Training Tips for Young Triathletes

Many kids love to swim, bike, and run but they don't typically do it all in the same day. So, we're going to provide you with some tips to get them ready for race day.

Not all races are equal when it comes to race distances for youth. However, USAT's recommended competition distances for youth and juniors is as follows:

Recommended Competition Distances for Youth and Juniors
Racing age*	Category	Distances
		Swim	Bike	Run
7-8	Youth	50-100m**	2k	1k
9-10	Youth	100m**	3k	1k
11-12	Youth	200m**	5-7k	2k
13-15	Youth	200-400m	8-10k	2-3k
16-19	Junior	400-750m	15-20k	5k
13-15	Youth Elite***	400m	10k	2.5k
16-19	Junior Elite***	750m	20k	5k

*Racing age is determined as of December 31 of the year in which the event takes place.
** Pool swim recommended
***Youth elite and junior elite races are draft-legal, typically staged on multi-lap, closed courses, and are officiated using International Triathlon Union Competition Rules.

Please note: The recommended minimum age for Olympic/Intermediate distance events is 16. The recommended minimum age for long course/half-iron/ultra distance events is 18.

• Be safe: Here are a few safety tips to remember:
• Wear sunscreen - even in the winter you can get a sunburn!
• Wear a helmet at all times when on the bike
• Keep your bike tires inflated properly
• Use hand signals when turning while on the bike
• Wear properly fitted shoes. Older youth may want to have a gait analysis done.
• Practice transitions: Without previously having completed a triathlon, many youth will be unfamiliar with what is involved in transition. During their training it will be important to practice what is commonly referred to as a "BRICK." Brick workouts combine two of the three sports during one workout (e.g. swim/bike workout or a bike/run workout). During a swim/bike workout, for example, the youth will go from having all their swim gear on into a transition where they dress in their bike gear and then head out on their bike. Practicing transitions will help the athlete be more successful on race day. 
• Teach swimming: If a child isn't a strong swimmer it might be a good idea to have them take some lessons prior to their race day. Swimming will take the longest of the three sports to develop and, most often, requires coaching. For a first timer, it won't be important that they have a perfect swim stroke or that they race using a freestyle stroke. However, it is important they are able to complete the distance for their age group. If they are able to perform the back stroke or breast stroke for their age, that is perfectly fine. If your child needs help with swimming, email us for more information about lessons.
• Teach pacing: In a race situation, many kids will take off from the starting line and putter out within a few minutes. Young athletes need to know the importance of pacing themselves. This is a hard lesson for adults to learn so it won't be something they'll pick up right away. But, over time, they'll learn more and more about it and be able to pace themselves to finish the race successfully. 
• Have fun: Triathlon is a fun sport and your goal in training should be to keep things fun! For instance, instead of having a child run laps around a track, let them practice some agility exercises or, if other kids are involved, relay races. They get similar exercise benefits but their training has now become fun!

For more information on youth triathlon training please email us. 

Nutrition success!

As parents, we don't always know what information is sinking into our kids little brains. We always hope it's the good stuff, of course. Last night, it seems a lot of good stuff was placed into the brains of some kiddos at our Nutrition Clinic for Young Athletes.

A parent wrote to me this morning and said: "I tried to give [my child] a little slice of party cake with his breakfast and he wouldn't eat it. After the kids nutrition class we went to yesterday he decided cake is unhealthy. So he had Paleo protein pancakes, scrambled eggs, orange slices, and banana." Now, that's what I call SUCCESS!

Certified Nutritionist, Vanessa Spiller of Get Healthy with Vanessa, spoke to us last night about some very important topics. She started by sharing with us the four food groups and how they work in our bodies. She made note that her 4th "food" group is WATER to which she really stressed the importance - particularly for young athletes! 

She shared with us that "sugar" is not the enemy because we use it to fuel for activity. However, she did show us what type of foods to limit - not necessarily avoid - to have healthier eating habits. Then, some of the youth were asked to come measure out the amount of sugar in a small bottle of Gatorade and a small bottle of Coke. Seeing the differences between the two, and the portion sizes the bottles contain, was a very good visual representation of what the kids were consuming.

 

Youth were taught how to read nutrition labels and the importance of eating portion sizes. She demonstrated what a cup of oranges looked like vs a cup of pasta and gave kids a visual memory that they will take with them for a long time to come!

As an athlete herself, Vanessa sees the importance of nutrition as it relates to sports. She provided the youth with information about fueling properly for activities while stressing that eating well for a majority of the day is key to proper nutrition.

Vanessa ended the clinic with a few things we can all remember and is an acronym for TRI:

T = Try to include foods that balance you and your eating: good grains, veggies, fruits, fats, and natural sugars.

R = Read labels and understand portion sizes.

I = Include water as a food group.

We want to thank Vanessa for an amazing presentation, Transition Triathlon for a super venue, and  Rev3Adventure and Transition Triathlon for some fabulous give away prizes for both the youth and the adults.

If you weren't able to join us for our nutrition clinic, we hope you'll be able to attend our next clinic - "Bike Maintenance & Safety for Young Athletes" to register for this upcoming FREE clinic on March 22, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. just send us an email to reserve your spot. 

- Coach Tracy & Coach Sandy

Nutrition for Young Athletes

We are excited to have Certified Nutritionist Vanessa Spiller of Get Healthy with Vanessa join us tonight at Transition Triathlon  at 6:30 pm to teach our kids about healthy nutrition! We hear she has a special treat for the kids so you don't want to miss this one! If you haven't registered, you still have time! All you have to do is send us an email and let us know how many adults and youth will be attending. The seminar is totally FREE!

We hope to see you tonight.

- Coach Tracy & Coach Sandy

Welcome to Our Blog

TriCamp4Kids welcomes you to our new blog! We will be providing content appropriate for both adults and children in our blog with a focus on all things triathlon! We appreciate any comments or feedback about our posts. And, if you have a subject you'd like us to discuss please let us know!

- Coach Tracy & Coach Sandy