WEEK 4 – DAY 1
I AM SMART
“Nothing, not even pain, lasts forever. If I can just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I will eventually get to the end.”
– Kim Cowart
Yo-Yo Running
What is Yo-Yo running? Yo-yo running is when you start out too fast and you end up having to stop or walk. We want to start out at a pace that we can maintain throughout our run. Why is it not a good way to train? Here are three reasons…
- Most yo-yo runners will find that they are actually slower than if they maintained their speed.
- Yo-Yo running doesn’t help you build up your long distance endurance.
- Yo-yo running is very exhausting! It’s hard to sprint to try and keep up, just to end up walking again.
As long distance runners, we want to be able to run without stopping. That means learning to pace yourself. Sometimes it’s hard when others seem to be sprinting by you, but you will find that they will end up walking and you will pass them. Watch your pace today. Ask yourself, “Am I Yo-Yo running”?
Pacing
We are halfway through our season! In 2 weeks you will be running to earn your race day shirts!!! Part of not being a ‘Yo-Yo’ runner is finding and maintaining a steady pace. What does it mean to keep a steady pace? A steady pace is when we aren’t starting out too fast and getting burned out, or that we are going so slow that we don’t get very far. At the beginning of practice we are all excited to run and get going, but sometimes we take off too fast. This leads us to being burned out pretty quickly. We want to make sure that we are able to maintain the pace we start at for an extended period of time. Today as we run, I want you to watch what you are doing. Ask yourself, do I have a good pace? Am I able to run the full running time before the break? Am I starting off too fast and getting burned out? Take the time to reflect on your running today so that when we run 2 miles, you are prepared to keep that steady pace.
WEEK 4 – DAY 2
I AM STRONG
“Don’t dream of winning, train for it!” – Mo Farah
Perseverance
This is an excellent quote to help you with your SoleKIDs training. Sometimes when we are faced with what seems like a tremendous task, it helps to break it down into smaller pieces. When you think about the run every day, try to think about it in smaller increments. Instead of thinking ‘Man, we are going to run for 5 whole minutes?” Think “OK, in 5 minutes I can run 3 laps.” This is also a good time to remember the power of positive thinking. Keep your thoughts positive and make the situation easier in your mind and it will be easier!
WARM-UP
25 Jumping Jacks
20 High Knees
20 Butt Kicks
10 High Jumps (swing arms back, keep chest up, exploding up)
STRETCHING (FROM HEAD TO TOE)
HEAD
Gently look left to right with head 3 times
Gently nod yes and no with head 3 times
UPPER BODY
Arm circles:
5 small forward
5 small backwards
5 big forward
5 big backwards
Single right arm circles – 5 big forward then 5 big backwards
Single left arm circles – 5 big forward then 5 big backwards
5 arm swings – cross them in the front and swing them back to the sides staying parallel to the ground.
MID-SECTION
Oblique stretch:
With the legs in an upside down V, rest left hand on the hip. Reach over to the left side extending the right arm up and over. Stretching the obliques. Hold for 5 seconds. Switch sides by reaching to the right side and extending the left arm up and over, with the right hand resting on the hip. Hold for 5 seconds.
Trunk twists:
Stretch the trunk by twisting side to side. Keeping the legs in an upside down V with the back straight. Toes will also stay facing forward. Twist 5 times each side.
Hip Stretch:
Press hip out to the side and hold for 3 seconds. Do not bounce this stretch. Repeat each side 3 times.
Hip circles:
Press the hips forward, to the side, back and to the side. Doing this motion slowly to stretch each part of the hips. 3 to the right, 3 to the left.
LOWER BODY
Leg stretches:
With legs in an upside-down V and arms out to the side like an airplane, reach the right hand to the left foot. Then stand back up. Repeat with the left hand to the right foot. Repeat 5 times each side.
Knee rotation:
Place hands on knees with legs slightly bent. Move knees in a circular motion. 5 times to the right and 5 times to the left.
Quad stretch:
Bring right foot behind body and grab with the right hand. Balance on the left stretching the quadriceps muscles. If having a hard time balancing, partner up or balance near a wall. For a deep stretch, slightly bend the left leg. Repeat on the other side. Hold for 5 slow seconds.
Hamstring stretch:
With both feet planted on the ground, reach down to your toes keep the legs straight. Hold for 5 seconds.
Leg swings:
Balancing on the left leg, swing the right leg forward and back keep the leg straight. 5 each leg – use a partner or a wall to balance.
Facing a wall, gently place hand on the wall for balance and stand on left leg. Swing right leg side to side in front of the body. Keep the toe pointed to the wall while swinging the leg.
Ankle rolls both sides:
5 circling in
5 circling out
(For ankle rolls you can start off by sitting on the ground and gently placing the right foot over the left knee. Then with the hand, help assist in rolling out the ankle.)
