Bethesda Track Club vs. Seven Locks Running Club

[Anonymous]

Rising 7th grader wants to train with the hope to make it into MS or HS track/cross country. What's the difference between these two clubs? We live super close to Bethesda Track Club, but DD would miss one day of practice as she's already busy that day. Seven locks works for her schedule-wise but it is not as convenient location-wise. Is it ok to train 2 days/week instead of 3, if DD wants to run competitively?

[Anonymous]

Call me

[Anonymous]

Seven Locks is overwhelmingly a cross country/middle distance track team (800/1500/3000). Only a handful of sprinters, jumpers, or hurdlers are on the team. If training and competing at a high level in xc/middle distance is what your kid wants and they are prepared to put in the work at some pretty intense practices, there is no better team in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

My child has been with Bethesda Track Club for 3 years now but I am also very familiar with Seven Locks Running Club since they participate in many of the same track and xc meets.
The Seven Locks program is way more serious and intense and your child is more likely to run faster (at least in the short term) if that is your goal. There are different philosophies on training at those young ages and you should pick the one that is better suited to your goals.

[Anonymous]

Is seven locks mostly for little kids? I see all the pictures are of elementary age kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is seven locks mostly for little kids? I see all the pictures are of elementary age kids.

I think they do have teenagers but from what I've seen, most of the kids appear to be in the 8-12 range.

[Anonymous]

I would say 7LRC age ranges 8-14 and similar for BTC. Both participate in similar/same meets though BTC follows USATF championships whereas 7LRC leans toward AAU championship meets. Neither is great for sprinting/field events though aware of some addt'l coaching option at 7LRC for those (and hurdles). Not all 7LRC practices are intense nor are all BTC practices easy. Go with personality, your goals, and location. 2 days/week for 8-12 will show improvement (goes back to your goals also). Both are running clubs (not walking clubs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has been with Bethesda Track Club for 3 years now but I am also very familiar with Seven Locks Running Club since they participate in many of the same track and xc meets.
The Seven Locks program is way more serious and intense and your child is more likely to run faster (at least in the short term) if that is your goal. There are different philosophies on training at those young ages and you should pick the one that is better suited to your goals.

I was forced to start early in the sport by my father. Not a pleasant experience. I would go with the most relaxed program for middle school. There is plenty of time to develop and get better. I ran a 9:20 2 mile in 8th grade, but not a great thing, really. Too much pressure early. Did run a 4:06 mile as a senior, and ran D1 on scholarship in college. Never enjoyed it. College track was not an adjustment, but cross country was as I had so much speedwork poured into me at a young age the adjustment to 80 miles a week was brutal. I would have benefitted from a far more relaxed approach - running is not swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has been with Bethesda Track Club for 3 years now but I am also very familiar with Seven Locks Running Club since they participate in many of the same track and xc meets.
The Seven Locks program is way more serious and intense and your child is more likely to run faster (at least in the short term) if that is your goal. There are different philosophies on training at those young ages and you should pick the one that is better suited to your goals.

I was forced to start early in the sport by my father. Not a pleasant experience. I would go with the most relaxed program for middle school. There is plenty of time to develop and get better. I ran a 9:20 2 mile in 8th grade, but not a great thing, really. Too much pressure early. Did run a 4:06 mile as a senior, and ran D1 on scholarship in college. Never enjoyed it. College track was not an adjustment, but cross country was as I had so much speedwork poured into me at a young age the adjustment to 80 miles a week was brutal. I would have benefitted from a far more relaxed approach - running is not swimming.

Damn, I could have written the exact same thing. I started track at age 7 back in the early 80's. Practices were brutal, every run was intense. Yeah, it produced good results but I hated it. When I got to my teens, I didn't want anything to do with running. Started back up in my 20's and learned just have badly I was coached. Thankfully I learned how to train properly and have kept it up for decades. With this in mind, I don't want to ruin my child for running. We've been doing BTC for 3 years and he loves it. Workouts are not crazy hard and easy running is mixed in. He wants to go to every practice and meet, so I can't ask for anything else. And you're absolutely right, it's not swimming.

[Anonymous]

The two posts about taking it easier in elementary and MS are spot on. Your child won't benefit at all from a more intense program because everything will change starting in puberty anyway and more workouts also increases the risk of injury especially during growth phases.

BTC is closer to you anyway and BTC is a strong program. It's mostly serious runners but they also welcome kids who are more casual about it. The female Coach Hays is very nice and encouraging. A lot of kids did not like her husband but I don't think he coaches anymore at the club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The two posts about taking it easier in elementary and MS are spot on. Your child won't benefit at all from a more intense program because everything will change starting in puberty anyway and more workouts also increases the risk of injury especially during growth phases.

