Supplemental Programs & Activities

The Crim Youth Program is a superb program for youth running that was developed for and used by the Crim Race Organization in Flint, Michigan. The Bobby Crim 10 mile race has long been one of the most famous running races in the United States. It is held each Summer in late August and the Crim Youth program is designed to cover an 8 week period in order to train youth to run youth races the same day as the Crim 10 mile race.

We are privileged that the Crim has allowed us to use parts of their program to help with JUST RUN. This section provides the "weekly activity plans" for the 8 week program. Other referenced material in these plans can be found in other parts of the JUST RUN leader section and the download forms section.

There are many activities and references that can be useful to your JUST RUN program that are included here.

WEEK 1
Goals:
1. To understand the importance of regular physical activity
2. Introduce Fitness Journal

Attendance: Participants... MORE>>

Advice from a successful program - Porter Youth Center

Megan Okui, one of our CSUMB student assistants, reports that the Porter Youth Center had access to a regulation track. They used the track one day a week.

When the kids first get to the track they do a series of stretches and hold them to a count of 10. After stretching they ran laps and used a hand stamp to record laps for each child.

As each child finished a designated number of laps - increasing each session from 2 to 3 to 4 to 5, etc. then the child would go to one of several exercise station areas.

There were exercise stations designated for jumping jacks, push ups, and sit ups. After the exercises a warm down lap or two was run.

The children also enjoyed competition like 100 meter sprints against each other, with the winners advancing from each group to race against each other. They also liked to run one lap to beat a designated time - like everyone run faster than 2 minutes.

One special workout most kids enjoyed was a backwards challenge. To mix up the... MORE>>

Advice from a successful program - Junipero Serra

Brittany Davis, a CSUMB student helping with the Junipero Serra program and Shannon Dunne-Gamble, the Just Run leader developed a relay program that the children enjoyed and "asked for more". Its based on the Coach Sevene drill package and keeps things fun while emphasizing agility, balance, and several movements.

First put 5 or 6 cones evenly spaced over a certain distance. (They used about 100 yards)

Break the children up evenly into teams depending on how many cones you are using. The children on a team should be same as the number of cones used. Have multiple teams.

Then place one child from each team at each cone.

You can invent different movements between each cone but we used the following:

From the first cone to the second cone they did high knees.
From the second cone to the third, the child at the second cone was lying on their back and when tagged they get up and will run backwards to cone three.
From cone three to cone four, the child at cone 3 will be... MORE>>

Advice from a Successful Program - Marina Vista

Brandon Currie, a CSUMB Service Learner and scholarship Baseball player, helping with the Marina Vista elementary school after school program provides the following advice:

The kids really seem to enjoy any type of running we do. We try to keep them moving the entire time and don't want them idle too long. With that in mind, there are some activities they enjoy more than others.

1. For a warm up - we set out soccer balls about 30 feet away from the kids. We have them get into lines of about 4-5 behind one of the soccer balls; there are about 10 soccer balls. If the teams are bigger then they are idle too long between running. Make your teams as small as possible. Each kid, in turn, then runs to the soccer ball and runs around the soccer twice to the right and comes back. They repeat this twice and then go to the left twice.

2. We have the kids line up in a horizontal line in any random order and again have the soccer balls about 30 feet away. We yell out a grade level and... MORE>>

Advice from Hershey's Fast Track to Sports on Running Activities

Hersheys Fast Track to Sports is a program developed by experts in Track and Field. Hersheys supports local track and field competitions that included 400,000 youth and a National Competition each year with 550 of the fastest youth runners and jumpers. Look at www.hersheystrackandfield.comfor more information.

Short races: 15 to 25 yard races teach proper start and form techniques. Start 5 or 6 children at a time and race short races emphasizing proper start position and quick short steps during the race. Do this over and over as needed and it remains fun.

Bean Bag Relays: Divide the group into teams and put bean bags or other items that can be picked up at some distance from the teams. Each person runs, one at a time, picks up the item, and runs to a designated finish area. When they are done - the next person on the team runs, etc. until all are done.

Indian Run Race: Line up teams of 4 or 5 or 6 and run single file around the track or field. When the coach blows the whistle the last person in line sprints to the front of the line. Everyone cooperates by staying together. Do this until each member of the team is back in the original position. This can be used to increase running distance as you add more people to each team. It also emphasizes good pacing.

Middle Distance practice - form teams and run at least 1/2 mile (800 meters) in a group. Everyone must stay together the entire way. Use increasing distance at weekly sessions as you go through the school year.

