WEEK 3 – DAY 1
I AM BRAVE
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
– Submitted by Coach Reed, Desert Sage Elementary, 7 seasons
Positive Attitude
What does attitude mean? Attitude is similar to what type of mood you are in. You could be in a happy mood, sad mood, grumpy mood, and many other types. However, attitude is a bit different. It is a DECISION on how we are going to look upon a challenge or activity. So tell me what is a good attitude between these two situations:
- “Today I am going to do my best even if it is a long run.”
- “I am so tired, my legs hurt, and running is so hard!”
Number 1 is having a good attitude. That doesn’t mean you might not be tired or your legs might not hurt, but thinking positively and deciding to have a good attitude will make you a better runner. It is so important to have a good attitude whether it is with school, homework, other activities or SoleKIDs. When we come into a situation with positive thoughts, it really improves our outlook on the activity.
Another thing about attitude is that it is contagious. That means others can catch it. If you have a negative attitude it can rub off on other people and they might start thinking negatively too. However, if we are positive and work hard, then other runners will see your good attitude and want to be around you. So I will ask you one more question…
Is your ATTITUDE worth catching?
WEEK 3 – DAY 2
I AM SMART
“There’s a reason SoleKIDs both starts and ends with the letter “S.” That “S” stands for SAFETY. Everything we do starts and ends in SAFETY.”
– Submitted by Coach Jon, 7 seasons
Running Safety
So far we have covered quite a bit of information about what it takes to become a runner: proper clothing and shoes, how to fuel our bodies, and correct running form. Today we are going to discuss how to be safe runners. A few guidelines for running safety are:
Be seen.
Wear high-visibility, brightly colored clothing. Neon colors, reflective materials and even headlamps or handheld lights will help alert others to your presence.
Face traffic.
It’s easier to see, and react to, oncoming cars. And cars will see you more clearly too.
Pretend you’re invisible.
Don’t assume a driver sees you. In fact, imagine that a driver can’t see you, and behave accordingly. Always stay on the sidewalk or if you must run in the road, stop when you see a car coming. That will give you time to move completely off the road if you need to.
Unplug your ears.
Avoid using iPods or wearing headphones—you need to be able to hear approaching people and vehicles. If you do use headphones, run with the volume low and just one earbud in.
Run with a buddy.
We should always run with a partner or family member. Plus, it’s way more fun to have someone to chat with while you run!!
Stop at all street crossings.
Stop at any corner where you may have to cross a lane of traffic. Look left, then right, then left again and proceed with caution. If you ever question whether it is clear, stay there and double check. Don’t think “I can make it before that car gets closer.” Because you can’t!!
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
PowerCrunches – 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: 3.5 minutes
Walk: 1.5 minutes
Repeat for total of 30 min
Walk: 5 min at a slowing pace
WORKOUT
DAY 2
Walk: 5 min at brisk pace
Run: 4 minutes
Walk: 1.5 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
KICK THE CAN
One person (or a team of people if the group is large) is designated It and an empty can is placed in the open playing field. With eyes closed, It counts to an agreed upon number, and the other players run and hide. It then tries to find and tag each of the players, always keeping a watchful eye on the can. Any player who is tagged is sent to the “jail,” usually in plain sight of the can. The rest of the free players attempt to kick the can before being tagged out. If they can kick the can without being caught, they set all the captured players free.
CAPTURE THE FLAG
Split your runners into two teams and split the field into two sides with a base on either side. Each team has a flag or other marker at their team’s base. The object of the game is to run into the other team’s territory, capture their flag and make it safely back to your own territory. You can tag “enemy” players in your territory, sending them to your jail. Runners in jail can be released by a member of their own team running into your territory, tagging the jailed player and running back, with one freed person allowed per jailbreak. The first team to make it safely back to base with the opposite team’s flag is the winner.
© 2020 SoleKIDs, INC.
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