The 100 Mile Club®

Great Sign. Gone. :(

2012-01-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

I am so sad. On my way up Mt. Rubidoux, I always look for this sign. It was in a backyard adjacent to the trail and I loved it.

Maybe they are moving? Maybe the economy got the best of them. Maybe they got sick of it. Either way, I miss this sign.

:(

Lesson learned.

2012-01-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.

~John Steinbeck

It is amazing how a good night's sleep and a little determination can solve a problem. There was something driving me crazy in my Quickbooks and I couldn't find how to fix it. Honestly, I was feeling inadequate and downright dumb. I was tired and had been working all day with Annie on a Fellowship proposal. ::fingers crossed::

They all told me:

"Kara, leave it. Come back tomorrow with a fresh pair of eyes."

I listened, reluctantly as usual. This morning, a Saturday no less, I came back in the office, disabled the alarm, sat down in a silent space and fixed it in about 4 and a half minutes.

Lesson learned.

Random Fitness Facts for Fun!

2011-09-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

These fun fitness facts remind me of this scene from Jerry Maguire.

Try and read them without hearing this little voice inside your head!

1. You would need to drink a quart of milk every day for three to four months to drink as much blood as your heart pumps in one hour.

2. Your heart is about the size of your fist and weighs about as much as a softball.

3. In the course of a lifetime, the resting heart will have pumped enough blood to fill 13 supertankers.

4. The pink under your fingernails is the blood in your capillaries.

5. Your heart is the strongest muscle of your body and beats about 100,000 times in one day, in an average adult.

6. We need light in order to see. Animals that live in deep caves or in the great depths of the ocean where there is no light are often blind or have no eyes at all.

7. A person breathes 7 quarts of air every minute.

8. Almost half the human body's weight is made from one of three types of muscle tissue.

9. The human nervous system can relay messages to the brain at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. Your brain receives 100 million nerve messages each second from your senses.

10. In one day, some 4000 children and teenagers take up smoking.

11. Underwater swimming is the only time you should hold your breathe while exercising.

12. Your brain weight about 3 pounds, is a pinkish gray color and is about the size of a cauliflower.

13. Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.

14. The three bones of the middle ear are so small all three could easily fit on your thumbnail.

15. If all 600 muscles in your body pulled in one direction, you could lift 25 tons.

16. If the 300,000,000 tiny air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs could be laid out flat, they would cover a home swimming pool.

17. Tongue prints are as unique as fingerprints.

18. If you weight 100 pounds on earth, you will weigh about 264 pounds on Jupiter.

19. There are 206 bones in the human body. One fourth of them are in your feet.

20. The human body has 45 miles of nerves.

** Source: http://lower.usm.k12.wi.us/special/phy_ed/3rd%20Grade%20Page/fun_fitness_facts.htm

San Manuel donates funds to Corona non-profit for childhood fitness program.

2011-09-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Annie Bradberry

Director of Development

The 100 Mile Club®

Phone: 951-340-2290

annie@100mileclub.com

The 100 Mile Club®, a Corona-based non-profit organization focused on physicalfitness and life skills for children, recently received a grant from the SanManuel Band of Mission Indians.

Theorganization was among other local non-profits to receive grants from the SanManuel Band of Mission Indians charitable giving program which supportsorganizations that provide services in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties with the focus to improve qualityof life for adults, children and families. San Manuel has contributed more than$50 million to charities since 2001. Through partnerships with charitableorganizations and community groups San Manuel honors the ancestral Serranovalue of sharing resources with others.

TheSan Manuel grant awarded to The 100 Mile Club® will fund 1,000

InlandEmpire children this new school year.

Realizing physical activity providessignificant benefits to the health status of our kids and our community, The 100 Mile Club® created a simple,innovative, sustainable answer to the current health crisis of inactivity inour youth. The program runs the length of the school year and has an incentiveprogram that adds excitement while teaching children how to become responsibleand accountable for their own success.

“With San Manuel’s support we are winning thebattle on childhood obesity and inactivity one child, one school, and onecommunity at a time” said Kara Lubin, founder of the Corona-Norco basedorganization.

About the San Manuel Bandof Mission Indians

The San Manuel Band ofSerrano Mission Indians is a federally recognized American Indian tribe locatednear the city of Highland, Calif. The Serrano Indians are the indigenous peopleof the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys and mountains who share acommon language and culture. The San Manuel reservation was established in 1891and recognized as a sovereign nation with the right of self-government. Sincetime immemorial, the San Manuel tribal community has endured change and hardship.Amidst these challenges the tribe continued to maintain its unique form of governance.Like other governments it seeks to provide a better quality of life for itscitizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services and promotingsocial, economic and cultural development. Today San Manuel tribal governmentoversees many governmental units including the departments of fire, publicsafety, education and environment.

About The 100 Mile Club®

Inspired bythe 1992 Summer Olympics, special education teacher Kara Lubin used theuniversal dream of becoming a gold medalist to inspire her hard-to-motivatestudents. That year, The 100 Mile Club was born from a simple idea -- run 100miles within the school year and earn a gold medal. The 100 Mile Club teacheschildren how to exercise safely, instill fun and healthy habits that will lasta lifetime. Physical activity is important to children’s health and learning.For children, physical activity is linked to improved readiness to learn,better educational outcomes, and improved health.

###

For more information about The San Manuel Band of MissionIndians, contact the Office of Public Affairs at 909-864-8933.To contact The 100 Mile Club® call 951-340-2290.

On the Right Path: Corona-Norco Makes Strides Toward Healthier School Lunches

2011-09-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 represents a major step forward in our nation’s effort to provide all children with healthy food in schools. Increasingly schools are playing a central role in children’s health. Over 31 million children receive meals through the school lunch program and many children receive most, if not all, of their meals at school.

This month, guest blogger Betsy Adams, CNUSD Child Nutrition Coordinator shares the ongoing efforts of Corona-Norco Unified School District to provide healthier, more nutritious, and enjoyable school meals:

September, 2011. School meals provide students well-balanced, healthy meals that are required to meet science-based, federal nutrition standards.

We must not only provide our students with healthy food but with food they will enjoy.

With passage of the 2010 Healthy‐Hunger Free Kids Act, major changes have transformed school lunch guidelines to help combat the growing problem of childhood obesity.

The new recipe for success to building a healthier plate:

Eat the right amount of calories
Vary your veggies
Focus on fruit
Make half of your grains whole
Consume calcium rich foods
Go lean with your protein
Drink water

At the school lunch table this year, more variety of fruits and vegetables are being offered along with whole grains, low‐fat dairy products and meals with less fat, sugar and sodium.

Corona‐Norco’s cafeteria is serving fresh broccoli, zucchini, carrots, cucumber, spinach, cabbage and seasonal fruits. Baked Sweet potato Fries are being served and your student’s hamburger and chicken sandwich are on a whole wheat bun.

School lunches continue to provide 1/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories. These dietary guidelines are the best science‐based advice on how to eat for health.

Menus have no more than 30 percent calories from fat and less that 10 percent from saturated fat.

Portion control is the standard followed, super-sizing is not an option.

School lunch customers are being served nutritious foods they like to eat which will help them grow, learn and succeed.

We invite you to choose to eat a healthy plate with Child Nutrition Services in CNUSD.

CNUSD Menu. Through December 2011.

ABC's Eye on LA: Getting a jump on Michelle Obama's message is...

2011-08-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

Jump to 2:57 if you are antsy!!

Getting Started, CHAPTER Two

2011-08-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

NOW WHAT??

Now that you understand our definition of success in 100 Mile Club®, what do you do? That’s easy!!

Make a commitment. This must come from you as the classroom teacher and/or 100 Mile Club® Site Head Coach. You are responsible for setting the standard for 100 Mile Club® procedures, motivating individuals with words of encouragement, sticking to the daily commitment, observing and providing positive feedback, and teaching proper 100 Mile Club® attitude. It’s not a competition; it’s a personal journey…and that concept needs to be reinforced daily for a while. After 100 Mile Club® is up and running, it almost takes care of itself. Participants and/or parents carry out the day to day procedures, and you simply provide feedback, guidance, encouragement, reinforcement, and enthusiasm.

Set the rules.

Be safe.
Be responsible.
Be respectful.
Be kind.
Do your best.

If you reinforce these concepts, not only will 100 Mile Club® function smoothly, but your class will gain tremendous amounts of self-respect and ownership not only of the Program, but of themselves, their peers, and their classroom as a whole. It’s quite powerful.

Reinforce the idea that 100 Mile Club® is their program, not yours to enforce upon them…Do it right, do it well, and the rewards are endless for both you and the participants. (I know of dozens of parents who have requested specific classes/teachers simply because that class uses 100 Mile Club® as part of their p.e. curriculum.)

Measure your track/walking course. Don’t reinvent the wheel here. If you are a school, your site should have this information from having to run the mile for physical fitness testing. Check with your office or grade level team. If not, grab a pedometer or GPS and go for a walk around your designated running area. Once this is done, it’s done forever.

You are responsible for setting the standard for 100 Mile Club®…

Do it right, do it well, and the rewards are endless for both you and your participants.

A Definition That Makes Success an Equal Opportunity Player

2011-08-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

After taking a position teaching high school English at the age of 24, John Wooden soon grew frustrated with the grading system he was required to use and felt compelled to help his students better understand success as a result of personal effort.

He thought of his father’s advice:

“Never try to be better than anyone else, but never stop trying to be the best you can be.”

He remembered his high school math teacher, Mr. Scheidler, and his essay challenge to define success.

Then Coach recalled a verse of poetry he had recently read:

At God's footstool to confess,
A poor soul knelt and bowed his head.
“I failed,” he cried. The Master said,
“Thou didst thy best, that is success.”

A Definition Created

These influences helped Coach Wooden coin his definition of success in 1934:

"Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

A Pyramid Built

The definition satisfied Wooden for a short while, but he quickly realized it was insufficient. He needed something more concrete – more visual. So he spent the next 14 years identifying 25 behaviors he believed were necessary to achieve his idea of success. This search culminated in a simple but profound diagram Wooden called "The Pyramid of Success", which he completed in 1948.

Nearly six decades later these foundational behaviors have weathered the test of time - unchanged, full of wisdom, as rock-solid as the first day Coach established the cornerstones of Industriousness and Enthusiasm.

Sources:

The John R. Wooden Course® http://woodencourse.com

The Official Site of Coach John Wooden http://www.coachwooden.com/

GETTING STARTED: Accept the Challenge

2011-08-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

The 100 Mile Club® is simple to set up and begin. You should be ready to “hit the ground running” the first day of your new year, or as soon as possible once your year begins. Here are some guidelines to get you going. The following ideas, concepts, and procedures are extremely helpful and will make 100 Mile Club® run smoothly and positively.

Accept the Challenge

There is a philosophical mindset that must be adopted and understood before beginning The 100 Mile Club®.

Our philosophy is simple. We believe that every single individual has the ability to achieve true personal success and a new level of physical fitness by Accepting the Challenge of running (or walking) 100 Miles at school during a single school year. These feelings of true personal success and fitness are ones that will carry an individual to new levels of achievement in all areas: academics, athletics, and implementation of the valuable life skills identified in the bricks of Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.

The 100 Mile Club® is a personal journey toward a very personal goal.

· It is not a race with anyone but yourself.

· We NEVER compare individuals.

· We never race or compete between classes, departments, or individuals to see who makes 100 miles “first”.

· 100 Mile Club® is not an external competition. The competition is with your biggest rival: yourself.

· We celebrate all personal successes at the end of the year. Our year begins in July and end in June. 100 miles or not, we award individuals together, celebrate together, and never separate out those that make 100 miles from those that do not.

· The personal successes individuals feel while on the 100 Mile Club® journey are unquantifiable but ever-present. We celebrate those most of all.

100 Mile Club® encourages team spirit by asking individuals to work together to help one another reach their goals. Often, we see the more athletic individuals Kara Lubin encouraging and mentoring those that might need that little extra boost…it is wonderful to see individuals cheer for each other or run together to just make it one more lap.

100 Mile Club® does not publicly (e.g.-website, school announcements, etc…) identify or announce individuals who hit 100 miles until the end of the year awards presentation. Some individuals make 100 miles by mid-January…We let these individuals savor the inner rewards that come from humility, poise, confidence and friendship as they help others reach their goals, too. We ask that these individuals reach inside themselves and set new personal goals in order to reach their true level of competitive greatness.

The 100 Mile Club® is an individualized physical fitness program. Individuals will have the opportunity to exercise their bodies through stretching and running (or walking) activities as they move closer and closer to 100 miles and their very own gold medal. Please strike a careful balance between encouraging individuals to do THEIR best, honoring differences, and challenging individuals to reach to a new level of greatness.

The 100 Mile Club® is a life skills program. Through the personal experience of running (or walking) 100 miles at school, each person is given unique situations in which to truly experience each and every one of the life skills outlined in The Pyramid of Success.

Make sure you know your participants. Some may have medical conditions of which you may not be aware, some may need to see their doctor before beginning a program such as this. The 100 Mile Club® is a physical activity. We strongly recommend that one should always consult with a physician before beginning any exercise regimen.

The 100 Mile Club® is uncomplicated, yet profound. We believe strongly that each and every student who Accepts the Challenge of running (or walking) 100 miles at school during a single school year will discover a phenomenal new part of themselves…the part that thrives on team spirit, hard work, determination and enthusiasm. Once a child gets a taste of the deep and powerful intrinsic rewards of true, TRUE personal success, he or she will seek that feeling again and again…at school, at home, and in life.

A Warm Welcome to Annie Bradberry!

2011-07-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Annie Bradberry has more than 17 years’ experience working in the non-profit sector and joined The 100 MileClub® as Director of Development in February of this year.

Annie brings extensive grant writing and development expertise to support The 100 Mile Club® and its overall mission. Her scope of experience as a businessperson will enhance the organization’s growth, development and grant success, and her enthusiasm and passion for our schools, kids, and families makes her a perfect fit for our rapidly-expanding organization. Annie is awesome!!

Early in her career, Annie served as the Executive Director of The National Stuttering Association (NSA), a non-profit organization that provides support and education to children and adults who stutter, their families and the speech professionals who work with them. As a person who stutters, Annie is still involved with the NSA providing in-service trainings to school districts and Southern California University Speech Pathology programs as well as Youth Day workshops for kids who stutter nationally. Annie currently serves on the Advisory Board of the International Stuttering Association continuing her passion for the stuttering community.

Later in her career, Annie served as Executive Director of The Corona-based Foundation for Community and Family Health. During this time she helped the organization secure funding from government sources, private and corporate foundations, as well as building community relations and participation.

In the last decade, Annie has served on numerous boards and committees dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents of Corona where she has lived with her husband Bob for 23 years. Her daughter Amanda teaches 2^ndgrade in Las Vegas and she is blessed to have her parents live with her who celebrated 66 years of marriage this year.

Give a call to the office and wish her well, or drop an email to say hello.

Welcome, Annie! It is going to be a great year!

The 100 Mile Club®

815 West 6th Street

Suite 105

Corona, CA 92882

951-340-2290 o

951-340-1057 f

Medal Ceremony FAQ

2011-04-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

Here is the form for Medal Ordering!!

How do I order my medals?

It’s easy. Just print this form, tell us what you need, and fax or mail/email it in.

Your site is eligible for the same number of certificates as you have Incentive Packages. For example, if your school has ordered 250 Incentive packages, your school is eligible for 250 certificates. We will add in extras in case you mess up. :)

Additionally, you will get medals for those participants who have crossed the 100 Mile point. PLEASE only order what you need. Again, we will add in extras for you "just in case". Ordering only what you need will ensure that we keep our costs down in the years to come.

Soon, you will receive a form in which you may include your order for these certificates and medals. They are already paid for...you just need to cover shipping. PLEASE allow at least 14 day window for medal and certificate delivery. DON'T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE. It will make us and you freak out.

Medal ceremony time is SO exciting! Make sure to set those ceremony dates and let us know when they are.

Do we have to pay for shipping?

Yes, you do have to cover shipping, but it shouldn’t be too much.

We will make an invoice with your shipping total included. You can pay by check or credit card. (Or you can pick up.)

May we pick everything up?

You bet! Just let us know when you want to come. Our normal hours are 8-5, M-F. We will have extended hours as we get closer to the end of the Cycle (aka May and June).

How much time do you need to get everything to us?

If you are picking up, you can come any time (BUT PLEASE HAVE YOUR FORM FILLED OUT!). If we are shipping, allow 10-14 days just to be safe.

When should I stop my kids?

That is totally up to you. We ask that you schedule your medal ceremonies to allow as much time as possible to get those miles in. Don't cut off too early (or too late!).

Here are the steps:

1. Set your Medal Ceremony Date/s

2. Back up about a week (if you are picking up), or 10-14 days if we are shipping.

3. Set that date as your cutoff date.

What if I have a child who is SO close? Can I extend running special just for him/her?

The expectation for completing 100 miles is clear. Trust that expectation and stick to it. Miles must be completed at school or at 100 Mile Club®/Sanctioned Events. You can allow extra time at school, before school, after school, let them know about outside opportunities, but be careful about bending the rules for just one child. Open it to all, in which case you are extending your cutoff date. Ask yourself what it teaches a child when you allow them to take these extra privileges.

What if we have someone almost there, can we let them run at home?

The kiddos know the expectations going in.

I know it’s hard, but allowing miles to be completed at home with just mom or dad opens a whole can of worms with kids and families (trust me). The commitment was to have her complete the majority of her miles at school with classmates, etc. Having her go to school and complete her challenge with her “team” according to plan would be the very best way to go. Doing anything else cheapens the process, so be careful when you decide what to do.