WARM-UP WALKS/RUNS
Mark off a distance of about 30 feet. Do each exercise one time. After, go into your 5 minutes warm-up walk and workout.
Slow moving high knees:
Walking forward, lift knees high with the arms swinging in the opposite direction. It will look similar to a march.
Fast moving high knees:
Running forward, lift knees high with the arms swinging in the opposite direction.
Slow moving butt kicks:
Beginners placing hands behind them so they can feel their feet hit their hands. Advanced runners can swing their arms in the opposite direction of their legs.
Fast moving butt kicks:
Beginners placing their hands behind them so they can feel their feet hit their hands. Advanced runners can swing their arms in the opposite direction of their legs.
Hip flexor rolls to the front:
Place hands on hips, with the knee leading, lift the left leg to the side and then swing it to the front. (It looks similar to stepping over a log.) Make sure the knee is leading and not the toe or it will just look like a giant step. You can also refer to this as closing the gate.
Reverse hip flexor rolls:
Place hands on hips, bring the knee up in front then to the side and down. You can refer to this as opening a gate. You can do this by either walking forwards or by walking backwards.
STRENGTH
Have 2 students pick a strength exercise! Here’s some to choose from:
Pushups – 5
Crunches – 15
Burpees – 5
Sumo Squats – 15
Lunges – 5 each leg
Squats – 10
Planks – 30 seconds
Bodyweight Calf Raises – 20
WORKOUT
DAY 1
Walk: 5 min at brisk pace
Run: 4.5 minutes
Walk: 2 minutes
Repeat for total of 30 min
Walk: 5 min at a slowing pace
DAY 2
Walk: 5 min at brisk pace
Run: 5 minutes
Walk: 2 minutes
Repeat for a total of 30 min
Walk: 5 min at a slowing pace
COOL DOWN
Oblique Stretches:
Spread feet to make an upside-down V.
Place right hand on hip and with left arm reach to the right side stretching out left obliques.
With feet still in an upside V reach to the sky.
With feet still in an upside V place left hand on hip and reach to the left with the right hand stretching right side.
Hamstring Stretches:
With feet still apart reach down and touch the left foot and hold for 5 seconds stretching the hamstrings, walk hands to the middle and hold for 5, walk hands to the right foot and hold for 5 seconds, go back to the middle and roll body up to a standing position. (Emphasize straight legs! Even if they can’t touch their toes.)
Gluteus maximus/Hamstring Stretches:
With feet together, reach for the sky.
Slowly walk your hand down to touch your toes (hint: that’s okay if they can’t touch their toes, but emphasize keeping legs straight!) Stretching gluteus maximus and hamstrings. Hold for 5 seconds.
In standing position, bring left knee up to chest and hug, balancing on right foot. Hold for 5 seconds. Stretching the gluteus maximus and hamstrings. Repeat with other leg.
Quadriceps Stretches:
Working on balance: reach right hand behind to grab left foot stretching the quadriceps muscles. Hold for 5 seconds (Hint: Have them pick a spot on the floor and focus on it while balancing. If needed start them with holding onto a wall or partner. To get a deeper stretch, slightly bend knee.)
Switch sides with the left hand reaching behind and grabbing the right foot.
Ankle Rolls:
In standing position, keep the ball of the foot on the ground and gently roll ankle around to the outside for 5 circles. Then roll it to the inside for 5 circles.
Repeat on other side.
Shoulder/Arm Stretches:
In standing position, place right arm across the chest keeping it straight. With the left arm hug the right arm and bring to the chest stretching the right shoulder and arm muscles. (Make sure shoulders stay down and relaxed).
Repeat on the other side.
Arm Stretches:
In standing position, extend right arm straight up in the air next to the ear. Bend the elbow with the hand reaching behind the head and neck. With the left arm reach across the head and gently press down on the right elbow stretching the arm.
Repeat other side.
Neck Stretches:
Stretch neck by looking to the left slightly over the shoulder for 5 seconds
Repeat looking to the right slightly over the shoulder for 5 seconds. Then gently drop chin to chest for 5 seconds.
GAMES
DUCK DUCK GOOSE
Have your runners sit in a big circle. One runner is “IT” and will walk around the circle. As they walk around have them touch each runner’s shoulder saying “DUCK” when “IT” says “GOOSE” to someone that runner stands up and chases “IT” around the circle and tries to sit back in that runner’s spot before tagged. If tagged, the runner goes back to being “IT.” If they aren’t tagged then the other runner starts around the circle.
STEAL THE BACON
Teams are divided evenly and each person is designated a number. Each team stands on opposite sides with a shoe sitting in the middle (doesn’t have to be a shoe, just something easy to hold). When a number is called, the designated players from each team run for the coveted item and try to get it back to their side. If you succeed, you get a point. The team with the most points wins!
© 2020 SoleKIDs, INC.
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