Daughter wants to do Sprint
Not sure if this is the place to post this so sorry if it should be somewhere else. My 9 YO daughter asked about doing a sprint tri last night. She has done several kids distance tris (100 m swim, 2-5 mi Bike, 1-2 mi run). BTW the race we are looking at is in July with a 0.25 m swim, a 10.5 mi bike and a 3 mi run.
I think it is a great idea but must admit I have little idea on how to help her train being so young. Also I am concerned about the open water swim as well as the crazy folks on the bike, though I will be with her the entire race. I have contact the RD for their input on this as we try to decide if we will let her step up in distance.
Now to my main questions.
1. Any thought on a 12 weeks training plan for a 9 yo to complete a Sprint Distance tri. I have found a few resources for this but they are mostly for the distance that she has been doing. Overall I think that 20-40 min, 3-4 days a weeks is enough training for her. One day for each discipline with a Brick day every so often.
2. I also wonder about interval training with her. Too much for a 9 YO? If interval how long and at what intensity? Also how to set-up her zones as currently a 5 K is a lot for her? Maybe 1 mile run as her test. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Comments
My daughter is 10 and enjoys the kids distance. We have a local kids series and she did all of them last year. We did a very modified training plan last year for her three races. And I mean we. We did all of the very short work outs together. For our plan we did 12 weeks, and it was a long time for her to keep on target. The swimming was easy, because she was on a team, but the running and biking were more difficult. The key was to keep them fun. We did some fartleks but no intervals, and no attempting to hit any pace. More in the nature of "I'm going to race you to that sign". Sometimes we would stop to have snacks during rides and somtimes I would time her going around a mile loop. This way she knew that she was becoming a better rider. We practiced transitions a lot. You save a time by transitioning really well and getting wet feet into shoes is very tricky.
For my daughter 10 miles on the bike would be too far, but I have seen (and been passed by) kids her age at some of the sprint races. The distances are OK when they are on their own but together a sprint race is a long time for a child.
I think that intervals are too much for most 9 YOs. Work on enjoying the distance. I don't know if it is true for running, but in swimming real speed training does not start until they are pre-teens and teenagers because they physically do not handle the speedwork well. Until then it is best to focus only on form and distance.
In a few races I have seen younger kids race, and they have permitted them to start at the end of the group for the swim with their adult. This way neither of you have to worry about someone swimming over her. I would ask if that is possible if you both decide to do the race.
Ultimately only you and her will know if she is ready for a sprint distance race, good luck to both of you.
Christy