My son has been running for almost 4 years (he's in 9th now) and things are getting real! He is very serious about it and this whole world is a learning curve for me. Any advice on how to best support him? His goal is D1 for college. He has times that are considered on track for D1/D2 schools.
Should he do summer meets or camps or are his school training and meets sufficient? Thank you!
Vaporflies and dragonflies
Good summer camp will help
Camp(s) are a good idea. I don't recommend racing meets in the summer because it could lead to burnout.
frannie72 wrote:
My son has been running for almost 4 years (he's in 9th now) and things are getting real! He is very serious about it and this whole world is a learning curve for me. Any advice on how to best support him? His goal is D1 for college. He has times that are considered on track for D1/D2 schools.
Should he do summer meets or camps or are his school training and meets sufficient? Thank you!
"D1" is a stupid goal. Almost anyone can run D1 if they go to a crappy enough program.
From time to time, make him try some other sport beside running, it can help to avoid burnout and will make him a stronger and better athlete.
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I agree summer camp is a good call. We are out west and my high school daughter really enjoys Steens Mountain Running Camp. She learns from other runners and the other coaches that attend. I think Bowerman Track Club and Union Track Club also put on camps. There are a ton of them. Your son's coach can probably recommend a good one too.
For the most part, if your son has a good coach, he's in good hands. If you don't know how to judge the coach, talk to other parents who have kids on the team, especially those who ran in college. They'll have a good sense about the coach.
Does it come with the burritos?
Got the dragonflys last week:)
Thank you! I will look into camps.
say goodbye to his mental health once he arrives on campus.
frannie72 wrote:
Be interested without living vicariously or seeing it as a possible way to get some or all of his college expenses paid for.
Make sure to buy healthy food. Buy him new running shoes/spikes when they are worn out. (About every 500 miles for trainers) and just overall support. Camps are a great opportunity to learn, and there are many good camps to look Into. Summer races are not good, as they can lead to an athlete burning out mid-season in xc.
Chester shoes wrote:
Vaporflies and dragonflies
If non runners read this, they would wonder what kind of drug using cult this is.
Agree with others on researching the coach and asking other parents about him. Has he had any success? What is the culture like? He doesn't need to have a list of sub 4:10 milers. Mine never had anyone break 4:30 in 20 years of coaching and then he got some talent and had 2 sub 4:10 guys and an additional 5 sub 4:20 guys within a 5 year span. The training was the same, but it was the first time he had anyone with any talent and hard workers and that instilled a culture of working hard instead of just jog around goof off.
How best to support him? Honestly, it sounds like he's already working plenty hard if he's been training since 5th grade. I'd advise you to help him temper his ambition a bit and keep things in perspective. Keep him from overdoing it and mentally burning out.
Re camps: I think that depends on the current situation. If he has a good coach and a good plan there's no need to seek other opinions and training environments. Running isn't like other sports where you need to attend camps to get scouted. If you run a fast time, they all know how to find you. But if you're going to have to coach him yourself then attending camps and workshops would be valuable. You can also learn so much online these days.
The single biggest thing a high school runner needs from a parent is just a family situation that gives them time and flexibility to train. And of course facilitating transportation when necessary.
Hopefully helpful wrote:
Make sure to buy healthy food. Buy him new running shoes/spikes when they are worn out. (About every 500 miles for trainers) and just overall support. Camps are a great opportunity to learn, and there are many good camps to look Into. Summer races are not good, as they can lead to an athlete burning out mid-season in xc.
OP exactly this. Don’t give coaching advice or training this is what the coach does. Support him by buying new shoes, foam roller, cook him (and all your kids) a healthy breakfast and dinner. Pack them a lunch for school. Be interested in their goals and attend their races. Encourage them to reach out to college coaches early and take him on visits.
Disagree with camps it’s just a d measuring contest over the summer no real practical training
Buy him shoes and try to make all his races and cheer him on!
Be his mom. Make sure he knows he is more than an athlete because that will come to end.
Encourage healthy eating and sleeping habits. I keep my son in good shoes to help prevent injury. Make sure his social media stays clean. We didn’t do camps but his high school has a week long camp at Acadia every summer. I defer the specifics but of training and racing to the coach.
Camps are fun and can help him learn if it is the right camp. Train for and run NXR or footlocker or Runninglane post season this year to have fun and get a bigger picture on big time running.
Encourage him to not run too much this year. If he already thinks he wants to be a 60-70 mpw runner in HS, maybe persuade him to wait until at least summer before his junior year.
Spend a lot on shoes to get him the right ones for him. Don’t wait too long to replace them or you’ll spend more fixing him than you would have on shoes.
As a sub 4 miler told my parents 50 years ago, running is a competition to see who can run the most without getting hurt. Having patience for the body to mature and investing in the right shoes both help.