There are better things to be good at than running, like calculus and critical reading and presentation skills. You like running, great, either he grows to like it or he grows up to do something more important in life. You can’t want college running for him.
That is correct. His real passion is for the “Science Olympiad” team. But kids should participate in sports, too. Not with college as the end goal - I have no clue if he has that sort of talent. But just to move your body and compete and have fun and be a well-rounded person.
Slightly tangential but relevant I think-
D3 talent isn’t unusual (I don’t mean the national qualifiers and conference champs, who have D1 talent)- and for students who love running, it is compatible with academic excellence and can provide a peer group of other scholar-runners who become lifelong friends and professional contacts. This is part of a great college experience for a lot of runners- I know I’m looking ahead 5 years but wanted to make the point that college running is more than the D1 kids. Otherwise, I agree with the low key approach- the kid has to choose running- or anything else they are going to pursue
My son is going to be a freshman this fall, and plans to go out for the high school team. He ran for the 8th grade team last year, and was basically a mid-packer at the 1800 distance that they ran. (He couldn't shake bronchitis the second half of the season, so it wasn't very successful.)
Now that his spring/summer baseball season has ended, I was wondering what kind of advice people here may have about getting him ready for cross country in the fall, including mileage, workouts, etc.
I'm in my mid-40s and a ~3:05 to 3:10 marathoner who runs 70 to 80 miles a week when I'm training, but I don't really have much of an idea on how to get a 14-year-old ready. He's got a great frame for it and some talent in there somewhere, but he's a bit timid about stretching out, distance-wise.
I would say yes, contact the high school coach and ask him/her if there’s anything he could do to get ready for the fall, but in general, as a freshman, all of the guys are new to the high school running scene. Illinois generally has a boys’ freshman/sophomore race at the invitationals (in addition to the open and Varsity races), so he won’t be racing against the Varsity guys while he’s learning to race. And truly, in cross country especially - it’s about RACING, not time. Cross country is a team sport and the goal is to get the best PLACE you can, alongside your team. If he can figure that out early, he’ll be great. That said, if he WANTS more and the coach doesn’t give much direction, there are groups all over Chicagoland that work with kids. Some for a price, some are even free. Also, University of Wisconsin is just a couple of hours away and does a great summer Cross Country camp - it’s a week long on campus and there are 2 different sessions (July 11-15 and July 18-22) and there were still spots available. My kids have done and are doing this camp - it’s middle schoolers and high schoolers, divided up into groups by ability. Great way to get them excited for the fall! Have fun! Illinois is a GREAT state for high school distance running!
My son is going to be a freshman this fall, and plans to go out for the high school team. He ran for the 8th grade team last year, and was basically a mid-packer at the 1800 distance that they ran. (He couldn't shake bronchitis the second half of the season, so it wasn't very successful.)
Now that his spring/summer baseball season has ended, I was wondering what kind of advice people here may have about getting him ready for cross country in the fall, including mileage, workouts, etc.
I'm in my mid-40s and a ~3:05 to 3:10 marathoner who runs 70 to 80 miles a week when I'm training, but I don't really have much of an idea on how to get a 14-year-old ready. He's got a great frame for it and some talent in there somewhere, but he's a bit timid about stretching out, distance-wise.
This is pretty similar to my oldest son's beginning except he was near the front of the 8th grade team. About a month before team practices began I told him that if he wanted to be one of the top varsity guys or close to it he should get out each day and run for 30-35 minutes but doing that or not was completely up to him.
I have a niece who started running recently and will enter the 9th grade next year. I just told her to enjoy it. I coached for 30 years and the best parents were always those that were happy with anything and everything their kid did. Face it, running 3 miles so you can throw up is not for everyone!
Gee, no wonder American distance runners suck on the global scene. You think Gjert told Jakob to “just enjoy it”when Jakob was at age? No! Gjert trained him to be the dominant winner he is today.
OP: if you want your kid to “enjoy” running, ask him if he likes finishing races in the middle of the pack, or if he thinks it would be more fun to win. If he says the latter, THEN YOU TRAIN HIM TO BE A WINNER.
Kids lack self-discipline at that age, so if you stand idly by and let him run only when he’s in the mood, then he’ll never make much progress. Kids need to be PUSHED if they want to win. I wish I had someone pushing me at that age.
I have a niece who started running recently and will enter the 9th grade next year. I just told her to enjoy it. I coached for 30 years and the best parents were always those that were happy with anything and everything their kid did. Face it, running 3 miles so you can throw up is not for everyone!
Gee, no wonder American distance runners suck on the global scene. You think Gjert told Jakob to “just enjoy it”when Jakob was at age? No! Gjert trained him to be the dominant winner he is today.
