Let’s Run!
We were truly born to run! What is the most common thing you hear yelled to children at the pool, in the kitchen, through a parking lot, and all around school? “Stop Running!” “Walk!”
When we take up running as young and old adults we have to completely re-learn how to run. What if we were to never stop running? What if we were to give our children the opportunity to learn to run for fun, learn to run for health and longevity, and to run as a compliment to any lifestyle? Running, when done properly and with balance, is the perfect form of exercise. It strengthens the body’s heart, lungs, bones, muscles, and the mind. Running is a sport that can be done at any age with minimal experience needed; it requires very little equipment; it can be done almost anywhere; and it is a sport that can bring all ages and ability levels together to participate all at once offering a level of fellowship many other sports cannot.
Kids Run the Nation® is a turnkey program developed by The Road Runners Club of America designed to meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans outlined by the USDA. The program aims to introduce running and physical activity to children with an emphasis on participating daily as part of a healthy lifestyle regardless of age, experience, ability level, or gender.
Organized sport programs for children ages 4 -10 are commonly found outside of school programming. It can be particularly challenging for parents to coordinate after school activities when juggling work and other daily responsibilities. In addition, activities outside of school can financially add up by the time you factor in participation fees, lesson fees, driving to and from practice, and often settling for a quick meal on the fly.
Evolve Endurance has created a youth running organization called Soleful Running which implements the curriculum laid out in the RRCA’s Kids Run the Nation program. The mission of Soleful Running is to promote physical activity through a running-based program and empowering children with knowledge that will help them make healthy and safe lifestyle choices. This program is currently being offered to students at St. Martin’s Episcopal Lower School as part of the Beyond the Bell enrichment options. Stay tuned for the program to be offered at a park near you!
Instead of saying, “Don’t Run!” You can now say, “Walk, please!. You can always run with Marisa & your friends later!”
Our Goals:
Teach kiddos the fundamentals of running
Cognitive development by focusing on goal-oriented tasks as well as skill drills and key running concepts, pattern recognition, counting
Physical development by progressively increasing time to run and move and speed and endurance develpment
Running form development by teaching kinesthetic awareness, muscle and joint stability, strength, and flexibility
Social development through discussing teamwork sportsman-woman-ship, what it means to persevere, maintaining a positive attitude, setting goals, and adopting healthy lifestyle practices.