children running

[Dutchie42]

My two sons (nearly 12yo and 13yo) started running about six weeks ago when I did. According to a neighbour my youngest son is not supposed to run more than 5K twice a week?

Does anyone here know how much he is allowed to run? I have done a search on the internet but haven't found any relevant info yet.

I am on a trainig schedule that will allow me to run my way up to 10K three times a week by September. Can he train with me and run the same distances? He runs 3K in less than 15 minutes and the 5K in 27 minutes, which is 8 minutes faster than me :-(

BTW, neither of my sons wants to join an athletic club. They prefer to just run with me.

Thanks for any advice or websites.

Dutchie

 

[KeliJean]

Here's a link from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

http://www.aap.org/policy/03326.html

It concludes..."Until further data is available concerning the relative risk of endurance running at different ages, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that, if children enjoy the activity and are asymptomatic, there is no reason to preclude them from training for and participating in such events. The risks discussed in this statement should be considered by pediatricians when counseling families about the advisability of their children participating in distance running."

 

[dorothyrd]

Our school system has cross country starting at age 11, some around here at age 10. These kids run a lot more than 3 miles in practice. The coaches are good about warming up, stretching good and watching for injuries, you can do the same. My son ran cross country 6-8th grades, in HS he switched to soccer and I think they log MORE miles in soccer! We just make sure his running shoes are replaced regularily and we buy inserts for his soccer shoes because he pronates badly. His growth has been fine, entering HS at around 5 foot, and now at the end of sophmore year is 5-10.

Getting them out running is better than sitting around playing video games!

 

[mariep]

Hi, Dutchie--

Here's a children's running website from Runner's World; I'm not that familiar with it, but the regular Runner's World website is great, so hopefully this one is, too! Good for you for getting your boys out there and into healthy habits!

http://www.kidsrunning.com

-Marie

 

[40something]

Oh I so agree with everyone else. My only concerns with that preteen age is excessive weight training. My son has wanted to do weight work since he was 10 and I absolutely forbid it and let him use only my 5# dumbbells. When he was 12 I let him use my 8# because the 10's were too much and he couldn't use proper form. Like I told him...it is fine for a youngster to do pushups/pullups and use their own body weight for resistance so I had no problem with him doing 200 pushups a day if he could do them! Ha! And I also taught him proper ab work. Now he's 5'9 and 13 years old. I let him use my free weights but with very light weights (you know boys...he thinks he can bench press 250 pounds). I'm still very concerned about injury since he doesn't have the strength yet and he's growing at such a fast rate.

A friend of ours who is high school coach told me kids should not work out with weights until high school age just because they are too prone to injury from trying to lift too much...the super hero syndrome he called it!

So let them run with you if they enjoy it! It's no different then them roller-blading all day long or swimming at the beach from sun-up until sunset.

 

[Dutchie42]

I was actually very pleasantly surprised they wanted to join me. I didn't even ask them, because in the past any sport I offered was always turned down by them or they quit after just two or three weeks. They actually asked ME if they could run with me. And when I get home from work they are waiting for me, all psyched up to go running.

Dutchie

 

[Dutchie42]

They absolutely enjoy running, no pressure from me. I'm holding them back and (trying) teaching them if they want to go the distance, they have to start slow and run in a pace that allows them to still talk to eachother (I am usually way behind).

It took them one time to run to fast to teach them that what I told them was really true

Thanks for the link.

Dutchie