Curriculum – Week Eight

WEEK 8 – DAY 1

I AM KIND

 

“When I was little and running on the race track at school, I always stopped and waited for all the other kids so we could run together even though I knew (and everybody else knew) that I could run much faster than all of them!” – JoyBell C.

 

RACE DAY PREP!

 

This is our last week of SoleKIDs! It has been an exciting season watching all of you improve week by week. You have learned so much!! Now with the race just a few days away, there are a few things we want to touch up on: 

1. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water throughout the rest of the week. We want you to stay hydrated.
2. Eat good foods! Fuel your body with foods that are going to help keep you going.  
3. Get plenty of sleep! Go to bed early if you need to so that when you wake up, you are ready to go. 
4. Don’t be late for the race! Make sure you leave on time so that you have plenty of time to warm-up, go to the bathroom, take a picture or two, and get your race bib. 

Lastly, stay mentally tough, keep positive, come with a good attitude, remember the goals you have set in place, and you will do amazing things both in running and in life.  It’s going to be a fantastic race. Congratulations on your hard work! You are going to rock it!

 

WEEK 8 – DAY 2

I AM STRONG

 

“The task ahead of you is never greater than the strength within you.” – Unknown

 

RACE DAY PEP RALLY!!!

Congratulations! You have all worked so hard and the only thing left is race day! Remember to be there on time so you can receive your race bib and have time to warm up. Make sure you are drinking water to stay hydrated, eating good food, and getting plenty of sleep. When the race begins watch your pace, push yourself, and remember to finish strong. Don’t give up before the finish line! It has been a great season and it is going to be awesome watching all of you run the race. Now let’s go have some fun! 

Coaches- have FUN today and get these runners hyped up for the race!!

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 are some to choose from:
Pushups – 5
Power 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: 11 minutes
Walk: 1 minute – Repeat for a total of 30 minutes
Walk: 5 min at a slowing pace

DAY 2
Walk: 5 min at brisk pace
Run: Easy 1 mile run
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-down 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

LAST WEEK!!!

Have fun!! Stretch, light run, easy games…no injuries!! Celebrate all your runners’  hard work!!