Should I give a special award to the runner with the most miles?

That is up to you. You can, but again, be really careful about HOW you do it. I’ve actually seen it done really, really well. Some schools have a little trophy, or they get a cap or hoodie from us to give them. Usually you wait till everyone has gotten their awards, and do it at the very last.

In addition, think about the children who really blossomed somehow within the program but didn’t quite make their 100. These kids may need personal recognition more that anyone.

Do you have special gifty things we can get for our special runners?

We sure do. Hats, hoodies, backpacks, bling tees, girly tees, beanies…you name it.

How do I get my certificates and medals?

It’s easy. Just print this form, tell us what you need, and fax or mail/email it in.

We have kids who ran but we didn’t order Incentive Packages for them. Can we order certificates for them?

Yes. You can order certificates above and beyond what your school is eligible for, but the cost for these will be 0.10/certificate. These will be added into your final invoice.

REMEMBER: There is NO CHARGE for certificates that are part of the Incentive Packages you have already ordered. If you need more, they are 0.10/each. Just tell us what you need.

What are some basic DOs and DON’Ts just to get me going?

• DO make sure that EVERYONE receives a certificate with the total miles run/walked written in and signed by the Site head Coach/es.

• DO make sure that everyone wears their 100 Mile Club® t-shirt the day of the ceremony.

• DO remember that only those who run/walk 100 miles receive a medal.

• DO think about that child who did something extraordinary.

• DO have FUN!!

• DO Read more here.

DON’T sort your kids from lowest to highest miles.

DON’T make excuses or shy away from Medal Ceremonies if nobody made their 100.

DON’T just recognize the kids who did 100 miles and ignore the rest.

DON’T put certificates and medals in cubbies to just send home.

I still need some ideas! Help?

Sure!! Ceremonies can be any of (but of course not limited to) the following…

• A School-wide Assembly. These can be wild and crazy, or dignified and noble. You make it what you want… have balloons, make a slideshow, have music, invite local dignitaries.

• A Family/Company Potluck, Picnic, or BBQ. Yes, families and businesses can be a 100 Mile Club® chapter, too! You can end the year with a group picnic at the beach, lake, or local park.

• A Reflective Year-End Classroom Activity. This is actually how the ceremony began in my classroom. We invited all of the families of our individuals and spoke of each individuals’ achievements, as we announced their miles and presented medals and final certificates.

• Individual Classroom Visits...aka MEDAL Patrol! As done by Orange Elementary School in 2009-10! They traveled from room to room with medals, certificates, loud music, a tiger mascot, and a rather large bullhorn! It worked!

After our ceremonies, we may have extra medals. What do we do with them?

Please bring or send them back to us! We can store them and get them redone and ready for 2012. Please do not hold on to them. The neckbands change and are customized each year, so we can wrap and store the medals. Thanks so much for helping us keep costs down for us all. 

In sum, what you need to know is that The 100 Mile Club® Medal Ceremony something that should be meaningful to you, your colleagues, and your participants. You are creating tradition with this, so plan well and make sure to always have FUN!! Visit our website at www.100mileclub.com for video snippets of different medal ceremonies around the country.

Healthy and Yummy: Honey Banana Bread

2011-04-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

I took this horrid photo with my iPhone, so major apologies. Don't discount this yummy and healthy recipe because I have no photo skills. I had these bananas that were about to go, and a rare desire to create some sort of baked treat...I found a recipe online at the coolest website and tweaked it a little to utilize what I had on hand.

Honey Banana Bread
The original recipe is from Trisha Gagne of Cambridge, Ontario, who writes, "This banana bread was in a very old recipe book published by the women in a tiny church in Southern Ontario. It has a really unique flavor thanks to the honey. The maple syrup version is also delicious served with butter. This is the only banana bread I ever make, and every crumb vanishes quickly." Trisha adds that she lines the pan with aluminum foil, which makes it super easy to clean up, and the loaf never sticks.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened 1 egg 1 cup honey or maple syrup (I used honey) 1 cup mashed banana 2 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour) 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional. I left them out)
Directions:
With a mixer, beat together the butter, egg, honey and banana. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the creamed mixture and stir until moistened. Fold in pecans if using. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Turn the oven down to 300 and continue baking for around 30 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed.

This recipe is from

Now....you're cooking! www.donogh.com

Click here to download a printable copy of this recipe.

http://www.donogh.com/cooking/print/cake/banbread.html

Medal Ceremony Wisdom: A few DOs and DON’Ts for you.

2011-04-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

DOs

DO REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE receives a certificate with the total miles run/walked written in and signed by the Site head Coach/es. Even if they walked 1 mile, they are recognized for making the effort.
DO Make sure that everyone wears their 100 Mile Club® t-shirt the day of the ceremony. It is spectacularly unifying to have everyone in their tees, and it LOOKS really cool! Take pictures!
DO REMEMBER THAT only those who run/walk 100 miles will receive a medal. Everyone knows this going in, so it is no surprise. Trust me when I say that the medal is a huge motivator, and so is the recognition by one’s peers. The will work for it, and if they don’t quite make it, you celebrate anyway.
DO Have FUN!

DON'Ts

For what it’s worth, I really do not like having to outline the don’ts. It seems so…negative. That said, some folks need them and that is ok. We want every child’s efforts to be celebrated and respected, and if that means peppering in a few DON’Ts, I’m fine with that.

At your Medal Ceremonies, PLEASE:

DON’T sort your kids from lowest to highest miles. Think about how you would feel if you were the first one called. First, having to stand up while everyone after you has more miles than you would be torturous. Second, perhaps those first-called-low-mile-total kids did their personal best, and being sorted from low to high miles would negate that personal best. Finally, everyone KNOWS who did more miles than whom, who worked hard, who is new, who got hurt or sick halfway through the year…these kids have become a team. Ranking is divisive and unnecessary. Be careful when recognizing the child who ran “the most” miles. It can be done, and has and is being done really well in a lot of places, but be aware of over-celebration of certain things.
DON’T make excuses or shy away from Medal Ceremonies if nobody made their 100. It is difficult to stand up in front of parents and your students when nobody in your class made their 100 miles. The kids know if they worked hard at 100 Mile Club®, and you know in your heart whether or not you were a helpful, encouraging coach, if you allowed them the time to complete their miles, and if you made the program what it should be. If a lot of kids did not make their 100 miles, you need to refrain from blaming kids for being lazy or making excuses. Nobody DOESN’T want to make it. As a group, talk about what you can do to do better next year, even if you are going to have a new class and they are going to have a new teacher. There is no time for judging or making excuses.
DON’T just recognize the kids who did 100 miles and ignore the rest. This is just sad and wrong and will make kids feel like their best was not good enough. Do something to recognize everyone…it doesn’t have to be monumental, it just has to be something. For many of our kids, this certificate is the only one they will receive at year’s end.
DON’T put certificates and medals in cubbies to just send home. If you do that, you are wasting money and time. These kids work and wait all year for their Medal Ceremony. Leaving out that final step in the 100 Mile Club® process will destroy the soul of the program. DO SOMETHING.

In sum, what you need to know is that The 100 Mile Club® Medal Ceremony something that should be meaningful to you, your colleagues, and your participants. You are creating tradition with this, so plan well and make sure to always have FUN!! Visit our website at www.100mileclub.com for video snippets of different medal ceremonies around the country.

Jenson USA Spirit Awards: Thoughts become words become actions...

2011-04-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

A committee is a thing which takes a week to do

what one good man can do in an hour.

~Elbert Hubbard

The JensonUSA Spirit Awards all started at about 3 a.m. on October 24, 2011 at the 100 Mile Endurance Challenge, a 100+ mile urban ULTRAmarathon. Jenson USA's own Jared Saunders was in charge of coordinating bike escorts, aka Mobile Aid Stations, from Corona, CA to Santa Monica, CA...a distance of over 100 miles and 30 hours. These bikers were escorting our ULTRArunners to the Finish Line. We were somewhere between Huntington Beach and Long Beach (or was it Long Beach and Santa Monica? I don't really remember.) when Jared said to me,

"You know, we should totally give away awesome bikes to the top 100 Mile Club runners this year."

Time out.

Normally, the layers of speaking something out loud to another person go something like this:

Think it.

Think about what you are saying.

Think about how you will affect others by what you are saying.

Think about HOW you will say it so as not to offend or anger or do something totally irrational.

Think about how it will make others feel.

Layer on allllll the manners you have been taught in your life.

Go over it in your head.

Take a deep breath, and then...

Say it.

Usually, that works well in the world. It keeps us all in check.

But, by the time you are 19+ hours into helping with a 30 hour foot race, you have absolutely no filters. All of the layers of manners have been peeled away and you are left with the following:

Think it.

~~Think about what you are saying.~~

~~Think about how you will affect others by what you are saying.~~

~~Think about HOW you will say it so as not to offend or anger or do something totally irrational.~~

~~Think about how it will make others feel.~~

~~Layer on allllll the manners you have been taught in your life.~~

~~Go over it in your head.~~

~~Take a deep breath, and then...~~

Say it.

Now, back to the conversation.

"You know, we should totally give away awesome bikes to the top 100 Mile Club runners this year."

Had we not been completely punchy and sleep-deprived and stressed beyond belief, he may have never even said anything. Again. No filtering here.

What did I say back? Well, normally I would have been more like,

"Well, I think that's a great idea, Jared. We should take this idea to the board and figure out how it best fits in with our mission and vision and we can figure something out. Let me get back to you on this."

Thank goodness I had lost all my filters. :) Instead, I just said...

"Nope. No way. That's not how we do things."

...because it's not.

It isn't how we do things. We work hard at 100 Mile Club to recognize excellence in ALL FORMS. It is really easy to recognize the child that runs the most miles, the one that runs the fastest, or the superstar who is just a gifted runner. They are right there. In your face. Every day.

True success comes in all forms, and part of the beauty of 100 Mile Club is that we celebrate those fast kids, of course. They are incredible!!

...but we also celebrate those kids who are doing something new, challenging themselves, taking risks, reaching out, or simply showing up to give their best every day. We ask kids to find their spirit...and they always do.

Jared and I had an awesome conversation about personal best in all forms, and what 100 Mile Club really means.

We went back and forth until we had created The Jenson USA Spirit Awards, an award for five (5) children who exhibit the TRUE spirit of The 100 Mile Club®. The whole conversation lasted maybe two minutes. Had we been lucid and normal and not foggy-brained and sleep-deprived, it may have never happened.

We cut through a whole bunch of meetings and dialogue and filters and manners and gunk and made. it. happen. The graphics guys at Jenson even made this cool logo!!

I made a simple nomination form with Google Docs (my first time ever!). We received 31 nominations this year, and as soon as we crossed the nomination deadline, I closed the nomination form and sent it all over to Jared over at JENSON USA. The nominations circulated through the offices and everyone voted.

Simple.

Once the decisions were made, Jared called the families and we all agreed that the kids would not be told at all about their nomination or award. It would all be a HUGE surprise at Run 4 Kids. FUN!!

The JENSON USA Spirit Awards were created on a whim literally in the middle of the night, by two very sleep-deprived people with no filters. We probably wouldn't have created such a thing had we been a bit more lucid. We just went for it...and I am so glad we did. Look at these smiling faces!

Our Spirit Award Winners with their new bikes from Jenson USA
From L to R (front): Melanie S., Ryan M., Nolan T., Vivianne S., Jonnice Q.
Back: Jared Saunders, JensonUSA and Kara Lubin, 100 Mile Club®

Thank you to Jenson USA for their incredibly generous donation of 5 bicycles for our Spirit Award winners this year. We are so grateful for their support, and for their belief in our mission and vision.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

~Mark Twain

JENSON USA Spirit Award Winner: Nolan Torres

2011-04-04T02:01:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Jim Dorsey Photography

By all medical accounts- Nolan should not be able to walk properly, yet alone run. The struggles within his body each and every day are more than most adults will face in their life, and...he is still the first to hit that track! Just like he faces his medical conditions one day at a time, he faces his running goal one lap at a time. He wants to run before school, during school, and whenever he can. He encourages others (including his parents) to get out and move. I have personally watched him stop to encourage classmates while running. He wears that shirt with pride and will tell anyone who will listen what 100 Mile Club is all about- even his doctors. Nolan exemplifies all that is 100 Mile Club is: His ENTHUSIASM is unparalleled, his FIGHT is undeniable and his AMBITION is something I strive to match.

JENSON USA Spirit Award Winner: Melanie Schneider

2011-04-04T01:47:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Jim Dorsey Photography

Melanie Schneider, a sixth grade student at Susan B. Anthony Elementary is the person who I think truly embodies the true spirit of the 100 Mile Club®. Melanie has dedicated herself to participating in the 100 Mile Club® every day throughout the year. She has set her sights on a goal, and on a daily basis she works to achieve it. Melanie runs, jogs, and walks between 2.5 and three miles daily. At this point in the school year, Melanie has surpassed 300 miles. An extraordinary achievement if you ask me.

Because of Melanie's extraordinary efforts, I have noticed many other students stepping up their own efforts. By the end of March, all 33 of my students will have reached 100 miles. My own children have taken notice of Melanie's accomplishment and talk about it daily as they tell me how many laps they completed on that day. On numerous occasions I have had children from around the school come to my classroom to check out the 100 Mile Club® chart to see Melanie's miles with their own eyes. I see and hear how excited the children are getting about what Melanie has done and about what they would like to do on their own.

Melanie continues to remain humble through it all. I have never heard her brag about what she is accomplishing. She remains dedicated to getting her miles, helping her classmates get theirs, and then helps me track and post our classes' miles. During this school year, I have watched Melanie become more physically fit and more self-confident. To me, those two benefits are what the 100 Mile Club® is about. Melanie Schneider is definitely the type of person you are looking for to represent Jenson USA and the 100 Mile Club® .

JENSON USA Spirit Award Winner: Ryan Martinez

2011-04-04T01:42:00.000-07:00

Phot courtesy of Jim Dorsey Photography

Ryan was nominated more than once! Here are excerpts from his nomination essays:

Ryan Martinez is a 1st grader at our school. His heart for 100 Mile Club® is HUGE. He is at my field at 6:55 every tuesday and thursday morning for our 7:00am run and can't wait to get going! He attends all of the "Helping Feet" events in the community, even events that I as a head coach can't make it to. I will view the pictures on facebook from the event and see his adorable face there. He always has a smile on his face, greeting the women that give him sticks as he passes each lap. The other day he came up to me and said..."I found this stick on the ground, so I wanted to turn it in to you." He is in first grade and already has honesty and integrity. Whenever he reaches a milestone, he can't wait to share it with his coaches...and he makes sure to let us know that he only has one more lap to go so we can cheer for him loudly when he is done. I can't think of another child in the two years that I have been involved with 100 Mile Club® that captures the spirit more than this little boy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ryan exibit all the fine qualities consistent with the mission and philosophy of the 100 Mile Club®. He has logged over 170 miles and is reaching for a goal of 300 for this year. Furthermore, Ryan has combined his passion for running with this passion for helping others. He has participated in various charitable events that raise funds for worthy causes such as the Peppermint Ridge Center, Leukemia Foundation and the Hope Recovery Center. Ryan is a well rounded boy that looks to excel and make friends. He is worthy of such honorable award.

JENSON USA Spirit Award Winner: Vivianne Silva

2011-04-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

Phot courtesy of Jim Dorsey Photography

I believe that Vivianne Silva should be a Jenson USA Spirit Award recipient because she is a very dedicated team member and member of her community. I have seen first hand how her friendly spirit directly affects everyone around her in a positive way. She is not only a model member of The 100 Mile Club® but she is a role model to her peers. (I am) the mother of two young girls, and Vivianne is the kind of young lady that I would love my daughters to look up to (and they do!).

Vivianne is a track athlete that not only participates in The 100 Mile Club® but is passionate about its mission. She has personally hosted successful fund raising events so that others can reap the benefits of The 100 Mile Club® through her donations. She not only sets the bar high but she leads by example.

I would love to see Vivianne recognized for her hard work and genuine spirit. I believe this would encourage her to continue her amazing work and it would motivate others to do the same.

Jenson USA Spirit Award Winner: Jonniece Quintero

2011-04-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Jim Dorsey Photography

Jonniece embraces the 100 Mile Club® as she does her faith with enthusiasm and honesty. She gives of herself which is, at times, very rare in our youth today. She shows a lot of responsibility when she reaches out to others with sincerity and eagerness. Jonniece strives to do her very best in every aspect of her life and her dedication toward the 100 Mile Club® is nothing short than exemplary. She strives to do everything with 100 degree effort. Her quick wit makes her extremely approachable and likable beyond most kids her age. Jonniece embodies servitude as she frequently helps and reaches out to others. She stands up for what is right and will defend anyone who is less fortunate and is so very humble about all of her good works. Her love for her God, her family and friends give her integrity that exuberates from this young lady from within; Her diligence and hard work is very rare in a child of her age and this all shines from within making all these characteristics part of her sweet nature.

Be The Best Of Whatever You Are

2011-03-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

If you can't be a pine on the top of a hill

Be a scrub in the valley, but be the best little scrub on the side of the hill

Be a bush if you can't be a tree,

If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass

And some highway happier make.

If you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass,

But the liveliest bass in the lake.

We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,

There's something for all of us here.

There's big work to do and there's lesser work, too,

And the thing we must do is the near

If you can't be a highway, then just be a trail.

If you can't be the sun, be a star.

