I'm bummed...

[ROW]

I usually increase by two kilometers every week or two ....

[Jo-Jo]

Hi Blanken,
Congrats on your running and reaching 14 Ks!

I am not sure how long you have been training or what your training regime is. When is the race? Have you seen a doctor/sports doctor?
How do your parents feel about you running 21.1Ks ?

I have a son, Arrow who at 11 years started to run. He ran many 5Ks and slowly increased his (our) distance by 1K a week. It took Arrow about a year running every other day to reach 21Ks.

Arrow ran many halfs and 30K races. At 12 years old he also ran the two Toronto Marathons back-to-back. I am telling you all this because even though Arrow loved running all this burnt him out. After the marathons he has not run again. Not once. I stopped for a while also and am just back to 21Ks now. I believe that it is okay for a gifted young runner to run further then an average fit child, but please listen to a experienced runner a sports doctor and your parents.

If you do run the 21K race ( and I think that you can & will ) do not rush to do a full Marathon, don't burn yourself out.

Maurice

Moe,

I was hoping you would see this post and respond...thanks.

Hoping that Arrow is doing well and still active even though not running at this stage in life.

[turd ferguson]

I really want to do a half marathon to show that I am good at running.

I'm just going to pick on one thing you said. You don't need to do a half marathon to show you're good at running. I say that for two reasons:

1. There are lots of great runners that run 5k, or 8k, or 10k. You can show you're great by running shorter distances - there's nothing magic about the half or the full. Even experienced runners forget this and get obsessed with the marathon in particular.

2. The only person you really need to impress is yourself. I'm not sure who you're trying to show that you're a good runner (and I don't need to know) but in the end the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself.

[Jo-Jo]

I really want to do a half marathon to show that I am good at running.

I'm just going to pick on one thing you said. You don't need to do a half marathon to show you're good at running. I say that for two reasons:

1. There are lots of great runners that run 5k, or 8k, or 10k. You can show you're great by running shorter distances - there's nothing magic about the half or the full. Even experienced runners forget this and get obsessed with the marathon in particular.

2. The only person you really need to impress is yourself. I'm not sure who you're trying to show that you're a good runner (and I don't need to know) but in the end the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself.

WOW...wise words.
Blanken...one of my friends is a top Master's runner. She is 41 and I believe she now holds the Master's Canadian record for 5km. Paul has run 10km's and HalfM's. But she seems to be a real speedster in the shorter distances. And I don't think she's ever run a Full Marathon.

As Mike said, running longer is not an indicator of "being a good runner"

[ROW]

I really want to do a half marathon to show that I am good at running.

I'm just going to pick on one thing you said. You don't need to do a half marathon to show you're good at running. I say that for two reasons:

1. There are lots of great runners that run 5k, or 8k, or 10k. You can show you're great by running shorter distances - there's nothing magic about the half or the full. Even experienced runners forget this and get obsessed with the marathon in particular.

2. The only person you really need to impress is yourself. I'm not sure who you're trying to show that you're a good runner (and I don't need to know) but in the end the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself.

I know but it would be a bonus..... anyways my moms not letting me do it. I can't convince her to let me. Anyways I have to do a tri...

[Jo-Jo]

I really want to do a half marathon to show that I am good at running.

I'm just going to pick on one thing you said. You don't need to do a half marathon to show you're good at running. I say that for two reasons:

1. There are lots of great runners that run 5k, or 8k, or 10k. You can show you're great by running shorter distances - there's nothing magic about the half or the full. Even experienced runners forget this and get obsessed with the marathon in particular.

2. The only person you really need to impress is yourself. I'm not sure who you're trying to show that you're a good runner (and I don't need to know) but in the end the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself.

I know but it would be a bonus..... anyways my moms not letting me do it. I can't convince her to let me. Anyways I have to do a tri...

Those darn mothers

[ultraslacker]

tri will be fun, too! and you'll be in great shape from training for all three sports (and cycling and swimming aren't as hard on your growing bones).

Enjoy it--have fun, focus on short distances and speed, and then when you're older you'll be in such great shape and can do whatever you want--and you'll be a more rounded athlete for it. :)