What is a good mile time for a 7th grade boy?
What is a good mile time for a 7th grade boy?
Sub 4 is pretty good
For guys, all of my 7th grade boys break 6:00. I usually have a pack around 5:35 and another pack at 5:50. Every year, my top male runner is usually between 5:15-5:25. I have had one 7th grader under 5:00 and 2 more under 5:10.
That is my experience and seems pretty similar to the middle schools in our league, considering we have yet to win a 7th grade league title, but plenty of top 3-5 finishes.
Puglover wrote:
What is a good mile time for a 7th grade boy?
Time is irrelevant at this point.
Did he have fun? Does he seem like he's into it? Those are far more important criteria at this point than his time.
I could list for you all day kids who were winning mile races in 7th and 8th grade who didn't amount to much in high school, and I could list for you all day kids who were mediocre or even slow in middle school who turned into HS super stars...both boys and girls for both.
Agree with Flagpole. At that age, coaches (if the kid is even participating in an oragnized environment) should definitely not give any attention to times. And parents should never worry about their kid's times.
Running fast at young age (near the age of puberty) is more an indication of biological development than any indicator of talent or potential.
What should I do as a parent to prevent him from hitting that plateau,because he's running a 5:06 mile and I think he has the potential to be a sub 4:10 at the end of high school.
Puglover wrote:
What should I do as a parent to prevent him from hitting that plateau,because he's running a 5:06 mile and I think he has the potential to be a sub 4:10 at the end of high school.
It was said earlier. Keep it fun for him. Listen to what he is telling you or hinting at. If you get the indication that he is not enjoying himself, back off.
Puglover wrote:
What should I do as a parent to prevent him from hitting that plateau,because he's running a 5:06 mile and I think he has the potential to be a sub 4:10 at the end of high school.
3/10
where in the world do you get sub 4:10 from?
Puglover wrote:
What should I do as a parent to prevent him from hitting that plateau,because he's running a 5:06 mile and I think he has the potential to be a sub 4:10 at the end of high school.
What makes you think this? This just can not been seen at this age. Most 7th grade milers don't run 5:06, but it really means next to nothing at this point.
My daughter just graduated from high school on Sunday and I was privvy to MANY PRs from kids as they went from 7th grade through high school with her.
Here are just some stats for you:
Kid 1 - ran 5:12 is 7th grade and then just 5:15 in 8th grade
Kid 2 - ran 6:32 in 7th grade, 5:28 in 8th grade and 4:27 in 9th grade
Kid 3 - ran 6:45 in 7th grade, 4:53 in 8th grade, 4:37 in 9th grade.
Kid 4 - ran 4:51 in 7th grade, 4:42 in 8th grade, finally got down to 4:22 as a senior
Kid 1 got worse in 8th grade
Kid 2 got steadily better for three years
Kid 3 got steadily better for 3 years, but did not improve as much in year 3 as Kid 2 but did improve more from 7th to 8th grade than Kid 2
Kid 4 started out the fastest of all of them and faster than your 7th grader and yet didn't get below 4:22.
Sub 4:10 is quite a statement, and you are setting yourself up and perhaps your kid up for failure with that kind of expectation.
Here in the very strong running state of Ohio, the Division 1 high school record for 1600 is 4:05 (in 1988) by future OLYMPIAN Bob Kennedy.
The Division II record is 4:08 by high school distance running legend and Kinney (not Footlocker) CC champ Scott Fry in 1985.
The Division II record isn't even under 4:10 -- it's 4:10.83.
4:10 is for HUGE outliers, and a 5:06 in 7th grade simply doesn't give you enough information to determine that kind of talent or future ability.
You really have the wrong attitude. I can't tell you how many parents I've known who thought their kid was the next great thing in track and field and CC only to see either minimal improvement or no improvement. I know one set of parents who were geeked that their freshman son ran 16:56 in CC, but it was later determined that that course was short and their kid didn't break 17:00 again until junior year. You could see their disappointment every time the kid ran 17:17. That can suck the fun out of it for the athlete.
Another kid ran 4:51 as an 8th grader and then 16:53 as a freshman but got lazy and didn't break 5:00 in track as a freshman and then didn't break 17:00 as a sophomore. Fortunately he righted the ship and had a great track season as a sophomore.
Anyway, long way to say that your expectations are unreasonable. He might run sub 4:10, but he really may not also. An extremely small percentage of runners do that.
Flagpole wrote:
Did he have fun? Does he seem like he's into it? Those are far more important criteria at this point than his time.