It isn't by size that you win or you fail.

Be the best of whatever you are.

Douglas Maloch

Medal Ceremonies: A Montage from 2010

2011-03-27T23:08:00.000-07:00

(Running) teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do.

This is what it's all about.

-PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

2010-11 Medal Ceremonies!

2011-03-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

100 Mile Club in Big Bear, CA awarding Ryan Hall his honorary 100 Mile Club Medal before the 2008 Olympics

The 100 Mile Club® Medal Ceremony has its origins right in my little classroom, and began the first year of The 100 Mile Club Project over 18 years ago. It is almost time for yours! The medallions this year are fabulous and so meaningful! I can't wait to see them on kids!

You need to know that...

The 100 Mile Club® does not formally identify (aka- We DO NOT give out medals early) or announce individuals who hit 100 miles until the end of the year awards presentation. Some individuals make 100 miles by mid-January…We let these individuals savor the inner rewards that come from humility, poise, confidence and friendship as they help others reach their goals, too. We ask that these individuals reach inside themselves and set new personal goals in order to reach their true level of competitive greatness.

Now that some kids are reaching 100 miles...

They should keep running. They ran 100 miles with ease, and so they need to strive to hit THEIR personal best...whatever that may be. It may be 120, 150, or even 200! That is something the child needs to decide for him/herself. We want them to practice the life-skills of poise and confidence. Feel that pride and refrain from boasting. We will celebrate their personal best at the medal ceremony. We promise.
They should help their friends. They are now a true role model. Others will look to them and seek their assistance, right along with you as HEAD COACH. Students who reach 100 miles become MENTORS themselves.
They can pull together a group to run together as a team...Kids who reach 100 miles have the opportunity to show true friendship, cooperation, and team spirit as they bring their classmates along so may all reach their personal best...TOGETHER!!

We ask that you schedule your medal ceremonies to allow as much time as possible to get those miles in. Don't cut off too early (or too late!).

Medal Ordering can begin April 15th. PLEASE allow at least 14 days from the date you place your order to receive your medals and certificates. All you pay is shipping. You can always come pick them up if you are local. You will definitely get them faster that way. :)

Having fun on the journey to 100 miles! That's what it's all about...

Here are MEDAL CEREMONY basics:

1. EVERYONE receives a certificate with the total miles run/walked written in and signed by the Site head Coach/es. Even if they walked 1 mile, they are recognized for making the effort.

2. Each Incentive Package comes with a certificate, so you are eligible for the total number you have ordered. If you need more, let us know...

3. Make sure that everyone wears their 100 Mile Club® t-shirt the day of the ceremony. It is spectacularly unifying to have everyone in their tees, and it LOOKS really cool! Take pictures!

4. Only those who run/walk 100 miles will receive a medal. Everyone knows this going in, so it is no surprise. Trust me when I say that the medal is a huge motivator, and so is the recognition by one’s peers. The will work for it, and if they don’t quite make it, you celebrate anyway.

5. No you do not get 2 medals for 200 miles.

6. Have FUN! Ceremonies can be any of (but of course not limited to) the following:

A School-wide Assembly. These can be wild and crazy, or dignified and noble. You make it what you want… have balloons, make a slideshow, have music, invite local dignitaries.
A Family/Company Potluck, Picnic, or BBQ. Yes, families and businesses can be a 100 Mile Club® chapter, too! You can end the year with a group picnic at the beach, lake, or local park.
A Reflective Year-End Classroom Activity. This is actually how the ceremony began in my classroom. We invited all of the families of our individuals and spoke of each individuals’ achievements, as we announced their miles and presented medals and final certificates.
Individual Classroom Visits...aka MEDAL Patrol! As done by Orange Elementary School in 2009-10! They traveled from room to room with medals, certificates, loud music, a tiger mascot, and a rather large bullhorn! It worked!

Nolan in our Governor's Council Gold Medal.

In sum, what you need to know is that The 100 Mile Club® Medal Ceremony is something that should be meaningful to you, your colleagues, and your participants. You are creating tradition with this, so plan well and make sure to always have FUN!!

Your site is eligible for the same number of certificates as you have Incentive Packages. For example, if your school has ordered 250 Incentive packages, your school is eligible for 250 certificates. We will add in extras in case you mess up. :)

Additionally, you will get medals for those participants who have crossed the 100 Mile point. PLEASE only order what you need. Again, we will add in extras for you "just in case". Ordering only what you need will ensure that we keep our costs down in the years to come.

Soon, you will receive a form in which you may include your order for these certificates and medals. They are already paid for...you just need to cover shipping. PLEASE allow at least 14 day window for medal and certificate delivery. DON'T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE. It will make us and you freak out.

Medal ceremony time is SO exciting! Make sure to set those ceremony dates and let us know when they are.

Jenson USA Spirit Award Nominations NOW OPEN Through February 19!!

2011-01-31T19:23:00.000-08:00

The Jenson USA Spirit Award will be awarded to five (5) 100 Mile Club® Participants who embody the true spirit of The 100 Mile Club® at their school or place of participation. Recipients will receive a new, awesome bicycle courtesy of Jenson USA and personal recognition by 100 Mile Club® Officials both in-person and on the 100 Mile Club® website. Awards will be presented at our 2011 Run 4 Kids on March 19, 2011 at Auburndale Intermediate School. ALL 100 Mile Club® Participants in grades K-12 are eligible.

Nominations will be accepted until midnight on February 19, 2011 and award recipients will be notified through their school or site Head Coaches. Recipients within California are highly encouraged to attend Run 4 Kids, but of course if you are out of state, other arrangements will *certainly* be made.

Click here to nominate a runner today!

Cast Your Vote for our 2011-12 100 Mile Club® Tee

2011-01-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

Searching for Gold

2011-01-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

Awesome SBA Head Coach, Mrs. Rand!

Searching for Gold

Look beneath the freckles

Look beneath the grin

Look for that which sparkles

Buried deep within.

Look beyond the whining

Look beyond the tears

Look beyond the runny nose

The frowns, the mess, the fears.

Search for that which glitters

Treasures to unfold

Search beneath the surface

Search and find the gold!

~Jean Warren

A little card was given to me many years ago with the above poem inscribed. I still have it, even though I have shuffled it around and around. Somehow it always resurfaces.

This poem is for all of our Head Coaches and teachers who do this every day.

Two friends finishing their 100th mile...together!

Childrens Brain Development Is Linked to Physical Fitness, Research Finds

2011-01-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Science Daily (Sep. 16, 2010) - Researchers have found an association between physical fitness and the brain in 9- and 10-year-old children: Those who are more fit tend to have a bigger hippocampus and perform better on a test of memory than their less-fit peers. Read more.

SOURCE: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2010, September 16). Children's brain development is linked to physical fitness, research finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 3, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/09/100915171536.htm

Our Trip to Sacramento for The Governor's Council Ceremony

2010-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

We did our best to document what we could on the whirlwind trip to Sacramento. I wish all of my 100 Mile Club® Kids and Families, and Coaches, and everyone could have been there with us. The whole time, I was thinking of you all...

Let's Get Technical for a Minute...seriously.

2010-09-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Basal ganglia volume is associated with aerobic fitness in preadolescent children.

Chaddock L, Erickson KI, Prakash RS, VanPatter M, Voss MW,

Pontifex MB, Raine LB, Hillman CH, Kramer AF.

Department of Psychology, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20693803

ABSTRACT, August 2010: The present investigation is the first to explore the association between childhood aerobic fitness and basal ganglia structure and function. Rodent research has revealed that exercise influences the striatum by increasing dopamine signaling and angiogenesis.

In children, higher aerobic fitness levels are associated with greater hippocampal volumes, superior performance on tasks of attentional and interference control, and elevated event-related brain potential indices of executive function.

The present study used magnetic resonance imaging to investigate if higher-fit and lower-fit 9- and 10-year-old children exhibited differential volumes of other subcortical brain regions, specifically the basal ganglia involved in attentional control. The relationship between aerobic fitness, dorsal and ventral striatum volumes and performance on an attention and inhibition Eriksen flanker task was also examined.

The results indicated that...

Higher-fit children showed superior flanker task performance compared to lower-fit children.
Higher-fit children also showed greater volumes of the dorsal striatum, and dorsal striatum volume was negatively associated with behavioral interference.

The results support the claim that the dorsal striatum is involved in cognitive control and response resolution and that these cognitive processes vary as a function of aerobic fitness. No relationship was found between aerobic fitness, the volume of the ventral striatum and flanker performance.

The findings suggest that increased childhood aerobic fitness is associated with greater dorsal striatal volumes and that this is related to enhanced cognitive control.

Because children are becoming increasingly overweight, unhealthy and unfit, understanding the neurocognitive benefits of an active lifestyle during childhood has important public health and educational implications.

What does this all MEAN??

It means, let's get MOVIN'!
It means fit kids can pay attention more easily that their unfit peers.

It means what we are doing is helping our kids academically, physically and socially!

It means what we are doing is working!

So...go! Run, move, walk, increase the volume of your basal ganglia!! At school, at home, before school, during school, after school...everywhere, all the time! :)

GO!!

Is there any reason NOT to?

2010-09-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

The results are in. again.

Saying you don't have time to physically get out and move during the day because you, your students, and/or your school simply have no time and are too focused on "The Academics" is like saying you have no time to sleep because you are just too tired to be able to fit sleep in to your schedule. Yea. It's like that.

It just doesn't make sense.

This new study proves that exercise, optimal learning capacity, and brain development go hand in hand...in hand.

In an experiment published last month, researchers recruited schoolchildren, ages 9 and 10, who lived near the Champaign-Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and asked them to run on a treadmill. The researchers were hoping to learn more about how fitness affects the immature human brain. Read more from the NY Times blogger, Tara Parker-Pope. She sums it up perfectly.

100 Mile Club® Kids at Washington School in Norco ALL gather for a brisk morning jog.

...the takeaway is clear. “More aerobic exercise” for young people, Mr. Kuhn said. Mr. Hillman agreed. So get kids moving, he added, and preferably away from their Wiis. A still-unpublished study from his lab compared the cognitive impact in young people of 20 minutes of running on a treadmill with 20 minutes of playing sports-style video games at a similar intensity.

Running improved test scores immediately afterward.

Playing video games did not.

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/phys-ed-can-exercise-make-kids-smarter/

Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports SPOTLIGHT AWARD Ceremony: The 100 Mile Club® Brings Home the Gold!

2010-09-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

Click the screen to begin.

If you go to about minute 17, it is us. We were first up...

It was exceedingly apparent that the Governor's Council is the product of the two most important blocks of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: industriousness and enthusiasm. Without those two blocks, nothing else is possible.

Visit Coach Wooden's Website and an interactive Pyramid of Success at http://www.coachwooden.com/

Kenny Rogers, Executive Director, Jake Steinfeld, Council Chairman, and Karla Borromeo, Project Director made the day comfortable, enjoyable, and so incredibly special for us all. Walking in, they knew my name, my son's name, and welcomed us with open arms. The ceremony was equal parts pep rally and dignified ceremony...cheeky, entertaining, and simultaneously 100% mission-focused.

WE MUST HELP OUR KIDS RECLAIM THEIR HEALTH.

Best quote that I remember from the morning reception:

Our kids are our future, and if our kids aren't healthy, we have nothing. -Jake Steinfeld

Best thing said to me onstage right after a medal and a hug:

YOU are doing it big time! - Arnold Schwarzenneger

WE are doing it big time. What we are doing is working! Last week, I received calls from schools in inner cities, schools in fancy ocean view neighborhoods, and schools in hard working suburbs. They all have the same issues...getting kids healthy and reconnected to school, their commmunities, and themselves.

We are in this TOGETHER. Be sure to stay connected and join or bookmark our Facebook page, and even follow our periodic tweets! The website calendar is a great way to stay on top of upcoming events, and if you have an event to add, shoot us an email with your info and we will add it...no matter where you are!

Visit http://www.calgovcouncil.org/Spotlight/ for more information!

Ultramarathoner Jimmy Dean Freeman Visits 100 Mile Club® School

2010-09-07T00:12:00.000-07:00

At 9:30 PST on September 2, Jimmy Dean Freeman left his house in Brentwood and went for a little run...62 miles to be exact. All night. All the way to McKinley School in Corona. Waiting for him were 800 kids and a microphone. This is just silly little Flip video that we shot during the assembly...The real video is coming soon! Go, Jimmy GO!

Jefferson Award!

2010-08-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Doing GOOD 101: 100 Mile Club®, GOOD, and Pepsi are Making a Difference!

2010-08-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Heat is ON!!

2010-08-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

The heat is on all over the country!

At the same time, our kids are BUBBLING with enthusiasm about moving moving moving!

I just have a few words of wisdom for you as you head into (or kick off) your 100 Mile Clubs:

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!! So do you have to drink eight glasses of water a day? No, but you do need to drink enough to satisfy your thirst, and maybe a little extra if you're going to be exercising. The best drink is water, of course, but milk is another great drink for kids. Juice is OK, but choose it less often than water and milk. Sports drinks are fine once in a while, but water should be considered the drink of champions. Read more...

Sometimes kids will be so excited about running (or walking) that you as teacher-coach must use your wisdom and coach kids to "take it easy". Remind them that they have aaaaalllllll year to reach their goals, and not to worry if they miss a day, if it is too hot, etc. Use common sense. And remind them to drink WATER!

Most kids (even older ones) cannot conceptualize the whole year and how long they have to get their 100 miles done...they feel this sense of urgency and may need to take a look at a calendar and plan out what they need to do to meet their personal goal. You certainly don't want anyone getting burned out or hurt. 10 minutes a day is more than enough time to move...

As with any p.e. activity, you have kids who may need to walk or sit out some days. Again, we are celebrating and encouraging personal best and some days personal best is...rest. Letting kids know that tomorrow is a new day and another chance to give their best and meet those goals is a perfect way to keep them motivated.

Set a specific day to wear shirts! Even if the kids wear last year's shirts until they earn their new one, this is a fun way to encourage community and campus spirit. Make sure to have your yearbook photographer out on those days! The smiles will be huge.

Enjoy and feel free to fwd this to your staff so they can be "in the loop"!

WHY EAT BREAKFAST? A Lesson and a Poem!

2010-08-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

What's for breakfast - coffee? Most mornings, we barely glance at the kitchen. Fixing breakfast takes up precious time that's in short supply. But there's ample evidence that the simple act of eating breakfast -- every day -- is a big part of losing weight, lots of weight.

"People skip breakfast thinking they're cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch, that person is starved," says Milton Stokes, RD, MPH, chief dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City. "Breakfast skippers replace calories during the day with mindless nibbling, bingeing at lunch and dinner. They set themselves up for failure." Read more.

WHY EAT BREAKFAST?

"Why eat breakfast"? Some folks might say....

you should know, it's the most important meal of the day!

It provides nourishment, that every body needs....

and first thing in the morning, it brings you "up to speed"!

Try some fruit with your cereal, or even a piece of toast...

limiting sugar intake, would help your body the most!

The experts all agree, what I say is not bogus.....

you'll become a better learner, because it helps you focus!

If you wanna lose weight, please don't skip this meal...

just make healthier choices, and extra weight will peel!

Breakfast speeds-up your metabolism, more calories you'll burn....

you won't feel as sleepy, you'll be more ready to learn!

It helps you concentrate better, It's food for the brain....

your stomach won't growl, and extra energy you'll gain.

So when asked "why eat breakfast"?

no need to raise your voice....

variation and moderation,

seems like a logical choice!

Coach A

Visit Coach A's Blog!

DON'T SKIP LUNCH: A Fun Poem from Coach A

2010-08-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

One way to keep lunches green and healthy, is the Laptop Lunch. I personally LOVE the little dipping sauce container. :) Read below for more information on this very eco-fab way to pack a fun and balanced lunch!

I received this email from our own wordy-wordsmith, sporty-coach, and friend, COACH A. His poetry blog is here. Coach A never ceases to amaze us with his fun and educational rhymes. Kiddos, eating healthy means eating healthy food throughout the day, not just NOT eating. Please eat lunch.

Hi Kara... We are experiencing a trend with our students... where they are not having lunch. I'm just wondering how pervasive the problem is elsewhere. I came up with the following ...(perhaps worthy of your site)... to hopefully begin a dialog.

Hope all is well with you and yours...

DON'T SKIP LUNCH

Now "lunch" can be defined, as a mid-day snack...

You shouldn't be a skipping it, and that is a fact!

You have got to eat some food, and not just have a drink...

It puts you in the right mood, it's easier to think!

Now part of growing up, is to give your body fuel...

Cuz you are here to learn, it's what we do in school!

The 411 is out there, the facts they are well-known...

Learning is a breeze, when your stomach doesn't groan!

Now if you're short some money, or left home with no sack...

You should see your teacher, and know we've got your back!

Don't tell me you're not hungry, or you're trying to lose weight...

Just please, Don't Skip Lunch, and things will be just great!

Coach A

Laptop Lunch Boxes were created by two eco-conscious moms about seven years ago when the savvy pair realized that the best way to help parents pack wholesome, low-waste lunches was to "provide them with a lunch system that was not only convenient and economical, but also appealing to kids." Thus, the Laptop Lunch Box was born. Made of lead-free plastic, its unique design, reminiscent of a bento box, features single-serve individual containers, reusable utensils, a water or juice bottle and a handy carrying case.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/green-kids-lunch-44071008#ixzz0xNNF4wlq

Where and when do YOU run??

2010-08-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

100 Milers walking with their Principal and Assistant Principal! Make time to walk with your kids as much as possible! It makes a BIG difference!

