It’s a travesty that kid’s can’t run more than 500m.

Teach them pacing and get them to run a daily mile.

It's a travesty that they can't run more than a quarter mile. What's this 500m thing?

ancient school style wrote:

It's a travesty that they can't run more than a quarter mile. What's this 500m thing?

I truly believe any 13YO can run 1 lap around an outdoor track. I don’t believe, for some reason mentally, kids can run any more than 500m. Mentally they’ll just give up around the curve.

Stop complaining coach. Sounds like Dorsey High School with a lot of talent 100m to 400m. So what that the XC team at Chino High School gets 25 kids from each gender to join. Be happy that Dorsey High has so many good sprinters.

Make it fun. Running isn't exactly like going to Disney World, especially for kids with short attention spans. You have to make it fun however you choose to do that. If you can keep them around long enough to see some improvement, they'll be hooked. A lot of kids are fickle, but a lot are fiercely competitive too.

Offer prizes! Incentives! Give them a carrot!

Dumbest thread ever. Kids just need to learn how to pace themselves--and it's up to the adults to teach them. When kids hear "race" they think "as fast as I can" and they burn themselves out. If you give a kid a golf club they don't instantly know how to use it correctly either...you have to teach them the proper way or else they end up using it in a sub-optimal manner.

I think you're confusing won't with can't.

800 base wrote:

Kids just need to learn how to pace themselves.

This is not really true. I've had a similar experience as the OP. The kids are running so slow that they might as well be walking. At that speed running is really as boring as it looks. I agree that they likely could run for longer, but it is so boring at their capable pace.

I can make running a lot of short sprints fun with games, but how do you make a 2 mile slog fun? I am having a hard time helping the kids bridge the gap between tag games and xc race distances.

That's the video game generation for you. When I was little I was always outside playing and riding my bike. So when I started running I could go on for miles easy no problem. Now kids are a lot less fit today than the pass generation. Plus they are less creative due to computers and video games. Look up The Comfort Crisis on this topic, very interesting read.

TryAthlete wrote:

ancient school style wrote:

It's a travesty that they can't run more than a quarter mile. What's this 500m thing?

I truly believe any 13YO can run 1 lap around an outdoor track. I don’t believe, for some reason mentally, kids can run any more than 500m. Mentally they’ll just give up around the curve.

Most average people can’t run a mile, where running is defined as not putting both feet down. They can’t not because they are incapable but because they haven’t run a mile in a long time or ever and just don’t know how to pace themselves. A majority of healthy uninjured people will be able to run a mile with a few weeks of training.

Why would kids be any different? They would in all likelihood be worse, physically and mentally.

I watched a 4k race for 12-14 year olds a couple weeks ago. It was two laps so I could see them come past at 2k. This really is a miserable sport. Each kid was in their own personal hell. Only a few were walking and crying at 2k. Most finished between 15:30 and 23 minutes. A couple kids smiled because their parents were so happy with their times, but most wanted to leave asap.

There are recommendations for level and intensity of training for kids in all sports but the ... Do not increase running mileage by more than 10% per week.

https://www.dunkinrunsonyou.net/

800 base wrote:

Dumbest thread ever. Kids just need to learn how to pace themselves--and it's up to the adults to teach them. When kids hear "race" they think "as fast as I can" and they burn themselves out. If you give a kid a golf club they don't instantly know how to use it correctly either...you have to teach them the proper way or else they end up using it in a sub-optimal manner.

No, they are just out of shape.

I remember being 6 and being asked to run a mile on a track, and was told it was 4 laps. If 6 year old me could comprehend 4 laps, 13 year old kids can.

Adding to this….

Basketball practice is boring. Shooting 100 free throws is boring. Working on ball handling is boring. When isn’t basketball boring? When there is a competitive component to it!

Running is the same. Foster a sense of pride in personal success, and it becomes exciting. But we have a generation (or, generations) of snowflakes who expect participation trophies for running a 12 minute mile at age 13. WIth running, you can’t hide who is better and who is worse. Times are obvious and objective. It doesn’t fit the modern mentality.