BTC is closer to you anyway and BTC is a strong program. It's mostly serious runners but they also welcome kids who are more casual about it. The female Coach Hays is very nice and encouraging. A lot of kids did not like her husband but I don't think he coaches anymore at the club.

Can someone confirm that Steve Hays no longer coaches at Bethesda track club? I agree that coach Anna is great, but we really were not a fan of Coach Steve when he was at Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The two posts about taking it easier in elementary and MS are spot on. Your child won't benefit at all from a more intense program because everything will change starting in puberty anyway and more workouts also increases the risk of injury especially during growth phases.

BTC is closer to you anyway and BTC is a strong program. It's mostly serious runners but they also welcome kids who are more casual about it. The female Coach Hays is very nice and encouraging. A lot of kids did not like her husband but I don't think he coaches anymore at the club.

Can someone confirm that Steve Hays no longer coaches at Bethesda track club? I agree that coach Anna is great, but we really were not a fan of Coach Steve when he was at Whitman.

He still coaches along with Anna. Anna seems to be mostly with the younger kids and Steve with the older. I am not trying to steer anyone in any direction, but I have never had any issue with him and have total confidence in him coaching my kid. Not really sure what issue some may have, the only thing I can think of is that he is sometimes stern and direct when kids are goofing off, but I consider that a plus when you're dealing with so many kids with varying levels of interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The two posts about taking it easier in elementary and MS are spot on. Your child won't benefit at all from a more intense program because everything will change starting in puberty anyway and more workouts also increases the risk of injury especially during growth phases.

BTC is closer to you anyway and BTC is a strong program. It's mostly serious runners but they also welcome kids who are more casual about it. The female Coach Hays is very nice and encouraging. A lot of kids did not like her husband but I don't think he coaches anymore at the club.

Can someone confirm that Steve Hays no longer coaches at Bethesda track club? I agree that coach Anna is great, but we really were not a fan of Coach Steve when he was at Whitman.

I think he took a season or two off from BTC and is now back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has been with Bethesda Track Club for 3 years now but I am also very familiar with Seven Locks Running Club since they participate in many of the same track and xc meets.
The Seven Locks program is way more serious and intense and your child is more likely to run faster (at least in the short term) if that is your goal. There are different philosophies on training at those young ages and you should pick the one that is better suited to your goals.

I was forced to start early in the sport by my father. Not a pleasant experience. I would go with the most relaxed program for middle school. There is plenty of time to develop and get better. I ran a 9:20 2 mile in 8th grade, but not a great thing, really. Too much pressure early. Did run a 4:06 mile as a senior, and ran D1 on scholarship in college. Never enjoyed it. College track was not an adjustment, but cross country was as I had so much speedwork poured into me at a young age the adjustment to 80 miles a week was brutal. I would have benefitted from a far more relaxed approach - running is not swimming.

Damn, I could have written the exact same thing. I started track at age 7 back in the early 80's. Practices were brutal, every run was intense. Yeah, it produced good results but I hated it. When I got to my teens, I didn't want anything to do with running. Started back up in my 20's and learned just have badly I was coached. Thankfully I learned how to train properly and have kept it up for decades. With this in mind, I don't want to ruin my child for running. We've been doing BTC for 3 years and he loves it. Workouts are not crazy hard and easy running is mixed in. He wants to go to every practice and meet, so I can't ask for anything else. And you're absolutely right, it's not swimming.

I had a different experience with starting late (9th grade). The bottom line is that the most important thing for this age is to find a good coach. I was on multiple state championship teams for xc. I received multiple scholarships, including a partial D1. My coach has also won national coach of the year awards. He made running fun. It was never a grind. He even had easy days where we'd run to 7-11 (3.5 miles round trip) and get slurpees. Rival schools were slogging away with morning practices, etc. He focused a lot on attitude. Yes, there were hard and there, but he tried to make all of those fun too. Sometimes he would stagger runners by ability for a mile repeat, so that anyone on the team technically had the chance of coming in first. He turned casual runners into star athletes. He kicked off great runners with bad attitudes. He is still coaching and just won another state championship this year and has a runner who is headed to the Nike finals next month. It doesn't have to be a grind program to be a good program. Making it fun should be the most important thing right now.

[Anonymous]

If you bring cupcakes or other treats for the team on your kid's birthday, coach at Seven Locks gives a little toast to the birthday kid. Not everyone is the best runner out there (and there are national champions, medalists, etc, on the team -- see website's results page and coach's bio), but she makes everyone feel special, noticing good qualities in all individuals and making sure to celebrate them.