The last few weeks I have been heading down to Cottonwood on Wednesday afternoons, usually after our track sessions in Sedona, and have been leading an after school program in conjunction with Fit Kids of Arizona. If you're not familiar with Fit Kids they are a nonprofit group based in Flagstaff that is helping to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce childhood obesity within Northern Arizona. I offered to help run their new program at the elementary school in Cottonwood where I would spend an hour once a week teaching kids the benefits of exercise through fun and exciting games. There are about 40 kids who attend each week so much of my time is spent trying to find ways of organizing a group of rambunctious 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders but I enjoy every minute of it.
This past week was the second to last day of the eight week program and I was going to try and challenge my group a bit more this time. After they checked in and I instructed them to "jog" (to an eight year old a jog = sprinting until you're tired) two laps around the soccer field, they circled up and I began to explain the rules of our first game: Foxes and Hounds. Several people would be chosen to be the "hounds" who would chase the "foxes" around the 800 meter asphalt loop that circled the enormous field. The goal for the foxes was to make it around the loop before being caught by the hounds, pretty basic. Now usually I end each day with a "Minute Challenge" where the kids would run around the loop one minute for every week of the program (so week six it was for 6 minutes). Not many make it the whole loop in this time so this was going to be a hard game for them I thought. While some of the kids love trying to run for as long as they can, others dread it - it's just not fun! So I was pleasantly surprised when almost all of the foxes made it around the loop or at least farther than they ever had when playing this game! As an added bonus everyone said they had fun and wanted to do it again!
I didn't want to run the poor kids into the ground on our first game so I set them up to run the length of the soccer field for our next go around. After two more rounds I could tell that over half the kids needed a breather so I let those who wanted to, take a break and sit up on the stone benches to catch their breath. This time I was going to join in the fun and be a hound! I told them I would give them a head start and they couldn't believe it! No way was I going to beat them they all soundly proclaimed. I let them go and off they sprinted while the others watched anxiously on the stone bleachers. I took off just as the first few hit the half way mark and everyone started screaming as I closed fast on my 8, 9, and 10 year old opponents. I barely beat the first one to the line as he crumpled to the ground just before the finish. "Wow you're so fast!" they applauded, "that was so cool you beat everyone!", "let's do it again!". It was the seventh week of our program and I realized I hadn't ever really shown them how I could run until then. I'm not sure who they thought I was before but now I was a proverbial hero.
After taking a short break I organized them for our next game, one of their favorites, the relay race! I set up 11 cones around the soccer field to serve as each runners station. I reminded those who had forgotten how a relay is run what to do then let the first group race. They had a blast and wanted to go again but we were running out of time as 2:30 crept closer. So I set up the last team around the field and told them I was going to be their opponent! With half the group cheering on the bleachers I let the team get around a quarter of the field before starting. I made it close by jogging as I caught up but when the last runner got the baton I took off, and boy did I have to book it! The kids beat me by a good few steps and they were ecstatic, they had just won the biggest race of their young lives.
I'm only 23 years old but running around with my kids that afternoon brought back the raw, fun, competitive spirit that I used to feel as a little kid too. Running fast and crazy, sprinting here and there just because you could. By also joining in the games I excited and inspired my kids to run hard and have fun, but at the same time they inspired me with their simple desire to run around and have a blast. Throughout the hour it didn't matter who won or lost to them. Instead, knowing that they ran super hard, fast, and far - maybe even more than they had ever before - was all they cared about. For me as a professional athlete this was the most refreshing experience I could be given. It was a rewarding day, and I felt good that I was making an impact and also taking something away from it as well.
Something that especially hit home with me came at the end of the day when my kids drew the general conclusion that "Wow! You're good enough to be in the Olympics!" - and you know what I thought? Ya...I am.
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