#027 – We often talk about how we as adults benefit from running. But what about our kids? In this episode, running coaches Jeromie Schumacher and Jeff Craig share their journey as coaches and also the benefits that kids can get by running at an early age.
Topics Covered:
- Journey to becoming a running coach
- Benefits of kids running
- How to get your kids involved in running
Today’s Guests
Jeromie Schumacher Jeromie is the founder of Nutmeg Striders, which is a youth cross country, track and field, and conditioning program in Western Connecticut. Jeromie has coached youth and high school cross country, track and field, and triathlon for 28 years. He has coached 9 middle school state champion teams at Rochambeau middle school which included 7 Connecticut individual champions and 9 All-Americans. His Junior Olympic cross country teams have won the USA Track & Field Region 1 championship and placed as high as 5th in the National Championship. At the high school level, he has coached distance runners to state record times in track and field and 3 New England individual titles in cross country. He also served as CT’s Ambassador for Nike Cross Nationals. In 2016 Jeromie moved to Colorado to be closer to family. He continued to coach cross country and track & field at Dolores Secondary school in Colorado where he also served as the school’s Athletic Director. Jeromie returned to Connecticut this past Fall and is currently coaching Pomperaug High School’s Indoor Track and Outdoor Track teams. As an athlete, Jeromie was a captain in cross country and track & field at Southern Connecticut State University. In 2013 he competed for Team USA in the ITU World Championship Olympic distance triathlon in London. Jeromie has his B.S. in Exercise Science/Teacher Certification and currently teaches Physical Education and School Health in Regional School District 15 at Memorial Middle School. He was named CT High School Physical Education teacher of the year in 2013. He also has an M.S. in Exercise Science/Human Performance.
Jeff Craig Jeff has been coaching cross country and track and field teams since 2013. His middle school cross country teams typically average over 100 runners of all ability levels and athletic experience and have gone on to win 8 state championship meets between the boys and girls teams. In track and field, he has primarily focused on coaching sprinters up to the 800m, but has also coached distance events, shot put, and pole vault. As an athlete, Jeff competed in cross country and track & field in high school and was a captain of the Southern Connecticut State University track & field team during his senior year of college. He has a B.S. in Business Administration focusing on Management and a M.S. in Exercise Science with a focus on Human Performance. He is currently a physical education teacher at Rochambeau Middle School where he coaches cross country and is also the head coach for Pomperaug High School’s boys’ track and field team.
Follow Jeromie & Jeff:
- Jeromie – www.nutmegstriders.com
- Jeff – jcraig@region15.org
Additional Resources:
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Richard Conner 0:00
Welcome to Episode 27. Today we have two talented and fun running coaches who will not only share their coaching journeys, but also the benefits that our youth will receive by running. Hope you enjoy. Here’s what you can look forward to on this episode of Inspire Virtual Runs Podcast.
Jeromie Schumacher 0:20
Overall, I think whatever program a parent chooses, should really foster that love for running because running is a lifetime sport. We don’t want to discourage kids that running is this painful thing and that they don’t want to do or come back to it.
Intro/Outro 0:40
Welcome to Inspire Virtual Runs Podcast, whether you are new to running or seasoned. Get tips and the inspiration that you need to achieve your health and fitness goals. Now, here’s your host Richard Conner.
Richard Conner 0:58
Hi, everyone. Welcome to Inspire Virtual Runs Podcast. I am here with a friend fellow runner and coach Jeff Craig. I am also here with another fellow runner and coach Jeremy Schumacher. Jeff has been coaching cross country and track and field teams since 2013. As an athlete, Jeff competed in cross country and track and field in high school and was a captain of the Southern Connecticut State University, track and field team during his senior year of college. He has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, focusing on management and a master’s in exercise science with a focus on human performance. He is currently a physical education teacher at Rochambeau Middle School, where he coaches cross country and is also the head coach for Pomperaug High School’s boys track and field team. Jeremy Schumacher is the founder of nutmeg striders, which is a youth cross country track and field and conditioning program in western Connecticut. Jeremy has coached youth in high school cross country, track and field and triathlon for 28 years. As an athlete, Jeremy was a captain and cross country and track and field at Southern Connecticut State University. In 2013. He competed for Team USA, in the ITU World Championship Olympic distance triathlon in London. Jeremy has his bachelor’s in exercise science and teacher certification, and currently teaches physical education and school health in Regional School District 15 at Memorial Middle School. He also has a Master’s in Exercise Science and Human performance. So I’m so excited to have Jeff and Jeremy here with us today. So welcome to the show.