Where and when do YOU run??

Make sure to ask yourself what your running opportunities will "look like" throughout the year. Don't worry too much about getting everything going perfectly from the get-go, just go for it. Try different things and times:

It is our hope that kids will have an opportunity to log miles throughout the day, with their teacher, and during part of their p.e. time, but many schools supplement that time with optional opportunities to log miles.

If I took you to 10 different schools, you would see 10 very different schedules. Here are a few examples of how schools supplement their classroom 100 Mile Club® time:

Morning runs. Even during the 10-15 minutes before school, you can allow kids to eek out a mile or so. Go longer if you want...many do!!

Recess and lunch time. You can teach your noon-duty supervisors to encourage kids to earn miles at lunchtime or recess. It gives some kids something to do...especially those who tend to just walk around anyway. They can walk and talk with theirn friends and esrn miles at the same time!!

After school. Sure, you can do this, too. Follow it up with a Homework Club or something. :)

Family Fun Runs! This can be a whole article! Gather one evening a trimester at school to all log miles together! Have a restaraunt come in to sell healthy meals and they will donate a portion of the proceeds back to your school. It's fun!!

Weekenders! Yes, we do have groups that meet on the weekends. There is one group that heads out on a hike up a local mountain every Saturday! As long as the whole school is invited, go for it!

Family Picnic and 100 Mile Club® Night!!

I hope your creative juices are flowing...just know that:

(1) there are many many ways to make this a success,

(2) there is no wrong way to do 100 Mile Club® as long as you stick to the mission and philosophy, and

(3) do what is most comfortable for you and your site.

(4) If your schedule is NOT working, tweak it. Learn from your mistakes and move forward...always.

(5) If you are not having fun, you are doing it wrong. :)

Really. It's that simple. :)

At the top of Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside, CA with Longfellow Superstars!

PENNY VOTE 2011!

2010-08-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

So, what's our new tee shirt color?? Remember, every year ALL 100 Mile Club schools and groups have the same color shirt. We do this for very specific reasons...

READ ABOUT IT HERE.

Jared Walker, a former 100 Mile Club participant and very busy IB student at a local middle school, volunteered to lead the charge. It was a great service project for him! Jared set up a booth at Walk for Kids in 2009 and collected pennies in these cool vortex-topped water bottles:

The vortexes were all Jared's idea, and were soooooo cool!! This year, the Penny Vote Spirit continued, led this time by students at JFK High School in Norco, CA.

Color choices for 2010-11 were as follows (l to r) :

Hunter green with white
Royal Blue with white
Turq with white
Gold with navy

The kids (and adults!) had a ball watching the pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters, and even dollars go round and round and plop in to the color of their choice. klink! klink! klinklink! The coins kept coming...

These funny-looking (but fun!) Penny Vote containers travelled all over Southern California, and kids, parents, and friends all cast their votes with spare change. All the while, our collection boxes were getting heavier and heavier. Yay!!

This year, the coins were hand-counted...proceeds benefitted our student sponsorship fund.

Are you ready?? After all was said and done, the results are:

Hunter green with white: $14.79
Turq with white: $132. 30
Gold with navy: Zero (it was accidentally left behind at the initial Walk for Kids vote, and never made it back in...oops O_o )
Royal with white: $72.92

TOTAL COLLECTED: $220.01 WOW! (This was mostly pennies, by the way.) That's 22 KIDS!! FULLY SPONSORED!!

So, our new 100 Mile Club® tee shirt color for 2009-10 is:

Turquoise with white!!

Thank you to everyone who voted this year! This just goes to show you that if everyone gives just a little, we can make a BIG difference.

100 Mile Club® Kids: Join us August 1st at 3:00 at DosLagos!!

2010-07-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

The flyer above explains a little about this really cool thing happening on August 1st, right here in Corona!!

A group of soldiers are riding their bicycles from the east coast to the west coast, and ending their ride at Dos Lagos, on August 1, at approximately 3pm. Our goal is to have 100 or more enthusiastic kiddos and family members greeting these soldiers as they finish this 3,000 mile bike ride. They are riding to raise awareness and money for the Wounded Warrior Project. You can view their website at http://www.pedalinwithapurpose.com/.

It's a very worthy cause, and our goal is to have people cheer them on as they cross this finish line. We will even have some cold yummy water, and flags to wave. Join us!! Wear your 100 Mile Club tee and show your pride!!

Lights, Camera, ACTION!

2010-07-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Would you (yes, YOU) be willing to have us come in to your room or school to film how YOU keep track of miles? Not the kids, just you and your bulletin board, sticks, stamps, clips, etcetc.

I have found that many teachers new to 100 Mile Club® really need to hear and SEE all of the different and wonderful ways teachers keep everyone "on track".

I want our new teacher-coaches to know:

(1) that there are many many ways to keep accurate track of miles,

(2) there is no wrong way to keep track and

(3) to do what is most comfortable for them...

Email us at info at 100 mile club dot com if you are interested...or fwd this to a teacher-coach at your site who is fabulous. We'd love to film as many ways as we can!

On This Day

2010-07-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

This tapestry hung in my Uncle Son and Aunt Dina's offices (Uncle Son's real name was John, but his mother, my maternal GREAT Grandmother, called him Son...therefore UNCLE SON was always his name. I called my Grandfather by his first name but that's a whole different story) for as long as I can remember. I grew up reading it whenever I'd sneak in there to read or play. Today, it hangs in MY office, which is just as cluttered as his but not nearly as interesting.

Here is what it says:

Mend a quarrel. Search out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in a word or deed.

Keep a promise. Find the time. Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand. Flout envy. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate, be kind, be gentle. Laugh a little more.

Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude. Worship your God. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still again. Speak it still once again.

--- Author Unknown

Round ONE: The Early Bird Gets Some Sponsorships.

2010-07-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Our Pepsi Refresh Project Grant, combined with funds raised at our 2010 Walk for Kids is allowing us to do great things for our schools! So far, we have allocated 929 Inventive Packages to schools who have registered early for our 100 Mile Club 2010-11 Cycle. The qualifications were simple this round: Be a returning school, OR be the first school in a new district where we currently do not have any 100 Mile Clubs.

Our next round of sponsorships will arrive in mid-August, BUT in order to qualify, you must be registered and participating. The application process will be completed all online, saving paper, trees, and valuable organization funds. It is the goal of The 100 Mile Club to continue in the direction of a paperless office (we have a way to go, but we are on the road!).

Welcome to the following schools so far! Get your school registered and LET'S MOVE!!

Barton ES CNUSD

Cascade Christian/Puyallup, WA

CFIS CNUSD

Colony HS/CJUHSD

Condit ES CUSD

Corona HS CNUSD

Corona Ranch ES CNUSD

Creek View ES MVSD

Eastvale ES CNUSD

El Rodeo School/BHUSD

Fitzgerald Elementary/Rialto USD

Foothill ES CNUSD

Foothill Knolls SBCSS

Franklin CNUSD

Franklin ES RUSD

Garretson ES/CNUSD

Good Knight Child Empowerment Network, MD

Harada ES/CNUSD

Highland ES CNUSD

Jefferson ES CNUSD

Kids-a-Part VTCAS, VT
Lakeview Intermediate, Stow, OH
Longfellow ES LBUSD

Longfellow ES RUSD

McKinley ES BurbankUSD
McKinley ES CNUSD

Newman ES ChinoUSD

Orange ES CNUSD

Parkridge ES CNUSD

Rodriguez Prep-SBUSD

Shackelford ES/ModestoUSD

Sky Country ES JUSD

St Peter and St Paul Pre/K

Susan B. Anthony/CNUSD

Temecula ES/TVUSD

TemescalValley ES CNUSD

Todd ES CNUSD

Tuscany Hills ES/LEUSD

Vail Ranch MS TVUSD

Washington ES/CNUSD

It is NEVER too late to get started...in fact you are still early! Click here to register your school today!!

Visit http://www.letsmove.gov/ for more information. We are on the right track...pun intended!

A Special 100 Mile Club® Kickoff Assembly at Rosa Parks Elementary

2010-07-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

Today was an incredible day. When did it become a daily occurrence that I have the honor and privilege of meeting people like Dan Benintendi? Sometimes when I get home at night, I ask myself, Did that just happen? Is this really happening? It IS!!

Two years ago, Dan weighed 400 pounds. Today, he is an ULTRAendurance athlete. He shared his story with some of our kids today at our 100 Mile Club® Kickoff Assembly at Rosa Parks Elementary.

"My goal is to restore a sense of hope, a feeling of self-worth, and a strong sense of accomplishment through every small trial or obstacle that is overcome by these wonderful children. If we can give them their pride, dignity, and self-worth back, we have a much greater chance of allowing them to gain their health back. Please, help restore hope to these children, help donate to a cause that is worth-while, and be a part of something that could change the lives of future generations to come." Dan Benintendi

The 100 Mile Club® Project has helped me connect with SO many people who see the true value in helping our kids become happy, healthy, and connected through attainable and personal physical fitness goals. I am humbled and honored each and every day...and I am having the time of my life!

Thank you, Dan, for visiting our kids today. Thank you for sharing your journey. Most importantly, though, thank you for taking care of yourself and showing our kids that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

Follow Dan at http://www.swimfromobesity.com/ or http://www.trimywill.com/ .

Jazzercise with the Stars!!

2010-06-06T22:46:00.000-07:00

Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.

~Brian Tracy~

On June 5, 2010, a team of fearless 100 Mile Club® runners, coaches, and I left our comfort zones to raise funds for The Foundation for Community and Family Health's Breast Health Detection Program. Our team led one song in this special 60-minute Jazzercise class...Walk the Dinosaur!! Great job, everyone!!

It was the longest 3 minutes of my life, I think. Thank you to my team for making it on a Saturday morning and doing something new. That's what it's all about. :::clap-clap::

California State PTA Convention 2010 Pedometer Challenge Results!

2010-05-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

The 2010 100 Mile Club CAPTA team from l to r:

Patricia Hartson, BJ Walker, Kara Lubin, Dot Lubin, Tara Mackie

If you turned in your pedometer at CAPTA Convention 2010, your 100 Mile Club® Pedometer Challenge miles are listed here. Can you find yours? PTA Convention this year was a BLAST (and I thought we had fun LAST year!).

Remember the feeling you had when you brought your pedometer back to us to share your miles? Everyone who came to the booth had the. biggest. smiles. on their faces! You guys were all soooo cute! That feeling you felt when you came back to see us is very much the same feeling your kids will get when they participate in 100 Mile Club®. (Though the kids'smiles are WAY bigger!!) That pride makes it all worth it...

Here are the pedometer steps exactly as reported to us:

10000 15305 12000 15005 11000 12621 12008

10200 12220 12000 10281 11000 14334 12679

10097 12240 10809 10281 11000 1679 11030

10750 12230 10537 10118 6697 15285 10479

15339 14672 16401 10118 7000 10524 10000

16295 11000 13000 20708 22795 15000 11715

7864 11000 10319 10604 12210 16285 13825

10151 18096 10500 22000 12500 22871 6142

13361 4500 10500 15000 20481 22871 8500

10000 3421 4500 2730 2397 6000 6173

10000 4391 14562 9335 11111 7000 14000

18499 6397 2164 4000 11932 9000 6000

10581 15000 1962 9653 2565 15973 10000

1000 10800 12174 6000 2565 10137 11715

17457 811 14527 17981 13000 15470 13825

14406 3406 17830 10974 8372 13327 29916

14406 10127 10316 17981 7833 9754 10000

11082 10000 7998 10974 9512 22000 36290

1100 10081 7998 10000 10099 35269 12016

14199 10568 10218 15341 7218 16205 10000

14199 18479 11109 15597 7738 19488 17472

15638 12000 11109 12000 5000 19488 11500

9472 13626 10444 11036 7540 10400 8439

3745 10759 11000 12580 4287 21482 13000

13642 7000 15964 12000 13000 11061 12000

10376 11500 15000 13500 10158 41000 12000

12748 12000 12151 10491 10000 10629

12402 11000 11127 11000 10204 10000

All told, the fabulous ladies and gentlemen of CAPTA '10 walked...

1196.118 MILES!!!

That is over 250 more miles than CAPTA 2009! Yay, you!! We hope you will consider Accepting the 100 Mile Club® Challenge at your school in 2010. The registration form is right here: CLICK! :)

Print it.
Fill it out.
Fax it in.
And you're IN!!

Then, just go for it! We are here for you.

ABC7 Profiles 100 Mile Club!!

2010-05-29T22:05:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES SPARKS TO HONOR THE 100 MILE CLUB®

2010-04-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks will celebrate and recognize The 100 Mile Club® and its members on-court on May 28th at STAPLES Center before they face the Washington Mystics at 7:30pm on Opening Night. Seats for 100 Mile Club® Families and kids are just $10.

Click Here for Flyer.

The 100 Mile Club® is a physical fitness and life skills project for all individuals based on the goal of running (or walking) 100 miles at school during a single school year. Since 1993, the goal of The 100 Mile Club® has been to help their runners experience fitness and true personal success through attainable physical fitness goals. Students use life skills based on The Pyramid of Success, designed by the legendary basketball coach, teacher and 100 Mile Club® supporter, Coach John Wooden.

“We are proud to honor The 100 Mile Club®, as they share our desire to create a more fit Los Angeles,” said Sparks President Kristin Bernert. “We are looking forward to celebrating their accomplishments with them on Opening Night.”

By recognizing The 100 Mile Club® and their efforts, the Sparks continue to demonstrate their commitment to promoting healthy, active lifestyles for today’s youth. With the launch of the “Get Outside & Play LA” campaign, the Sparks will focus on providing ample opportunities for children to improve their quality of life and “get outside and play.”

“To be recognized by the Los Angeles Sparks is an incredible honor,” said Kara Lubin, founder of The 100 Mile Club®. “We are thrilled to spotlight The 100 Mile Club® and our fit, happy, connected 100 Mile Club® Kids at the Sparks’ Opening Night. The Get Outside and Play LA campaign is a perfect fit for our organization.”

The 100 Mile Club® continues to effectively raise awareness among students in Southern California by providing them with an affordable and life-changing fitness program. The life skills they teach of ambition, intentness, industriousness, honesty and loyalty are the very essence of what Sparks players strive to be both on and off the court. At the core of their program they share the same vision of building healthier, more active and stronger communities.

For more information on tickets for Sparks Opening Night, please call 877.44.SPARKS. To find out more about the Sparks community initiatives please visit http://www.lasparks.com/ and for more information about The 100 Mile Club®, please visit http://www.100mileclub.com/ .

Warrior Dash: April 10, 2010!

2010-04-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

"The greatest mistake you can make in

life is to be continually fearing

you will make one."

- Elbert Hubbard

(Goodness gracious NO! this is NOT L. Ron Hubbard, the scientology guy! Click the link...)

Here's to the fearless who came out to WARRIOR DASH and raised $$ for their schools!!

From L to R: Michelle Sanchez, Lucy and Viv Silva, Elysa Quinn, and Sol Shapiro...ROCKING the Spirit Wear booth!

This was a new adventure for 100 Mile Club, and I have to admit, I was a little nervous asking people to come out and volunteer for something that we'd never done before. But, as the quote says, don't be afraid to make a mistake. Worst thing that could happen was that we walk away with a generous donation and say, Wow. Never gonna do THAT again. We went for it...and had a BLAST!!

100 Mile Club was able to FULLY sponsor 100 kids through the Warrior Dash Charity Partnership on Saturday. Sponsorships were awarded based on school/volunteer participation. Thanks to everyone who came out! That was the muddiest, most fun and insane day ever...but we walked away with $1000 for our schools. I think I left with dirt in my teeth...in a good way. Plus, the Viking Hats!! seriously? all worth it.

Here's how it all broke down:

CFIS- 12 kids sponsored (Lucy and Viv S., and Jaz)
CNUSD Lincoln- 4 kids sponsored (Shale S.)
PomonaUSD Lincoln- 8 kids sponsored (Lora and Dot L.)
Susan B. Anthony- 4 kids sponsored (Elizabeth S.)
Raney Intermediate- 4 kids sponsored (Tiff S.)
Garretson- 8 kids sponsored (Michelle S. and Elisa Q.)
Washington- 8 kids sponsored (Patricia H. and David B.)
Vandermolen- 28 kids sponsored (Jared, Tanya, Gary, Chris, Matt, Jill, and Coach Melissa!)

The rest of the sponsorships will be sent into our ABBIE Memorial Sponsorship Fund for use next year...thank you to the volunteers who came out! It was great. Hopefully we can staff 2 shifts next year and double our sponsorships! Who's in?

Promote childhood fitness through The 100 Mile Club Project. Pepsi Refresh Everything

Question from the Mailbox...(AKAs Added by me!)

2010-04-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

When we get letters that may benefit everyone, they are published in Letters From the Mailbox. This one concerns a little girl who is slightly worried about getting her miles done, and a great dad who is eager to help her...but not sure how exactly to do it in line with the mission and principles of The 100 Mile Club. GREAT question, GREAT response from his Head Coach. Way to go, everyone!!

Dear Kara,

My daughter recently hit the 50-mile marked and was so honored at school, checking off the appropriate box on her shirt. With so little time left of the school year, we are trying to get miles as quickly as we can. She is off-track, but we plan to go to the school this morning to see if we can join in the 100-mile club activities.

I measured out a course near our home that is just over a mile. If she walks the course and I confirm it, is there a way for her to get credit?

We understand if not, but just want to see what we can do. Her other commitments have made participating in most other extra-curricular walks challenging.

