Which One Of You Idiots Is This Kids Father?

Kids is brainwashed with the lingo too.

"leg speed"?

He has the douche glasses. Also if he is estimating the pace, "...because I was probably going...." just say 6:00 kid.

But yes, he certainly came from the loins of LR.

MD Phan wrote:Put this kid into soccer or something for 5 years and let him have a normal childhood! Sure, a 9 y.o. will say he "wants" to go running with his Dad, but not really.

"The fourth grader from Tustin, California, started running after he quit soccer, joining the Equalizers Track Club a year ago"

Yes, because so many kids want to quit soccer so they can put in 50 miles a week.

"Hey Zach, your coach is an idiot, you are the best one on that team, every touch should go to you. You should just quit team sports because you have so much talent as an individual. You want to go on my ten mile run this Saturday? It will be fun."

If the kid doesn't like soccer, there's always baseball. Or even running. But when the kid is talking "5:59 pace" and "leg speed" it's way overboard. They probably cut out the talk of long tempo runs and HIIT. 10 miles a week and ultimate frisbee and a soccer game or two, then a couple of 5Ks a year, fine. But this is ruining this kids childhood. 100% guaranteed he will be done by 19, if not by 13.

Who cares if he's "done by 19, if not by 13"? I had hobbies when I was nine that I did not pursue into adulthood.

Run if you enjoy it. If you stop enjoying it, stop running. There's no harm in outgrowing a hobby.

Why is it considered brainwashing if he runs but not if he plays soccer? How many kids get burned out playing soccer in HS? Why do we think 'burning out' only applies to running?

MD Phan wrote:Yes, because so many kids want to quit soccer so they can put in 50 miles a week.

"Hey Zach, your coach is an idiot, you are the best one on that team, every touch should go to you. You should just quit team sports because you have so much talent as an individual. You want to go on my ten mile run this Saturday? It will be fun."

If the kid doesn't like soccer, there's always baseball. Or even running. But when the kid is talking "5:59 pace" and "leg speed" it's way overboard. They probably cut out the talk of long tempo runs and HIIT. 10 miles a week and ultimate frisbee and a soccer game or two, then a couple of 5Ks a year, fine. But this is ruining this kids childhood. 100% guaranteed he will be done by 19, if not by 13.

A lot of assumptions. Of which all, some, or none could be true.

And I'm not sure why running is so terrible for a kid, but soccer (or other sports) are somehow solving the problem.

The 'problem' is not the sport, it is the father... if he is the type of guy who pushes a child unhealthily and obsessively into a sport. When that happens, it doesn't matter if it's hockey, football, or running. It's not good.

I see a story of a kid who is going through a sports phase of no known length who has already tried soccer (probably encouraged by Dad) and then tried running (probably already did, as Dad's a runner). And he loves it. What is wrong with that? He's bonding with his father and that makes me happy to hear. Next year it might be tennis or baseball, but I sense running will always be in the background if he doesn't stick with it as the main effort. Sounds like a good, close and happy family.

Haji wrote:

Why is it considered brainwashing if he runs but not if he plays soccer? How many kids get burned out playing soccer in HS? Why do we think 'burning out' only applies to running?

Because Soccer is fun to 9 year olds if they get to play and be part of the team, running 50 miles a week is not.

I'm just suggesting that fathers need to be careful what "hobbies" they are doing with their sons, because a son will do any hobby with his father, even if he hates it. Build models, go watch a minor-league ball game in every park in the State, go shoot guns, collect basketball cards together-- BUT just be careful with making your crazy obsession that of your 9 year old son, because it's not healthy and not normal.

I see a story of a kid who is going through a sports phase of no known length who has already tried soccer (probably encouraged by Dad) and then tried running (probably already did, as Dad's a runner). And he loves it. What is wrong with that? He's bonding with his father and that makes me happy to hear. Next year it might be tennis or baseball, but I sense running will always be in the background if he doesn't stick with it as the main effort. Sounds like a good, close and happy family.[/quote]

I see your point, and maybe this kid is running 18:30 off of 10 miles a week and playing ultimate frisbee with his Dad 3 times a week, and going on long saturday hikes, if so, FABULOUS. This would be a great thing.

However, I suspect this father has got this kid on some Lydiard bulls!t with 50 miles a week and a 10 mile Saturday run. That's why I also suspect he also is a LR guy, nobody else is crazy enough to do this to a 9 year old.

I should do a search of fathers asking for advice on here about there 8 year old kid who is running 4 mile tempo runs.

I don't think his father is from lrc. If that were the case he wouldn't talk about "leg speed". Everyone on this board knows it's the foot speed velocity that matters.

roughly 5:59.43 pace wrote:

I don't think his father is from lrc. If that were the case he wouldn't talk about "leg speed". Everyone on this board knows it's the foot speed velocity that matters.

Now that's funny, really funny.

roughly 5:59.43 pace wrote:

I don't think his father is from lrc. If that were the case he wouldn't talk about "leg speed". Everyone on this board knows it's the foot speed velocity that matters.

ptptshahptthshattt!

'foot speed velocity' ?!?

Philistine!

MD Phan wrote:

Because Soccer is fun to 9 year olds if they get to play and be part of the team, running 50 miles a week is not.

I'm just suggesting that fathers need to be careful what "hobbies" they are doing with their sons, because a son will do any hobby with his father, even if he hates it. Build models, go watch a minor-league ball game in every park in the State, go shoot guns, collect basketball cards together-- BUT just be careful with making your crazy obsession that of your 9 year old son, because it's not healthy and not normal.

Healthy - OK.

But 'normal'?!? Who gives a shit?

Must be a very very slow news day at Runnersworld that they need to run a story about a 9 year old

OP is telling the father which sports his son is and isn't allowed to partake in. OP must be a liberal democrat.

So what's the right answer as to when you should start training as a runner. Eastern Africa seems to show that it is possible to run insanely fast very young (age cheat or no). Fairly certain Wanjiru was very close to stated age when he ran 26:40, 58:30, and won the Olympics. All by 20 I think. Did he do that by ultimate frisbee and waiting until he was mature to start running? Very doubtful.

oh please wrote:

So what's the right answer as to when you should start training as a runner. Eastern Africa seems to show that it is possible to run insanely fast very young (age cheat or no). Fairly certain Wanjiru was very close to stated age when he ran 26:40, 58:30, and won the Olympics. All by 20 I think. Did he do that by ultimate frisbee and waiting until he was mature to start running? Very doubtful.

Wanjiru was about 5 ft and 100 lbs and was supposedly thrown off a balcony by some woman. Who wants that for their kid??

High mileage should not be run until the kid figures out himself that high mileage is needed and starts running it on his own initiative. High School for boys is a good starting point, but maybe even junior and senior year in high school is more appropriate for a male IMO.

9 years old? Please.

Really?

All this and no one has pointed out what a complete overstriding hell-striker the kid is?

I didn't see anything in the article about his weekly mileage, but let's say for the sake of argument that it is about 50 miles / week. That amounts to about an hour a day - what's the big deal?

Compare that to a 9-yr-old who gravitates toward [or is pushed into] classical music. An hour a day simply won't get it done - you're looking at 3-4 hours / day minimum of hard, repetitious work generally done on one's own.