I could list for you all day kids who were winning mile races in 7th and 8th grade who didn't amount to much in high school, and I could list for you all day kids who were mediocre or even slow in middle school who turned into HS super stars...both boys and girls for both.
So the kids who are fast in 7th and 8th grade are not as important as those who are fast in HS and should not take any pride in their success merely because it happened at age X instead of age Y. Do I have this right?
xtz wrote:
Flagpole wrote:Did he have fun? Does he seem like he's into it? Those are far more important criteria at this point than his time.
I could list for you all day kids who were winning mile races in 7th and 8th grade who didn't amount to much in high school, and I could list for you all day kids who were mediocre or even slow in middle school who turned into HS super stars...both boys and girls for both.
So the kids who are fast in 7th and 8th grade are not as important as those who are fast in HS and should not take any pride in their success merely because it happened at age X instead of age Y. Do I have this right?
I think what he's saying is that it needs to kept in perspective and be about the kid, not the parent. The fact that the parent is on here already mapping out his progress through HS, suggests this is more about the parent. The kid (and parents) surely can be proud of the accomplishment, but the kid should be driving things at that age. It is likely this parent is thinking more about this than the kid.
As a 7th grader last year, my son did a 5:10 solo at his junior high school conference race last year wearing training shoes, second place was 5:45. I know he could've closed in on the 5 minute mark if he had competition. He had the benefit of training with a bunch of talented 8th graders last year and they all pushed each other. His progression was 5:35 / 5:25/ 5:16/ 5:10 in the four meets he ran in. This past fall he ran 17:46 in cross country.
This year as an 8th grader, his times were (in order) 5:19 /5:08 /5:06 /5:10 / 5:12 and then ran a 4:58 at his conference meet. I thought maybe he could close in on 4:50, but he pretty much trained by himself since those kids he trained with last year were now running with the varsity team and there was no one to push him at practice. I think that had a definite impact on his times this season..
In regards to his future, the only thing I can say for sure about him is that he ran a 5:10 as a 7th grader and a 4:58 in the 8th grade. I hope he can eclipse my times in high school, but he's going to have to 1) stay with the sport through his senior year, 2) stay healthy, 3) not burn out, 4) really want it. I know I really want it for him, but he's the one who has to lace up the spikes. More importantly, I want him to be competing in his senior year versus being the answer to a trivia question.
Puglover wrote:
What is a good mile time for a 7th grade boy?
Anything under 5:30 is good (and even under 6:00 is an accomplishment for a lot of guys at that age) - but nothing is promised as far as future development. At the same time, nothing is ruled out, either.
The fastest guy at my junior high didn't run the 1500/mile as a 7th grader, but ran the 1500 as an 8th grader in 4:23. Then his freshman year of high school, ran something like 4:23 or 4:21 in the 1600. By the time he was a senior, he was a state champion, but but his best time was not a whole lot faster (4:19). In college, he ran 4:10 for the mile, so he definitely progressed some, but nothing crazy.
One of the slowest guys at my junior high (maybe 6:30 1500 in 7th grade, 6:00 1500 in 8th grade) ended up blossoming in high school and on to college. I don't know if he ran the 1600 in high school (mainly xc and 3200), but I bet he would have been around 4:30. Then in college he ran a 4:19 mile, and was better at the longer track distances and cross country.
On average, the 5:20-5:30 milers in 7th and 8th grade ended up as 4:30-4:50 milers in high school. I was one of those 5:20-5:30 milers in 8th grade, but never ran faster than 5 minutes for a 1600 in high school. However, I have run 4:15 in the mile since high school, which just goes to show you can never predict things 100%.
Sub 5 min would be excellent I think but don't worry about the time. At that age, you should focus on enjoying running. If he is running 4-6 times per week, excited to get better, and winning some races then things are good regardless of the time. It is difficult to know a boy's potential until puberty is completed. In the 7th grade, the fastest milers will usually just be whoever is having early puberty. If he is going to be good at the mile, he will need some natural basic speed. You probably already know if he has that from watching him in other sports or just kids play. I coach a soccer team for 4-5 year olds and the kids with natural speed are already incredibly obvious.
Regardless of his potential, the biggest barrier to reaching it will be actually deciding to try to reach it. Whether he has the ultimate potential for a 3:58 or just a 4:45, it will take years of training and near constant dedication to get close to it. The best thing he or you could do at this stage would be to foster a love of training. Nothing is possible without that.