Thanks!

Mike (aka A Very Cool Dad)

Mike,

Here’s my thought, but you and your site Head Coach can work something out. It just can’t be special for one child…whatever you decide must be available to all kids. If you are in SoCal. There are SOOOOO many events coming up. Vicentia has 1st and 3rd Wednesday afternoons/evenings and Sierra Vista has their Second Saturday runs, as well. World Walking Day on May 8th is FREE and fun! There is Chad Zeller on the 15th and the 5K at Dos Lagos on the 8th of May. Anyway, check the calendar. www.100mileclub.com/calendar.html

I know it’s hard, but allowing unlimited miles to be completed at home with just mom or dad opens a whole can of worms with kids and families (trust me). The commitment was to have her complete the majority of her miles at school with classmates, etc. Having her go to school and complete her challenge with her “team” according to plan would be the very best way to go. Doing anything else cheapens the process, so be careful when you decide what to do.

Talk to your head coach…she may have something special that you can have ALL the kids have the opportunity to do at your school. I would think that maybe logging 1 mile/week at home MAXIMUM would be ok, but that would have to be approved by your coach and opened to ALL of the kids, not just one or 2 and would require parent signature. Does that make sense?

Let me know what you guys figure out.

~Kara

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Kara,

I think you are spot on. This would open a can of worms and you don't want hundreds of kids (and their parents) trying to work out their own process.

I am happy to just keep doing what we are doing and catch miles where we can.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

~Mike, AKA Very Cool Dad

And a thoughtful reply from their site Head Coach arrived just minutes later...

Hi Mike,

Students, who are off track, are more than welcome to come join us during our weekly walk times! :D We are out there Tuesday and Thursday mornings (8:00-8:20) and Wednesdays during the long lunch (11:00-12:30)! Since Mrs. Bakovic tracks miles in the classroom, I can keep track of what she does during her off track time! :D

All the Best,

Alice, AKA SuperSTAR Head Coach

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thanks, Alice. We actually went this morning and collected a few sticks. We plan to attend again as we are able and turn them in when she returns to school.

Have a great day!

~Mike

With the support of her father and Coach, this little one will certainly make it to 100 miles this year. We all believe in her, and she in herself. I can't wait to see her with her medal! Send pictures!

Everything I Needed To Know About Life, I Learned From A Jigsaw Puzzle

2010-03-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Everything I Needed To Know About Life, I Learned From A Jigsaw Puzzle

Genius words from Jacquie Sewell, 1991.

Don’t force a fit. If something is meant to be, it will come together naturally.
When things aren’t going so well, take a break. Everything will look different when you return.
Be sure to look at the big picture. Getting hung up on the little pieces only leads to frustration.
Perseverance pays off. Every important puzzle went together bit by bit, piece by piece.
When one spot stops working, move to another. But be sure to come back later (see #4).
Variety is the spice of life. It’s the different colors and patterns that make the puzzle interesting.
Working together with friends and family makes any task fun.
Establish the border first. Boundaries give a sense of security and order.
Don’t be afraid to try different combinations. Some matches are surprising.
Take time often to celebrate your successes—even little ones.
Anything worth doing takes time and effort. A great puzzle can’t be rushed.
When you finally reach the last piece, don’t be sad. Rejoice in the masterpiece you’ve made and enjoy a well-deserved rest.

Everything I Needed To Know About Life, I Learned From A Jigsaw Puzzle

It's Almost Medal Ceremony Time!!

2010-03-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

'Never worry about numbers.

Help one person at a time,

and always start with

the person nearest you.'

- Mother Teresa"

100 Mile Club® Medal Ceremony from 2005-06 at McKinley Elementary School in Corona, CA

The 100 Mile Club® Medal Ceremony has its origins right in my little classroom, and began the first year of The 100 Mile Club Project over 17 years ago. It is almost time for yours! The medallions this year are fabulous and so meaningful! I can't wait to see them on kids!

You need to know that...

The 100 Mile Club® does not publicly identify or announce individuals who hit 100 miles until the end of the year awards presentation. Some individuals make 100 miles by mid-January…We let these individuals savor the inner rewards that come from humility, poise, confidence and friendship as they help others reach their goals, too. We ask that these individuals reach inside themselves and set new personal goals in order to reach their true level of competitive greatness.

Now that some kids are reaching 100 miles...

They should keep running. They ran 100 miles with ease, and so they need to strive to hit THEIR personal best...whatever that may be. It may be 120, 150, or even 200! That is something the child needs to decide for him/herself. We want them to practice the lifeskills of poise and confidence. Feel that pride and refrain from boasting. We will celebrate their personal best at the medal ceremony. We promise.
They should help their friends. They are now a true role model. Others will look to them and seek their assistance, right along with you as HEAD COACH. Students who reach 100 miles become MENTORS themselves.
They can pull together a group to run together as a team...Kids who reach 100 miles have the opportunity to show true friendship, cooperation, and team spirit as they bring their classmates along so may all reach their personal best...TOGETHER!!

We ask that you schedule your medal ceremonies to allow as much time as possible to get those miles in. Don't cut off too early (or too late!).

Medal Ordering can begin on May 1st. PLEASE allow at least 14 days from the date you place your order to receive your medals and certificates. You can always come pick them up!! You will definitely get them faster that way. :)

Here are MEDAL CEREMONY basics:

1. EVERYONE receives a certificate with the total miles run/walked written in and signed by the Site head Coach/es. Even if they walked 1 mile, they are recognized for making the effort. Each Incentive Package comes with a certificate, so you are eligible for the total number you have ordered. If you need more, let us know...

2. Make sure that everyone wears their 100 Mile Club® t-shirt the day of the ceremony. It is spectacularly unifying to have everyone in their tees, and it LOOKS really cool! Take pictures!

3. Only those who run/walk 100 miles will receive a medal. Everyone knows this going in, so it is no surprise. Trust me when I say that the medal is a huge motivator, and so is the recognition by one’s peers. The will work for it, and if they don’t quite make it, you celebrate anyway.

4. No you do not get 2 medals for 200 miles.

5. Have FUN! Ceremonies can be any of (but of course not limited to) the following:

A School-wide Assembly. These can be wild and crazy, or dignified and noble. You make it what you want… have balloons, make a slideshow, have music, invite local dignitaries.
A Family/Company Potluck, Picnic, or BBQ. Yes, families and businesses can be a 100 Mile Club™ chapter, too! You can end the year with a group picnic at the beach, lake, or local park.
A Reflective Year-End Classroom Activity. This is actually how the ceremony began in my classroom. We invited all of the families of our individuals and spoke of each individuals’ achievements, as we announced their miles and presented medals and final certificates.

Medal Ceremony in 2008-09 at Lakeview Intermediate in Stow, Ohio

Your site is eligible for the same number of certificates as you have Incentive Packages. For example, if your school has ordered 250 Incentive packages, your school is eligible for 250 certificates. We will add in extras in case you mess up. :)

Soon, you will receive a form in which you may include your order for these certificates and medals. They are already paid for...we just need to get them to you in a timely manner. PLEASE allow at least 14 day window for medal and certificate delivery. DON'T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE. It will make us and you freak out.

Medal ceremony time is SO exciting! Make sure to set those ceremony dates and let us know when they are. More on this later! Woohoo!!

Eat the Rainbow! 23 Ways to Eat Better

2010-03-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

So now that you are on your way to 100 miles (or maybe even to 200!), it's time to take charge of your eating. An easy way to begin is to think about eating your way across the rainbow...take a look at your dinner plate? What colors do you see? Fill that dinner plate with a wide array of fruits and veggies and look at how beautiful it is! Soon, you will notice "what's missing" on your plate, as you visualize the rainbow every day at meal time. :)

The article below is a fun and interactive way to pick foods from every part of the spectrum. Have fun!!

23 Ways to Eat Better Women's Health Magazine

Walk for Kids 2010

2010-03-22T13:07:00.001-07:00

To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty,

to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child, a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition;

to know even one life has breathed

easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you to our outstanding volunteers and sponsors who made this event possible. For more amazing photos, click here.

Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy

2010-02-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

The short story below is retold for children in this gorgeous book by Jon J. Muth. It has overtaken The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein as my very favorite children's book.

Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy

It once occurred to a certain king, that if he always knew the right time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to listen to, and whom to avoid; and, above all, if he always knew what was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything he might undertake.

And this thought having occurred to him, he had it proclaimed throughout his kingdom that he would give a great reward to any one who would teach him what was the right time for every action, and who were the most necessary people, and how he might know what was the most important thing to do.

And learned men came to the King, but they all answered his questions differently.

In reply to the first question, some said that to know the right time for every action, one must draw up in advance, a table of days, months and years, and must live strictly according to it. Only thus, said they, could everything be done at its proper time. Others declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend to all that was going on, and then do what was most needful. Others, again, said that however attentive the King might be to what was going on, it was impossible for one man to decide correctly the right time for every action, but that he should have a Council of wise men, who would help him to fix the proper time for everything.

But then again others said there were some things which could not wait to be laid before a Council, but about which one had at once to decide whether to undertake them or not. But in order to decide that, one must know beforehand what was going to happen. It is only magicians who know that; and, therefore, in order to know the right time for every action, one must consult magicians.

Equally various were the answers to the second question. Some said, the people the King most needed were his councillors; others, the priests; others, the doctors; while some said the warriors were the most necessary.

To the third question, as to what was the most important occupation: some replied that the most important thing in the world was science. Others said it was skill in warfare; and others, again, that it was religious worship.

All the answers being different, the King agreed with none of them, and gave the reward to none. But still wishing to find the right answers to his questions, he decided to consult a hermit, widely renowned for his wisdom.

The hermit lived in a wood which he never quitted, and he received none but common folk. So the King put on simple clothes, and before reaching the hermit’s cell dismounted from his horse, and, leaving his body-guard behind, went on alone.

When the King approached, the hermit was digging the ground in front of his hut. Seeing the King, he greeted him and went on digging. The hermit was frail and weak, and each time he stuck his spade into the ground and turned a little earth, he breathed heavily.

The King went up to him and said: “I have come to you, wise hermit, to ask you to answer three questions: How can I learn to do the right thing at the right time? Who are the people I most need, and to whom should I, therefore, pay more attention than to the rest? And, what affairs are the most important, and need my first attention?”

The hermit listened to the King, but answered nothing. He just spat on his hand and recommenced digging.

“You are tired,” said the King, “let me take the spade and work awhile for you.”

“Thanks!” said the hermit, and, giving the spade to the King, he sat down on the ground.

When he had dug two beds, the King stopped and repeated his questions. The hermit again gave no answer, but rose, stretched out his hand for the spade, and said:

“Now rest awhile – and let me work a bit.”

But the King did not give him the spade, and continued to dig. One hour passed, and another. The sun began to sink behind the trees, and the King at last stuck the spade into the ground, and said:

“I came to you, wise man, for an answer to my questions. If you can give me none, tell me so, and I will return home.”

“Here comes some one running,” said the hermit, “let us see who it is.”

The King turned round, and saw a bearded man come running out of the wood. The man held his hands pressed against his stomach, and blood was flowing from under them. When he reached the King, he fell fainting on the ground moaning feebly. The King and the hermit unfastened the man’s clothing. There was a large wound in his stomach. The King washed it as best he could, and bandaged it with his handkerchief and with a towel the hermit had. But the blood would not stop flowing, and the King again and again removed the bandage soaked with warm blood, and washed and rebandaged the wound. When at last the blood ceased flowing, the man revived and asked for something to drink. The King brought fresh water and gave it to him. Meanwhile the sun had set, and it had become cool. So the King, with the hermit’s help, carried the wounded man into the hut and laid him on the bed. Lying on the bed the man closed his eyes and was quiet; but the King was so tired with his walk and with the work he had done, that he crouched down on the threshold, and also fell asleep – so soundly that he slept all through the short summer night. When he awoke in the morning, it was long before he could remember where he was, or who was the strange bearded man lying on the bed and gazing intently at him with shining eyes.

“Forgive me!” said the bearded man in a weak voice, when he saw that the King was awake and was looking at him.

“I do not know you, and have nothing to forgive you for,” said the King.

“You do not know me, but I know you. I am that enemy of yours who swore to revenge himself on you, because you executed his brother and seized his property. I knew you had gone alone to see the hermit, and I resolved to kill you on your way back. But the day passed and you did not return. So I came out from my ambush to find you, and I came upon your bodyguard, and they recognized me, and wounded me. I escaped from them, but should have bled to death had you not dressed my wound. I wished to kill you, and you have saved my life. Now, if I live, and if you wish it, I will serve you as your most faithful slave, and will bid my sons do the same. Forgive me!”

The King was very glad to have made peace with his enemy so easily, and to have gained him for a friend, and he not only forgave him, but said he would send his servants and his own physician to attend him, and promised to restore his property.

Having taken leave of the wounded man, the King went out into the porch and looked around for the hermit. Before going away he wished once more to beg an answer to the questions he had put. The hermit was outside, on his knees, sowing seeds in the beds that had been dug the day before.

The King approached him, and said:

“For the last time, I pray you to answer my questions, wise man.”

“You have already been answered!” said the hermit, still crouching on his thin legs, and looking up at the King, who stood before him.

“How answered? What do you mean?” asked the King.

“Do you not see,” replied the hermit. “If you had not pitied my weakness yesterday, and had not dug those beds for me, but had gone your way, that man would have attacked you, and you would have repented of not having stayed with me. So the most important time was when you were digging the beds; and I was the most important man; and to do me good was your most important business. Afterwards when that man ran to us, the most important time was when you were attending to him, for if you had not bound up his wounds he would have died without having made peace with you. So he was the most important man, and what you did for him was your most important business. Remember then: there is only one time that is important – Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power. The most necessary man is he with whom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with any one else: and the most important affair is, to do him good, because for that purpose alone was man sent into this life!”

Eight Gifts that Do Not Cost A Cent

2010-01-31T23:53:00.000-08:00

100 Mile Club Head Coach (and new Mama), Jamie Blair and her darlings.

She is giver of these gifts every day.

THE GIFT OF LISTENING...
But you must REALLY listen.
No interrupting, no daydreaming,
no planning your response.
Just listening.

THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...
Be generous with appropriate hugs,
kisses, pats on the back, and handholds.
Let these small actions demonstrate the
love you have for family and friends.

THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...
Clip cartoons.
Share articles and funny stories.
Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple
"Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet.
A brief, handwritten note may be remembered
for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere,
You look great in red," "You did a super job,"
or "That was a wonderful meal"
can make someone's day.

THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...
Every day, go out of your way
to do something kind.

THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...
There are times when we want nothing better
than to be left alone.
Be sensitive to those times and give
the gift of solitude to others.

THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is
to extend a kind word to someone.
Really, it's not that hard to say,
Hello or Thank You.

- Contributed by Katherine Quinn

Best Laid Plans

2010-01-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

The one on the left...she is serious. Hardcore doesnt begin to describe her.

"Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing,
you will be successful."
- Albert Schweitzer

I work too late every night because I love what I am doing so much!! I should stop at a certain time, but I never do. What I find as a mom is that I work much better when my kids are safe in bed. I feel like my thoughts are a bit more free-to-flow, and I get a ton done. What I don't get though is sleep.

Today, one of my board members and I met with someone who is helping us with a VERY cool thing for our kids...omg! I can't even say it out loud yet because I am seriously afraid of the wrath of Burns's "best laid plans". Seriously though? huge. HUGE!

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
gang aft a-gley.--Robert Burns ,"To a Mouse"*

*Popularly misquoted as: The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray, or The best laid plans of mice and men go oft astray.

Also, I picked up freshly printed tees and put together Member Incentive Packages for Wednesday delivery, and drove over to my favorite place, Preferred Choice Printing, where I was able to get some fancy (but donated) paper on which to pen a letter to each of our 100 Mile Club site principals about our upcoming Walk for Kids here in SoCal.

Kids go back to school tomorrow after a loooong break. I owe $18 for my daughters Rudolph Run at her school, and $30 to my son's school for their Camp Fit-a-Thon. For both events, they get 100 Mile Club miles. :)

Total structure to zero structure.

2010-01-04T21:58:00.000-08:00

Very awesome 100 Mile Club bulletin board at CFIS in Corona, CA

"Remember there's no such thing as a
small act of kindness. Every act
creates a ripple with no logical end."
- Scott Adams

I promised myself that I would write a little each day about everything that is happening. Mostly because I can't even keep up with it, and it all seems so surreal. I am sure my thoughts are going to come out really randomly for a while, but maybe...hopefully, there will emerge some structure at some point. Or not. Whatever.

So 6 months ago, I took an unpaid leave of absence from my very secure 18-year teaching position to see what would happen if I focused solely on The 100 Mile Club project for one year.

The first 6 months have been all about finding my rhythm outside of the classroom. I went from total structure to zero structure. Instantly. I had no idea what to do with myself. I mean, I did, but I was like a 5-foot 10-inch gnat, flitting around and getting everything done, but in a really random way. It was like a giant recess!!

I am a teacher. I am used to, literally, living by a bell. Now, I have no bell and I can go to the bathroom whenever I want (Absolutely a revolutionary idea!). And there's this whole WORLD that goes on out here during the day, too. One that I hadn't really ever experienced.

Now, after Christmas, New Year, and a new decade, I am hitting a stride of-sorts (kinda). We have over 55 schools running now and more call and inquire every day. I have learned to write grants (not perfectly, but...), reconcile books, pay taxes, take credit cards, build a website, "network" like a business woman, back up my Quickbooks, set up budgets, run meetings, set up a trade show booth, run a trade show booth, import contacts, export contacts, create newsletters, apply for a trademark, calculate paroll taxes, write cease and desist letters, take bids, negotiate costs, design clothing and awards, ...

