Toddler running

My son is 2 and a half years old and has a massive interest in my running. I do roughly 80 miles a month training and he is very interested. I have bought him some running trainers and he now wants to come with me. He can manage 1.5 miles with a walk / run technique. he always wants to go further but I make him stop as I think it's too far for him but I don't want to discourage him. I only let him come once every two weeks to make sure he rests now.

Is this too young for him to be running or should I encourage it In moderation? Anyone else had anything like this from such a young age?

Comments

  • I think the upper limit guideline is 1Km per year, so 2.5K for your little kiddlywink image  Remember reading it in a book called something like 'how to make your child excellent'.  

    I would actually not go for 'proper' running trainers, rather plimsoles or something with little cushioning and then make sure he lands on his forefoot (look this up on the net if you don't know what it is).

    If he wants to run, let him run, but hold him back at least a bit.  Better that he always wants to do more...

  • Thanks for the reply, I will look into some plimsoles for him, he's in some nike free' sat the moment, so like barefoot as this is what I use too. 

  • My daughter has just turned three and comes with me for a run several times each week.  We do once round the block, which is about 500m (I use this as an opportunity for drills) then go home and we do some stretches (she copies me but I don't think she actually stretches anything), then I go and do my full run.

    We had bit of an athletics night at the running club a couple of weeks ago and she did the 75m race.  She absolutely loved it with a race number and kept showing everyone her sprinters start (not sure where she learnt that from).

    I haven't bought her any running shoes: She just wears her sandals.  Nor have I tried to make her run in a particular way.

  • Sam Laidler wrote (see)

    My son is 2 and a half years old and has a massive interest in my running. I do roughly 80 miles a month training and he is very interested. I have bought him some running trainers and he now wants to come with me. He can manage 1.5 miles with a walk / run technique. he always wants to go further but I make him stop as I think it's too far for him but I don't want to discourage him. I only let him come once every two weeks to make sure he rests now.

    Is this too young for him to be running or should I encourage it In moderation? Anyone else had anything like this from such a young age?

    How intriguing that he is so very interested in running at that early age!

    You're not pushing him, he finds running natural.  Fully agree with Faithsdaddy regarding holding him back a bit though, he is so little.

    Bless him!

  • lou Diamonds wrote (see)

    My daughter has just turned three and comes with me for a run several times each week.  We do once round the block, which is about 500m (I use this as an opportunity for drills) then go home and we do some stretches (she copies me but I don't think she actually stretches anything), then I go and do my full run.

    We had bit of an athletics night at the running club a couple of weeks ago and she did the 75m race.  She absolutely loved it with a race number and kept showing everyone her sprinters start (not sure where she learnt that from).

    I haven't bought her any running shoes: She just wears her sandals.  Nor have I tried to make her run in a particular way.

    She had a race number too?  Eek this thread is too damned cute!!!

    If you have athletics on TV and she watches it, I bet she learned the sprinters start from there haha.

    I seriously hope all the kids go on to really enjoy their running and athletics.

    I became interested around 9 years old, but didn't join a club until 13.  Competing and training on and off over the years, I am 53 now and am more into training and running than I have ever been in my life.

    Once it is in your blood, you are doomed hahaha

  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭

    I wouldn't bother with getting him "proper" running shoes...  For a start, at that age, he'll be growing out of them every couple of months so it would get quite expensive...  When I was a kid we did all sport in plimsoles, and also played football in normal shoes, without getting crippling injuries image

  • Kids are sponges and have a "massive interest" in what their parents do. He would have more interest in running round a slide but to get his Dad's attention he has to try to run along with him. I suggest you run before he gets up and then take him to the park to play. Play is how kids learn. 

    Sorry to be a pool of common sense in a sea of mush

  • We cycle to the park.

  • I don't think its strange that they want to run at this age...as a toddler they want to copy their parents and when they do something that their parents love doing then they get lots of attention and positive feedback and so want to do more........

    I would just go and play games in the park.running to trees.....intermingled with the first to find a yellow flower or a certain leaf.....

    running properly at a young age in a structured way isn't going to really give them much advantage........

     

  • DeanR7DeanR7 ✭✭✭

    i kind of agree with the more recent posts.  when mine were that age they wanted to come out with me, so we did a big warm up with stretches and made it fun then did barely 600m of running keeping it fun by racing each other to the next lampost/tree.  They could have run/walk 2k but i would never have done that as 3 yrs and under is very young.

    as others have said they are just mimicing you and i bet you lavish lots of attention and praise too.  so of  course they like it.  They would also copy you if you stood in your garden throwing and catching a tennis ball in the air over and over again too.

    regards distance at yr 6 in school (10 yrs of age) they dont run much over a mile in school xc races so i would question anything over this distance.

     

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