The biggest obstacle to being fast in high school is that most emotionally healthy teenagers don't want to spend multiple hours a day running!
Anyways, here's a calculator that suggests age-to-age equivalent times. According to it, 5:06 is a very good time for a 13-year-old, but not nearly as rare as a 4:10 by an 18-year-old.
xtz wrote:
Flagpole wrote:Did he have fun? Does he seem like he's into it? Those are far more important criteria at this point than his time.
I could list for you all day kids who were winning mile races in 7th and 8th grade who didn't amount to much in high school, and I could list for you all day kids who were mediocre or even slow in middle school who turned into HS super stars...both boys and girls for both.
So the kids who are fast in 7th and 8th grade are not as important as those who are fast in HS and should not take any pride in their success merely because it happened at age X instead of age Y. Do I have this right?
CORRECT!
Here's why:
1) Middle school kids are at WIDELY different stages of physical development. There are some boys who began shaving in 5th grade and other who won't need to shave until late in high school.
2) MORE kids are involved in high school cross country and track, so just because you are beating the stuffing out of some 7th graders doesn't mean you still will when there are more athletes against whom to compete in high school.
3) Few middle schools have developed distance programs for their athletes, and the ones that do DESTROY those who don't. When high school comes around and the training is a bit more equal, those with poor training in middle school catch up pretty quickly.
4) No parent or coach who asks if X time is good for a 7th grader cares only about that snapshot in time...they want to know if this spells good things for them down the line, and being good in high school means a ton more. Why? Athletic scholarships are available to those who do well in high school. No college coach gives a crap what a 7th grader ran in the mile. ALSO, and this is something that more people need to learn, begin a good runner in high school can help GET YOU INTO ELITE COLLEGES. Many of those elite schools have amazing financial aid, so you don't necessarily need an athletic scholarship to attend there if you don't have a big income. Make $125,000 or less family income and want to go to an IVY League school? Ok then...you will pay about 10% of the published price. Want to go to Stanford with that income and that's full tuition. Make $65,000 or less, and Stanford is a full ride...so, if you are good enough to run for them and aren't a horrible student, you can get a GREAT education from a great university for peanuts.
That's why.
Flagpole wrote:
Puglover wrote:What is a good mile time for a 7th grade boy?
Time is irrelevant at this point.
Did he have fun? Does he seem like he's into it? Those are far more important criteria at this point than his time.
I could list for you all day kids who were winning mile races in 7th and 8th grade who didn't amount to much in high school, and I could list for you all day kids who were mediocre or even slow in middle school who turned into HS super stars...both boys and girls for both.
Listing kids who were good runners in 7th grade who turned out to be slow or non runners later on is irrelevant.
The OP asked a question. You failed to answer it.
Pointing Out the Obvious wrote:
Flagpole wrote:Time is irrelevant at this point.
Did he have fun? Does he seem like he's into it? Those are far more important criteria at this point than his time.
I could list for you all day kids who were winning mile races in 7th and 8th grade who didn't amount to much in high school, and I could list for you all day kids who were mediocre or even slow in middle school who turned into HS super stars...both boys and girls for both.
Listing kids who were good runners in 7th grade who turned out to be slow or non runners later on is irrelevant.
The OP asked a question. You failed to answer it.
If a lady with an alligator about to bite her leg asks me if her new haircut looks good, I will inform her of the alligator.
The bigger point is the OP projecting a 4:10 mile from a 5:06 7th grade performance. That's what's called a setup for failure.
Based on this, the best advice anyone could offer the OP is that he completely removes himself from his son's running other than being a supportive parent and enjoy the moment.
I ran 5:0(something) when I was 12 or so. I ran low four teens in college. It is asinine to project "4:10" HS times based on anything in 7th grade. The only thing that the OP can say definitively is that the kid ran 5:06. Puberty changes everything for boys and especially girls. I sit next to a guy at work who ran fast in middle school, then grew up and filled out. He threw shot and discus in HS. He is a big guy, 6-3 / ~225 and isn't fat. Shot and discus were perfect for his body type. Trying to turn him into a miler because he ran "fast" in 7th grade would have been futile. Making projections off of his times in middle school would have been as worthless as the projections that the OP is making.
Not obvious enough apparently wrote:
The bigger point is the OP projecting a 4:10 mile from a 5:06 7th grade performance. That's what's called a setup for failure.
Based on this, the best advice anyone could offer the OP is that he completely removes himself from his son's running other than being a supportive parent and enjoy the moment.