Children and Running form

Triathlon Forum
1

Almost all children I see run, have fantastic form compared to us old folks (20+). Although my daughter does not. She struggles when she runs, but really wants to do a tri. Even after a bit of discourgement from me to not have her do one, she wants to do one.

We went for a bike/run yesterday to make sure she could finish the distance and I “ran” with her. She had her feet pounding, her arms looked like noodles attached at the shoulders and her body was swaying back and forth. Along with a lot of complaining.

I am hestitant to say much, but was curious what others have done to try and help.

She is 8 years old (9 in 3 weeks), she is tall for her age and weighs around 85 lbs. She is not rail thin like her parents. She does not really like to run, but really wants to do a race. I told her she needs to volunteer at a race to cover her entry fees and swim in open water once a week. She is a good swimmer, does great in open water. She loves to ride her bike, but running is not something that is a lot of fun.

She talks about being on the podium like me (at local sprints), but if she can’t finish that would not be good. I do not care how she does, but I think it is important for her to have fun and finish.

Bad father? Idea suggestions?

2

Almost all children I see run, have fantastic form compared to us old folks (20+).

I hear a lot of people say this and I tend to think they are crazy. Children are a blast to watch play and run and just let the spirit run through them, but kids in general have a very limited amount of kinesthetic awareness. Their form leaves a lot to be desired. If you want your daughter to develop more awareness of her body, get her in ballet, and have her stick with sports at the same time.

3

…at age 8, I think the only kids who really like to run are those that can sprint really fast and run to a ball faster than any other kid. Other than that, most kids don’t like to run that much.

Just let her go out and have fun. Tell her that participating is more important thatn a podium. I would hate for her to finish off the podium and never try it again.

My son is no athlete, but he did a 5K kids XC ski race last winter and was one of the last to finish, but he was pretty proud that he did it and completed it. During the race, he was a bit demoralized when many of the kids booted ahead, but he had a big smile when he crossed the line and he told his teacher all about it on Monday. As for running form, my son lacks that too, but I like to think he inherited his lack of running form from his mother…I was always the kid who was first to the ball :slight_smile:

Dev

4

this seems to have alot of opportunity for lessons. to understand that getting something requires working on areas that you don’t like, or not winning/finishing even though you wanted to and or tried to. it’s also an opportunity for you both to discover new and positive things about yourselves.

let her go through this herself, be there for her, but don’t own it. map out the training plan and volunteer to accompany her during training. but ultimately, it’s up to her to finish, not you. set that standard. she is the one that has to run even though she doesn’t like it, and she is the one that will have to deal with finishing or not. and she will be the one that feels fantastic at the end when she has done something like this. (in other words, don’t own this–make it all hers)

challenge her by saying–do you want to finish the race? (yes) well then how do you expect to do that without running?

in any case, this is all about fun. if i were you, i’d be more concerned about just being there for her, as opposed to her finishing. focus on the journey, not the end result, and you’ll both have alot more satisfaction out of your efforts.

besides, it won’t be long before she runs your ass in the ground, and you’ll wonder where your 9 year old little girl went. :wink:

5

You haven’t been paying attention…

6

You haven’t been paying attention…
Time will tell whether or not that is the case.

7

Almost all children I see run, have fantastic form compared to us old folks (20+). Although my daughter does not. She struggles when she runs, but really wants to do a tri. Even after a bit of discourgement from me to not have her do one, she wants to do one.

We went for a bike/run yesterday to make sure she could finish the distance and I “ran” with her. She had her feet pounding, her arms looked like noodles attached at the shoulders and her body was swaying back and forth. Along with a lot of complaining.

I am hestitant to say much, but was curious what others have done to try and help.

She is 8 years old (9 in 3 weeks), she is tall for her age and weighs around 85 lbs. She is not rail thin like her parents. She does not really like to run, but really wants to do a race. I told her she needs to volunteer at a race to cover her entry fees and swim in open water once a week. She is a good swimmer, does great in open water. She loves to ride her bike, but running is not something that is a lot of fun.

She talks about being on the podium like me (at local sprints), but if she can’t finish that would not be good. I do not care how she does, but I think it is important for her to have fun and finish.

Bad father? Idea suggestions?

I have been paying a lot of attention to this in trying to document why we (mostly) need a lot of work on form and why the PC’s seem to be such a huge running improvement tool. In my ovservations, most kids have awful running mechanics, as do most old people. A few have good mechanics naturally and i suspect they are the ones getting the track scholarships.

8

My son has the same problem. He is 11 now and started running 5k’s with me about 2 years ago. I keep hoping his form will improve, but not yet. His feet “slap” the ground, for lack of a better word, so hard that it makes my knees hurt just listening to him. Long, ackward strides with a flat foot landing. I think part of it is just the lack of muscle development/awareness. He was so tired he was nearly in tears as he finished his first race a couple of years ago. But by the time he got the finishers medal he was feeling really good, very proud of finishing.

Train with her, so you know she can cover the distance, and then just let her have fun. She’ll be able to do it, lots of extra motivation on race day. For my son’s first 5k we agreed that he would walk one minute for every 10 minutes of running, if he needed it. That way he knew a small break was coming, he just had to keep going until the timer sounded. I think it really kept him from quitting completely when the going got tough.

9

Maybe try some barefeet running on a grass field?

10

challenge her by saying–do you want to finish the race? (yes) well then how do you expect to do that without running?

I like that, I will be using that on Wednesday if needed.

11

I told her my secret of running 30 steps and walking 5.

Barefoot running, maybe we can try that and see how it goes. Her feet hit the ground real hard. I can almost hear her from teh other side of the track.

12

Even after a bit of discourgement from me to not have her do one, she wants to do one.

