Today was the first day of the spring season of Girls on the Run of Greater Baton Rouge. Our group of 12 is about half new and returning girls. This is my second semester as a coach. I think I mentioned after the fall 5K that these girls really grew on me. I was nervous about that first semester. I know a thing or two about running, but dealing with a group of 8-11 years, not so much. At the wrap of the 5K, I was near tears a few times as parents gushed about what their girls told them about the lessons and me as a great coach. What? Who!?! Me??
I didn't think that could have been topped. But I came into the school today and two of the girls left their class line and ran over and hugged me. I had to get control of myself to tell them to listen to the teacher and stay in line. Thankfully it was a teacher who recognized me from last semester and she wasn't pissed.
Anyway, practice was pretty cut and dry. I ran down expectations, such as working as a team, paying attention, etc. I'm supposed to have two co-coaches. One showed up and the other will mainly be available on Thursdays. My school has practice on Mondays and Thursdays. The one who showed up today is S. She is great. She started running in high school and after a busy three years of college, she was now able to volunteer. She seems a little shy and nervous dealing with a big group of little kids, but I was the exact same way last semester. Also, I see myself in her. It's a bit overwhelming, not only dealing with kids, but also when you see such a wonderful program that you wish you had when you were 10 years old. One thing I learned last semester is it's OK to answer questions about how you dealt with things when you were 10, 11, 12 years old and so on. It's not always easy to bring up those memories. But I'm good this semester. Because it is the past and it all made you a better person.
We're going to have a lot of fun. I can't wait to get the lessons and real running started. I really hope at some point, we can take the girls out to the lakes nearby to run three miles. We were able to get the emails of most the parents, so I want to see if I can recruit them to come out and help a few times. There is an easy three mile route at the lakes. I'll need lots of volunteers to keep an eye on the girls and I want a water stop at the 1.5 mile mark. I'm more organized this time around and I'll have more help, so I can't wait!!! I'll keep you posted on how the semester goes.
Showing posts with label volunteer work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volunteer work. Show all posts
Monday, February 6, 2012
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Girls on the Run Fall 2011 5K
Today has been long, exhausting and wonderful. After three wonderful months as a co-coach with Girls on the Run of Greater Baton Rouge, we had the 5K this morning and my girls rocked it!!
Thankfully my co-head coach J was thinking very proactively and bought a few sets of gloves. It was in the low 40s when we got there. I also raided my little sister's closet for jackets that were too small for her. They both came in handy. Many of the girls had forgot gloves and they were really needed. Also seeing how we're dealing with 8-11 year olds, there were a few setbacks of their own doing. One of our girls was adamant that it wasn't that cold. Despite her mother's fussing, she decided to show up with just a thin long-sleeve shirt. I had a thick cotton hoodie I found in my sister's closet.
As the girls started to arrive and we got them all settled, two of my Black Girls Run! Baton Rouge teammates showed up. We had lots of volunteers, so they mainly were there for moral support. I also laughed at how they marveled at the organized chaos that ensues while wrangling 250 8-12 year olds.
Most of our girls could not run the 3.1 miles non-stop, so we used a buddy system that had inadvertently come together during the many practices and had them set goals on how far the would run. The whole pacing thing is still a work in progress. They all finished between 38 and 40 minutes. Not bad for elementary school girls.
I have to say I'm still learning myself. Each practice started with lessons on peer pressure, boundaries and a healthy lifestyle. At 29, there sometimes are flashbacks of how sucky things can be when you're so young and trying to figure things out. You're usually bombarded with the bad stuff and have very few people to use as sounding boards to really sort through it all. These girls are amazing wonderful people and I think they will all do great things in this world. Can't wait for next semester!! Here are some photos.
Thankfully my co-head coach J was thinking very proactively and bought a few sets of gloves. It was in the low 40s when we got there. I also raided my little sister's closet for jackets that were too small for her. They both came in handy. Many of the girls had forgot gloves and they were really needed. Also seeing how we're dealing with 8-11 year olds, there were a few setbacks of their own doing. One of our girls was adamant that it wasn't that cold. Despite her mother's fussing, she decided to show up with just a thin long-sleeve shirt. I had a thick cotton hoodie I found in my sister's closet.
As the girls started to arrive and we got them all settled, two of my Black Girls Run! Baton Rouge teammates showed up. We had lots of volunteers, so they mainly were there for moral support. I also laughed at how they marveled at the organized chaos that ensues while wrangling 250 8-12 year olds.
Most of our girls could not run the 3.1 miles non-stop, so we used a buddy system that had inadvertently come together during the many practices and had them set goals on how far the would run. The whole pacing thing is still a work in progress. They all finished between 38 and 40 minutes. Not bad for elementary school girls.
