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Mom ManagementTM Just tri it! Being a writing mom means we aren’t always running about. One of the things I’ve done is triathlons and I thought for this month’s column I would share some advice and information on my favorite sport. What do your children love to do most in the spring and summer– run around, bike and swim? The three staples of fun – swimming, biking and running are what create the ever more popular and fun sport of triathlon. As parents we usually tag along for the ride so why not Just tri it? For many the word triathlon brings up images of long, grueling races that take hours and hours but that is only the big race – the Ironman. For the rest of us, triathlon is a fun race that keeps you and your family motivated and excited to stay in shape. Triathlons come in many forms varied for ages and ability levels. They usually include swimming, biking and running although a few vary slightly. Like the one I did in West Edmonton Mall where we ran, swam in the waves and ran again. The main races are: Kids of Steel – varies based on ages For this article, let’s just focus on the top of the list. If your children (or you) are interested in trying a triathlon where do you start and how do you do it? The first thing you do is visit www.MultiSportsCanada.com and chose a race (that is at least 5-6 weeks away). It is really fun to choose a race that the family can participate in. Once the date and goal is set, it is time to prepare and train. Preparation Initially you need a swimsuit and goggles, a bike and helmet, and running shoes. Optional are a wet suit, biking or running specific clothing. Training Triathlons are about having fun so you don’t necessarily need training schedules especially for younger children. (Parents you may need one for yourself!) It is important; however, to make sure they can swim, bike and run the distance required in the race. For children this means biking and running to the pool with a few lengths thrown in between diving and splashing. For older children they may need to slowly build up the amount they can do. Aim to increase about 10 percent a week. If your child needs to do a 100 m swim (four lengths in a standard pool) and can only do two lengths. Practice doing two regular and one with a flutter board, after a week add one more, next week drop the flutter board for the third length, and then the next week try all four without it. Train similarly with running and biking – slowly increasing the distance. Training hint: “It is recommended that one "over-train" each sport by 50 percent of the distance for the event,” according to Triathlon Canada (www.TriathlonCanada.com). So if you have to do four lengths make sure you can do six. Sometimes, especially in a lake swim when you can get off course the distances can vary slightly. For the initial weeks before the race working on one sport at a time is perfect. As the children reach the levels needed (lengths, bike and run distance) it is a great idea to start something called brick training. Bricks are simply a combination of two or more of the activities. For children, this is usually quite simple – bike for a bit and stop and run around the park. Bike or run to the pool. The idea behind brick training is to help the body in the transition from one sport to another. We often feel rather wobbly after getting out of the swim or our legs are tired after the bike. Transition, the time between events, is crucial and it deserves its own article. For now choose a race, pencil in the date, start having fun (swimming, biking and running) and next issue will be the pre-race and race day information. Remember you can tri it! For more information on race training and preparation visit: www.MultiSportsCanada.com. Tracy Lyn Moland has done eight triathlons, is married to an Ironman and her children have done triathlons. She knows the sport and is the director of MultiSportsCanada. Visit www.TracyLynMoland.com
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