Coaches
Kara Lubin

Kara Lubin

  • Joined: April 27, 2023
  • Articles: 80

Carrera de los Caballitos | Made Possible by You

Did you ever wonder what happens to unearned 100 Mile Club  Tees?  In order for a participant anywhere to earn and wear a 100 Mile Club t-shirt, he or she must run or walk 25 miles or more. Period. That is the only way it happens. Sometimes, there are shirts out in the world that are not quite earned. Things happen. We get it. ALWAYS EARNED. NEVER GIVEN. Why, you might ask, don’t you just let the coaches give the t-shirts out at the end of the year if kids don’t earn them? Well, that’s sort of like signing up for the Boston Marathon or a local 5K and not showing up. Then, calling the Race Director 10 months later and demanding your finishers medal. It just doesn’t make sense. And what would that teach our kids? We do not want 100 Mile Club tees given away or sold if they are not earned. Doing so cheapens the process and makes that hard-earned and valued prize virtually worthless. Our coaches understand this, and many return their unearned tees to us at the end of the school year. Our mantra…ALWAYS EARNED. NEVER GIVEN. carries on when tees are graciously returned to us at the end of the year by coaches who have leftovers or when we have a surplus here at the office. These tees get another chance to be earned. They get a second life. This would not be possible without the support and generosity of The Shopper Inc./TSI – Uniforms, our shirt vendor and partner who graciously donated over 1,000 t-shirts just for this race. We haven’t spoken of this much, but now we think it’s time. To the Copper Canyon we go In a few days, 1,000 of these t-shirts get to travel to La Carrera de los Caballitos (Translation: The Run […]

An Insightful Question and a Heartfelt Answer

I received the most brilliant question from some kids via their amazing 100 Mile Club Coach and I though it was worth sharing. I have built my entire philosophy on education (and subsequently 100 Mile Club,  of course!) around Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success and I love that this class dug in deep wanting more answers.   Hey Kara!  Our PE classes just finished reading Coach’s book about Inch and Miles The Journey to Success. Several students want to know why PATIENCE is not one of the blocks of the pyramid! We talked about it and I told them (4th and 5th graders) that I would ask someone that might know. So there you go. Do you know why? Melanie Justice, Livingston ISD ________________________________________________________ Melanie!! What a perfect and thoughtful question. You can tell your kids that they are ready for the Original Pyramid of Success now. The version of Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success illustrated so beautifully by Susan Cornelison in Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success (see above/right) was modified to be more easily comprehended by younger children. It only includes the bricks or “Building Blocks” of the Pyramid and even a word or two was changed to help with comprehension (Industriousness became “HARD WORK”, etc.). It does not include some of the most important parts of the Original Pyramid of Success…the MORTAR Qualities. Below is Coach’s Original Pyramid and the “kid” pyramid for comparison…and you can see on the Original Pyramid of Success that there are qualities and traits that hold everything together. These are what he called “mortar qualities”. If you look at the veeeeerrrry top of the pyramid, you see two qualities: Faith and Patience. Your kids NAILED it!! I love that they saw the need for more…it means they are ready to dig deeper. Mortar is […]

The Runner Channel at 100 Mile Club® | Special Report! RAIN!

  Once upon a time in California…it rained. And we all totally freaked out. Like, totally. To calm our nightmares and fears of another deluge, we made some slick ponchos so we’d never get wet again whilst running. The rest…is history. Grab a piece of history today and get a swanky California rain poncho of your very own. I mean, you probably need one more than we do. What drought? https://100mileclub.com/shop/rain-poncho/