Jeromie Schumacher 2:48
Thanks for having us.
Jeff Craig 2:50
Great to be here Richard.
Richard Conner 2:51
Yeah, absolutely. So you know, I have to just kind of kick things off by letting you guys know that one of our Inspire Virtual Runs Podcast listeners suggested that we have a topic dedicated to youth running. And I love the idea because it’s not something that we’ve covered before. So I’m really excited to have covered this topic today. And maybe we’ll just start off by learning a little bit more about you guys. And maybe we’ll start with you, Jeromie. Just kind of tell us a little bit about yourself.
Jeromie Schumacher 3:21
Yeah, so I started running, just to get in shape for basketball. And I started my freshman year of high school. And that turned into cross country distance running because I found a lot of success in distance running and track running the mile running the two mile. And when I school finished up, I had no plans for college. But I did start running again. And that turned into coaching. And I really was inspired by the kids and I loved that feeling of being able to work with youth. So it turned into going back to college where I met Jeff, and we were college teammates together on the southern Connecticut team ran through college and just kept with coaching cents. So it’s been it’s been an awesome journey and running.
Richard Conner 4:05
That’s awesome. That’s awesome. And, you know, it’s interesting that you said that you started running to get in shape for basketball. So running wasn’t really your jam at that time or something you had to do or kind of how were you feeling about at that time?
Jeromie Schumacher 4:16
Yeah, I started track really to do high jump, I thought that would help with my vertical leap and you know, I found success and distance and you know, I think it did have impact on my basketball at least on the endurance side. But yeah, I you know, all through high school, I thought I was going to college to play basketball. And here I am coaching running, did triathlon for many years, so it’s been a great journey.
Richard Conner 4:44
Okay, all right. And then tell us a little bit about like the coaching career so I know you’re coaching for for the schools and and then you also founded Nutmeg Striders. So tell us a little bit about that journey.
Jeromie Schumacher 4:56
Well, I started coaching high school primarily and As I graduated from college and started teaching elementary PE at first, I saw as we were doing the physical fitness challenge mile that there was a lot of talent and a lot of interest in running. So we started creating youth running programs. At first it was called Bullet Hill striders. And then later, as more kids from different towns started to join, we renamed it to Nutmeg Strider to match the Nutmeg state. And I found a lot of interest, not just with athletes, but parents that were looking to put their kids in a running program to improve maybe in soccer or basketball. And some of those kids turn out to be national qualifiers for Junior Olympics. So there was a lot that was going on, we have a lot of kids with extra riders are attracting usually sees about 150 kids in the spring. But Jeff, and I actually Coach roshambo together for a while. So roshambo became kind of our feeder into those youth programs, at least at the middle school level. But we had kids all the way down to kindergarten running in the program.
Richard Conner 6:06
Okay, all right. That’s awesome. That’s awesome. And that’s so wonderful that you were able to, you know, share what you’ve learned and get the kids active, and in some cases, run if that’s their main sport, or help them prepare for for the other sports they are engaged in. So so thank you for sharing that. So let’s switch gears a little bit. And let’s talk to Jeff. So Jeff, great to talk to you again, Jeff. For the listeners, Jeff. And I go way back, we’re childhood friends. So it’s truly an honor for me to have him here on the show. And you know, Jeff, same thing, let’s, let’s hear from you tell us a little bit about yourself.