I have made major mistakes and experienced glorious triumphs. I have cried over a minor printing error and laughed at a major traffic ticket. No matter what, though, I end each day making sure that I did my best with what I had where I was.

I need a massage and a haircut (and maybe some color...I see grey). O_o

100 Miles Already?? A great question form the e-mailbox.

2010-01-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

Hello Ms. Lubin,

I teach second grade at Jefferson and I want to know if there is anything special that I can do or give one of my students who reached his 100 miles at the end of 1st trimester. He is well on his way towards 150-200 miles for this year. Last year he reached 149 miles so I know that he is really pushing himself. Please let me know what I should and can do for him.

~Rosa, Teacher-Coach

Dear Rosa,

What a great accomplishment!! Jefferson rocks and so do you! You must be a fabulous coach to have him so motivated and wanting to reach new heights! You can do any or all of the following things to recognize your student and still keep with our mission and vision...

1. Send in a digital picture and a little story about him. We will feature him in our upcoming newsletter. We do that often. :)

2. Put a special mark on his tee. Make sure that you check the 100 box, but then do something special. (At McKinley, birthplace of 100 Mile Club®, we had TONS of kids hitting 100 early. We would glue a diamond on the back collar of the shirt, and if they hit 200, we'd put another one on, and so on, and so on...). You can get those at http://www.crystalz.com/. The kids LOVE that!!

3. Announce his name at an upcoming assembly. It doesn't have to be anything huge...just a mention and a cheer.

4. Do a special cheer when kids hit 100 early. Some classes have a special cheer for kids that is only done when a student reaches his/her 25, 50, 75, 0r 100 mile goal.

Here are a few fun chants:

s-u-c-c-e-s-s
That's the way we spell success
We wish you luck and all the rest
With s-u-c-c-e-s-s!
GO (runner name)!!

Clap your hands
(clap clap clap)
stomp your feet
(stomp stomp stomp)
(runner's full name) can't be beat
Go (name) go (name)!!
Goooooooo (runner name)!!

5. Make a human tunnel for students to run through as they cross 100 miles.

6. Make him a MENTOR, which is a huge honor. Assign him the job of helping other kids reach 100...all the while earning miles for himself. He is a ROCKSTAR!!

Make sure that he knows that is medal is coming, BUT not to stop. That BIG mile number will make people gasp! at Medal Ceremonies at the end of the year. That, Rosa, will be the best award of all.

Please call me if you want to discuss any or all of these, or if you have other ideas! We are all in this together. My # is 951-218-5503.

Thanks for your question. :)

100 Mile Club Participant Profile: Isak Boltares, Runner and Rockstar!!

2009-12-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

Our Guest Blogger, McKinley Head Coach Mrs. Potts,

shares a story about one of her fabulous students...

Incredible Isak with just a few of his many race numbers.

Second grader Izak Boltares from McKinley Elementary, has really caught the 100 Mile Club® spirit. Over the Thanksgiving 3 week break, he participated in four different 5K runs! He has become a running machine!

In one of the races, the Lake Norconian Run,he placed 5th in his age category. Way to run, Izak! From there he went straight to the Peppermint Ridge, Love Walk. That's two 5K's in one day! Izak also ran the Plymouth Turkey Trot, which supports spinal chord injury patients. His last 5K was the Eastvale Cares race. He runs all his races with his partner and Dad, Eric Boltares.

His dad wants him to know, "how important it is to live a healthy life style and that being healthy goes with you forever, not just when you're young."

Izak's mom, Kathi Boltares, says all this running has "opened him up a lot "

When asked why he likes to run so much he replied, "Because it makes me feel happy."

Izak is a great example to his fellow Mountain Lion runners. He shows up every morning to run the extra laps ready and energized. He has already made it 61 miles toward his 100 mile goal. No doubt he will acheive success this year.

Izak, we at McKinley and at 100 Mile Club®, are all so proud of you!

The Boltares Family doing their thing, helping local charities and earning MILES!!

Yup, I'm definitely a "doer"...

2009-11-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

A shirt we saw at Eisenhower this week. So awesome!

If you are not making mistakes, then you are not doing anything. I am positive that a doer makes mistakes. ~John Wooden

So this week, I relied a LOT on that quote and so many others that talk about how ok it is to make mistakes and how this is how you learn, blah blah blah and on and on... Really though, making mistakes is a drag. A HUGE drag.

It seemed like every single day this week was mistake after mistake, and it took all I had to realize that:

You can learn something from every mistake.
Really terrific things can come from your circumstances (no matter how difficult) if you are open to the idea that everything happens for a reason and that what is meant to be will certainly find a way to come about.

Constant effort and frequent mistakes are the stepping stones of genius.
~Elbert Hubbard

Oooh, that one makes me feel way better. I'll take it. :)

Mistake #1. Not-Received FAX Order.

Monday. It turned out that one of our sweet schools in Big Bear (Hi, Baldwin Lane!!) had sent in a FAX order that we never received. Someone must have gotten it because it went somewhere, just not to us. :( Knowing that this enthusiastic school had been waiting for Teacher Materials for so long made me feel just awful. So, I did what any hyper-focused, slightly insane doer would do.

I estimated the number of teachers at Baldwin Lane based on their population, packed up 30 Teacher Materials Kits, dropped my daughter off at school, and drove straight to Big Bear. Hoping that the school was actually open that day (you never know), I decided that as long as I was doing whatever I could do to make the situation better, all would work out. Worst case scenario would be that Paris and I would have a nice lunch and hit the Alpine Slide on the way home. ok.

The school WAS open, everyone got their materials, and it all worked out. The principal was in the ofice that day and we chatted a while about 100 Mile Club and how it will fit in to the city's vision of a healthier community. Ahhhh, problem solved. Yay.

On our way home, my phone rang and it was one of my fabulous 100 Mile Club Head Coaches. I can't even remember why she called, only that for some reason she asked me where I was. OH! I told her, We had a major fax nightmare and I am up in Big Bear delivering some stuff. She gasped and told me that Big Bear was her old stomping ground, and then asked what school I was visiting. I told her, and again..she gasped!

(This is where I was reminded that everything happens for a reason...)

Baldwin Lane was where she had taught for YEARS, and the new principal was a dear dear friend of hers with whom she had not spoken in quite a while. She immediately hung up with me and called the school where the principal just happened to answer. After tears and laughter about all of the mixups and circumstances that led to their reunion, we all agreed that it was all meant to be. The two have reconnected and are going to visit one another's schools to help with 100 Mile Club. I didn't feel so bad about the FAX mistake after that.

Mistake #2. OOPS! Where is the back of the shirt?

On Thursday, I picked up a ton of shirts to put in incentive packages for delivery JUST in time for a number af assemblies. One Coach (The fabulous Michele Sapp from Tuscany Hills) even sent her unsuspecting husband to pick up her Incentive Package order for a really BIG school assembly the very next day. We got everything done just in the nick of time. Woohoo! I was feeling all sassy and accomplished because everything was almost done before the holiday week ahead. Yep.

My phone rang laaaate that evening. Turns out that the shirts that were picked up had no printing on the back! What? WHAT?? So, I did what any hyper-focused, semi-insane doer would do. I packed up a whole bunch of tees and woke up early early the next morning and drove to the school with replacement tees.

The great thing was that I got to visit their 100 Mile Club Morning Group and attend the BIG assembly. We snapped this photo at the end:

Our newest 25 Mile Club Kids at Tuscany Hills. And their shirts ALL have backs on them. :)

I was so thrilled and honored to be able to visit that I forgot that I was there because of a HUGE mistake in our shirt orders. It all worked out. It always does. Phew...

Mistake #3: You cannot turn right on red when exiting the 15 freeway on to the 79 in Temecula.

Yep, I got a ticket on Friday, delivering Incentive Packages. I turned right on red right smack dab in front of a mototcycle officer! Had I known or seen the sign, I certainly wouldn't have done that. Yeesh. Believe me when I say that I had a nice good cry after that one, and after the week that was behind me.

Then I stopped to think. What was the lesson here? There is one...there has to be one.

I needed to slow down. Mentally and physically. The ticket remided me to slow down and BE where I am, not be in such a rush to get to the next thing, and to (for Pete's sake!) read signs.

So this week, I am slowing down. (Yes, I am!!)

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valueable lessons. ~Anonymous

I am thankful to have the freedom to reflect on my mistakes and learn from them.

I am thankful for all of our 100 Mile Club Head Coaches who are fearless and fun.

I am thankful for all of our 100 Mile club Kids who inspire me every day.

I am thankful for my GPS, Gingerbread Lattes, and QuickBooks. And sushi. :)

But mostly, I am thankful for my family: My husband Glen, and my beautiful children, Paris and Millie Rose, my mom and dad, and my sister, Lora...they put up with my mistakes most of all.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Enjoy your week!

100 Mile Club Kids Give Back at Love Walk 2009

2009-11-15T21:44:00.000-08:00

I look forward to Love Walk for loads of reasons. The most important one, though, is that it is held at such a civilized hour!! I was able to get up, have a leisurely cup of coffee, and head over to Crossroads in plenty of time to get everything done. The warm sun shone down with that gorgeous light one only seems to get on a perfect Southern California autumn day.

It was a spectacular one, and our kids stepped out and made a difference

at LOVE WALK 2009.

Most of us enjoyed a quiet morning before heading over to the event, but not the Boltares Family!! They used their free morning to complete a quick little 5K run around Lake Norconian in support of the Norco Kiwanis Club and the Lake Norconian Foundation and THEN headed on over to lend a HELPING FOOT to Peppermint Ridge. They arrived right on time in their Norconian tees and ready to earn another one here at Love Walk. All in all, the kids ran 3.1 miles at the 5K (and came in 4th place, by the way!) and another 5 at Love Walk. Unbelievable! Here is the beautiful family ready for event #2:

Everywhere you looked, there were kids in red 100 Mile Club shirts...ready to go! The coolest thing, though, was that they all rallied in the spirit of The Ridge, put on their new Love Walk tees, and set off to make a difference.

The kids completed their first mile with the Ridgers and then had the option of running on for up to 5 miles credit. Oh my! They took full advantage of their time...some walking or running right till the end of the event.

Here are the Beautiful Wheatons holding up the number of miles they completed.

These cute little guys completed all five miles! Woohoo!

The 100 Mile Club has members of all ages! In the foreground, one of our 100 Milers from Garretson, and smiling in the background is one of our participants from Valencia Terrace. Both of these ladies outlapped me! :)

We snapped this photo near the end of the event. This picture represents, lets see...at least 5 different schools. All told, there were *107* 100 Milers that actually signed our guestbook this year. Certainly there were some who didn't sign. There always are.

The following schools were all gloriously respresented at LOVE WALK 2009:

Vicentia ES

Valencia Terrace

Peppermint Ridge

Orange ES

Temescal Valley ES

CFIS

Eastvale ES

Colony HS

Garretson ES

Washington ES

Barton ES

Harada ES

Todd ES

Rosa Parks ES

Susan B. Anthony ES

Raney ES

McKinley ES

Sierra Vista ES

Auburndale IS

Warner ES

Eisenhower ES

Franklin ES

Our top *6* 100 Mile Club Helping Feet schools from Love Walk 2009 are:

:::drumroll pleeeeeeease!!::::

(keep going!)

Is the suspense too much??

Harada

Franklin

Washington

Eisenhower

CFIS

and in 1st place, winning a spectacular Disco Ball Trophy....

Orange Elementary!!!

We will deliver your trophy soon. In the meantime, know that every time you reach out to help our local charities by walking and giving back, YOU make a diffference. The love you give will radiate out just like the light coming from these fun little disco ball trophies.

Next up...

100 Mile Club's

Walk for Kids 2010!!

March 13, 2010

Cesar Chavez Elementary

Save the date!! Woohoo!

100 Mile Club's Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting

2009-10-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

We REALLY DID cut a ribbon and though you can't really see them in this photo, those scissors were BIG and gold and sharp!

Please remember, I am a teacher first and foremost, so when a couple of our board members mentioned that they wanted us to have a Grand Opening for The 100 Mile Club, my first reaction was...

Huh? What? Grand Opening...really? why?

This is all relatively new to me, this world of business and non-profits, and grants, and partnerships. I am learning (FAST!), but still, I didn't quite understand what a Grand Opening was all about, or why 100 Mile Club, an organization that is so big, philosophically-based, SCHOOL-based, and spread-out should have a Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting Event. We don't even have a physical place, really. We are a people-based organization, not a store or anything, so I was understandibly confused. O_o

(By the way, a Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting event is affectionately and efficiently called a GORC in certain circles, so when it was originally proposed to me via text message as, "We need to have a GORC for 100 Mile Club...", I was like GORC? What is this GORC? What am I missing? Help me understand!!!).

So...I did what any normal confused person would do:

I googled.

Here is what I learned...

Once an organization is organized and ready to receive more clients, it will then sponsor a Grand Opening event.

A Grand Opening is stating that there is a special event planned. Often this is achieved with a party type atmosphere such as: food, music, prizes, balloons, giveaways, festive signs, and so on.

Still others go a bit further and have a ribbon cutting ceremony, where an oversized pair of scissors is used to cut an over sized ribbon to "officially" open their doors.

Generally, a Grand Opening is regarded as a promotional way for an organization to state that it is completely ready to serve its clients proficiently and professionally.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_opening

OK. Got it! We can do that...

So we set a date, found a place, and went for it. We chose McKinley Elementary School in Corona for our Grand Opening location for so many reasons, but mainly because 100 Mile Club was raised at McKinley. (FUN FACT: 100 Mile Club was BORN at Washington Elementary in Corona, my very first school, in 1992.)

The Corona Chamber of Commerce is amazing at GORC's (see? I'm learning!), so the work was relatively simple. I didn't do a whole lot to plan it. The other details were worked out by Board Member Ellie VanDoornum, who is a rockstar in every way.

We contacted the following caterers and extraordinary people to help us feed the people:

Windy Plum Farms, who made a whol bunch of the. most. delicious. Blue Cheese Grapes EVER! To die for. Thank you, Mark Neely!

As you Like It Catering sent over perfect cookies and dessert tasties for everyone!! YUM! Thank you so much to Rachel and Phyllis for being so nice. :)

Backwoods BBQ got it done with scrumptious PASTA BOLOGNAISE and Cole Slaw. We all left STUFFED! Thank you to Mayor Steve Nolan for your omnipresent support.

and Sweet Moments, made hundreds of mini cupcakes and surprised us with this:

Not only was it the most adorable cake ever...it was DELICIOUS! Laurice, you are Wonderwoman.

Spahrmedia. We wanted to document this occasion, and Michael Spahr stepped up, taped the whole thing for us, and took testimonials, too! He is so much fun and would be a great choice for any occasion. Plus, he sings a mean Barry Manilow and will be able to edit my little speech into something that actually makes sense! Yay! :)

The above businesses help out always and support 100 Mile Club with whatever that can, so please keep them in mind when you need something for your event or family. They are FABULOUS!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You know when you have an event or a party, and you have this vision that nobody will show up and you will just be standing there in an empty room with decorations and cake and it's just you and food?

That so DID NOT happen!

We had a blast. Coaches can from near and far to see what this was all about. They met and networked with local businesses and hopefully made meaningful connections. The kids danced and laughed and ate tiny cupcakes (so did some of the grownups!). We got to recognize our coaches and volunteers, and the Chamber of Commerce did a great job of coaching me through the evening. I was just thrilled to see everyone all in one place!

Video is coming, thanks to Spahrmedia, so look for that soon. We are a fun group, that's for sure!

Our precious Corona Queens came out to show their support!

Special thanks to the following people who helped at our Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting on Thursday:

Deb Potts and Mrs Badger's Class for making the tables look amazing as always!

Ellie Van Doornum, for making everything look so easy.

BJ Walker, for being the calm in the middle of the storm. We so need you.

Roberta Hartman and the McKinley PTA, for set-up, balloons, and spirit!!

Janette Neumann, for the cake, flowers, and 100% enthusiasm always.

Dot Lubin, for helping with everything that noone else wants to do. And doing it with a smile. I love you.

Glen Gonsalves, for putting up with 100 Mile Club literally IN THE HOUSE all. the. time.

City of Corona, specifically Mayor Pro Tem Karen Spiegel for showing up on your busiest day and speaking so kindly of 100 Mile Club and its vision for community wellness and health.

Mayor Pro Tem Karen Spiegel presenting us with a certificate of appreciation and saying very, very nice things about 100 Mile Club. I was nervous and slightly overwhelmed.

Corona Chamber of Commerce. Thank you to the Ambassadors and Chamber President Bobby Spiegel for coming out and showing such tremendous support always.

Chamber President Bobby Spiegel helping spread the word!

Corona Norco Unified School District for the use of space and to CNUSD Board member Michell Skipworth for speaking and showing us supprt in words, actions, and spirit.

Thanks to the HEAD COACHES, friends, and students that attended and gave testimonials, too. We couldn't have done it without all of YOU!!

100 Mile Club® Event Sanction Criteria

2009-10-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

The 100 Mile Club® Group raised over $1400 for The Foundation for Community and Family Health on September 26, 2009! Not bad for a bunch of kiddos! :)

Are you an organization who would like 100 Mile Club® to sanction and promote your walk/run? If so, please read the following Sanctioning Criteria and let us know if you think your event might be a good fit for our Helping Feet program.

