I've have the pleasure of coaching a 4th and 5th grade running team called Let Me Run. It's hard for me to articulate all the observations and feelings I have had with this team. The purpose of the program is to develop these boys into better people and to prepare them to run a 5K event. These kids impress me left and right. We meet at 3:00 after school and they come prepared and ready to run! They are so eager to get started and have endless positive energy. How the program works is we start off with words to live by given the theme of the practice (goal setting, teamwork, etc..), we get out for a unity lap where we all run together, we stretch, and then we go out for our run, come back stretch, count how many push ups they can do with good form, and then do team activities & discussions based on the theme of the day. We end each practice with a team huddle and have fun yelling out… Let Me Be Me, Let Me Reach Out, Let Me RUN!! The kids are 100% engaged.
There is 15 kids. We have a hand full of 5th graders that run 6:36 to 7:00 minute mile pace, a 4th grade group that run between 6:56-7:30 minute mile and kids that run 7:30-10:00 minute mile pace. They have yet to learn that your race pace is not your practice pace. So as you can image when they hear lets go… it's a bunch of race horses sprinting as fast as they can and they DON'T SLOW down until they finish the run. Normally, I will go out quick with the 5th graders then slow to run with each group during the run. I enjoy running with each group and find it very entertaining. Yesterday I had to laugh because I was running with the 5th graders and about 1/4 of a mile in one says excitedly "are you going to run with us the whole time today" and I smiled and said "I'm going to try". Well, I'm no 6:36 miler and usually by 1/4 of a mile I'm ready to drop back with the 4th graders. The kids crack me up because not only are we cruising down the sidewalk they then decide to come up with a game regarding how many waves and honks they can get from the passing cars and truck. All I can do is laugh and play along as I watch these kids be in the present moment not even realizing how fast they are running. We take our first turn about 3/4 of a mile now and I say "You know it's okay to slow down" and one of the boys sweetly says "why do you see any of us huffing and puffing" and I laugh and say "No, but you probably do" and he just laughed at my joke because he understood I was talking about myself.
As we run I try to provide little pointers about breathing, relaxing your hands, etc… We get to a downhill. We are well over the mile marker and I say "Just go with the hill". All of sudden ALL the boys start skipping with high knees while they are airborne with each skip and then switch to kicking out their legs straight quickly like a marching soldiers (again airborne) all while maintaining their pace and smiling from cheek to cheek. I laughed because this weekend when my son and I went out for a run he did the same thing. All I could do was think…. what is up with this and where do they get the energy to be so creative when they run! They run with pure joy & notice everything. I was able to stay with the kids until the last block when I said "you see the finish, so give everything you got and go in strong"…. well let's just say in a blink of an eye they all took off and I tried to give all I had left too. I'm proud my legs allowed me to keep up with the gang.
When I'm with the kids I'm 100% present and it's a great feeling. I do come home mentally and physically exhausted. I always laugh because my son who is also on the team will still ask me to go out and jump with him on the trampoline and again… I think… where do you get the energy, yet I go and jump because that's where we have our best conversations.
I do have a lot of energy and I've always been in shape, but watching these kids it has made me wonder at what point do we stop playing, moving and acting like kids. I'm not talking about partying & doing unhealthy things, etc.. I'm talking about the physical/healthy side of life. I watch how fluently they move their whole bodies without even thinking about it. I consciously make an effort to still move my whole body when I work out, but kids just do it naturally every day with everything they do. As adults we need to find that inner child and move, have fun, and be present in each and every moment of the day.
Speaking of moving. It's time I get out for my run at my own special pace on this lovely first day of Spring. I believe within 45 days the boats will be in the water and this cold winter will be just a past memory! And soon I'll be living at the lake again - Wahoo!!
Simply Julie - Long Lake Lifestyle
There is 15 kids. We have a hand full of 5th graders that run 6:36 to 7:00 minute mile pace, a 4th grade group that run between 6:56-7:30 minute mile and kids that run 7:30-10:00 minute mile pace. They have yet to learn that your race pace is not your practice pace. So as you can image when they hear lets go… it's a bunch of race horses sprinting as fast as they can and they DON'T SLOW down until they finish the run. Normally, I will go out quick with the 5th graders then slow to run with each group during the run. I enjoy running with each group and find it very entertaining. Yesterday I had to laugh because I was running with the 5th graders and about 1/4 of a mile in one says excitedly "are you going to run with us the whole time today" and I smiled and said "I'm going to try". Well, I'm no 6:36 miler and usually by 1/4 of a mile I'm ready to drop back with the 4th graders. The kids crack me up because not only are we cruising down the sidewalk they then decide to come up with a game regarding how many waves and honks they can get from the passing cars and truck. All I can do is laugh and play along as I watch these kids be in the present moment not even realizing how fast they are running. We take our first turn about 3/4 of a mile now and I say "You know it's okay to slow down" and one of the boys sweetly says "why do you see any of us huffing and puffing" and I laugh and say "No, but you probably do" and he just laughed at my joke because he understood I was talking about myself.
As we run I try to provide little pointers about breathing, relaxing your hands, etc… We get to a downhill. We are well over the mile marker and I say "Just go with the hill". All of sudden ALL the boys start skipping with high knees while they are airborne with each skip and then switch to kicking out their legs straight quickly like a marching soldiers (again airborne) all while maintaining their pace and smiling from cheek to cheek. I laughed because this weekend when my son and I went out for a run he did the same thing. All I could do was think…. what is up with this and where do they get the energy to be so creative when they run! They run with pure joy & notice everything. I was able to stay with the kids until the last block when I said "you see the finish, so give everything you got and go in strong"…. well let's just say in a blink of an eye they all took off and I tried to give all I had left too. I'm proud my legs allowed me to keep up with the gang.
When I'm with the kids I'm 100% present and it's a great feeling. I do come home mentally and physically exhausted. I always laugh because my son who is also on the team will still ask me to go out and jump with him on the trampoline and again… I think… where do you get the energy, yet I go and jump because that's where we have our best conversations.
I do have a lot of energy and I've always been in shape, but watching these kids it has made me wonder at what point do we stop playing, moving and acting like kids. I'm not talking about partying & doing unhealthy things, etc.. I'm talking about the physical/healthy side of life. I watch how fluently they move their whole bodies without even thinking about it. I consciously make an effort to still move my whole body when I work out, but kids just do it naturally every day with everything they do. As adults we need to find that inner child and move, have fun, and be present in each and every moment of the day.
Speaking of moving. It's time I get out for my run at my own special pace on this lovely first day of Spring. I believe within 45 days the boats will be in the water and this cold winter will be just a past memory! And soon I'll be living at the lake again - Wahoo!!
Simply Julie - Long Lake Lifestyle