Advice for my son

Forty five minutes a day for a kid that age is good. If he enjoys running and wants to run more that's fine but consistency is the key. I wouldn't worry about his pace as long as he's comfortable with it and can do it day in and day out. It should get faster naturally as he gets fitter on its own. Let that happen but don't force it. The good thing about the 400s is that they give him some variation in pace but at this stage he doesn't need to be really formal about it. He could do just as well with some genuine fartlek, pick up the pace until the next intersection or until he's passed a number of utility poles, etc. If he can find a hilly course to run he should, that will also give some variation. But much of his improvement is going to come from maturing and the best thing to do is make sure he loves or at least likes the sport and stays with it. Don't rush things.

When I said (4mikes). I meant (4miles). Lol.

At 13-14, he can run quite a bit more. Stepping up to at least 25 mpw and 6 days of running per week is fine and would help a lot.

Stop doing the 2 mile/3000m time trials. They're not what he needs right now. He needs something more like a week of 3 easy runs of ~4 miles, 1 "long" run of ~5-6 miles, 1 uptempo day (2-3 miles or 2-3 x 1 mile at a pace faster than easy, but not racing), and 1 speed workout (200s, 400s, maybe a few 800s) at current race pace.

Thanks so much for the reply! He loves it- wants to run all the time. Just to be clear, do you think he should switch to doing an easy 45 mins a day most days (instead of just 2 days a week) and not worry so much about timing himself in the 2 mile and 3000m? Keeping the 400m intervals once a week? Thanks again! I know nothing about running, so I really appreciate the advice!!!

45 minutes at 9 minute pace is 5 miles, not 4.

Thank you so much! we will give this a try!!!! thank you all for your support. what a great recourse this is!!!!

Yes. Sorry. He’s probably closer to 5 miles on those days. Thanks!

Resource not recourse… lol

Oh, I missed the two days a week thing but maybe semi addressed this anyway when I said consistency is so important. Yes, he should be running most days even if he reduces the amount a bit. When my kids decided they wanted to run for their high school cross country team I had them running for 30-35 minutes a day six or seven times a week.

Teach him to run by feel, 45 minutes at an easy pace should be plenty enough at his age and will lay a good base for him going forward if he keeps consistent. The key is not to get too structured but teach him to listen to his body, not what a watch says at this age.

Thank you again! we are going to go out for 45 mins now! thanks !!!!

Thank you! I will tell him this. Thanks!

Disagree. Not if he's been only running 8 months. You *could* increase mileage to around 20, but I wouldn't be in a rush to ramp up mileage. I think 5 days a week is plenty for a young, first-year runner.

Check in with the track coach for some advice on what their typical training is like, both in terms of intensity and volume. Then gear his training to make sure he is ready to handle the workouts when track season starts.

So if coach says distance runners are usually in the 15-20 mpw range, then add a few miles here and there if you want to. But otherwise you would be in the right ballpark. If coach says we do a lot of X (i.e. tempo, 400s, 800s, miles, or whatever), then make sure you have done some of that as part of the training leading up to track season.

Start doing the supplemental stuff - strides, drills, core, etc. Even if it's just an introduction. Get familiar with the movements so that he'll be comfortable with it when track season starts.

Most importantly, though, I would encourage him to run a wide range of races - from 400m to 3200m. Don't get stuck in the "I'm a distance runner" mentality. Variety in racing helps you become a better racer at all distances and a faster runner, in general.

At 13, way too young to start pushing him into a strict regimen. Let him run whatever he feels comfortable with and don't worry about times, pace, distance, etc. I started at age 14 on a dare, completely unsupervised, would probably have quit running altogether the first time I got injured if someone had been pushing me.

Agreed, and furthermore I would mix it up. Run some hills. At the track try some bounding and standing, if not full run-up long jump. Try some 60m reps. Speed and athleticism will help all events and can be fun to train.

Thanks to all who have given advice! just wanted to clarify that he is driven. He wants to know what to do, and is really into it. I’m definitely not pushing him at all. Only posted here because I know next to nothing about running, and he is looking to me for guidance. So, thanks! Now I have some ideas! He did a nice 45 minute run today at a very easy pace. We covered just under 5 miles. It was a relaxed pace in which he could hold a conversation and enjoy the run. Thank you all! when the preseason conditioning starts in a few weeks, I’m sure the coach will step in and give some great advice too! Thanks again!