Coaching The Outrunners Youth 13 - 19
I was blessed with the opportunity of being asked by CEO and Founder of The Outrunners, Tyler Williams-Green (@tylerwilliamsgreen) to lead on the Outrunners Youth 13-19 running club. This was an amazing opportunity as I have worked with young people in an education capacity since 2004. My experience in teaching young people and those with Special Educational Needs ranges from English, Employability Skills to GCSE PE. I taught 14 – 25 year olds and on the adult provision too.
Prior to the programme starting (during lockdown 3), the planning had already started with The Outrunners Youth designing their own programme in terms of what they would like the club to look like and what goals they would like to work towards. There were lots of zoom conversations, ideas shared and also fear and anxieties.
The charities aim for the youth is to nurture and empower fitness and group exercise. The Outrunners host weekly running sessions for 8-19 year olds (two separate sessions), in partnership with local youth clubs in the Borough of Hackney. These sessions aim to provide a ‘fun space for the community to engage with each other with the opportunity to give the young people the starting blocks to succeed as they grow with soft skills such as teamwork, confidence and communication’. – theoutrunners.co.uk
I was provided with the opportunity to complete my Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF), which I completed and passed! Happy days. I hope to complete the Coach in Running Fitness (CiRF) at some point in the near future. As an Outrunners coach I am looking to help push, encourage, motivate and inspire young people to do their best and develop a healthy lifestyle through running which can help them to accomplish their goals and chase down their dreams. The feeling you get from preserving and completing a race, not giving up is a mind-set that you can transfer into any area of your life. I know that feeling when I completed my first marathon; miles 23-26 were the worst, but I knew I could not stop, even if I had to walk; I was raising money for Mencap the charity and they were depending on me. If a young person can find something positive that they are passionate about, a guiding light in their lives can help to lead them away from negative things. It can help them develop the skills and values necessary to lead and be successful as they move through the journey of life.
My coaching style can be described as a leader, supporter, and encourager. I will not just tell you what to do; I will show you and do it with you. I am a firm believer in actions speak louder than words. I will be there with you every step of the way and if I cannot, we will work together on a mantra that we will use to get us through whatever it is we need to do.
The programme kicked off on 1st April 2021. This was like an induction, an opportunity to meet the young people 1:1 to find out their goals, general discussions about the programme, answer any questions as well as finding out if they had the clothing necessary to take part in the fitness activities. The following week, there was a scavenger hunt in the local area (bit like a Easter egg hunt) but finding stickers rather than chocolate…haha.. The crew worked hard and had celebratory soft drinks and pizza when they finished. It was a lovely way to get to chill and get to know the crew as individuals and have a chitchat along the way.
I cannot believe the programme has now been running for 17 weeks! In that time the crew have had so many amazing experiences and fitness professionals come along to deliver some ‘out of this world’ sessions! To name some of the amazing collaborations and supporters of the club:
HIIT with Adrienne (@adrienne_ldn) – Adrienne LDN is the host of the Power Hour Podcast, TEDx speaker and Director of Innovation and Performance at @Fiit. She delivered the crew’s first ever HIIT session. It was HOT!
Pilates with MsKesington (@cynthiakesington) – Cynthia Kesington is a speaker and a life + fitness coach. She delivered the crew’s first ever Pilates class in May. A great session and for many, had never participated or heard of Pilates. So another amazing experience to add to their list!
Boxing with BOXX trainers (@boxxldn) – The aim of Boxx is to ‘inspire self-belief through the power of boxing’. The crew have had two sessions so far and will have at least one session a month. This is one of their favourite sessions and they vocalise this at the end of every session. Totally amazing.
Trail running with Black Trail Runners (@blacktrailrunners) – This was the crew’s first ever trail run and for many their first time to Epping Forest. We travelled there by minibus, kindly driven by Sonny! Sonny (@runnysunny) and Rachel (@denchruns) led the crew through the trail including Rachel delivering the warm up. We completed 5KM of trails! What an amazing day. The furthest many of the crew have ever run. Can I also say the weather was amazing and felt like we were on holiday.
Bootcamp with Michael Myers (@michaelmyersfit) – A coach and motivator from the US delivered a tough but achievable session to the crew. Coach Myers was introduced to The Outrunners by Adrienne (@adrienne_ldn). An inspirational session which showed the crew no matter how hard things might get sometimes, there is always a way through. It is important not to give up.
Participated in a mile race at The Outrunners first event (@theoutrunners) – This event was held on 21st June at the London Marathon Community Track in Stratford. There was an opportunity for 5K or 10K fun run with the young people participating in the mile. The crew did an amazing job recording their first run on Strava (@strava). What an achievement!
Yoga with Chantell (@mindfulyogapsychologist) – Dr Chantell, a clinical psychologist and a yoga teacher is part of the adult Tuesday running group and delivered an amazing yoga session (their first) to the crew. This was after a run session. Perfect way to end the session with a good ol’ stretch. The weather was perfect and the session was held outside using the amazing yoga mats generously donated by @fiit
Feedback so far from the crew:
“The sessions are much better than I thought it was ever going to be. I really enjoy running”.
“I love the variation of activities, all fun and interesting. I would like to do some more skill-based work. My stamina is getting better”.
“I love running, would also like to try martial arts. I enjoy the boxing session. I enjoys all the sessions”.
The Outrunners youth 13-19 is on every Monday (regardless of whether it is a bank holiday or not!). We are an all-weather club and remember ‘skin is waterproof’. We start at 5:30pm from Hackney Bridge (E15 2SJ). If you know a young person that would love to join us or even try out a session, do get in touch with (@theoutrunners) or message me directly (@trina_runs). The sessions are free and cater for all abilities.
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