I have two kids, aged almost 6 & 3. They do kids triathlons for fun.
The oldest one does exceptionally well in swimming (especially in her swim classes). Also, in triathlons, she has an easy time passing everyone on the bike because she is VERY tall for her age and is thus on a bike with wheels that are bigger than other kids'. However, she has been doing triathlons since she was 3 and from my observations, running is very hard for her, compared to her peers. Unfortunately, her running form looks a lot like mine (not a good thing)! Other kids in her "age group" seem to be very light on their feet. Even when she was a toddler, running did not come easy for her. She would ALWAYS trip whenever she would run. ALWAYS. This has stopped only a year or so ago.
Conversely, my 3 year old runs pretty much just as fast as the 6 year old. Her running form looks a lot like my hubby's (a very good thing). Unlike her older sister, she is shorter and smaller for her age. And the more I observe my youngest one, the more I realize that my oldest one is not a "natural runner".
Is there hope for my oldest one? Can poor running form be unlearned if she starts doing track in a few years?
For now they participate in fun events like the kids triathlons, short trail runs or family fun runs. I am just envisioning the possibility where in a few years they may want to get more competitive...but maybe one of them or both never will, which is fine too...
The oldest one does exceptionally well in swimming (especially in her swim classes). Also, in triathlons, she has an easy time passing everyone on the bike because she is VERY tall for her age and is thus on a bike with wheels that are bigger than other kids'. However, she has been doing triathlons since she was 3 and from my observations, running is very hard for her, compared to her peers. Unfortunately, her running form looks a lot like mine (not a good thing)! Other kids in her "age group" seem to be very light on their feet. Even when she was a toddler, running did not come easy for her. She would ALWAYS trip whenever she would run. ALWAYS. This has stopped only a year or so ago.
Conversely, my 3 year old runs pretty much just as fast as the 6 year old. Her running form looks a lot like my hubby's (a very good thing). Unlike her older sister, she is shorter and smaller for her age. And the more I observe my youngest one, the more I realize that my oldest one is not a "natural runner".
Is there hope for my oldest one? Can poor running form be unlearned if she starts doing track in a few years?
For now they participate in fun events like the kids triathlons, short trail runs or family fun runs. I am just envisioning the possibility where in a few years they may want to get more competitive...but maybe one of them or both never will, which is fine too...