KIDS RUNNING- HOW DO I KNOW IF MY DAUGTHER IS A FAST RUNNER?

HI, MY 11 YEARS OLD DAUGHTER RUNS 600M IN 2M21SEC. IS THAT FAST, I MEAN IS IT REALLY FAST FOR KID AT HER AGE? 

JUST THINKING IF THERE IS A POTENTIAL TO TRAIN A FUTURE RUNNING STAR OR IS IT JUST ABOVE THE AVERAGE? SHE IS FIRST IN HER SCHOOL BUT NOT SURE HOW DOES IT LOOK AGAINST COUNTRY'S BEST AT THER AGE GROUP.

WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR ANY SMART ANSWERS.

 

Comments

  • I don't think Paula Radcliffe was an exceptional runner in her youth ?

    I'd not judge your daughter off one time.

    If she enjoys running - yes encourage her.
  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    It certainly sounds good. But it's hard to say if there is super potential in there.

    The famous Jenny Meadows ran 1:38 just before her twelfth birthday... so your daughter is obviously a long long way off that sort of level.  But children develop at different times (especially around pubity) - and of course maybe Jenny Meadows had been having some specialist training to help her. So this does not mean that your daughter couldn't make it.   Have a look here for interest... http://www.gbrathletics.com/uk/wu13.htm

    Can you find an athletics club with a junior section.?  Maybe take her there for a few weeks and see how things go. I'd really recommend that. You'll get a much better insight..  Good luck. She's certainly a good runner.

  • Great. thanks both for your input. I shall look around for a club with a junior section. hopefully she continues to enjoy running! image

  • DustinDustin ✭✭✭

    Its not an outstanding time, but its certainly within the 'competitive' level for clubs.
    If she is 11, I guess she is either year 6 or 7 at school, which would make her Under 13 in competition.
    I strongly suggest she gets to a club if she is interested in running, that time will soon come down by at least 15-20s with some training.
    For interest our club compete in several leagues, and just grabbed the results for the last meetings Under 13 girls:
    "A" race - won in 1.49.4, last place 2.10.4
    "B" race - won in 1.45.9, last place 2.11.0
    non scorers - 1.52.7 to 2.27.0

    I manage our under 11 squad (so years 4 & 5) and they seldom get under 2 minutes - they range 2.10-2.40, but the improvements they make in early years, if they stick with the training sessions, are huge.

    I hope that helps & best of luck to her.
    Out of interest which region are you based?

  • It's also interesting how some of those top times are by people who haven't broken through at top level, and also how some names well known now don't show up as top juniors

  • U13 pentathlon record holder?  Not Jess Ennis or Denise Lewis but Katharine Merry image

  • Not sure of its basis, but there is a WAVA calculator available for 8+ yr olds. Google WAVA if you don't know what it is, but it's basically a normalisation or weighting for age, most often used to adjust for being a veteran.

  • DustinDustin ✭✭✭

    XFR - you sure its Katharine Merry for under 13 lead rankings? Thought Morgan from WSEH would've come close to beating it - she's Under 17 now, and probably record holder there too. Awesome prospect.

  • Ah ok could well be, just noticed that link says "as of December 2006" at the top!

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Waste of time asking.

    99.99% of kids pack in running as soon as you can't make them do it. 

    🙂

  • I would definitely encourage your child but don't push them, most children will love the feeling of beating others but don't like to lose.

    dont force them to do anything they don't want to do or they might, like ricF says just give it up!!

  • DeanR7DeanR7 ✭✭✭

    thats the spirit Ric image, but lets assume the OP daughter enjoys running.

    At that age until about 15 it doesnt have to be about olympic glory.  just enjoy it as kids all develop at different rates. 

  • Grendel3Grendel3 ✭✭✭

    I think the enjoyment aspect at this age is the most important - The club idea is the best one because she will at 11, get to try all sorts of disciplines - she may be a sprinter or a jumper rather than a diddle distance runner.

  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    A "diddle-distance runner", Grendel3?

    Is that the name for people who cheat by taking a shortcut during a marathon. image

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    You'll have to forgive my jaundiced view of kids running. To use the adage, "You can lead a horse to water etc", I was a coach to an intermediate group of kids for my club, but the reality was I was just a glorified babysitter for parents who had something more interesting to do for an hour or two.

    Given the choice, the vast majority of kids pack in running because they get fed up of being losers. The higher values of the activity are lost on them since they take their health for granted.

    My own lad packed in running and golf to work on his 'A' levels and hasn't bothered with either sport since. He thanks me for letting him do nothing at his own pace.

    Lining kids up with multiple activities may be very interesting, but by the time they hit 18 you'll discover that all you've done is waste a shed load of time and money on things they used to do.

     

    🙂

  • You've done what you can though RicF. No-one in my family gave a fig about sports and I blame that for my own apathy until deciding to learn golf and running quite late.

    He might take it for granted but you've done your lad a massive favour.

  • I have the opposite viewpoint. My father was a lifelong runner, never ever tried to make me run but at 11 I just asked him one evening when he was going out for a run if I could go too. At 12, I was a track runner/hurdler in a club, at 16 took up orienteering and went 4 times to the Swiss 5-days, great fun. I was 26 when I ran my first 10km, 31 with my first marathon, 42 when I tested triathlon, did my first Ironman at 50. Now, having run consistently for over 51 years I can look back on 45 marathons, 7 Ironman races, 1 ultra-marathon and countless other races. Been in triathlon for the past 20 years and even though I had a hip replacement last summer am still racing, did my latest Olympic triathlon last Sunday. Thanks, Dad, for being you!

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭
    Bionic Ironwolf wrote (see)

    I have the opposite viewpoint. My father was a lifelong runner, never ever tried to make me run but at 11 I just asked him one evening when he was going out for a run if I could go too. At 12, I was a track runner/hurdler in a club, at 16 took up orienteering and went 4 times to the Swiss 5-days, great fun. I was 26 when I ran my first 10km, 31 with my first marathon, 42 when I tested triathlon, did my first Ironman at 50. Now, having run consistently for over 51 years I can look back on 45 marathons, 7 Ironman races, 1 ultra-marathon and countless other races. Been in triathlon for the past 20 years and even though I had a hip replacement last summer am still racing, did my latest Olympic triathlon last Sunday. Thanks, Dad, for being you!

    The obvious point. It was you who wanted to do it. It was an internalised motivation that drove you not an external one. 

    Maybe you really meant experience rather than viewpoint. 

     

    🙂

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