World Cross Country

[Chris]

There is very good talent in junior fell running. Bofra in particular, and Woodhead races, and I expect the local club round here, Rossendale Harriers to show some great talent at Liver Hill tomorrow. But it is a minority thing - most kids can't run a hundred yards - and I know that because they challenge me when I am out for a run.

A couple of years ago I was surprised at the forum's apparent indifference to encouraging juniors into the sport whe I posted something about it.

I would prefer to be involved in a sport with credibility rather than one without it. I can't really be arsed only to be running with oldies all the time.

[dominion]

Youtube,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQZSK_2Xij4

There seems to be 5 clips of each race if you dig around the related links. Quality is errrr....

[Pudgy]

There is very good talent in junior fell running. Bofra in particular, and Woodhead races, and I expect the local club round here, Rossendale Harriers to show some great talent at Liver Hill tomorrow. But it is a minority thing - most kids can't run a hundred yards - and I know that because they challenge me when I am out for a run.

A couple of years ago I was surprised at the forum's apparent indifference to encouraging juniors into the sport whe I posted something about it.

I would prefer to be involved in a sport with credibility rather than one without it. I can't really be arsed only to be running with oldies all the time.

I tend to agree with you Chris.

I've just started reading Arthur Lydiard's book, and he ascribe's the African's abilty in things like the Worlds, to the kids concentrating on mileage, and not racing or doing formal speedwork. He believes it builds up a better endurance base, running efficiency etc. This contrasts with UKA's (and most of the western world's) dictum of concentrating on speed and track work with youngsters, and doing very little endurance. Certainly puts a different perspective on Gaz running a marathon when he was 13 (how come he's not winning the worlds?)

Since I know nothing about the African's training (and next to nothing about western training), I don't know how valid any of this is, but kids were certainly running further in the 80's and we were having more success (no idea how many are now crippled though)

[john doe]

[QUOTE=Chris;117323]There is very good talent in junior fell running. Bofra in particular, and Woodhead races, and I expect the local club round here, Rossendale Harriers to show some great talent at Liver Hill tomorrow. But it is a minority thing - most kids can't run a hundred yards - and I know that because they challenge me when I am out for a run

Cheers for recognizing that Chris ,up at the Harriers we have something like 16+ uk;athletics coaches of various levels. Next month 12 of our level 1's are doing the level 2 award, the club pays for these courses as an investment in the future.
On another point the club had it's 40th 'birthday' last year, and part of that was a foto exibit of past members. The thing that stood out to me was how much leaner they were then, even 10 years ago. Perhaps we suffer from a 'convenience' lifestyle?

[Half Seven Buzzer]

Mr Pudge - out of interest - Arthur Lydiard's book - which one is it please? There are many.....

Cheers

[Witton Park]

Pudgy - Mileage / effort are a big, big issue. There is an arrogance amongst many Track and Field people - in fact I know one senior coach who has referred to track athletes as thoroughbreds and fell runners as donkeys - I would just counter with names like Laura Park, Jamie Crompton, Josh Moody - look how Annika Jarman U17 from Lancaster and 2nd in the current Inter Counties has come from nowhere in less than 12 months. She had a summer on the Fells, and along with her team mate Hannah Bateson, there's two top fell runners, cutting it on track and XC.
And in my own Club, TomCee - Fell International, Sub 15 mins for 5K and still only 22 years old.

I remember in the late 70's in football at school that they started grid training for the first time. I was about 12. I wanted to enjoy myself and along with many others hated it.
Are the Brazilians playing 3 against 2 in a 5m x 5m grid? I think this mentality has taken over many sports in the UK & Europe and particularly athletics.

We let all these Sports Science "experts" plot out new methods, trial them on our kids, fail, come up with a new idea, trial it again, fail etc and ultimately the answer for endurance runners is as it has always been.

Roll up your sleeves and get on with it - up hill, down dale, cross country, but what do we do? 6 x 400m at Cross Country pace!!

My daughter is a good athlete - best race probably last year when 21st in the U13 Inter Counties, but whilst at U13 she could run a 3K XC race, on the track they limited her to 1200m races in the National Young Athletes League.

She could run a 10K now no problem, in fact trains around the Winter Warmer course in Blackburn and could do about a 41 - 42 minute race on there, but will not be able to race it until 2010!! She can't even do the Chorley 4's until next year and the Chorley Park 5K's until 2010.
Yet in the "Fun Run" that is the Sue Ryder 5K last year against the seniors she won the senior ladies race in 20:15, when still 13. This is no mickey mouse race - Lee Passco won it in just over 17 minutes.

I fully understand how the sport has to be mindful of pushy parents and coaches overdoing it, but I think until we release some of these shackles on the younger endurance athletes, we will not progress.

[Pudgy]

Well that's my cunningly hidden forum identity outed

"Running To The Top", as borrowed from Penguin.

[Bladerunner]

I totally agree re this 'protection of kids' its gone barmy.

We think its unsafe/barbaric/unethical* (delete any 2) for youngsters to be running too far at a young age yet as a society we 'allow' kids to spend hours on end playing on playstations, computers, video games etc. getting obese. I know whats gonna hurt em more in later life and its not the former!!!

I also don't think 'we' a sport do enough to encourage kids into athletics or keep em in it. I now live down south and our kids infants school occasionally has Wycombe Wanderers players come in to coach em football and Wasps players to coach rugby. Plus there's all the usual 'summer camp' type things. They get virtually nothing in cross country/athletics apart from me doing a weekly cross country session...and I bet they're more impressed by the likes of Phil Vickery than me!!

[Sinatra]

Around 490 photos from the Edinburgh World Cross Country added here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisupson/sets/

Fantastically colourful set of pictures there Chris. Very nice!

[steadyeddy]

Found this interesting-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/solpda/ukfs_sp...00/4927604.stm