Relay Races - around the track or around the field. Use actual relay batons (can be made from PVC pipe if you don't have actual batons). Designate teams to compete against each other and place one person from the team at various distances away from the start. Typically on the track you would do 100 meters for each person. They must pass the baton to each other and continue running.

Advice From Hershey's Fast Track to Sports on Warm Up and Warm Down

1. Warm up and warm down exercises should be included in every session.

2. They are similar but warm down exercises are done more slowly than warm up.

3. Use a variety of stretching exercises to include the arms, legs, neck, shoulders, and sides.

4. There should be no bounce in any stretching.

5. Stretches should be held for about 20 seconds.

6. Emphasize mental preparation as well - tell the kids to visualize seeing themselves running fast and smoothly. Picture themselves winning any competition.

7. Emphasize relaxation and breathing exercises as well. Easy breathing. Relaxation. Especially before competition.

Some stretching activities can be by dividing your group into 2 or 3 groups and designating a stretching warm up captain from each. They then are assigned to provide the other group their warm up exercises and everyone must follow their directions. Each group gets a chance to lead everyone in warming up.

Red light, yellow light, green light is a great warm up exercise. Red means stop, yellow means jog in place, green means jog toward the designated finish line. Coach yells directions and those that don't follow them go back to the start each time.

Arm Movement - sit on the ground with legs outstretched. Move arms in a running motion and continually move your arms faster at the coaches directions. Keep doing this until your arms are moving so fast that your feet are raising from the ground. This teaches proper arm swing for sprinting.

Balloon Relay

Several Schools have found that the children in their programs really enjoy balloon relays. The JUST RUN program has colorful JUST RUN balloons available for your school program. These can be helium filled for fun Balloon Relays.

Have a balloon for each relay team and your runners have to pass the balloon to the next relay member.

Watch the fun as they make sure the balloons don't fly off.

Relays can be various distances of your choice. You can have any number of teams and children involved.

Cat and Mouse/ Fox and Hound/Teacher and Student

One game that several schools use is a variation of cat and mouse. Sometimes also called Fox and Hounds. Kamann School in Salinas uses a variation called Teacher and student.

At Kamann a teacher, who is usually a regular runner, lets the children start and then chases. The teacher should run at a comfortable pace to encourage all the children to run ahead of them. When they catch up to a student - the students naturally speed up to stay ahead. They tend to run longer this way.

One of the faster students can also be designated as the Fox and everyone else the hounds. The Fox starts behind and catches up. They can run moderately and make sure other runners ahead of them stay running or they can pursue and anyone they catch has to stop running. They try to catch and pass as many other students as they can. This is particularly good for competitive minded children.

JUST Stretch

These stretches were submitted courtesy of Lindsey McElrath and Rebekah Yoro out of California State University Monterey Bay

SIDE STRETCH

Stand with feet spread apart and reach with one arm up and over. Hold stretch for thirty seconds. Switch and stretch the other side too!

Stretch 1 Stretch 2

MORE>>

Obstacle course using school items on hand

Jessica Wardle, a CSUMB Service Learner, and a scholarship softball player, was a leader at Marina Vista school. In order to have a fun activity involving lots of different movement types, Jessica found items the school had for physical education and created an interesting obstacle course for the group.

Materials Used:
(16) hula hoops
(4) bean bags
(4) foam bats
(20) soccer balls or cones
(12) short hurdles
(32) cones

Set-up:
Set up each cones approximately 30 yards apart, more or less if desired, as each station will have a different activity to perform. The first cone will be the starting line and no materials will be needed. At the second cone, set-up the hula hoops in one of two ways: one directly in front of the other or diagonal from each other. The third station will simply include four bean bags and then four foam bats at the following station. At the fifth station five soccer balls (or cones) need to be placed within two feet apart in a straight line towards... MORE>>

An extremely important part of the JUST RUN program are the recommended drills and relays for children. These drills have been used by elite coaches with experience in coaching world class athletes well as all other levels of runners, from children to adults. The drill packages have been developed to best prepare young legs and bodies for running. They are fun to do and improve agility, balance, coordination, strength, and conditioning, and are the perfect complement to JUST RUNNING for school age children.

In the Download Forms section of this website is a one page summary of the recommended Drills. Here is an explanation of each one.

It is best to form teams of 4 or 5 children who line up behind each other to do these drills. You can tell them to just run easy or you can tell them to run fast and compete against each other as in a relay. We suggest doing them slowly and non-competitively to start until they understand all the drills. If you do them as a relay try to evenly... MORE>>

Run with the Principal day - New Republic School

One great program idea is the Run with the Principal day started by Pepper Butler at New Republic School in Salinas. Pepper has a few days per week as part of the Just Run program where students can "Run with the Principal". Pepper gets in her own run and many many kids tag along with her.

