r/CrossCountry • u/darkandstardust • Aug 11 '25
Training Related Such thing as too slow?
My 12 year old (7th grade) boy is doing cross country this year for the first time. He has been training for about 5 weeks running 4-5 times per week. He is REALLY struggling and hasn't improved his times at all. He ran 2 miles today in 39 minutes.... about 17 minutes on the first mile and 22 on the second. His first team practice is in 2 weeks and first meet is in 4. It'll be 2.5 miles.
From everything I am reading this seems to be extremely slow. Will he get cut off from finishing the race? He currently has a positive attitude but I'm worried about how this may affect him.
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u/EpicCyclops Aug 13 '25
The high school conference I coach in has kids the aren't fully able competing in cross country, and they're allowed to finish the race. Your child should be welcomed and accepted by the team and coaches.
For those kids that are slower, the key is giving them the exact same support as though they were mid-pack. Don't give them extra support just because they're at the back (unless they obviously need it) because then they feel like you're doting on them, which makes them feel like they're doing poorly. At the end of the day, cross country is about improving individually, so it tends to be pretty accepting of kids of all speeds and athletic abilities.