Motivating My Runners

I have the good fortune to the be the coach to an incredible group of runners at my high school.  Entering this job almost 3 years ago, I really worried that I had gotten myself into a situation I wasn't ready for.  The girls team was successful and had very high expectations for the future, and the boys team was small, unsuccessful, and had no idea how to do well at running.  I really worried that I wouldn't be able to help these kids reach their potential.

It turns out I had nothing to fear.  Across the board, my runners were motivated kids who loved their chosen sport, and just needed someone in there who was there to encourage them, push them harder than they had been pushed, and show them how to succeed.  They brought a great attitude, and really helped me to grow as a coach.  As frustrated as I sometimes get, these kids really are a bright spot for me every day and I'll forever be grateful for the opportunity I've had so far to be a part of their lives.

So now that my first few seasons are behind me, I was trying to think of new ways to keep these great kids motivated during the worst training weather of the year.  They love to run, but not all of them love track season (they are definitely a "cross country team that runs track").

The idea I came up with is again nothing new, but it's completely new to my runners.  None of them have ever tracked how many miles they run, so they don't quite have a concept of how much mileage they cover in a season.  So I started having them write down their day to day mileage, not in an in-depth log, but just on a clipboard that everyone can see.  The idea is to reward them at certain milestones throughout their careers.

So starting on our first day of practice last week, they will be tracking their miles for the remainder of their careers in order to achieve rewards at certain milestones.  I've set the milestones at: 100 miles, 500 miles, 1000 miles, and then every 1000 miles after, with the prize getting nicer with each milestone.

The first prize will be a simple white shirt with "Shelby County 100 Mile Club" printed on it.  The 500 mile shirt will be similar, but a bit nicer.  The 1000 mile shirt will be even nicer (likely dry-fit), and each additional 1000 miles will get nicer (long-sleeve, hoodie, backpack, running jacket). 

When I first introduced I didn't know how well they would buy into this.  I mean, they all have dozens of running shirts overloading their laundry hampers at home, so who needs more, right?  Well, apparently they do.  Since day 1, it seems like it's been a race to see who can be the first to reach 100.  I have several kids who ask if they can run an extra mile some days to get to their goal more quickly.  And then there's the goal of hitting 500 before the end of track season, which has really gotten some of them motivated.  I get the impression that wearing a shirt to school that says, "500 Mile Club" really appeals to some of my runners who like to show off how awesome a sport distance running is.

My hope is that this will carry over into summer training.  I have already told them any mileage they do during the summer on their own can count towards their milestones.  I will trust them to be honest, and I have no doubt my trust will be rewarded. 

I'm in the process of designing my "Mileage Club" logos but if anyone who reads this has any ideas, I'd be glad to hear your suggestions.

One final note: My 100 Mile Club should not be confused with the "100 Mile Club", another great idea and organization that is focused on teaching children the benefits of exercise and healthy living.