This is usually done on the track or the athletic field. Its amazing how many kids are motivated to run, be healthy, and stay active, by seeing that their principal does the same thing.

Sample runs and walks

Sample Runs and Walks.
1. Obstacle Course - Using cones, buckets, playground equipment, etc. (use your imagination) have everyone run around and over things.
2. Relay Races - form teams and run on the track or field in teams - alternately touching the next runner. If one team is faster than another - then adjust for the next round.
3. Running for Time - each child should know their one mile time and note improvement as they gain more fitness. Each month you should have a mile time trial for this reason.
4. Whistle Run/Walk - blow the whistle and they run, blow again and they walk, blow again and they run, etc.
5. Hounds and Rabbits - identify your fastest runners and send everyone else out on the track or field route about 30 seconds in advance and see how many rabbits the hounds can pass.
6. Follow the leader - send everyone out in groups with similar abilities and they run in a line alternating leaders - wherever the leader wants to take them.
7. Wind Sprints - more... MORE>>

Sample warm up drills

Remember - no bouncing without warming up first.
1. Reach for the Stars - Stand straight and tall and reach as high as you can 5 times with each arm.
2. Sunflower - form a sunflower (circle) with arms over head and open and bend like a squat while reaching for the ground - then back up again - 5 times.
3. Volcano - make whooshing sounds as you bend down and reach for the ground - then stand up straight and tall and reach for the sky.
4. Shake it up - Shake the hands and feet at the same time for a minute.
5. Gentle Jumping Jacks - Jump gently with Feet apart and hands reaching over head.
6. High Knee Running in place - Start slowly then move legs faster and higher while running in place.

Sample warm up drills and games

Here are some sample warm up drills and games.
1. I like Game: (good for the first day). Mark two chalk line about 25 yards apart. All kids stand on one line alphabetically by first name (they get to know each other that way). Each child in turn yells out something they like (such as chocolate cookies and milk) or something they have ("I have a brother") and if anyone else likes that item or has the same thing they all run to the other line and then back together. Do this many times with several kids.
2. Jumping Beans: Form a horizontal line with lines of 10 runners and everyone (each line)takes 5 running strides then a leap several times for about a minute.
3. Ball Drills - using several soccer balls (10 recommended) (or something else) have the group run around the balls or over the balls while running or hopping. Emphasize high knees and some bounding if they are sufficiently warmed up. (see more detailed explanation on Ball Drills)
4. Skipping - skips and high knees with... MORE>>

Thirty minute "perfect" workouts

Three sets of experts were asked to create a workout plan that provided great overall fitness packed into a 30 minute time period. They suggest doing these three times a week but just one is a wonderful way to fill a half hour. They are more intended for adults or 7th and 8th graders but can be used for younger children as well by cutting back a bit on each part.

1. FURMAN Total Fitness 30
Dr. Ray Moss and Dr. Bill Pierce of the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific thinking recommend the following:
A. Start with 5 minutes of calistenics including pushups, pullups, sit ups (crunches), and lunges. Work up to 25-50 pushups, 10 pullups, 25 to 50 crunches, and 10 lunges with each leg.
B. Run 5 minutes very easy for warm up.
C. Run 15 minutes at a fast pace.
D. Finish with 5 minutes of cool down stretching.

2. The Progressive Acceleration 30
Dr. Jack Daniels, world respected exercise physiologist and coach suggests the following:
A. Run easy for 6 minutes for warm up.
B.... MORE>>

Typical workout session schedule

A Typical Workout Session would include:
1. Hydration
2. Dynamic Warm up period involving movement for 5-10 minutes and some gentle stretching
3. Drills in the form of games 15 minutes
4. Walk/Run workout for 20 minutes
5. Stretching and warm down 10 minutes
6. RE-Hydration and Journal Writing 5 minutes

Variety in workouts suggestions

The La Mesa moms suggest that when the younger kids need variety and don't want to "just run" you could try this:

1. Fitness Stations: Run for a minute or two between fitness stations and do push ups, sit ups, jump rope, ball toss or other exercises you might design for two minutes each before moving to the next station.

2. Buddy Runs: Pair some of your faster children with your slower children and tell them to run together the entire time of your planned run. It helps the faster kids slow down a bit and enjoy it and it helps the slower kids speed up a bit and work harder.

3. Relay Runs: Again pairing the slower kids with the faster kids - try to equalize teams and run relays.