Guidelines for Running Program
Mission Possible Running Program℠ Guidelines for Grade Schools
1) Time Frames (13 weeks)—a) Sept.-Dec. and b) Jan.-May
2) Distances—K – 2nd (1/2 mile—2 x’s/week—13.1M) 3rd—6th
(1 mile—2 x’s/week—26.2M)
3) School Sign Up Forms (Online)
a. Phys Ed Teacher or Principal
4) Goal/Distance per Semester
a. K – 2nd Grade(1/2 mile—2 x’s/week—13.1M)
b. 3rd—6th Grade (1 mile—2 x’s/week—26.2M)
5) Shoes—visit a reputable specialty running store. DO NOT allow student to run in shoes that are worn. The abnormal wear of a shoe will contribute to the biomechanical imbalances that we’re working so hard to correct. If you don’t know what ―shoe type‖ is correct for your child, it’s safe to get a neutral, or stability shoe, especially if your child has their custom orthotics.
6) Clothing—in cold, dress for 10° cooler than the temperature. Dress in layers. In warmer weather, dress light and think skin protection.
7) Pre-Run Eating –light meals at least one hour prior to running. Carbs over protein. Fruit is good, energy bar is good. A good breakfast (grain cereal) is good.
8) Pre-Run Drinking –hydrate with good water or juice. At least 8-12 ounces an hour before.
9) Warm Up—critically important. As kids, we can get away with running without warming up, but developing the warm-up habit is very important. The Stick helps long term to get an optimal warm-up with minimized injuries.
10) Normal Recovery—for the distances we’ve established for all age groups, there should be no problem with recovery running twice per week.
11) Pace—start out slower than what you’re able to do. DO NOT sprint. Running is about pacing and going long distances. Our goal is to introduce the concept of marathoning, so learning to run slower than you feel you can is critically important. We want this to become a lifestyle.
12) Injuries—prevention is the key here. Almost all injuries are biomechanical, and many of these can be prevented with good prevention effort. Learn the importance of biomechanics, and many injuries will never occur. At the least, they will recover quicker.
13) Injury Recovery—be willing to let the injury heal before attempting to return to running. Running is a repetitive motion activity, so certain muscles, tendons and joints will be under more stress than others. Make sure you’re healed prior to returning.
14) Chiropractic—motion is the goal here. All of us have biomechanical imbalances, and chiropractic adjustments help to restore motion back to all joints, but especially those joints under abnormal stress. Full joint mobility is one of the key ways to stay active without succumbing to injuries.
15) Physical Therapy—when injured, many of the strain/sprain inflammatory injuries that are so common will respond well to physical therapy. Remember, physical therapy only accelerates the healing process, it doesn’t mean you can immediately return with no guidelines. With a proper physical therapy program in place, any injury can heal quicker. And, if in doubt, use ice for all inflammatory conditions.
16) The Stick—mandatory for runners. Provides beneficial warm-up, recover and injury recovery.
17) Custom Orthotics—almost all humans have imbalances that originate in the feet. Custom orthotics normalize and improve these imbalances, providing a sound foundation for the rest of the structure. Critically important to begin using at age 7.
