Young Runs

Helping your kids put their Best foot forward

Like it or not, parents are key role models for their children. Of course, no parent is perfect, and though we might not always exhibit our best habits and behaviour, when it comes to running we believe that we're showing our little people a great way to achieve physical and mental health for a lifetime. And while some children haven't wanted anything to do with a planned run since they hopped out of the jogging stroller for the last time, others may want to lace up and hit the sidewalks just like mom or dad. But is it safe for kids to run the same way adult recreational runners do? How much is too much? Should we be encouraging it at all? Hugh Conlin, head coach and director of development for Athletics Canada, says children can absolutely run and have fun, as they do naturally, but serious training runs are out for kids under the age of 16. "In terms of safety, we're looking at keeping it safe in terms of not interfering with growth and development patterns," he says. "A child can run and have fun - even a 2k competition for exercise wouldn't be harmful because they are running within their own abilities. But what we wouldn't want to see them doing is heavy-duty training." An eight-year-old running 5k three times a week "may not be terribly bad," Conlin says, but he'd prefer children that age not focus so much on any one fitness component. Under the age of eight, children should not be doing as much as three regular runs a week, he suggests.

Here are a few "Dos" &"Don'ts"

Do:

• Do teach kids good running mechanics from the start
• Do encourage participation in a variety of sports
• Do help kids begin to focus on running more seriously at age 15 or 16
• Do remind kids they should drink water regularly as they run, as adults do
• Do find a good coach for kids who want to get serious
• Do invest in good running shoes; visit a specialty running shoe shop where they know about running and sell kids' shoes
• Do keep nutrition balanced

Don't:

• Don't do speed repeats, interval training or other intense training
• Don't let running be their only activity
• Don't let kids under 15 do more than three runs per week
• Don't push kids; let them listen to their bodies
• Don't let kids take supplements
• Don't let kids run marathon distances until after age 18
• Don't have kids counting calories to improve performance

Running Through the Ages

0-6 Boys & Girls

• The focus here should be on making play and physical activity fun and a part of daily life
• Kids should be continually active, without being sedentary for more than an hour at a time all day, except when they are sleeping

6-9 Boys 6-8 Girls

• Agility, balance and coordination teaching are added to the mix
• Kids should be encouraged to participate in several sports
• Total activity time should max out at ten hours per week

9-12 Boys 8-11 Girls

• Exercise sessions can move up to two or three times per week
• Total activity time should max out at 11 hours per week

Boys 12-16 Girls 11-15

• Endurance, strength and speed development can begin
• Girls can start weight training when they begin menstruating, boys can start at Peak Height Velocity (PHV), a major growth spurt to be determined by a doctor
• Can move up to four to seven training sessions a week
• Training hours max out at 12 hours per week

Boys 16-18 Girls 15-17

• Specialization on a sport can begin
• Practice to competition ratio should be 9:1

Girls on the Run

Girls ages 8-12 are finding confidence, self-esteem and a healthy body through an after-school, girls-only running program that's popping up across the country. The U.S.-based "Girls on the Run" program is now in 22 Canadian schools, with 600 girls participating each year. More than 50,000 North American girls went through the program last year alone. Our goal is to empower these girls with life skills to improve self-esteem, dealing with cliques and all the challenges they face," says Rina De Donato, council director for Girls on the Run in York Region and the Greater Toronto Area. "As they become physically stronger, they become mentally stronger too."

The clubs meet twice a week after school for nine weeks, working their way up from no running at all to running a 5k distance at a celebration at the school. "It's non-competitive," says De Donato.

"We attract the athletes, but also those children who would never go out for sports and stand at the back of the gym."

Each session starts off with the girls talking about a critical issue in all of their lives, such as gossip, then uses games like broken-telephone to work the topic into a physical challenge, involving running and walking. "These girls just transform before your eyes," she says.

For more information, go to girlsontherun.ca To find the Long Term Athlete Development Program, go to athleticscanada.com and click on "Coaching.

One family's Story

Running is a mental and emotional oasis for Lesley Wuls, 40, of Toronto, and something she hoped her son would one day make a part of his life. "I can go into a full meditative state when I'm running; it's a huge release for me," says Wuls. "I wanted my son to have something where he could do some of that releasing. We all have it in us and we've got to find a way to release it. There are lots of negative ways to do it, but this is a positive way."

Despite her desire to have him become a runner, Wuls' son started running quite by accident. She needed to work a run into her busy schedule, so she started running with her baby daughter in the jogger to daycare, with Shane rollerblading beside her.

"Then one day (when he was eight) he asked, 'why can't I run with you?'" she says. And that's just what they did.

Now 12 years old and in the sixth grade, Shane runs with his mom two or three times a week, for a distance of 3-4k. "I like running," he says. "I feel like I'm in a different world. People think it's a lot of work, but it's actually relaxing." Shane says the runs with his mom give him mental and physical strength going into his soccer and hockey games.