If an event meets the following criteria, it may be sanctioned by 100 Mile Club® pending board approval.

The 100 Mile Club® is permitted to staff a booth (EzUp, table, etc…) at no cost where mile credits may be distributed. Our booth should be placed in a highly visible spot so our families won't miss us.

100 Mile Club® SponsorWear may be offered to donors at said sanctioned event. This is an opportunity for community members to sponsor a student in their area.

The walk is at least one mile.

If it is a race, there is an option to not race and still fully participate.

It is open and FULLY accessible to all ages, races, and disabilities.

Strollers must be permitted so that parents may walk with their children. Some of our walkers are as young as 4 years old, and they need their parents with them...

Monies raised directly benefit local programs or organizations. We want our kids to understand where their donations are going and to physically be able to see the benefits of their involvement.

It is not in conflict with other local previously sanctioned events. We want your event to be THE only one that we promote on a given day.

It is not a “politically charged” or a religiously-based event. This is a grey area, (we know) but we don't want anyone in our 100 Mile Club® to feel marginalized as a result of the mission of any of our Sanctioned Helping Feet events. The decision of our board is something on which we rely and trust 100%. They know when an event "feels right" or not. Their decision stands.

Once a walk/run is officially sanctioned by 100 Mile Club®, the following may/will take place:

Your organization will be given permission to place our logo on your event literature to let kids and families know that they WILL receive miles for your event. It WORKS, and your event will draw many families who wouldn't normally attend (those mile-credits are a real draw)!

100 Mile Club® will place your event on our calendar for families and kids. Our families regularly look here for opportunities to earn more miles and give back to their communities. They know that they will be welcomed and appreciated at your event :)

If you send us literature, we will place information in our Incentive Package shipments and pass out information when we are out and about (networking meetings, inservices, expos, meetings...). We just keep information in our presentation box and put it out on the table with our literature.

100 Mile Club® may send a representative to pass out credit slips. This is usually something that happens, but in the event that we are unable to send a rep, we ask that you offer credit slips to those families that request them.

If you feel that your event may qualify for a 100 Mile Club® Sanction, please email us at events@100mileclub.com and we will get the ball rolling...

HELPING FEET!! Earn Miles and Give Back!

2009-10-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Part of the mission of the 100 Mile Club® is to give back and teach the value of community service. We acknowledge the ability of each individual to do what they can to help local charities For this, we have our newly named "Helping Feet" program!

We carefully choose specific charity walks/runs in our local communities so that our participants can do three things:

1. Give Back in a really fun way. Many of our children have never attended community events or any sort of group walk or run. Helping Feet™ teaches our kids that giving back is FUN and feels really good. Participants can meet 100 Milers from other schools and even see and run with their teachers!! It is a win-win situation.

2. EARN MILES! The charity events we sanction are those where our kids can earn at least 3 miles. There will be a 100 Mile Club booth or table at each of the sanctioned events. Here, students pick up a certificiate of completion for the event with the total number of miles completed.

3. Earn Community Service Hours. 100 Mile Club offers community service hours for qualifying schools and groups in addition to miles! Woohoo!

100 Mile Club Participants take their Event Completion Certificate back to school where their miles are counted toward their 100 Mile Club goal, and they receive accolades from their teachers and coaches!

It's a beautiful thing.

Find out more about 100 Mile Club Helping Feet events in your area on our website under CALENDAR OF EVENTS...

100 Mile Club Mailbag: Questions and Answers for YOU!

2009-10-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

My son is in the 100 Mile Club at Sky Country E.S. He picked up his slip that said he ran the 5K in Eastvale so he can earn the three miles. However, he has also run in the Citrus Heritage Run in Sept (also a 5k) and is thinking of running Mission Inn. Can he get credit for those runs as well? I still have his race bib from Citrus Park as proof that he ran there. It has his name on it also. Thanks for encouraging him to run!

Aleta, Mira Loma, CA

Thank you for the excellent question! The ultimate goal of The 100 Mile Club is for your son to complete 100 miles AT SCHOOL during a single school year. That said, as long as your son is working his hardest at school and logging miles diligently, I see no reason that his miles at these charity events can't count. We just don't want him to REPLACE miles from school with these race miles. Ultimately, it is up to your site Head Coach...please visit her or send her an email with this question. I will support the decision that she makes. :) Thanks again for your question! See you out and about!

What about miles logged walking to and from school? My daughter walks to school every day and plays soccer, too. Her coach makes her run a lot! Can we count those miles?

Please clarify with your child, teachers, and staff that miles for The 100 Mile Club™ may only be counted while AT SCHOOL. Sports practices, after school, to and from school, etc etc should not be counted. Doing so truly cheapens the process and makes it reeeeeaaaallyy easy for certain kids to get to 100 miles, while other less fortunate students watch and wonder…

The Mission of The 100 Mile Club™ is to provide to all students the opportunity to experience the powerful feeling of fitness and TRUE personal success by Accepting the Challenge of running (or walking) 100 miles at school during a single school year.

The words AT SCHOOL truly help us focus our vision and clearly state that miles completed must be done at school while on track.

Students may not count laps/miles completed with parents at home, during sports practices, etc etc…We need to keep everyone’s experience and journey consistent, and we cannot do this if kids are given “free” miles, miles for soccer practice, etc etc.**

Helping Feet Events are one other way to earn more miles, help your community, AND meet other 100 Mile Club Kids & Families!! Part of the mission of the 100 Mile Club® is to give back and teach the value of community service. We acknowledge the ability of each individual to do what they can to help local charities For this, we have our newly named "Helping Feet" program! Click here for more information...

The only other "outside mile" exceptions are those who are on home-hospital instruction. We do have one student undergoing treatment for leukemia walking on his treadmill at home. PLEASE help us reinforce this. The 100 Mile Club™ is an at school activity, and allowing for extra miles for some while others do not get the same opportunity truly cheapens the process. Also, Team Spirit piece is removed since all are not sharing the same experience.

We want our students to experience this journey together.

**We do have a school that allows students to log ONE MILE A WEEK at home. The kids and parents have to fill out a special form and have a parent signature. For this particular school, they and I worked very hard to keep with the integrity of the 100 Mile Club project while also honoring specific time restraints at their particular school. It works for them, and it can work for your school, too. Just be careful, keep the mission clear, and make sure to honor everyone for their efforts.

Eastvale CARES!! Family 5K and Health Fair

2009-10-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

It was dark when we arrived to set up for the Eastvale Cares Family 5K and Health Fair. PITCH DARK. I knew that the chill in the air was only temporary, so I didn't even bring my jacket out. Instead, I relished the cold...the heat was certainly on its way.

We were greeted by welcoming smiles and folks who, despite the early dark hour, were ready to go. Four high school volunteers helped me unload my car, and we were set up in no time.

Thank you to our volunteers:

Dave LaVelle. His calm and kind spirit was so welcome and appreciated. Thank you to him for taking time out of his busy busy day to be with us.
Mark and Ellie VanDoornum. Both are such enthusiastic forces within this organization. Thanks for being there, helping all of our kids get credit, and getting the word out about our upcoming Walk for Kids (March 13, 2010!)
Samantha Troisi and Danielle Shapiro. Fabulous volunteers that came to help from Corona Fundamental Intermediate School. They were enthusiastic, efficient, and smiley. Both did a great job finding students at the Health Fair who still needed a mile credit slip for the 5K and 1-mile Fun Run. Thanks, ladies!

This was our second sanctioned run of the 2009-10 100 Mile Club® Cycle, and once again, the kids came out in force!! The following schools were represented:

Vandermolen*
Eastvale*
Orange*
Barton*
Harada
Rosa Parks
Garretson
Susan B. Anthony
McKinley
Washington
Sky Country
Corona Ranch
Corona Fundamental Intermediate

* Our top participating schools!! (Stats based on signing the 100 Mile Club Guest book and receipt of 100 Mile Club CREDIT SLIP.)

This event had such a great community spirit...families seemed happy and ready to take on the challenge of what was, for many, a first 5K!!

Chapter Profile: Tuscany Hills ES, Head Coach Michelle Sapp

2009-10-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

My 100 Mile Club Kids!

by Michelle Sapp, 100 Mile Club Head Coach: Tuscany Hills Elementary

We are 1 month into our new 100 Mile Club Program at the boys school and all the kids are doing great! On Friday I got to already award 7 kids their 25 mile goal tshirts. Very cool! These little studs (yes, including my 2 little competitive souls) are going to hit WELL over 100 miles by the end of the school year. Got to keep up with them, I got 30 in for the month - not bad!?! All the kids, teachers and parents at the school are so excited about this program - very neat to be a part of it. Highly recommend bringing it to your kids school! http://www.100mileclub.com/

Every Friday morning before school from 7:45 - 8:45 for the last month about 100 of the students plus their parents & some teachers have been at our morning walk /run - very cool thing to see.

All the classes charts are in the multi purpose room for the kids to see their progress each week.

These are my first 7 kids to hit the 25 mile goal! Ryan, Blake, Brandon, Willy, Bronson, Shane, Trevor...Blake already has 39 miles & Brandon 35 - crazy boys !!!!

When they run on Friday mornings they get a mark every time they complete a lap, 4 laps = a mile. They did just a few on Friday..... Blake logged in 23 laps & Brandon 20 laps.

Earning our miles together - Cary has a little catching up to do to get his shirt!

Coach Sapp and her 100 Mile Club Kids have hit the ground running...LITERALLY! Amazing implementation and spectacular adoption of the mission and ideals of The 100 Mile Club!! Go, Tuscany Hills, GO! ~Ms. Lubin~

Developing Integrity and Honesty, or What if They Cheat??

2009-10-04T16:05:00.001-07:00

"Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching."

Some of the most valuable and life-changing learning experiences in The 100 Mile Club occur when a student is challenged by his own sense of what is right and wrong.

So you catch a student who has been less than honest about his/her miles...what to do? Well, first, stop. Don't flip out. Take a deep breath and ask yourself *why* he/she may be exhibiting this sort of behavior. Nobody WANTS to cheat. I believe that wholeheartedly. Some confessions I have received over the years:

The Noble Cheater: AKA "But I was just trying to help...The best example of this is the boy whose grandmother was flying in from Egypt and he wanted to have his shirt when he met her at the airport. This was a rough one, because his good friend loaned him some lap sticks with a promise that he would "pay her back" the following week. This was a rough one. We sat the two down and explained that although we appreciated the thoughtfullness and teamwork, what they did was, in fact, cheating...and was quite dishonest. We had the boy return his "dishonest" sticks to his good friend, we all had a little chat, shed a few tears together, and then we gave him time to complete his laps before the plane arrived.

The superacademic overachiever who simply could NOT STAND that someone was actually "beating" him at something school-related! We reminded him that this race was only against himself and that he needs to refrain from comparing himself to others. This was not easy for him to hear. We readjusted his miles, shed a few tears (see a pattern?), and we coached him through the year, helping him recognize his own personal successes. Yes, he did make it to 100 miles, but this was one of the hardest things he had ever done at school.

The Blatantly Over-the-Top Exaggerator of Miles. This sweet child reported in an outrageous number of miles after a 10 minute jog with is class... Well, after we all looked at him with total confusion, I simply wrote down a reasonable amount, pulled him aside and kindly pretended that he didnt know how to count laps (maybe he did, maybe he didn't...it wasn't my place to judge). I retaught him, reminded him about being honest, and to ask me if he was ever unsure of how to count his miles.

So.

What should you do if you face a student with a less-than-honest tendency?

Take the student aside and ask him/her without judgement. You can say something like, I'm not sure that you have been wholly honest about your miles, and I want to help you so that when you earn your milestines it will feel really good and RIGHT. Remind them about the lifeskills of HONESTY and INTEGRITY and let them know that if they earn a milestone by being dishonest, they will know in their hearts that they cheated...it will feel bad.

Usually they will tell you what's going on and at that point, you help them get back on track, adjusting their miles accordingly. Do this quietly but deliberately. Don't impart punishment by not allowing them to run...they want to please you and themselves by showing you that they CAN do it right. Let them prove themselves to you.

Maintain and preserve your student's dignity, but don't let him/her "get away with" continuing the behavior. Kids know when you care and they really do love being held to a high standard. Same with 100 Mile Club. Some kids just have to test the waters. Hold fast to your standard, all the while providing the love and support necessary for a child to feel true personal success. They'll figure it out...

...and so will you. The fact that you are allowing your students to experience this journey means that you "get it". Trust yourself, refer to your PYRAMID OF SUCCESS when you get confused about what to do. It works every time.

Accommodating and Modifying for ALL

2009-10-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

When I created The 100 Mile Club, I asked myself:

What would be a perfect balance between challenging and attainable?

For MOST kids, 100 miles works perfectly. Three miles a week. Not too easy, not too hard. For some, however, there needs to be some adjustment. And that's ok.

Sometimes, the balance between challenging and attainable must be adjusted to help some participants achieve TRUE personal success.

Pre-school, kindergarten. Besides being so tiny and cute, most of our preschoolers and kindergarteners are on 1/2 day at school, and for this reason, we have used "mini miles" at many of our schools . Mini Miles are simply 1/2 mile =1 mile. When these little ones run, we still call their "miles" miles...we just calculate them differently. No big deal.

Last year at one school, we looked at the statistics of the kindergarten classes who did mini-miles and compared them with our regular 1 Mile=1 Mile classes. Our mini-mile kindergarteners earned their incentives at just about the same time as our other classes. It WORKED! So...try mini miles for the little ones. The statistics match, and the little ones find it much more attainable, yet appropriately challenging. We found a balance! YAY!

Individuals with Disabilities. There are as many modifications as there are disabilities, and every single individual is different. Use your best judgement or talk to your adaptive p.e. coach about appropriate challenges for your student/s.
For most, again, walking a mile is perfect...but if you need to, simply figure out what your student can do "3" of each week. That can be their "mile".

We have had students with specific physical disabilities do swimming, walking a specified distance using their walker, rolling in their wheelchair, and even physically rolling across a mat as miles. Nothing is off limits, as long as you allow all individuals to do their best at whatever activities are appropriate for them.

You can start with this document: 100 Mile Club Mile Equivalents. It will help you make some decisions about appropriate mile-equivalents for your students with disabilities.
If you need to, just call. We can help you figure out something really good for every child. I have never had a child unable to participate...ever. We can always make 100 Mile Club work for everyone. 100 Mile Club's beauty is its flexibility. :)

Remember, YOU know your students best. Help each of them to do what they can do and you and ALL of your students will undoubtedly reap the rewards of 100 Mile Club participation.
The 100 Mile Club has the potential to be life-changing for many of our students.

Many students have never completed an activity that takes such long-term planning and goal-setting.

Many students discover hidden athletic talents and go on to participate in sports and activities in high school and beyond.

Others simply learn a little bit more about themselves through this journey to 100 miles and apply this new knowledge to their educations, their overall wellness, and their relationships with others.

The 100 Mile Club really is all about Accepting the Challenge and experiencing the journey to success with others, and I am incredibly excited for anyone who takes that on, in whatever form it happens to be...

Our Local Fight: Our First HELPING FEET Event

2009-09-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

- Helen Keller

Hot.

It was going to be one of those days you wish you could spend either tightly sealed inside an air-conditioned house, or floating on some cool body of water somewhere. Instead, thousands of participants chose to brave the extreme heat and walk in support of their mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters, and friends...Our Local Fight against breast cancer, The Foundation for Community and Family Health's annual walk, was a huge success!!

Our 100 Mile Club kids showed up in droves to lend their Helping Feet to a great cause. Over 100 kids came out and walked or ran either 2.2 or 4.4 miles on one of the hottest days of the year. Not one complaint. Not one.

My mom and I arrived at Dos Lagos just before 6:00 in the morning to set up our booth. After a few minutes of confusion and a good cry, we settled in. This is always an emotional day for everyone, and I usually spend the whole walk on the verge of tears. That, on top of the fact that I was running on 4 hours of sleep made for quick-to-arrive emotions all day.

Our booth was situated right at the finish line, which was perfect...we were able to get mile credit slips to most of our kids. I am sure there were still quite a few who didn't ever find us, so we'll field frantic phone calls this week. If there is one thing I know for sure, it is that kids are SERIOUS about their miles. They should be. They. Want. Credit. Thankfully, we had plenty of volunteers:

BJ Walker, thank you for being there all day! You even helped clean up!
Alice Fujita, you took the best pictures ever, and passed out billions of credit slips. Thank you!
Ellie & Mark VanDoornum, thanks for walking and representing. We needed you out there.
Michaela Hamilton, you rallied your school. You guys had the MOST walkers ever! You win!!
Tom Munoz, thank you for jumping right in.
Mom, THANK YOU for helping me set AND clean up...you are Superwoman.
All Head Coaches, thank you for coming out and encouraging your students to give back. That's what it's all about.

Do you see the grey Accept the Challenge tee? :)

We had 100 Mile Club Kids from so many schools!! The following schools and groups were represented at Our Local Fight...GREAT job to these schools and coaches:

CFIS

Prado View

Adams

El Cerrito

Orange*

McKinley*

Garretson*

Riverside Christian

Raney

Temescal Valley

Eisenhower*

Todd

Peppermint Ridge

Rosa Parks

Sierra Vista

Barton

Norco High

Vicentia

Corona Ranch

Washington

California School for the Deaf, Riverside

* exemplary participation!!

Then just like that, Our Local Fight was done for another year...great job to all of our kids and families! Together, our kids raised over $1,400 for The Foundation.

We are doing something great for our children. If we can guide this young generation to seek health and learn to give back to their communities, we have done something monumental.

