It's good for them.

                      GC100k


                        My daughter is 6 and my son is 4.  Both did two kids triathlons this summer and loved it.  They both had run kids runs at different events and it started when my daughter was 4 and son was 2.

                         

                        There was a local triathlon that my little girls wanted to do.  But it turned out they had to join some national triathlon organization, there was a registration fee, and it would have been like 70 bucks.  For a couple of kids to run, bike, and swim like they do for free every day.

                         

                        I guess they want to start real young keeping the riff-raff out of triathlons. I saw some materials for a triathlon (not this kids' event) pitching their event to local authorities.  They made a big deal about how triathletes have an average income over $200k and are an exclusive group of big-spending consumers.  

                         

                        I bet some of the 10 year olds had expensive racing bikes.  My girls have 80 lb WalMart bikes.

                         

                        One of the cool things I like about track is that you can't really buy success for kids.  Every year you'll see some kid who never ran before come out and blow away the kids who went to all the right camps and trainers.  Seems more fair to me than golf, tennis, lacrosse, and lots of other sports where you have to get in the system at an young age.  Of course, parents who do those programs think it's unfair for a kid who hasn't paid his dues to have success.

                          My girls are 12 and 7. My twelve year old has cerebral pulsey, and did two runs this year, a 1-mile and a 5k. She took 2nd place in her age group on the 1-mile and was very excited. She got out and ran with me every chance she got. Unfortunately, she didn't work on distance. She would do 1 - 1 1/2 miles, then walk back home. During the 5k, she started out too fast, (trying to keep up with the adults), and wore herself out. She walked for much of the race and took last place overall. Even the walkers passed her, so I presume she must have stopped to pick flowers or something. I eventually ran the route in reverse to find her, and motivate her to the finish. I don't presume that she has much interest anymore. But, she will still go with me occaisionally and walk the dogs, while I do a short run. She did mention that she was interested in running a particular 5k in September, (and I have no idea WHY THAT RACE???). That race also has a 2-mile walk and a 100 meter fun run. I may enter her for one of those instead.

                           

                          My seven year old is a little different. If I was to ask if she wants to go for a run, the answer would be a huge NO, but if I ask her to go for a walk, she is happy to go. Only problem is, she doesn't have a walking speed. She always ends up challenging myself or her older sister to a race. So, for her a "walk" is actually defined as a sprint, followed by a short breather, then repeat. I think that she and my wife are going to do the 2-mile walk mention in the race above.

                          LedLincoln


                          not bad for mile 25

                            I guess they want to start real young keeping the riff-raff out of triathlons. I saw some materials for a triathlon (not this kids' event) pitching their event to local authorities.  They made a big deal about how triathletes have an average income over $200k and are an exclusive group of big-spending consumers.  

                             

                            This is exactly the sort of scene I would keep my children out of.  I'm content for us to be the riff-raff at that age.


                            Feeling the growl again

                               

                              This is exactly the sort of scene I would keep my children out of.  I'm content for us to be the riff-raff at that age.

                               

                              I would not read so much into it.  Sounds like typical justification (ie positive economic impact) for why local authorities should approve an event that will be a PIA and create headaches with complaints by locals due to blocked off streets and suck up police resources managing traffic.

                              "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                               

                              I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                               

                              LedLincoln


                              not bad for mile 25

                                She did mention that she was interested in running a particular 5k in September, (and I have no idea WHY THAT RACE???). That race also has a 2-mile walk and a 100 meter fun run. I may enter her for one of those instead.

                                 

                                Maybe you should let her do the 5k if that's what she wants, and offer to walk/run with her if she doesn't mind a parent coming along.  Just speculatin'.

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