A Run4Kids Day Vendor Thank You + Photo LInks

Another amazing Run4Kids Day is in the books! We appreciate the support, attendance, passion, and fun experienced throughout the day. Those who attended in spite of the sprinkles, including our event vendors, deserve a big shout out! PICS + PAGES Thank you to event photographer DAVID SCHULMAN. David photographed the entire Run4Kids event…all 30 hours of it! Please view and enjoy his event photos and support his efforts by purchasing a photo or two that you love. Click here to view David Schulman’s AWESOME photos. A bit of everything for sure but a little more focused on the ultramarathon. More event photos can be found on our Run4Kids Day Facebook Page too! Head on over and give us a “like” to stay up to date on all things Run4Kids Day and other fabulous events throughout the year. Click here to view our Run4Kids DAy Facebook Album. A bit of everything but a little more focused on the kids run. VENDORS + FRIENDS Our Run4Kids Day Vendors braved the sprinkles and supported our kids, runners, and families all day long. THANK YOU!! You are what it means to be part of a commUNITY. Remember to support our vendors throughout the year. They have supported our students and the 100 Mile Club program and we want to say THANK YOU. Those attending included: Commercial Businesses Brain Balance of Corona (951) 298-8611 brain@bbccorona.com https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/locations/corona/ Farm Fresh to You www.farmfreshtoyou.com Orangetheory Fitness Corona/Eastvale www.Eastvale.OrangetheoryFitness.com Polly’s Pies www.pollyspires.com G-Amp Fitness Camp 951-218-5883 www.gampfitnesscamp.com IM Shave Ice, Inc. www.imshaveice.com Kona Ice www.Kona-ice.com Squirrel’s Nut Butter – Anti-Chafe & Restorative Salve squirrelsnutbutter.com Pickle Juice Sport www.picklepower.com  Sylvan Learning Center of Corona/Norco (951) 272-0727 www.sylvanlearning.com Wescom Credit Union www.Wescom.org West Coast Dental & Orthodontics www.westcoastdental.com  Craft/Home Bee Kind Box www.beekindbox.com It’s A Mommy Life Shop Website: www.It-s-A-Mommy-Life-Shop.myshopify.com Marvelous […]

Through Pedestrian Eyes | Inspired Words from Beginning to End

There’s something magical about 100 Mile Club…something that truly inspires. This story is about how a group of people from all walks of life and thousands of miles apart took their inspiration and ran with it! ___________________________________ The Inspired Poem. In late 2016, the 100 Mile Club Team spent a week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at a wonderful conference, working with new and existing 100 Mile Club schools. We had a phenomenal time and on the last day of the conference, we all jumped in our rental car and drove 80-something miles to New Orleans for the afternoon and evening. Walking down Frenchman Street, we stumbled upon a cool street poet named Zaq. Behind Zaq is a sign that reads: “GET A POEM ABOUT IT.” “I’ll write you a poem about anything you want.” he says above the noise of the night. Zaq’s voice catches the ear of BJ Walker, our Programs Manager here at 100 Mile Club. Immersed in the spirit of the night and inspired by the music in the air, she agrees to a poem but tells him… “I only have $5. I’m so sorry.” (Between the 3 of us, it is truly all we had.) “That’s ok. Whatever you have is perfect.” BJ tells Zaq all about why we are in Louisiana, the 100 Mile Club, and describes our mission, vision, and spirit. As she speaks, Zaq’s fingers inspiringly fly in a blur over his old, manual typewriter, keys tapping and snapping with sounds rarely heard in this age of touchscreen and voice memos. He pulls the little piece of hot pinky-purple paper from the typewriter and reads it aloud. We immediately fall in love…not only with the poem, but with Zaq, a talent beyond anything I could have imagined. We carefully carry the paper home, along with a […]

Coach Miner and “Elf on the Run” making December…FUN!

One thing we can say with 100% certainty: The holiday spirit was not at all lost on our 100 Mile Clubs! Across the country, we saw parades, fun runs, caroling parties, toy drives, coat drives, breakfast runs with Santa himself, and even hot cocoa-themed Winter Solstice running in Alaska! One coach, though, embraced December like none other. 100 Mile Club Coach Wendy Miner in Colorado took her December 100 Mile Club Fun Runs to the next level! Wendy hosted 19 100 Mile Club runs in December and each one had its own unique theme. Together she called her December adventures, Elf on the Run!! She writes: Elf on the Run was a huge success at our school! We ended up having 19 club runs in December and all of them were adorned with awesome shenanigans provided by our generous parent volunteers. Soooo much fun… attracted a broad range of runners each day and definitely made December our most productive winter month of sMiles ever!!  See below for a collage of some of Coach Miner’s amazing ideas. Way to make the best of those cool winter months!

