Picking up where I left off....

Just picking up where I left off, it has become very much like a cliche that life is like a marathon. Even for nonrunners, it's become very commonplace to say things
with that theme. For example, after something doesn't go quite right, you may hear "no big deal - in the marathon of life, that's not even a mile" etc. This way of
thinking has really become linked with success. Especially looking at comparisons of sprints vs. a long run marathon. Absolutely no disrespect to fantastic athletes like Usain Bolt (trust me, if I had his talents, there's a pretty good chance I might have stumbled on to a different path), but sprinting is often compared to a quicker turn endeavor as compared to a longer term venture i.e. launching a business.

But I digress. Overall, I think it's easy to accept the idea that having young people participate in the training and ultimate participation in training for an endurance event can be a teacher and motivator for setting goals, success, leadership and health. That I'm still quite clear on and no doubt should be the ongoing mission of Teens Run Yonkers.

But back to Seth (Rogin's) point, what's the question we're responding to? Here are a few possibilities:

How do we make a real impact on the growing number of unhealthy young adults (a.k.a. increasing rate of youth obesity)?
What factors contribute to low or under achievement in our schools? and what can be done to change that?
What activities offer the best alternatives for teens engaging in positive activities as opposed to ending up in trouble?
What are the best venues for encouraging teens to set and achieve big goals especially if they haven't before?

One thing I can share - and this is why I think a blog like this may be very helpful - is because once there's a strong mission in place, it becomes difficult to reframe
the question without having some part of the answer in your head (i.e. mine!). I'd really welcome your thoughts on what we as a community can do to encourage
our teens to lead healthier bigger (in the impact) sense of the word. I clearly recognize that running a race or a marathon is not the cure all. What I'm trying to
better define is how Teens Run Yonkers can make it's best and most effective impact.

As an example, right now, we typically recruit a large number of students that run with us throughout the school year. Some stick with it through the summer and
a large number, unfortunately, don't. It's understandable and something I'm not sure how much power we have to change. The focus has been on our teens
running in the Yonkers Marathon which is a wonderful way to connect our young people to their City. This is a powerful idea.

At the same time, for example, would it be better to be an after school program with a focus on a run in May? Or, as we're chartered to work throughout
Westchester (yes, we're legally Teens Run Westchester) would it be more impactful to work throughout the county. And if so, it would have to be a broader
as opposed to more intensive approach.

These are some of the questions I've been playing with. Again, your input is welcome.