Jeff Craig 6:41
So it’s great to be here, Richard, I think is fifth grade, we are both the new kids in school at the same time. And it’s funny, when I think back to that, that’s when I first started enjoying running. And moving to Connecticut from Colorado, I’d never thought of myself as a runner. And then I think our school we had just track meet in the spring. And then we’d go against all the other elementary schools. And all of a sudden, during the sprinting events, I had success, and I was able to win some races and it, it just felt really good. It felt like I had a place in a new in a new town in a new city with a new sport. And, you know, having that initial success was a nice boost to make me want to keep doing it. But uh, I was I was a big soccer player. So when I missed out on soccer tryouts my freshman year in high school, the cross country team was there. And that’s not sprinting at all. But I was happy that they were able to take me on that team. And I started having success, running across country as well through high school. And for me, it was it was that feeling of this is a sport, if I work really hard, I will get better at I don’t necessarily need to compete with somebody else for a position or for playing time, or worry about tryouts are getting cut. If I’m fast enough, I’ll be there. And if I’m not, I can always work hard and get better. And I can still do the race and still improve my time. And then that was just something that really stuck with me as an athlete was that whether I won or lost, I can always find success at the end of the season. And by the time my junior and senior years came around in high school, I was starting to have more and more success with track and sprinting that I was able to fortunate to run in college at Southern Connecticut. And that’s where I met Jeromie. And it was a really cool time, because I thought of myself as just a sprinter. And the first time I met him, he took me out on a long, a long, long run that was supposed to be about maybe three or four miles for our coach and Jeromie had to do a long, long run, maybe eight to 10. And I ended up going with them and ran the whole thing like a sprinter up on my toes. And he coached me through the whole thing and just kept me motivated kept me going as I’m my legs were just burning. And I learned about Jeremy I learned about his his journey through running and how he became a coach and how at that time, he had already been a coach at the high school level. So here’s a teammate of mine. That’s already coaching. I was just blown away that wow, that that sounds like my job I’d like to do after I graduate college and you’re saying you’re here right now already doing this? And he’s like, yeah, you just kind of do it. You know, you get involved and you do it and just that mentality opened my mind up to thinking beyond being an athlete being a competitor into coaching. So he was a big inspiration for me at that point in time when I transitioned to college with it. And I never quite became a distance runner in college. I still stuck with the sprints, but even I still think back to that very first run. Just that confidence he gave me that. You can do this. You’re going to get through it and telling me stories keep me distracted as my legs are on fire and I’m running the whole thing on my toes and It was kind of comical.
Richard Conner 10:01
Mm hmm. That’s awesome. I, you know, I love this story. And I love you know, how you guys met and how he coached you into that long distance running. And this kind of brings me back to that time where we’re growing up. I mean, you’re right. I mean, that’s how I knew you as a sprinter. Not necessarily as a long distance runner, and you’re just fast. So I can’t imagine what’s your, you know, goat moving into long distances? I’m sure you perform very well, there. So that’s really awesome to hear your story. So you know, tell us a little bit again, you’re you’re also teacher, and PE and your coach. So tell us a little bit about how you got there? Because I don’t I don’t believe that you went right into teaching right after college. So like, how did you transition yourself into teaching?
Jeff Craig 10:49
Well, the goal was to go to college to be a physical education teacher, and the physical education exercise science curriculum was a lot more challenging, but I was ready for and I wasn’t ready. I was not dedicated to it in the way that I should have been, if I could put it that way. So I ended up being interested in business thinking, well, I can just get a job in business. And then maybe I might be able to coach I might not be able to teach, but I could at least get a good job. So I kind of went that route. And shortly after, after having a couple jobs working in human resources, I worked at a bank I worked at Sherwin Williams for a little while even. And I ended up deciding that this was not what I wanted to do. So I got a big promotion at the bank finally became a branch manager. And within three or four months, I realized I do not want to spend my days and afternoons doing this. And I went back to college, went back to Southern and spent the next three to five years, three years for my teacher certification that an extra two more years to get my Master’s in Exercise Science. And that’s when I was like, I’m going to teach, I love the way the body works. I love the way running is such an essential part of it that track and field, the sport I love the most is every bit of human performance from jumping to throwing to sprinting to running distances. And as like I got to I got to start teaching and I applied for a job and this part sounds planned. But this was not planned that the place I applied was actually Jeromie’s position Raushambo because he was moving on to the high school we had not talked, I had known that he had worked in the region. But I had, I did not realize the full scope of it till I sat down for my second interview. And there’s Jeromie Schumacher, across the table from me and it went pretty well I ended up getting a job, which was great. And that’s that just catapulted everything with within a year or two, we were coaching together at the middle school, he moved on to the high school, we were going to coach one of the indoor track teams there. And that, that really hit it off there as far as you know, not just being teammates, not just knowing each other, but actually working together and building something really cool.