12 Ways to Develop and Encourage Growth Mindset with 100 Mile Club

In 2008, Carol Dweck published Mindset: The New Psychology of Success and many educators have applied the mindset principles in creative and thoughtful ways and have experienced notable results. In this book Dweck discusses students’ mindsets—how they perceive their abilities—and how mindset plays a key role in motivation and achievement. She found that if we as educators work to change students’ mindsets, we can boost achievement. More precisely, Dweck discusses, “students who believed their intelligence could be developed (a growth mindset) outperformed those who believed their intelligence was fixed (a fixed mindset). And when students learned through a structured program that they could “grow their brains” and increase their intellectual abilities, they did better.” Finally, Dweck discovered that teaching children to focus on the process that leads to learning (like hard work or trying new strategies) could foster a growth mindset and its benefits. But how does one begin to develop and encourage Growth Mindset? Where does it start? Below are 12 ways to foster growth mindset in schools, and specifically within your 100 Mile Club®. Cultivate a sense of purpose. The biggest problem growing up today is not actually stress, it’s meaninglessness. –Bill Damon, Stanford researcher What are we doing? Why are we here? How do we encourage our students to show up every day and put in the work it takes to achieve true success? I believe we need to give our kids a shared sense of purpose…a real and palpable reason to show up every. single. day.  We all long to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We all long for meaning. What if that meaning and purpose were tied to an irresistible goal?  Our purpose at 100 Mile Club is clear and simple: Run (or walk) 100 miles and earn a Gold Medal. Make no mistake, we’re going to learn a […]

Murray Mountaineers Give a Cheer for 100 Mile Club!

At Murray Elementary in Azusa, CA two awesome coaches are kicking off their second year in The Club with a special cheer. Coaches Janet Short and Cathy Hendrix start their 100 Mile Club journey each year with the same chant. After that, it becomes a mantra. Take a look! Lyrics: Coach is bold. Students are italicized.  ____________ I’m a MURRAY MOUNTAINEER (I’m a MURRAY MOUNTAINEER) Going for 100 miles this year. (Going for 100 miles this year.) I will walk and I will run. (I will walk and I will run.) Getting fit and having fun! (Getting fit and having fun!) SOUND OFF! (MURRAY) SOUND OFF! (MOUNTAINEERS) SOUND OFF! (100 MILE CLUB! LET’S GO!!) On the second round, the kids begin walking their first lap of their 100 Mile journey and as they finish, they take off running! There’s no stopping them now! Enjoy the wonderful spirit at Murray and create your own cheer, chant, or mantra and share it with us at info@100mileclub.com. Awesome job, coaches!      

St. Vrain Valley School District: Creating healthy, happy, connected schools and communities

St. Vrain Valley School District, the seventh largest school district in the state of Colorado, operates 55 schools and programs that are spread over 411 square miles. Located approximately 30 miles north of Denver, its physical boundaries extend from the Continental Divide into the plains of Colorado. Adding to its scenic setting are historic downtown Longmont and the backdrop of Rocky Mountain National Park and Longs Peak.  13 different communities make up St. Vrain Valley School District: eastern Boulder, Broomfield, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Hygiene, Longmont, Lyons, Mead, Niwot, Peaceful Valley, and Raymond. Parts of Boulder, Broomfield, Larimer, and Weld Counties fall within its boundaries. In short, SVVSD is beautiful. Some school districts just get it, and St. Vrain Valley School district is one that has truly unified through the journey to become 100 miles healthier and provide meaningful daily physical activity to students, teachers, and families. Led by Physical Activity Grant Coordinator & Physical Education Coordinator Paige Jennings and a dynamic team of school champions, SVVSD helped thousands of students achieve true personal success through goal-setting, daily physical activity, team spirit, and commUNITY. Their 100 Mile Club programs grew deep roots in 2017-18. Here are some stats and stories: In the 2016-17 school year, 3,965 K-8 students participated in 100 Mile Club®, running a total of 235,077 miles. (That’s more than 9 times around Earth!) All nine middle schools implemented 100 Mile Club this year. Middle school students ran 3,956 miles in 2017-18.  Community Engagement. In addition to 100 Mile Club sessions at individual schools, 43 extra out-of-school opportunities were provided to students and their families to increase community engagement. Opportunities included: a districtwide “kickoff” event a “last chance for miles” event, local races such as the Longmont Turkey Trot, 11th annual Niwot Trot, and the Eerie Erie Halloween Run free community meet-ups to earn miles […]

Let’s Paint Together and Celebrate Summer

Join us for a cool evening out with friends and support an organization that helps our kids become healthy, happy, and connected…one mile at a time! For one special night, join the 100 Mile Club® Team and create an original work of art celebrating the beauty of a fleeting summer sunset. Customize your masterpiece with silhouettes of you and your loved ones in this guided yet creative artistic experience.  This brand-new one-of-a-kind design was created just for us!  No fancy artistic skill needed! We will help you every step of the way… Healthy refreshments will be provided so join us and let’s celebrate the arts, this beautiful world, and our health. Date:  July 25, 2017, 5:30-7:30PM Location: CNUSD Learning Center South 2820 Clark Avenue Norco, CA 92860 Cost: $40/painting.  Click here for tickets. 100% of funds raised will support local 100 Mile Club programs and services for the 2017-18 school year.