Proud Parent wrote:
Answerer of Questions wrote:"Completely kidding" means humble brag fail.
No. It means he ran way faster than I expected him to, but I had no basis for my expectations, so I am genuinely wondering if a 26 minute 5k is ok, good, or very good for an 8 year old boy.
Ass.
Hey, proud parent, there are a lot of jacka$$es on this board. Ignore them. That is a GREAT time for an 8-yr old boy w/just soccer and strides for "training."
I do not agree with the advice on here to have him train more. I think the advice of letting him play soccer up through middle school is great. Maybe have him do a couple runs per week when he's not playing soccer, or get him in another sport like basketball or swimming. Let him run the occasional race, but he must want to do it.
I have two daughters. My 11-yr old has run 23:xx at high altitude, and though she started swimming a little over a year ago, she has never taken to any other sport. She started cross country this year, and she runs two days a week right now, including meets. I will not let her run more than that. She has plenty of time to grow into a runner if she so chooses.
My 13-year old has played soccer from the age of 6. I have no idea what she can run for a 5k, but she has run 23:xx also going fairly easy. My best guess is she could break 21:00. She does play indoor soccer too and otherwise runs two days a week in the summer to stay conditioned for soccer.
There is a time for these kids to excel, and that time is not in middle school. So let him have fun, keep him in soccer, and maybe mix in some other sports. He has to be invested in it, not you, or he won't continue. He may get crushed now by the kids that are training 5,6, or 7 days a week, but just remind him to be patient, and he will catch almost all of them.
Way too much pressure on kids these days to be the best. It should be fun.