Thank you for helping guide our children toward health, wellness, and community spirit.

In every community there is work to be done. In every nation there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.
~Marianne Williamson

Welcome to The Movement!

2009-07-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

Cardiovascular Benefits Of Daily Exercise In School Children Are Evident Even After One Year
ScienceDaily (2009-05-10) -- School children as young as 11 can benefit from a daily exercise program in reducing their levels of several known risk factors for cardiovascular disease. An ongoing study, which began four years ago in the German city of Leipzig, shows already that children assigned to daily exercise lessons reduced their overall prevalence of obesity, improved their exercise capacity, increased their levels of HDL-cholesterol, and reduced their systolic blood pressure. ... read full article

As our summer begins, many of our schools are already off and running on Monday. Our year-round schools have my utmost respect. These teachers and administrators ended their 2008-09 school year on June 26th and in one week, completely reset and restart their new year! Talk about a whirlwind!

The article above shows us how in just one year, our children can improve their overall health. We knew this already, though. Our 100 Mile Club Kids are happy, healthy, focused, and fit! Let's keep moving!

If you are just getting started, or thinking of joining The 100 Mile Club "movement", check us out at www.100mileclub.com. We are here and ready for you.

The 100 Mile Club® is simple to set up and begin. You should be ready to “hit the ground running” the first day of school, or as soon as possible once school begins. Here are some guidelines to get you going. The following ideas, concepts, and procedures are extremely helpful and will make 100 Mile Club® run smoothly and positively.

Are you wondering how we think, and what we're about? Read on...

First... Accept the Challenge. There is a philosophical mindset that must be adopted and understood before beginning The 100 Mile Club®. For some, this is the hardest part.

Our philosophy is simple. We believe that every single student has the ability to achieve true personal success and a new level of physical fitness by Accepting the Challenge of running (or walking) 100 Miles at school during a single school year. These feelings of true personal success and fitness are ones that will carry a student to new levels of achievement in all areas: academics, athletics, and implementation of the valuable life skills identified in the bricks of Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.

The 100 Mile Club® is a personal journey toward a very personal goal.

It is not a race with anyone but yourself.

We NEVER compare students. ever.

We never race or compete between classes or students to see who makes 100 miles “first”.
100 Mile Club® is not an external competition. The competition is with your biggest rival: yourself.

We celebrate all personal successes at the end of the school year. 100 miles or not, we award students together, celebrate together, and never separate out those that make 100 miles from those that do not.

The personal successes students feel while on the100 Mile Club® journey are unquantifiable but ever-present. We celebrate those most of all.

100 Mile Club® encourages team spirit by asking students to work together to help one another reach their goals. Often, we see the more athletic students encouraging and mentoring those that might need that little extra boost…it is wonderful to see students cheer for each other or run together to just make it one more lap.

100 Mile Club® does not publicly (e.g.-website, school announcements, etc…) identify or announce students who hit 100 miles until the end of the year awards presentation. Some students make 100 miles by mid-January…Each site has fun ways of celebrating their participants' personal successes and lets these individuals savor the inner rewards that come from humility, poise, confidence and friendship as they help others reach their goals, too. We ask that these students reach inside themselves and set new personal goals in order to reach their true level of competitive greatness.

The 100 Mile Club® is an individualized physical fitness program. Students will have the opportunity to exercise their bodies through stretching and running (or walking) activities as they move closer and closer to 100 miles and their very own gold medal. Please strike a careful balance between encouraging students to do THEIR best, honoring individual differences, and challenging students to reach to a new level of greatness.

The 100 Mile Club® is a life skills program. Through the personal experience of running (or walking) 100 miles at school, each student is given unique situations in which to truly experience each and every one of the life skills outlined in The Pyramid of Success.

Make sure you know your students. Some may have medical conditions of which you may not be aware, some may need to see their doctor before beginning a program such as this.

The 100 Mile Club® is uncomplicated, yet profound. We believe strongly that each and every student who Accepts the Challenge of running (or walking) 100 miles at school during a single school year will discover a phenomenal new part of themselves…the part that thrives on team spirit, hard work, determination and enthusiasm.

Once a child gets a taste of the deep and powerful intrinsic rewards of true, TRUE personal success, he or she will seek that feeling again and again…at school, at home, and in life. It's amazing.

Jogging is very beneficial. It's good for your legs and your feet. It's also very good for the ground.

It makes it feel needed. ~Charles Schulz, Peanuts

PENNY VOTE RESULTS

2009-06-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

Just five minutes a day of sustained physical activity each day can prevent obesity in kids.

So, what's our new tee shirt color?? Remember, every year ALL 100 Mile Club schools and groups have the same color shirt. We do this for very specific reasons...

READ ABOUT IT HERE.

What started as a simple way to cast a few votes and have a little fun picking our next tee shirt color quickly evolved into a massive Penny Vote Tour. As with most things 100 Mile Club-related, what started as a fun and silly idea, backed up with with lots of passion and energy ended up HUGE and taking over everything!! This was true once again with The Penny Vote.

Jared Walker, a former 100 Mile Club participant and very busy IB student at a local middle school, volunteered to lead the charge. It was a great service project for him! Jared set up a booth at Walk for Kids 2009 and collected pennies in these cool vortex-topped water bottles:

The vortexes were all Jared's idea, and were soooooo cool!!

Color choices for 09-10 were as follows:

Steel gray with white.

True Red with navy.

Forest Green with cream.

The kids (and adults!) had a ball watching the pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters, and even dollars go round and round and plop in to the color of their choice. klink! klink! klinklink! The coins kept coming!

So much was being collected that we decided to donate it to a local charity...The Circle of Hope Family Shelter was chosen to receive 100% of the proceeds from 100 Mile Club's 2009-10 Penny Vote. I don't even know if they know that yet. Do they know? I guess at the very least they will be pleasantly surprised. :)

These funny-looking (but fun!) containers travelled all over Southern California, and kids, parents, and friends all cast their votes with spare change. All the while, our collection boxes were getting heavier and heavier. Yay!!

The Vote ended on Friday, June 12. Our intention was to hand count the coins...the reality is that we ended up a the local market, standing in front of the Coinstar for a reaaaalllly long time. We had to pay a little percentage. OK. A big percentage. But we got it done.

Are you ready?? After all was said and done, the results are:

Steel Gray with White: $51.70

Green with Cream: $67.12

Red with Navy: $110.65

TOTAL COLLECTED: $229.47 WOW! (This was mostly pennies, by the way.)

So, our new 100 Mile Club® tee shirt color for 2009-10 is:

RED WITH NAVY!

And the best part is that we got to cast our votes while giving back to our community...Thank you to everyone who voted this year! This just goes to show you that if everyone gives just a little, we can make a BIG difference.

Great job, everyone. I think next year this will be even bigger! We will involve more schools and have an online donation platform, as well!

IT'S ALMOST TOO SIMPLE: Fit Kids Do Better in School

2009-04-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Fit Kids Get Better Grades

By Michael O'Shea

Publication Date: 01/11/2009 PARADE MAGAZINE

As childhood obesity rates soar and kids spend more time sitting in front of their computers than playing outdoors, diabetes and other weight-related illnesses are on the rise. But physical health isn’t the only thing at stake. According to a study by the California Department of Education, kids’ fitness levels also may affect their performance in school. The study found that increased amounts of physical fitness translated into higher academic achievement at each of the three grade levels measured. The benefits were most evident in math scores. And girls, particularly those at higher fitness levels, demonstrated greater achievement than boys. Another study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also found that increased physical activity had a positive effect on academic performance. Previous research has led doctors to surmise that exercise may encourage new brain-cell growth. A workout for your body also is a workout for your mind. Help kids get in shape, and they may bring home higher test scores and better grades.

The Research Is In! Fit Kids Perform Better

2009-04-04T09:35:00.001-07:00

This 100 Mile Club student has a personal goal of running 100 miles each trimester.

Here he is with his first 100 miles and a BIG smile! So far, he's right on track!

Life is wild! I have so many blog posts in the hopper, but for now, I simply want to link you to two fabulous studies we found. Both were published in 2009 and tout daily physical activity in school. YAY!

What a month!

Take a look at this!

Physical Activity May Strengthen Children's Ability To Pay Attention
ScienceDaily (2009-04-01) -- Physical activity may increase students' cognitive control -- or ability to pay attention -- and also result in better performance on academic achievement tests, according to research led by a kinesiology and community health expert. ... > read full article

Physically Fit Kids Do Better In School

ScienceDaily (2009-01-30) -- A new study found that physically fit kids scored better on standardized math and English tests than their less fit peers. ... > read full article

What we'll do is link you to an article here and there before my blog posts. Keeping up on research and having fun!! That's what it's all about!

Local Tracks: Dedicated to Coach O'Neil :)

2009-01-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May 2009 bring you health, happiness, and miles!

Many of our 100 Mile Club® schools have asked about the different types of tracks I've seen while I'm out and about.

Then, I promised Coach O'Neil (Hi Monica...sorry it took me so long) a very long time ago that I would take pictures of some of the paths and tracks we have around the Corona-Norco area. I am sure that there are others out there, but I took pictures of a few that were designed differently from one another.

At first, I was just going to email the pictures to a few coaches, but I thought others might be interested, too. Sooooo, here they are. Welcome to Track Tour '09!!

The first one is at McKinley Elementary. This track is really low profile, but stays dry almost year-round. With the exception of a few puddles that disappear within hours (without any squishy mud left over), this track serves us perfectly. It is in use almost every hour of the day.

The entrance to the McKinley track.

Notice that this track is only 3-sided. The kids run on the blacktop and hop back on the track when they enter the grass area. It works for us.

Coming around the South end of McKinley's track.

This side stays shaded most of the day...it's right up against the fence so they only had to "do" one side on this part.

A close-up of the border and footing.

The bordering of this track is simply some sort of treated wood. The footing is decomposed granite. They dug downabout 4 or so inches all around and a load of DG was put in and rolled down. After the first rain and a few months more DG was added.

Next, Lee V. Pollard High School has a marvelous walking path. It meanders around and is landscaped so beautifully that it almost beckons you to get out and move! Like a little oasis at school. Look closely and you can see lights framing the entire path...

There are little outlet spots all around the path. I imagine people taking little chat breaks in there, maybe a picnic bench nestled in for lunch or break time, or maybe just stopping to tie shoes (goodness knows wee need shoe-tying spots!). They're like those pull out places when you drive up a mountain and you want to let people pass you. :)

Their border is some sort of aluminum...very thin but quite effective, and the path is filled with decomposed granite.

Finally, the site of our 2009 WALK FOR KIDS, Cesar Chavez Elementary School. We are all envious of this track!

It's a perfect 1/5 mile loop, about twice as wide as our other 2 paths, and is perfecctly flat. Spectacular!!

Their border is concrete on both edges and the track is, again, filled with decomposed granite.

Here is Chavez's track all decked out with 2008 Walk for Kids participants! This picture also helps to show how wide this track is...wow, huh?

Hopefully these tracks and paths will get your minds moving. If you have any good track/path pictures, send them over and we'll post them here, too.

No matter where you are, where you walk, or how you get those miles in, the important thing is to keep moving, do your best, and keep your goals in mind always.

As always, thank you for Accepting the Challenge, and we'll see you at Walk for Kids 2009 on March 14th!

Sometimes it Just Takes a Friend

2008-12-15T16:21:00.000-08:00

How many times do we get to know exactly what our children are thinking, how they feel, what makes them tick??

On the day of 100 Mile Club Medal Ceremonies last June at McKinley Elementary School in Corona, CA, it was quietly and subtly mentioned that SOMEONE IN THE ROOM broke the secret 100 Mile Club record of 221 miles.

No names were mentioned, we just stated that the Magic Number (aka 221 miles) was passed by someone.

Two kids shattered the secret record last June. Doesn't matter who they are. They know who they are, and the pride they feel is no match for a trophy or plaque or extra medal.

Read on and you might figure out who they are, too.

So. Why is a name never officially associated with the most miles completed within a chapter? Well, remember...according to our Mission and Philosophy:

The 100 Mile Club is a personal journey toward a very personal goal.

It is not a race with anyone but yourself.

We NEVER compare students.

We never race or compete between classes or students to see who makes 100 miles “first”.

100 Mile Club is not an external competition. The competition is with your biggest rival: Yourself.

The personal successes students feel while on the 100 Mile Club journey are unquantifiable but ever-present. We celebrate those most of all.

100 Mile Club encourages team spirit by asking students to work together to help one another reach their goals. Often, we see the more athletic students encouraging and mentoring those that might need that little extra boost…it is wonderful to see students cheer for each other or run together to just make it one more lap.

The friends pictured below worked side by side to meet and exceed their own personal goals. Sure there was a healthy dose of competition. It's what drives us all.

And they all made it.

And they did it together. One mile at a time.

And at the end of the year, they celebrated together.

Each one of these students felt responsible not only for their own success but for the success of their classmates.

Their teammates.

Their friends.

Chad (center), and Celia (front) forged a unique partnership and friendship over the course of the year. Their classmates (surrounding them) were right there, mile after mile after mile. Truly an inspiration.

Trust me when I say that I am no easy sell on whether my 100 Mile Club kids truly internalize and display the lifeskills we ask for during the year. I ask a lot. My expectations are WAY high.

These kids truly lived every block of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success. That is no easy task.

Industriousness, Enthusiasm, Friendship, Loyalty, Cooperation...all the way up to Poise and Confidence and even achieveing Coach's Definition of Success: Being at your best when your best is needed and enjoying a difficult challenge.

They did it.

It is rare that we get to hear the true and unedited thoughts of one of our 100 Mile Club participants.

This entry is from one of the students in this class, Mr. Chad Mackie:

The 100 Mile Club Champion

by Chad Mackie, 2008

“GO! GO! GO!” My class shouted to me as I finished my last lap of the school year. My entire class was cheering me on, but not always. I would like to talk about how I ran 242 miles during my 5th grade year with the help of my friend Celia Halpin. Celia was always there cheering me on, teaching me that a good trusted friend is the biggest necessity of all.

The 100 Mile Club is a program that lets students run during the school day and kids try to reach 100 miles by the end of the year. In fourth grade our class would always watch the other sixth grade classes go out and run around the field. We wanted to run, and why we couldn’t, I didn’t know. Three fourths into the year our teacher let us start running. By the end of the year, I only reached 28 miles, because I chose to walk the laps instead of run.

But in fifth grade, well, that is a whole different and much better story.

My fifth grade year we got an awesome teacher. She was a very big 100 Mile Club fan and let us run every day for 9-10 minutes and for some reason I decided to run. But when I say run, I mean run, full on run. I would run with Celia, side by side, lap by lap. Only an injury would keep me from running with Celia.

One kid was a really fast runner and he was about 4 miles ahead of me. But I wanted to have more miles than everyone, not to brag at the end of the year, but to have a big goal and try to achieve it. I also went to the Walk for Health, which gave me only an extra three miles.

We began to notice, but our teacher finally told us, she was pregnant! This meant no teacher. It also meant a permanent sub. Luckily, the sub was awesome too, she let us run for 13 minutes every day! I was running more than two miles every day. So was Celia.

Believe it or not there was still another problem. That kid was still ahead of me.

Half of the year went by and I reached 100 miles. When I had about one hundred and fifty miles there was a fundraiser, The Walk for Kids. I could run for four hours. This would be awesome! I could catch up to the kid that was ahead of me, or even pass him! I was late to the fund raiser which embarrassed me. I was behind all of the other kids and knew I had to run my heart out to catch up. Thank goodness, the kid that had 4 more miles than me had a baseball game and was not there. Eventually, after running 10 miles I decided to stop. But when I heard they were doubling your laps, of course I was back on the track. By the end of the day I ran 13 miles. I was definitely ahead of the kid who now was 9 miles behind me.

Back at school, Celia and I kept running. When I reached 200 miles I thought “I have to stop running. I am torn down, I am tired, and I cannot keep this up with this pace.’’ I only had 3 weeks until the cutoffs so I started to walk. But then I heard that the school record was 222 miles.

I thought, “Well I am probably never going to get this close to the record again, my name could go down in history, I only have to run 23 miles in three weeks. Wait, what am I thinking? Hello, earth to Chad! That means at least 23 miles in 3 weeks. It’s impossible!”

Celia thought I could.

She did the calculations and was sure I could accomplish my goal. Her positive words inspired me to continue running. She pushed me when I was tired and encouraged me to give it my all. When we were running together we didn’t talk. Yet Celia’s loyalty and encouragement were obvious to me. She ran by my side every day.

As the cut off was growing nearer I was getting more miles. I was running so hard that by the end of the day I felt like I was going to die. My muscles ached and my lungs burned. But I kept running, with Celia by my side.

The moment I reached the last lap of the two hundred and twenty-third mile, I was overjoyed. I could not believe I had actually done it. I broke the school record. But that still wasn’t enough. I decided I needed to beat the school record by a lot more than one mile if I wanted to be remembered. So I still kept running side by side, lap by lap with Celia. By the end of the year I reached 242 miles!

I was a school champ, only because of Celia.

To sum it up, that year was great. A runner’s dream, my dream, came true that year. I ended up having a five minute fifty two second mile, and I made the track team because of Celia’s support. Not only did this experience show me that a friend could help me run two hundred and forty-two miles, but that a friend can encourage you to do things that have a positive effect instead of a negative effect.

Everyone needs a friend that can be a positive influence, help you through tough times, help you to make correct choices and cheer you on in your journey.

Sometimes it just takes a friend to make it through the race of life successfully.

(Not) The End