re: Good mile time for a kid

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I'd advise against training until 6th grade(mostly easy running at that). Then track in 7th. Keep him out of Summer track. That's retarded for distance kids, and is a big reason Louisiana distance runners suck as a whole. Keep it fun. Maybe a fun run 1/2 mile or mile nowadays. Let him play sports, keep him active. No real hard training until 7th grade, with easy running 5th 6th grades if he likes it. My qualifications... Former D1 scholarship track and cc background.

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Sage advice.

Keep running fun for now. See how his body grows and start pushing hard middle school or early hs. I would push him to become more mentally prepared for distance than physically. No matter how good physically he becomes, he will mentally have to push thru what my coaches called the “stall” every distances runner faces.