via Sports Girls Play:
Long distance running can be intense and challenging. Yet, with women’s cross country and track and field on the rise, at both the professional and scholastic levels, more and more teen and preteen girls are taking up the sport. Whether competitive or non-competitive, long distance running gives one a feeling of accomplishment and can positively impact girls’ self esteem. By training properly and staying motivated and positive, teen and preteen athletes can improve their running ability while avoiding injury.

For preteen and teen girls it is recommended that the focus on competition be minimized and instead placed on form and endurance. Sprint-based exercises have been proven to create a stronger foundation for future competition. By developing these aspects, it lessens the chances of injury. A balance of 60-percent training and 40-percent competition is optimal. Most experts also agree that young people should not train for excessively long events. Encourage your child to look at track events, organized cross –country events for teens, or fun 5k or 10k events, while saving their marathon, or even half marathon, dreams for when they are older and fully developed...