Kids Running: Have Fun, Get Faster & Go Farther
Dear Keith,

My 10-year old son (who will be 11 on 5/31/01) is presently on a premier soccer team that practices two (2) times per week for 1 1/2 to 2 hours each.

He and I had been walking/running approximately 3 miles four days per week until the end of November, 2000 when we stopped due to his soccer practices and his school schedule. He ran his first (and so far only) 5K race on Labor Day, 2000 with a time of 29:12 after training from approximately June through August, 2000 at the rate of 3 miles 4 times per week.

His soccer coach has stated that he feels my son needs to work on his fitness, as well as his speed and quickness as he has become sluggish and slow to react on the soccer field. Just as a side note, he has hit a "growing spurt" and has gone from 72 lbs. to 104 lbs. and has grown 2 inches since this time last year.

Since my son enjoys running, I was going to begin running with him once again. My tentative schedule is four times per week x 3 miles per session.

However, at his age, I want to make sure that he not only progresses in fitness by adding distance, but that I also protect his health by making sure that he eats the proper foods and that we do not add distance or duration too quickly which could, of course, cause injury.

Are there any guidelines for a child his age to begin running, add distance and duration at a steady, but definitely safe, rate and for diet in order to make sure he has the proper nutrients for his growing body and this exercise, as well as enough "fuel" when he runs a race?

He had also informed me that he wanted to try to run a 5K each 2 to 3 months, if we could based on our busy schedules. The next race in our area is March 3rd. In addition, he has stated that if he is in good enough shape, he wants to run his first 10K race on Labor Day, 2001.

Any assistance you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I am not a runner (yet) and will be trying to keep up with my son (at the lovely age of 50), but I need much more knowledge than I have at present in order to help him progress to a 10K race by Labor Day, 2001.

Dear Gail,

It seems to me that there are three questions being asked here...
1.) How can my son get faster on the soccer field?
2.) How can he train for 5K's and 10K's?
3.) What is good nutrition for a running and growing 11 year old?

As a former soccer player and track runner from elementary school through college - and currently an endurance athlete, I can only suggest not training too hard at 11 years old.

Running a 10k is not going to help the first issue of speeding up on the soccer field. All of the endurance running in the world can't give you this speed. I can vouch that soccer players are constantly sprinting and stopping over the entire course of a game, and even if you can run the fastest 10K in the state, you may not be in good soccer shape. Getting faster on the soccer field just comes with playing a lot of soccer. There are sprint workouts - running back and forth between the lines on the field, and other speed drills that one can work at, but playing soccer in game situations is really the best way to get fast on the soccer field.

After training and competing in triathlons all spring and summer, I used to come into varsity college soccer practice in the best shape of my life and lap everybody on the team in the 2 mile during tryouts - running as if I was trying out for the cross-country team. Once play began, however, I found that I was not in very good soccer shape and I used to get winded on the soccer field very fast and not be able to outsprint others to the ball. Once I stopped distance running and just worked on the soccer workouts - and played every day for hours - I got better and faster on the soccer field. By the end of the season I was really fast on the soccer field, but couldn't run nearly as fast in the 2 mile as the beginning of the season.

Outside of soccer however, running a few times a week at a moderate speed can be quite healthy. For an eleven year-old to target long distance races, one should be aware to keep the child from overtraining. Endurance training puts severe stress on the body, particularly during periods of growth spurts and there can be a tendency in endurance athletes to overtrain and go further and faster all of the time. I started cross-country when I was 13 and I thought the 3 mile runs were rather far. It ended up that was a mere walk in the park compared to what I would put myself through later in life - 6 hour bike races, Olympic distance triathlons, etc.

However, I am glad that I eventually built up to that distance over the course of years and years of growing and training.

The biggest risk of all happens to be injury however. Pushing too far and too hard without enough base can put the body under stress that it is not ready to endure. If your son is just going through a growth spurt, I would recommend slowly adjusting to new distances over time and not putting pressure to be fast and speedy for long distance running races.

As far as nutrition goes - stay hydrated and eat well - according to the nutritional beliefs that you may follow - there are thousands out there. You may find that his appetite has doubled since he started growing more and running more. Sleep, rest, and fun are also an important part of staying fit and healthy.

Note from the editor, Carol, to Gail: Please visit our Resource Page and look for the Human Kinetics books on training and soccer. They should be of benefit to you and your son. For speed, look towards the shorter distance drills. He should eat healthy, eat for power, and eat for variety.

Don't panic or place any limits on your your son's potential. He has just gone through a growth spurt, has many, many years to come in which he should enjoy sports. Please keep us posted on his progress. Thanks so much!

Thanks to my son, Keith for taking his time to answer this question. Keith was a runner and soccer player throughout his younger years and then went on to captain both the track and soccer teams in high school. He was also a great basketball player (IMHO) and is now on his way to being a CAT 1 cyclist.

Do you have any questions about a child's running program? Feel free to email the kid's editor at carolgoodrow@verizon.net.