Dear Carol,
Our daughter is 11 years old. We cannot stop her from running. We are not sure what is the appropriate amount of running for her. While we are thrilled that she enjoys it and is getting exercise, we are concerned that she may be over doing it. If she had it her way, she would run a 5K race every weekend! How much is too much? What sort of limits should we set, if any?

Dear Jacques and Carol,
I wouldn't worry too much. A 5k is probably taking your daughter under a half hour. Some kids are just blessed with an extra burst of energy. Her body probably needs to exercise that long. I have some schoolchildren who don't stop moving all day. We do have distance guideline charts for 'racing' on the Advice page, but they are not meant as a hard and fast rule for each child.

I do understand that you are maybe worried about the constant pounding, but I don't think the 5k distance will really hurt your child. However, if you are really concerned here are some things you could do:
1. Encourage some days off from running with cross training such as cycling, swimming etc.
2. Suggest that she joins a youth track team where the competition distances will be shorter.
3. Help her find some routes that are on softer surfaces, track, grass, trail etc.
4. Limit the 5k's she participates in to 1 every other month
If your daughter really wants to run, encourage.

Note from the kid's editor:

Kids love to work for a goal. All of our programs offer a ribbon or certificate which your child may treasure for a lifetime.

Do you have any questions about a child's running program? Feel free to email the kid's editor at rwedit@rodale.com.