Let her do it. Why would it be “not good” if she doesn’t finish? If she wants to try it, let her try - its not skydiving; its just a race. Not letting her might leave her thinking you don’t think she is good enough - for example, why are you doing it and she can’t?

13

where do you live? theres a fantastic triathlon specific coach, that works with kids and emphasizes running form in richmond Va. Its a long shot that youll live close but who knows.

14

Almost all children I see run, have fantastic form compared to us old folks (20+). Although my daughter does not. She struggles when she runs, but really wants to do a tri. Even after a bit of discourgement from me to not have her do one, she wants to do one.

We went for a bike/run yesterday to make sure she could finish the distance and I “ran” with her. She had her feet pounding, her arms looked like noodles attached at the shoulders and her body was swaying back and forth. Along with a lot of complaining.

I am hestitant to say much, but was curious what others have done to try and help.

She is 8 years old (9 in 3 weeks), she is tall for her age and weighs around 85 lbs. She is not rail thin like her parents. She does not really like to run, but really wants to do a race. I told her she needs to volunteer at a race to cover her entry fees and swim in open water once a week. She is a good swimmer, does great in open water. She loves to ride her bike, but running is not something that is a lot of fun.

She talks about being on the podium like me (at local sprints), but if she can’t finish that would not be good. I do not care how she does, but I think it is important for her to have fun and finish.

Bad father? Idea suggestions?

That is exactly my son… 9 in four weeks, very tall at 4’ 7.5", broad and big-boned 85 pounds and not a graceful runner. That’s very big for a child that age and doesn’t help with the running. In triathlons he’s first out of the water, first off the bike and then he usually gets picked off by a fifty-something pound kid on the run.

What have I done to try and help? Nothing… just tell him what a great race he had and explain to him that he should feel no shame in being beaten on the run by kids who weigh almost 30 pounds less than him.

I guess what I’m saying is that they’re only 8… just let them run like kids. Some are fast and some are slow. If they develop interest in it when they’re older you can work on their run.

I have to question one thing, though … if she’s doing “a lot of complaining” then by definition she’s not having fun so why is she doing it?

15

I train with a guy that used to coach a bunch of Juniors. He has given some pointers, but I have not spoke to him since running with my daughter. She does not really need a coach, this is something that WE do together.

Irondad, she does it even though she is not having fun at the time. She loves to swim and bike, so I am guessing she is just "putting up’ with it. Kind of like her swim meets. She loves the meets, but hates practice. She continues to do it even when I ask her if she is done. I will be miserable in every race, but look back on all of them thinking they were fun (not sure why).

Not finishing what you start is almost a requirement around here. This is a tad different. She is not 100% sure she is racing. She will finish if she starts. Although she has up until the last week to decide if it is something she wants to do. So if training goes well, she will do it. If it does not get better she will not want to race and all we have is memories of training together.

I spoke with her tonight to see if she want to run on Wed when I have her. She was all ready to do it. My parents asked when my next race was (not sure why, they don’t care), but my daughter butted in and mentioned she was racing on Oct 1. She is a girl, impossible to read, but knows she doesn’t have to race if she doesn’t want to. She is excited about volunteering at a local race next weekend to see how everything goes.

Sorry for the long post, she is my daughter and very important to me. Just trying to convey my thoughts. All suggestions have been fantastic.

16

I agree with everyone above - just let her do what she wants to do. The more she runs, the better she’ll be and maybe she’ll even love it one day. The important thing is that you’re spending time with her and you’re showing an interest in what she does. That’s a huge boost to her self-esteem.

You also might want to check out this website: http://www.kidsrunning.com/

Dawn

17

I was(am) in this situation with my daughter. She is an excellent swimmer, solid cyclist but running is a challenge for her. She is also a big kid, 5’6" & 138lbs, just turned 13. The 70lbs girls just fly past her. She knows the run is her limiter and works on it, but left to her own devices she would just reinforce her “naturally” bad running form. Last year, she spent several months working with a running coach. It made a huge difference. She still doesn’t love running, but it is definitely easier for her. And I am a lot less concerned about injuries also. If this was swimming we were talking about, would you just go out and swim with her without teaching her basic techniques. I look at running the same way. It sounds like you have someone that can guide you (guy that used to coach a bunch of juniors). It is probably not necessary to hire a coach, but getting some advice on running technique will help your daughter immensely! Good luck, I’m sure she will have a blast in October!

18

My son is 8, will be 9 in January. I’ve encouraged him to run, and he’s been on the track team 2 years in a row now. He’s a skinny little thing - 4’3" and 59 lbs. He should be fast, but he’s not. He’s perfectly average. Like all kids his age (like all kids every age, including mine) he wants to win or at least do well, and is disappointed when his ability doesn’t match up to his desire.

There is a local 5 mile race that I compete in each year, and last year I talked him into doing the Fun Run before the adult race. He was pretty excited about it. He stood in the middle of the pack waiting for the start, and got off fast in the beginning. Not 50 yards into the race, he was tripped when a kid stepped on his foot and he went down hard, face first. He wears glasses, and they ended up scratching his face, and were all bent. That was the end of his race. He was so upset it nearly broke my heart.

This year he was very anxious about doing the race, but I talked him into trying it again, assuring him it was unlikely that he would fall again. He finished uneventfully right in the middle of the pack, just like his mom does :-), and he talked about it for days afterward. I was so proud of him for getting out there and doing it.

I think it’s important to encourage kids to participate while downplaying winning to a certain extent. Not many will win, but at this age they have so much to learn and so much room for improvement. Running form may come in time, and I think at 8 or 9 they need to discover their love of running vs being technically correct. I would encourage her to practice and compete!