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5-K
Dear Carol,
I am a mentor to a 10-year-old boy from a father-absent home. He is a very good athlete (football and basketball) and very fast. I have been a runner for many years and I thought it would be fun for us to run the Cherry Creek Sneak Road Race in Denver.
It is a 5-miler or 5-K
optionally. Do you think this is too ambitious (he wants to do it)? What
sort of a training schedule would you suggest?
For now I have given him a
calendar and suggested he run a mile or two every other day for a couple of
weeks at a very slow pace. The we will see about some longer runs.
Pete Wall
Dear
Pete, I don't think there is any such thing as a training program for a 10-year-old boy running a 5-K and this is why. Competitive distances in associations such as USATF and Hershey Youth Programs for kids this age, are MUCH shorter. It is okay for you to have him run a 5-K or 5-miler with you as an occasional event, but it's not a recommended racing distance, thus there aren't special kids' training programs that I am aware of. Of course you could find an adult's 5-K program and adapt it a little for this young fellow, but I wouldn't really recommend it.
This event should not be approached as a truly competitive race for a child this age. He needs to look at it as a finish.
For a 5-K he probably won't be running any longer than 30 minutes. If he is on the go a lot with sports, he is already accustomed to being active this long and should have built up quite a bit of endurance along with his speed, although he won't be used to running this distance straight.
Sure, a mile or two now and then will prepare him, that is IF he understands about pacing and not going out too fast at the start. He should practice running a bit of distance with you. You could start out slowly (talking pace) and when you are both feeling good, sprint a little, then slow down. You'll need to gage what this child can do and do a little training with him.
Here's how you can insure that this run is successful for him.
Stay with him. Make sure that he is able to talk while you run. Slow down if need be. Don't drag him along at your pace and don't leave him alone on his first 5-K. I've seen this too many times in races I've run, particularly because I run in the mid to back of the pack. . Either a child is being almost pulled by an adult or the child gets stranded. The kids are often upset or feeling defeated at this point. You can see it in their faces. I always want to stop and walk and talk to the kids, but I just keep moving on. I need to remember that I am a stranger to these kids. They should be able to depend on the adult they know, at least at their first event.
I also see the adults who pace their kids, talk to them, and encourage them. I can't help but observe that these kids' faces are beaming. They seem to be full of confidence. Of course there are the kids who leave the adult in the dust. They just are too fast for Mom or Dad.
Advise him NOT to eat a big breakfast right before the run; some cereal and some water a couple of hours before the race should be enough. Make sure he has a decent pair of shoes to run in for the event.
If he does want to get into competitive running, please find a youth running club that he can join. With the right distances, he can successfully participate in competitive running with his peers.
Best of luck. It's great to hear that you are mentoring this child and helping to make our world a better place. Thanks for taking care of our youth.
Hey, get him involved in this site. We have a Log-a-Mile Program and Run the Seasons Program which are tailor made for young kids who want to get started running on a regular basis. You could do either of the programs along with him.
Carol
Feel free to email the kid's editor at carol.kids@rodale.com.