Richard Conner 13:12
Wow, wow, what a great story that that’s really awesome. And like you said, total coincidence, who you know, what are the odds that you would be sitting across the table from from Jeromie and, and here you guys are so so definitely appreciate you sharing that story with us. So you know, just kind of moving on to the topic of youth. There are so many benefits to running for for any of us physical benefits and beyond. And I can only imagine that there there are so many benefits for for kids. So, you know, maybe Jeff, why don’t we talk? Why don’t we start with you like what are your thoughts on why is it beneficial for kids to run?
Jeff Craig 13:50
So there’s fitness, there’s athletic, there’s health benefits, but I think one of the best parts about running is of all the sports out there, it has one of the fewest barriers to entry. It doesn’t take a whole lot to start this sport. It doesn’t take a whole lot to be successful at this sport. And I say a whole lot. I mean as far as resources as far as money as far as equipment as far as finding a place to do it. Running is as simple as getting outside and putting one foot in front of the other a little faster than you did yesterday. And if you start and you can only get half a block running in the next week, you could run all the way down the block and then walk some Congratulations, you’re a runner, you know, you’ve you’ve taken those first steps to it. And now you’re an athlete, you’re part of something, you you open up road races, you open up trail running, you open up so many things that are out there. So when I look at getting youth involved in something, having the fewest barriers to entry is going to give you the widest swath of who’s going to be able to participate in your sport. The health fitness benefits are fantastic. You know, you talk about strengthening your muscles, flexibility, stretching, it all comes into running. But you need to do it to be a better runner, just running is not gonna give you six pack abs. If you do core as part of your running and training, but I need to do this to get better, you will be a better runner from it, you know, you’re not going to be extremely flexible, if all you do is run. But to be a better runner, you’re going to know, hey, if I want to increase my flexibility, maybe I need to incorporate some really good mobility drills, maybe I take a yoga class, maybe I do something else to help that. And it just, it just spiderwebs it just broadens out. And it touches every little part of athletics. And it’s, it’s amazing. I look at other sports and athletes we’ve coached over the years. And I think of them, they didn’t come to track and field or cross country are running to be a runner. They did it to condition for their chosen sport. And maybe they stuck with that sport. But this was in the offseason. And this was something they could still compete still be part of a team that they could do when you know lacrosse season wasn’t really happening or whatever their typical sport is, like Jeremy said, I want to play basketball. Basketball doesn’t really happen in September too much at the Scholastic level. So this was his entry to get in that way. Not to steal his thunder.