OP: if you want your kid to “enjoy” running, ask him if he likes finishing races in the middle of the pack, or if he thinks it would be more fun to win. If he says the latter, THEN YOU TRAIN HIM TO BE A WINNER.
Kids lack self-discipline at that age, so if you stand idly by and let him run only when he’s in the mood, then he’ll never make much progress. Kids need to be PUSHED if they want to win. I wish I had someone pushing me at that age.
I know this is satire, but there is a kernel of truth to it. Especially in these times, a lot of kids (mine included) would be perfectly content to sit around and play on their phones or computers all day, every day. So they do need something of a push at times.
The thing with mine is he knows I'm a runner, so he wants me to help him know how to train for the fall. (And I go on the runs with him.)
I've applied no pressure on my kids with their cross country. I have tried to lead by example and I give them advice, but I don't push them.
I run nearly every day. I don't imply or say they should do this, but they see the example.
I encourage other sports where running or other cardio is disguised as fun (lacrosse, play, cycling).
My oldest did the bare minimum the first few seasons and during summers. She's been a mid-packer. But now as a senior she's running by choice, doing speed workouts and long runs, suggested by her coach to prepare for the Fall season. She's isn't in striking distance of being a high performer, but is certain to improve with her self-imposed higher level of training and genuinely likes running.
I know this is satire, but there is a kernel of truth to it. Especially in these times, a lot of kids (mine included) would be perfectly content to sit around and play on their phones or computers all day, every day. So they do need something of a push at times.
The thing with mine is he knows I'm a runner, so he wants me to help him know how to train for the fall. (And I go on the runs with him.)
Yeah, admittedly I was over the top in my comment, but I do believe in the core of my message. I’m a little younger than you. When I was in high school, I had the desire to run but I lacked discipline and direction. My parents didn’t care if I ran or not, and in fact were against me going out for cross country. So I spent most of the summers watching tv and playing video games.
It’s great that your son wants you to help him. That shows he has the desire, he just needs the structure. Very cool that you run with him. He’s lucky to have a dad like you.
I know this is satire, but there is a kernel of truth to it. Especially in these times, a lot of kids (mine included) would be perfectly content to sit around and play on their phones or computers all day, every day. So they do need something of a push at times.
The thing with mine is he knows I'm a runner, so he wants me to help him know how to train for the fall. (And I go on the runs with him.)
Yeah, admittedly I was over the top in my comment, but I do believe in the core of my message. I’m a little younger than you. When I was in high school, I had the desire to run but I lacked discipline and direction. My parents didn’t care if I ran or not, and in fact were against me going out for cross country. So I spent most of the summers watching tv and playing video games.
It’s great that your son wants you to help him. That shows he has the desire, he just needs the structure. Very cool that you run with him. He’s lucky to have a dad like you.
I think that people's "crazy sports radar" tends to go off sometimes, and it's certainly understandable. I'm definitely not one of those. We've never done travel baseball, etc. (other than a couple all-star tournaments after the Little League season), have never done multiple sports at a time, etc. Just a dad here looking to get his son pointed in the right direction in a sport I think might be up his alley.
I remember what drove me at that age was the idea of running far. Running 5 miles for the first time really impressed me. Then 7 miles. Then 8 miles. 10 miles at a hs senior was a real milestone. Being able to bang out a 13 mile run as a college freshman, at a pretty good clip, was a blast.
I hope he develops a love for running and enjoys what he is doing.
I remember what drove me at that age was the idea of running far. Running 5 miles for the first time really impressed me. Then 7 miles. Then 8 miles. 10 miles at a hs senior was a real milestone. Being able to bang out a 13 mile run as a college freshman, at a pretty good clip, was a blast.
I hope he develops a love for running and enjoys what he is doing.
When I was talking to Lydiard about my son's running his advice was "see if you can get him interested in how far he can run rather than how fast."
My odest daughter ran in 7th and 8th grade and I never pushed her to run, she did it because she wanted to. And, yes, she saw me running most every day and decided to try it. I never pushed her at all because I didn't want to make her hate it or get resentful in any way towards it.
Summer of going into high school she said, "I want to try running in High School. What do I need to do." It will mean doing more and pushing yourself, I said. She said, "That's fine. What do I need to do?" So we did some more runs and targeted running, actual training with purpose and she was positioned well to step onto her frosh/soph team and handle the training.
That was the key, in my mind: I didn't want to fully coach her, I didn't want her to be a star at 14. I wanted her body ready to handle the training progression over the next 4 years. (I also knew the coach, we'd run against each other in the '80's) She didn't start HS burned out at all, she started it with running just starting to become fun and feel good to go out and do a good run, and then got to run with other girls on the team, make friends, get faster and stronger. It was a good way to start.
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