Marc Bloom has written nine books. Some were very personal, like “God on the Starting Line,” about his time coaching the St. Rose High School, Belmar, boys cross country team. Others were biographical (“The Miler,” about Steve Scott, the former American record holder in the mile run) or informative (“Run With the Champions,” which rated America’s best distance runners and revealed their training programs).
Author and coach Marc Bloom has written “Young Runners: The Complete Guide to Healthy Running for Kids From 5 to 18.” In the book, Bloom examines different running programs that offer youngsters a start in the sport. But Bloom, a Marlboro resident, readily admits that No. 9, “Young Runners: The Complete Guide to Healthy Running for Kids From 5 to 18,” recently published by Simon & Schuster, is the book of which he is most proud.
“I put more into this than any of the others,” he said. “My life’s work has been with young people’s running. I wanted to take a comprehensive look at all the different aspects of kids’ running and health. I wanted to try to make it a signature work. There is no book out there like this.”
Bloom’s goal was to make this book the definitive authority for children and parents on the subject of youth running. The book is for parents and for young runners.
There were two things that prompted Bloom to write the book, he explained.
One was the obesity epidemic in the country (one-third of adolescents are overweight) and the health crisis it could cause if it goes unchecked. Running is one of the best activities for children to combat obesity.
Second is the other side of the coin: he wanted to take a look at the new developments in youth running.
Bloom canvassed coaches from all over the country; in some cases, it didn’t take him far from home — Colts Neck High School coach Jim Schlentz is quoted in the book. He also traveled to North Carolina to take a look at the Durham Striders youth track club makes competing fun.
He went to Springfield, Va., for a look at Lynbrook Elementary School, which has won the Healthy School Award at the Marine Corps Marathon all seven years that the award has been presented. A Healthy Kids Fun Run is part of the event and the Virginia school has finished first every time.
Lynbrook Elementary, Bloom wrote, is a model for schools “seeking to improve kids’ health with running as a linchpin.”
To get a bird’s-eye view of a children’s running series, Bloom, followed the Freehold Area Running Club’s Kids Summer Nights series at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan.
“I went to every race and interviewed the parents and children and Isabelle Keeley (the director of the program) to observe and find out what great ideas are out there,” he said. “They have wonderful events. I used it as a model racing series for kids.”
Bloom, who is still an active runner, has viewed running from all its aspects: as a competitor, as the father of two daughters who ran, as a coach and as a writer (he publishes The Harrier, a magazine about high school cross country). As a parent, he learned through trial and error what to do and what not to do.
“Children approach running differently than adults,” he said. “They have a different way of looking at it. You [the parent] have to make sure it’s fun. We are in an era in our culture where parents try a little too
hard. They need to back off and let the children be their guide.”
Bloom provides specific guidelines for parents of children who are competitive runners. He points to Matt Centrowitz, a U.S. Olympian and former American record holder for the 5,000 meters as an example to follow.
Centrowitz has two very talented children, daughter Lauren (an All- American at Stanford) and son Matt (who is running at the University of Oregon, where he recently broke 4:00 for the mile), yet despite his pedigree, he did not interfere with their coaches.
“He was not involved [in their coaching], he backed off,” noted Bloom.
The book also points out that coaches have to take different approaches to girls and boys. With boys, it is more of a mental approach (dealing with the ego), while for girls, it is physical challenges (adolescent development).
For runners, cycling, weight training and other sports are their way of cross training. What they forget is that running is cross training for other athletes.
Bloom touches on that by talking to coaches throughout the country in sports as diverse as lacrosse, gymnastics, skiing, baseball, softball, field hockey and football, and getting the coaches to explain the running workouts they use for their respective sports.
Bloom, for one, encourages children to participate in a variety of sports. He dislikes specialization at an early age.
In researching the book for two years, Bloom learned some things along the way. He learned there are more good programs for children out there than he thought.
“Some programs I thought were superficial were much more substantial,” he said.
He said some coaches who he thought did not have the right approach turned out to have it right, and were instilling “better ideas than I would have thought.”
He changed his view, for instance, about the youth track teams, thanks in part to the Durham Striders. He thought they were too competitive with their stress on Junior Olympics and other competitions. But the Striders, he said, showed that “you can emphasize interval training and competition and do it the right way.”
Bloom has given everyone a valuable guide on the benefits of running and what approaches to take if you are a serious, competitive runner.
Bloom will appear at Barnes & Noble in Princeton (Princeton Market Fair, 3535 Route 1) on April 16 at 7:30 p.m. to discus his book with coaches, parents and athletes.