Youth Running

This isn't JUST about my super star 7 year old, I swear.
I post a lot about Isabel running with me. It's probably my favorite thing in the universe. She ran her first "race" when she was 2, It was a hundred meter dash with a bunch of little kids and they all got ribbons at the end. She was SO excited.

We didn't plan on it that day, I just wanted to run the 5k. She didn't even have tennis shoes on.

Since she's been born, she's been with me while I've ran. I had a jogging stroller that she was pushed in until she was big enough to jog along with me. Then she'd go to the track with me and we'd run til she wanted to stop, usually only doing 2 loops. She did the 1/4 Teddy Bear Trot every year at the Crim ( I think 3x?) And she always did the kiddy dashes if they were available. She thought everyone ran, after all mom's friends were all runners, and even daddy went to the track with us. When she turned 5, she asked if she could do the "adult race" at the Crim, so I signed her up for the mile. I always run with her during her races, and this was no different.

Then the next year, she asked if she could do the 5k. She was only 6, but she had a lot of miles (for a 6 year old) under her belt, and she was starting to understand how to not go out too fast, how to drink during a run, and she just simply loved running. So this year, at the Crim, I signed her up for the 5k, and ran it with her after I ran my 10mile. She did amazing. And since then has ran 3 more 5ks.

Anyway, this leads me to the topic of other kid runners. Runners World magazine recently posted an article about a 5 year old who is about to run a half marathon. And they posted an article about a 6 year old who just did. Over the years, I've gotten a lot of slack about people thinking I'm pushing her too hard or forcing her to run, which is far from the case. We play games when we run and we run what she wants to. Her favorite is trails, and she loves rain & snow. We like to look at plants and squirrels and whatever else we come across.BUT, even though I'm not forcing her and she's enjoying herself, running is still tough sometimes! She gets cramps, gets out of breath, her legs get fatigued, etc. There's no way I'd let her run a half marathon. I don't want to be one of those people who have questioned my judgment with her, but I feel like it's just a little much. Most longer races have age restrictions of 16-18 & up, and for good reason I feel. Their joints and bones are still developing. Regular ADULT marathoners who do long distances on a regular basis, have come down with serious heart issues (not all the time, but it still happens), but I can't imagine that 3 hours of continued running (what seems to be an average time for a 6 year old 1/2 marathoner) isn't all that great on a developing child's body. Not to mention.. when I run for long distances, and I'd liek to think of myself as a "seasoned runner", I get moody sometimes because I'm tired. The whole run isn't miserable, but any runner will tell you that it's not all beautiful. I can't imagine the agony of being 6 and completing 10 miles and knowing I still had a 5k to go. It's mentally exhausting!

Maybe I'm being judgmental like all those people were to me.  But here's the link.

http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/5-year-old-to-run-half-marathon-on-saturday?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-News-_-SixYearOldHalf