Tips for Junior Runners
Thanks to a milder than usual winter, many
of us have been able to keep to or increase our weekly training schedules.
Perhaps being able to log heavier-than-usual winter mileage will mean PR's
in the spring. But although intensive training within reasonable limits
usually pays dividends for adult runners, is it safe for young runners?
According to Dr. Tim Noakes, the author of The Lore of Running, the
clear answer is no
. Noakes thoroughly researched whether young runners
should train heavily or compete seriously, and discovered that early training
is not a predictor of later success as an adult athlete. Most of the world's
outstanding adult athletes of the 1980's did not train heavily and were
not outstandingly successful athletes as children. In fact, the majority
of outstanding athletes of world standing were not particularly outstanding
nor did they train intensively in their youth.
We all have heard the story of Michael Jordan failing to make his high school basketball team. But whether it's apocryphal or not, almost without exception none of these world class athletes chose to specialize in a sport before the age of 16-18. And, in almost all cases, the desire to begin specialized training came from the athletes themselves, not from their parents or coaches.
The harm of early specialized training is,
of course, injury burnout. Noakes discovered that the negative effects of
early specialization are quite apparent here in the United States, where
success in sports at the scholastic level almost guarantees that the athlete
will not compete at the top rung as an adult. Two great examples of late
bloomers
are Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers, who were not successful scholastic
athletes but later went on to world fame.
What are some sensible guidelines? According to an article published in The Physician and Sportsmedicine, children should be encouraged to engage in a range of sports for enjoyment, and to develop overall fitness. Children should race over shorter distances only and engage in low-key training. Children should not specialize in middle distances (800m to one mile) before age 13, or at longer distances (up to 10K) before ages 15-16. Young runners should participate in a balanced training program before they specialize. Aerobic training should be done only at low intensities. Young runners should avoid anaerobic training before puberty.
And, as parents, we need to make sure that our children know that win or lose, we love them and are not disappointed in their performance. We need to be realistic about our children's physical abilities, and help them set realistic goals for themselves. We should emphasize improvements in performance, not winning, and avoid reliving our own athletic pasts through our children. Finally, we should always provide a safe environment for training, remember to be a cheerleader for our children and all other children involved, and be a positive role model for our children. Come on out to the next Junior Participation run and let's put these principles to work!
Nick and Kathy Levintow are the former coordinators of the MCRRC Junior Participation Series.
