The Young Runner

  The sport of running can be cultivated at a young age. Many young children join their school’s track and field team in the early spring of each year. It could possibly be the “cool” team that popular kids join. It could be the fact that many kids are not hand and eye coordinated, and track and field is the only sport that they can handle. Regardless of a child’s reason to run, parents need to allow it and nurture their goals.

Looking into the past, there have technically been two “running booms” in society. The first, in the mid 1970s, was due to middle aged baby boomers wanting to lose a few pounds and get into shape. The second boom in the early 1990s consisted of women, the daughters of baby boomers. They wanted to lose weight and be bikini body ready. Instead of worrying about times, like their fathers, this boom focused on the distance and mileage. They were more concerned about finishing a marathon than what the final time was. The next boom of runners will be the grandchildren of the baby boomers, today’s children.

While many experts say running at such a young age can be harmful to the body and cause lasting injuries, one has to think of the consequences of not running. Heart disease, obesity and blood pressure problems will occur without proper exercise and a healthy diet. So what is worse? Slight muscle damage in the leg or heart disease requiring daily antibiotics and therapy? The choice should be obvious, especially to those wanting to live a healthy and long life. It is a known fact that active children will lead a better lifestyle, therefore becoming a role model to the couch potatoes. Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D. says daily exercise, starting at a young age, can add six to nine years to one’s life.

If youngsters are actively involved in a sport, their free time is limited. This reduces the chances of young gangsters, violence and drug use. Running is a sport that requires nothing more than sturdy shoes, a T-shirt and shorts. A team is not needed, there are no set rules and one can run for as long as they want to. This is why so many kids hit the pavement, and why they continue this sport in their adult life. Although skeptics wonder if daily exercise is healthy in young children, the benefits outweigh any injury that may result from running. Simply running two laps around the track, an 800-meter race, gets the heart pumping and muscles working.

Questions to ponder:

1. Does running seem to be the answer to prevent childhood obesity?

2. Do the negatives outweigh the positives in starting out as a young runner?

Sources:
Higdon, Hal. "Kids Running." Hal Higdon. 2002. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. <http://www.halhigdon.com/kidsrunning/index.htm>.

Runner's World: Running Shoes, Marathon Training, Racing. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. <http://www.runnersworld.com/>