I think I heard you mention in the podcast of limiting kids to a maximum 5k distance running - any rationale here? And while I know there's not an exact formula, but any general rule of thumb for at what age it's okay to increase to 10k and beyond?
My son has done long days in the mountains since he's been 8 years old. At ten, he was be able to hike 14ers with me up to 8 hours.
So his duration / stamina is not in doubt. He could probably run 15-21k.
However, I'm not sure it would be fun for him. Mainly due to a lack of pace awareness, forgetting to eat/drink and poor heat tolerance.
So there's a bunch of things that could spoil the experience for him.
By keeping the race duration short, he can ignore being sensible and have fun. That said, he managed to blow himself up, quite badly, trying to break 20 minutes at his last 5k. Crying, vomiting and poor sportsmanship ensued.
So the distance cap, is to give him the greatest chance of having a positive experience. Those positive experiences are much more important than pushing distance.
Also, by keeping race distances short, the kids don't need to do any proper training. His younger sister jumped in the last 5k, with zero training, and had a good time. ~30 minutes for her.
5k is a long way for anyone to run. I was in High School before I ran 10k, and then, only in training.
Beyond 5k... I'd want it to be the kid's decision, the kid to be well into puberty and enjoying 3 runs per week. Even then, I don't see the need to race further than 10k.
Of course, my kids have a way of pushing my schedule for them. Once they're in their teens... it becomes a conversation, rather than a prescription from Mom & Dad.
An example is our son has pushed very hard to go "year round" for swim training and racing. We've managed to hold him back until he's 13 - this fall. He was not happy about this but I felt it was essential to avoid early specialization and over scheduling him.
I think I heard you mention in the podcast of limiting kids to a maximum 5k distance running - any rationale here? And while I know there's not an exact formula, but any general rule of thumb for at what age it's okay to increase to 10k and beyond?
A good question.
My son has done long days in the mountains since he's been 8 years old. At ten, he was be able to hike 14ers with me up to 8 hours.
So his duration / stamina is not in doubt. He could probably run 15-21k.
However, I'm not sure it would be fun for him. Mainly due to a lack of pace awareness, forgetting to eat/drink and poor heat tolerance.
So there's a bunch of things that could spoil the experience for him.
By keeping the race duration short, he can ignore being sensible and have fun. That said, he managed to blow himself up, quite badly, trying to break 20 minutes at his last 5k. Crying, vomiting and poor sportsmanship ensued.
So the distance cap, is to give him the greatest chance of having a positive experience. Those positive experiences are much more important than pushing distance.
Also, by keeping race distances short, the kids don't need to do any proper training. His younger sister jumped in the last 5k, with zero training, and had a good time. ~30 minutes for her.
5k is a long way for anyone to run. I was in High School before I ran 10k, and then, only in training.
Beyond 5k... I'd want it to be the kid's decision, the kid to be well into puberty and enjoying 3 runs per week. Even then, I don't see the need to race further than 10k.
Of course, my kids have a way of pushing my schedule for them. Once they're in their teens... it becomes a conversation, rather than a prescription from Mom & Dad.
An example is our son has pushed very hard to go "year round" for swim training and racing. We've managed to hold him back until he's 13 - this fall. He was not happy about this but I felt it was essential to avoid early specialization and over scheduling him.
G
As always, great perspective and appreciate the response. Thanks!