I have to say I'm still learning myself. Each practice started with lessons on peer pressure, boundaries and a healthy lifestyle. At 29, there sometimes are flashbacks of how sucky things can be when you're so young and trying to figure things out. You're usually bombarded with the bad stuff and have very few people to use as sounding boards to really sort through it all. These girls are amazing wonderful people and I think they will all do great things in this world. Can't wait for next semester!! Here are some photos.
Pratima, Mia and Anna in the front and Camille in the background.
Our liaison Mrs. Brumfield
My co-coach J with Anna, Pratima and Molly.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Planking craze
Please excuse the huge hiatus! I won't do that again. I've been slacking on my running because I've been in job search over drive. I've only been able to do one long run. The search hasn't been as successful as I would like, but I'm not stopping. I'm not just looking at newspapers. My search is pretty wide, since I can do video editing and content management as well. I haven't decided if I'll link my professional blog here.
I'm also a volunteer coach with Girls on the Run of Greater Baton Rouge. There are 12 schools and about 200 girls. I ran the 5K a year ago and the program sounded awesome. Since I'm back home, I volunteered. The season starts next month. I am a little nervous. I like running, I like the lessons I'll teach. I've never dealt with 8-10 year-olds. My mom has given me a few pointers, since she raised three girls.
Now to the actual point of this post. This planking craze, as far as fitness, is a good thing in my opinion. But the whole timing thing in one position is boring and doesn't work enough for me. So I decided to focus on doing some dynamic planks I learned from my college coach. These things work your entire core and can be a bit hard in the beginning, but you'll quickly see the benefits. Here are four of the 12.
Dynamic Planks
These work your abs, butt and back. Form is most important because that's where you're getting a lot of the workout. Fewer reps with good form is more effective than many reps with bad form. I suggest getting your form down before working on engaging your abs. Do all for non-stop, back-to-back, then take a 30-40 second rest.
1. Prone handstand leg lifts - start in upward push-up position, lift one leg a few inches. Don't stick your butt in the air. Try to stay at a 45 degree angle. Make sure not to shift your weight to the opposite leg and arm. Start with three leg lifts on each side, focusing on form. When you're feeling less burn, increase the number.
2. Side elbow stand (leg lifts) - start in a side plank position. You should be at 45 degrees again. Don't let your hips sag. Hold in this position on each side for about 15 seconds. When you feel good, start holding longer in maybe 5 second increments. To make it even harder, try some leg lifts in that position.
3. Supine handstand leg lift - this is the reverse of the prone leg lift. Again, try not to let your butt sag. It takes some getting used to. Start with three and increase when you get your form right and feel less burn.
4. Supine shoulder bridge hip arch - lay in back with feet bent, shoulder length apart. Lift pelvis slowly. Hold at the top for two counts, then lower slowly. Start with five reps. To make it harder, you can hold at the top for longer. I am up to five seconds and you really work your butt on this one.
I'm also a volunteer coach with Girls on the Run of Greater Baton Rouge. There are 12 schools and about 200 girls. I ran the 5K a year ago and the program sounded awesome. Since I'm back home, I volunteered. The season starts next month. I am a little nervous. I like running, I like the lessons I'll teach. I've never dealt with 8-10 year-olds. My mom has given me a few pointers, since she raised three girls.
Now to the actual point of this post. This planking craze, as far as fitness, is a good thing in my opinion. But the whole timing thing in one position is boring and doesn't work enough for me. So I decided to focus on doing some dynamic planks I learned from my college coach. These things work your entire core and can be a bit hard in the beginning, but you'll quickly see the benefits. Here are four of the 12.
Dynamic Planks
These work your abs, butt and back. Form is most important because that's where you're getting a lot of the workout. Fewer reps with good form is more effective than many reps with bad form. I suggest getting your form down before working on engaging your abs. Do all for non-stop, back-to-back, then take a 30-40 second rest.
1. Prone handstand leg lifts - start in upward push-up position, lift one leg a few inches. Don't stick your butt in the air. Try to stay at a 45 degree angle. Make sure not to shift your weight to the opposite leg and arm. Start with three leg lifts on each side, focusing on form. When you're feeling less burn, increase the number.
2. Side elbow stand (leg lifts) - start in a side plank position. You should be at 45 degrees again. Don't let your hips sag. Hold in this position on each side for about 15 seconds. When you feel good, start holding longer in maybe 5 second increments. To make it even harder, try some leg lifts in that position.
3. Supine handstand leg lift - this is the reverse of the prone leg lift. Again, try not to let your butt sag. It takes some getting used to. Start with three and increase when you get your form right and feel less burn.
4. Supine shoulder bridge hip arch - lay in back with feet bent, shoulder length apart. Lift pelvis slowly. Hold at the top for two counts, then lower slowly. Start with five reps. To make it harder, you can hold at the top for longer. I am up to five seconds and you really work your butt on this one.
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