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2. Set Up
Setting up a successful program requires consideration and action in five areas:
- Plan your running spaces in advance so you have safe and measured courses ready on the first day kids run.
- You may need to secure permission or create a schedule depending upon when you plan to run or the spaces you select.
- Recruiting staff support at your site makes Mighty Milers even easier to manage and ensures its longevity regardless of staff turnover. Not only do the kids enjoy Mighty Milers more when adults participate, but it's also an opportunity for staff to run and walk too.
- If your program will be voluntary you may need to do a little work recruiting students.
- Setting up your site in STRIDES, the online management platform, requires a computer with internet access. Creating classes and entering students may take some time, but after that, weekly maintenance will be a breeze.
Physical Space
Find a Space to Run
It's a good idea to plan both outdoor and indoor courses, so your Mighty Milers can run on different surfaces, and without weather interruptions. Here are some of the places where Mighty Milers are running:
Gymnasium • Auditorium • Cafeteria • Hallways • Classroom • Schoolyard • Sidewalks
Closed street • Track • Park • Soccer field • Football field
Measure and Mark the Course
Once you have selected your running spaces, measure each course using the following guidelines:
Once around your running area will be a lap. Use the measuring device provided in your Kit to determine the length of one lap, and then determine how many laps equal one mile. The device measures in feet. Once you have measured the number of feet in one lap, divide 5280 by that figure to determine how many laps equal a mile.
5280 feet = 1 mile
If using meters: 1609 meters = 1 mile
Take advantage of any markings or landmarks that already exist such as:
- The perimeter of a gym's basketball court or school building
- A fence
- A gate in the yard
If there are no existing markings, use the cones included in your Start Up Kit to mark unclear portions of the course and corners. Using the cones to mark turns will also help prevent kids from cutting corners. Consider using spray paint, if your school permits.
Running Schedule
Create a Schedule
There are many opportunities to run throughout the day. We suggest you choose more than one. Consider these times to ensure each participant runs at least two sessions per week:
Before school/class • Classroom break • Before lunch • During recess • Free periods
Start/end of P.E. • School-wide fitness day or fitness hour • After school/class
Course Schedule
Create a course schedule if you have limited space with several classes and/or Session Leaders using it. Assign specific time slots for each group, or post a schedule with available times and locations and ask Session Leaders to sign up for time slots.
Recruit Staff Support
School staff can assist a Site Coordinator in many ways, the best of which is to become a Session Leader. Session Leaders supervise running sessions and enter data, and each receives his or her own account in the Mighty Milers Database, as well as a T-shirt!
Schedule time at an all-staff meeting or set up a meeting to tell your co-workers about Mighty Milers. Show them the motivational DVD from the Kit and ask them to join as Session Leaders. If some co-workers can't commit to being Session Leaders, encourage them to assist in other ways:
- Help count laps while students are running and report them to Session Leaders
- Encourage students to join the program (if Mighty Milers is voluntary)
- Run or walk occasionally with kids during sessions
- Display and update a mileage meter poster in their classroom
- Share information about Mighty Milers with parents
- Help plan special events, like a holiday or year-end race, or a run-a-thon
- Use classroom time to show kids how to access their running data in STRIDES
If you can’t schedule or speak at a staff meeting, send an e-mail explaining Mighty Milers and the type of support you’re looking for. It’s easier for people to respond if they know exactly what you need. Send them to the Mighty Milers website so they can learn more about the program.
Recruit Students
Whether your program is mandatory or voluntary, get the kids excited about being Mighty Milers. Plan a school-wide assembly or a series of small class introductions. While the program can be explained in just a few minutes, build anticipation by showing kids the sample incentives, screening the motivational DVD from your Kit, and planning a running-based kick-off event. You may also want to include an overview of when and where students will run; a discussion of individual, class, and school/organization goals; a display explaining Mileage Meters; and an introduction to the Mighty Milers Database, including distribution of usernames and passwords.
For schools/organizations that make Mighty Milers a part of their curriculum, this is an approved school/organization activity. While NYRR does not require any waivers, please make sure to gather the appropriate information and release forms required to meet the standards of your organization.
STRIDES Setup
STRIDES is the name of Mighty Milers' online management platform. It's used to track the students' progress in the program and automatically triggers shipments of incentives to schools when milestones are met.
User Guide
We have created a Quick Start Guide to help you set up your STRIDES account, create classes, add students, record progress, and many other common tasks. Please download it and keep it handy for reference:
Starting Over with STRIDES
If you are from a returning Mighty Milers site, you will have likely used our previous platform, the Mighty Milers Database. You can sign in to STRIDES with the username and password you used last year. If you cannot locate your account information you can contact your Regional Coordinator or e-mail mightymilers@nyrr.org.
Student records, classes and progress data from past years is still available in STRIDES, so you'll focus on creating or editing your running groups, and then reassigning or entering students into them. However, be sure to review your user profile, as well as create or update accounts for staff who will assist you this year.
Your First Visit to STRIDES
Review your profile upon first signing in. Make sure the correct contact information and school address is listed so you receive all materials and incentives promptly. You may also change your username and password here.
Create classes or groups so you have a place to enter or reassign students. Even if your site doesn't use a class structure, we suggest you create groups in STRIDES according to how or when your students run together. For example, the Session Leader's name, after-school, recess, 2nd grade, etc. The groups should make sense for your program. Note: Only Site Coordinators have access to this function.
Create user accounts for Session Leaders and the principal. Make sure to send them their user names and passwords and explain what they can do on the website, including changing their passwords. Note: Only Site Coordinators have access to this function.
Add Students to STRIDES
There are three different ways to enter students into STRIDES:
If your site did Mighty Milers last year then you should start by reassigning students into their new classes.
If your site is new to Mighty Milers or you have many new students to enter, then you'll want to get a spreadsheet of participating students in order to create rosters you can import into STRIDES.
Students may also be entered manually into the Database.
Detailed instuctions can be found in the STRIDES User Guide.
- 1. Getting Started
Let's kick off a great year of running! Read on to learn about the roles of program leaders and find out what's coming in your
- 3. Running Sessions
WIth setup done, you’re ready to run and have fun! Read on to put together your running sessions and figure out how to count laps.
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