Tri Training, Littles Style!

I have never met a kid so fierce and strong as my daughter. This kid is non-stop. She is determined and pushes both my husband and I to stay active because she loves being active. So, when she overhears us talking about trying to fit in a run, she easily convinces her Daddy to take her running by batting those two precious blue eyes.

You see, she’s in training right now, too! On June 1, both of our kids will complete their very first triathlon. I think I may be more excited than they are, but she’s definitely a close second. I’m hoping this will convince her to finally learn how to swim on her own and without her mermaid float.

So, off they went! Of course, the “running” was intermittent with moments of playtime as well, but she was so excited that she finally got train with Daddy, just the two of them.

I couldn’t be more proud of the excitement she has about her upcoming triathlon. I have no desire for my kids to be athletes, not in the collegiate sense of the word, but I am trying very hard to instill healthy habits in them. So, to see her want to go “train” makes my tri-mommy heart smile BIG! Like bigger than big.

As I navigate my own way through juggling training for my own triathlons and parenting, I’m learning new ways to train. For instance, our last pool trip, my son swam laps along side of me. Granted, the laps were slow for my training pace, but it excited him and he saw it as playtime with mommy rather than training for his upcoming triathlon. When I take my little people to ride their bikes, I run along side of them as they ride. This gives them the opportunity to “train” on the cycling portion and me the chance to get in a quick run!

The older my little people get, the more I am learning to involve them in my training rather than to leave them at home with a sitter. It not only gives me the training time I need, but it also gives me the chance to spend much needed time with the littles! If you are on the same type of journey, don’t hesitate to bring those kiddos along. The experience just might surprise you.