Richard Conner 16:31
Well, no, it’s a good Well, that’s a good segue. So thank you for sharing that Jeff. And Jeremy will turn it over to you like, what are your thoughts on this? You know, it’s
Jeromie Schumacher 16:38
it’s just like Jeff said, you know, this running is the foundation for other sports. And that’s why I did it to get in shape for basketball in the offseason. You know, back in the 80s, when I was playing basketball, running was more viewed as a punishment. Or it was just conditioning. And it was hard. And it had this negative feeling to it. And so what I found out that there was something like cross country, or people did this for track and field to compete each other, compete against each other, I thought to myself, wow, why would people do this. And I think there really wasn’t much youth running at the time. I mean, it was kind of unheard of. So this running boom, in the 80s. And the 70s. And 80s started to create this youth boom that we saw later in the 90s and early 2000. There’s so many youth programs now around the state and around the country for that matter. And a lot of them just have this positive message that Jeff was kind of hitting on of, you know, you don’t have to start off hard, you could be part of something. Sometimes it’s a way for kids who weren’t successful in team sports to try something out. It keeps them involved, it gets them they see a little bit of success, it keeps them motivated. And a lot of times they go back to team sports, because they saw some success in running. You know, it’s really the foundation for other sports. A lot of these coaches around the state, you know, again, you know, Jeff talked a lot about our history together. It’s, it’s really kind of interesting how much we’ve coached together as teammates. We’ve coached cross country together, I took them on that 10 mile run, that he ran on its toes. I think he lost the track meet over that I think he was sore for about a week, if I remember correctly. But you know, there’s just so much opportunity and running in the key is now you know, we have so many coaches out there, the science of running has evolved so much that we’re teaching good running habits at a very young age. And when kids start hitting middle school age and high school, if they have any running mechanics that need to be fixed. It’s really hard to do at that age. It’s been done. But as kids are younger, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, if they’re developing good running mechanics and good habits, they become more successful in those other sports that they’re doing. So, you know, just to add to what Jeff was saying, I mean, he’s right. And he’s, he’s right on with what you know. And into this day. I’ll be honest with you, Richard, you know, Jeff and I are now coaching spring track together at Pomperaug High School on coaching distance. He’s coaching sprints. I’m still learning from Jeff, I’m always you know, I’m watching what’s going around me, I’m like, Ooh, that’s a good idea. Oh, that’s, that’s a new drill I can do with my kids. So we’re constantly learning from each other as well, which is, which is a healthy coaching relationship to
Jeff Craig 19:36
that. Yeah.
Richard Conner 19:38
That’s great. That’s great. And, you know, as you’re talking about this, I’m thinking about my own experience, and I can certainly relate to this. I personally did not run to just support other sport activities that that were going on at the time. But many of my cross country friends, cross country runners, or teammates, I should say we’re doing that. It was Either basketball or soccer or other sports. So I can certainly relate because I did see that on my own team. And when I when I was back in high school now for myself, I felt like, you know what you I think, Jeff, maybe you said this, that there’s low barriers to start the fewest barriers to start. And that was probably one of the reasons that attracted me to running it felt like it was it was something I could do. It was something that I could with very little training just to start and be part of the team and improve over time. So while I can’t pinpoint like that, one thing that that brought me into cross country, I can definitely identify with what you’re saying is some of the benef benefits for for getting into the sport.
Jeff Craig 20:44
Absolutely. Yeah. And you don’t realize it when you first get started. But when you’re kind of in it, you’re like, Oh, yeah, that’s right. This is why I love this is why I’m still doing it. There’s, there’s something there. There’s competitiveness in all of us where we want to, we want to better ourselves, and runnings, one of the easiest ways to do it, point A to point B, do it better than last time, even if you’re not trying to, you know, set your own personal record, every time, there’s that little bit of you that says, I’ve done this before, I can do it better.
Richard Conner 21:17
Mm hmm. And Jeremy, I love what you said about being part of something if the kids join the team, the cross country team, the track team, and, and just being part of something, whether again, it’s to participate solely in running or to support their other sports, that that’s really meaningful for them and to be involved in something. So I really love the message there and what you guys are doing. So, you know, let’s, let’s just say we’ve convinced parents that they should consider encouraging their kids to run, like, where do they start? Or where do they go to learn? And Jeromie, maybe, maybe we’ll start with you on this one.
Jeromie Schumacher 21:58
Yeah, there’s, you know, so much is happening in the youth arena. As far as running track and field, there’s even a lot going on in triathlon. So there’s a lot that’s offered to children now, especially in Connecticut, I would say, right, you don’t make striders has gone all the way down to five year olds in in kindergarten age. We’re not the only club in this state that offers a lot of youth opportunities and running. But you know, overall, I think, whatever program, a parent chooses, should really foster that love for running because running is a lifetime sport, we don’t want to discourage kids, that running is this painful thing, and that they don’t want to do it or come back to it. You know, as a basketball player, you know, do I play basketball every now and then, of course, but it’s a lifetime sport. It’s running that that I’m that I do all the time. You know, it keeps me in shape. It keeps my mental health intact. I mean, it does so much for you. But as far as parents looking for programs for their child, I would start with the USA track and field. I mean, USATF.org. You can go on there, you can find Connecticut. And it will list all the different clubs, it will tell you what area the clubs are offered in. I mean, they’re all over the state. I mean, some of the ones that you’ll see listed there, they’re going to be just adult, but they list whether it’s an adult club or a youth club, what seasons they run. AAU offers a lot of clubs in Connecticut, too. And some opportunities and you knows, and most of us run the same, you know, not make strikers if we have 150 kids in spring track. I’m gonna say only 30 to 40 of them actually compete. You know, it’s not we’re not forcing kids to compete in a lot of times, you know, in cross country is where we get our most regional national qualifiers. And we’ve had up to 60 Kids qualify for nationals. And a lot of times only 10 go, we’re not pushing kids to single sport. This is the only sport you should do this, the only sport you should focus on, you have to be committed or you’re not. And we see that in a lot of sports. We want kids to have fun. We want kids to love the sport. And we want kids to continue in high school.
Richard Conner 24:17
That’s awesome. Jeff, what are your thoughts?
Jeff Craig 24:21
The climate for running has really expanded in the last 1020 years there’s so many different programs and teams that are that are out there that I never knew about when I was in high school that were probably there at that time. And it’s only grown since then. So it’s you know, starting at USA track and field to find those clubs is a great place to start. What’s cool about that is once you It makes it feel official. Once you sign up and you get like your USA track and field number you’re like, wait, that’s all I need. Once I have that I can compete and if I’m good enough, you can continue with the sport as far as you can go. You’re you’re part of this bigger thing. So it feels Great to be part of your school and run for your school team. If your child’s school team does not, school does not have a cross country or track and field program or a running club or some intramural with it, then you know, finding these clubs in your area isn’t hard to find. I would really advocate though, for getting middle school and high schools to have cross country track and field teams, I think it’s one of the least expensive sports you can add to a program. As far as injury as far as getting as many peoples involved possible. There’s so many benefits to having cross country and track and field, especially like the middle school level, you find some people that have run in their life, and they’re ready to be, you’re ready to help somebody else run. That’s kind of what the community is about. So finding coaches like that, it’s not as hard as finding a pitching coach as putting together you know, a baseball team, or some other team sports, which are fantastic sports. But I would love to see more and more schools, at the younger level, have intramural and some of these teams to get kids in the door. What’s great about these clubs that are out there is that they’re doing that for the schools, and through USA track and field programs like nutmeg, striders. They’re doing that fantastic work. So if it’s not at your school, you’ll be able to find something nearby.
That’s awesome. That’s awesome. Thank you so much, Jeromie and Jeff, for that information. And for our listeners, I will certainly include this in the show notes to make it easier for you to find. So you know, kind of guys as we wrap things up, like what would be the one thing that you would say to inspire parents or if they’re if their kid youth listening to this episode, what would you say to inspire them to look into running to either joining the team at their school or the clubs that you had mentioned? So maybe Jeromie will start with you?
Jeromie Schumacher 27:01
Well, I think the one thing all athletes should look for, and I can go, you know, again, Jeff and I coached for a long time together at Rochambeau Cross Country. The I think the key, you know, folks, we won many state championships there, we had a lot of individual champions, but that was like far from our goal. Our goal with that program was about having fun. You know, the kids, there was so many kids in that program, because it was fun. So as parents look for programs, that’s a key thing. If you’re looking in the elementary, you know, kindergarten to fifth grade programs that are out there. Are they playing running games? You know, Jeff, and I always made it fun. People were always looking for this magical, you know, they must be running 80 miles a week, and they must be running hard all the time. And people would interview us with our team success. And I was like, No, we’re running really low miles. And the kids are having fun. Those kids were cheering each other on, Jeff and I would wait for that last kid to finish and cheer them on. In most cases, we had cowbells and parents were cheering on that last kid, like that kid won the race. Yeah, and it’s about having fun. And if kids are gonna have fun, they’re gonna stick with it.
Jeff Craig 28:20
Yeah, I have to echo that. Make it fun, make it exciting. And it’s, think about it. If you’re a parent, and you want to think about what was exciting when you were a kid, what kind of things were fun, you know, summer camp games, playing in the playground, going out riding bikes, those kind of youthful things. And then think about the little games you would play with, with with your friends when you were outside. And that’s what you can make a cross country practice, kids are out running, I don’t need to say you have to always hit this exact pace and do this to get better. It’s you’re out there moving and you’re smiling. And you’re probably running harder trying to chase and tag Johnny over there than you are if I said well make sure you maintain, you know, your one minute over your mile pace for this entire day. Those days are important. But gosh, you break it up and put some of that other stuff in there, tag games or whatever else you got. You’re going to build a really cool program and kids are going to want to come back they’re going to tell their friends. And they’re going to be asking kids that have never run on the team before still come back and say, Hey, when are we going to do the neon day run? You know, when’s our superhero day gonna be like, wow, do you still do the animal cracker runs? I’m like, Oh my gosh, these are. These are great. Some of them even forgotten about. We’ve added new ones and there’s all these fun things. Just keep going.
Richard Conner 29:42
Thank you so much, Jeff and Jeromie. This has been awesome. I truly appreciate you guys coming on the show and sharing your knowledge and expertise with others. Then hopefully this episode will inspire others, you know, parents to to talk to their kids or encourage their kids to run and look into these options. So definitely appreciate it. So, you know, as we wrap up here, how can the Inspire Virtual Runs community find you guys and follow your journey online?
Jeromie Schumacher 30:09
Well, for me, you could nutmegstriders.com.
Jeff Craig 30:13
If anybody has questions and they’d like to get a hold of me, I can give my email out, you can email me at jcraig@region15.org. And I love talking about running, I love talking about track, especially if you’re in the area and you want information, drop me a line. If you’re not, and you’re in a neighboring town, and you want to learn how to start some some of these things up, I’m happy to give you some tips and tell you what we do Jeromie mentioned you know, there’s no secret recipe, there’s no secret workout, to make it all successful. It’s the fact that we have fun when we do it and that motivates the kids. Everybody at the top level has within a couple seconds in a couple reps, the same workout the same. We’ve read the same books, we’ve given the same thing to the kids to do. It’s how can you make it fun? How can you make them buy in and stay motivated for it. So that’s something that I think Jeromie and I have watched each other do learn from each other. And that’s what’s made our programs the most successful is the athlete buy-in is is that the kids are having fun, and they want to do it, I can give them the best workout in the world. If it doesn’t sound fun to them. I’m not gonna get anything out of it.
Richard Conner 31:26
Thank you again, guys. This has been great, we got a lot of great information. I’ll put your information in the show notes again, so the listeners can find you. And with that, thanks for coming on the show and have a great day.
Jeromie Schumacher 31:38
Thank you, Richard.
Jeff Craig 31:39
Thank you, Richard. Thank you very much.
Richard Conner 31:42
I’d like to take a moment to thank Jeromie and Jeff for coming on the show. And I’d also like to share my key three takeaways from the conversation. The first one is kids can run as their one sport, or to support the other sports or activities that they’re involved in. They have lots of benefits by being a part of something, learning new skills and being active. Second, the earlier you start, the better. Of course, running is a sport where you can start at any time in life. But Jeromie and Jeff talked about how the kids can learn these skills earlier in life, and they’ll help them later on in life. And then the third takeaway is really just to have fun. As adults, we want to be engaged in activities that are fun. And it’s even more so true for the kids. And Jeromie and Jeff have a great approach to that. So if you’re a parent, I hope this inspires you to encourage your kids to run. And with that, I’d like to thank you for listening. Leave your feedback. Let us know what you think about this episode. Please subscribe. And thanks again. Have a great day.
Intro/Outro 32:53
That’s it for this episode of Inspire Virtual Runs Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review. Also, be sure to click the subscribe button so you don’t miss an episode. Thanks for listening.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai