Thanks to all the families so far that have committed to get involved with this fantastic charitable initiative. The official start date is 01 July 2013, so there is still plenty of time to express your interest and take action. For further details contact [email protected] and be sure to check out the John Maclean Foundation website for continuously updated details.
In this first installment of your “How to guide” I will share some ideas on how to incorporate swimming, cycling and running into your busy family schedule to ensure that your kids (and you) are comfortably able to complete the Ironman Triathlon distance over a period of 12 weeks. Future “How to guide” posts for your Kids4Kids journey will include subject matter such as fund raising ideas, healthy nutrition tips and cycle safety.
The big lesson learnt from our family experience last year whilst piloting the Kids4Kids Challenge was this… The only limitations that our kids have are the ones that we place on them. Several weeks ago, I asked a young girl how she enjoyed her first ever cross country school run. A smile beamed across her face. However, before she could translate emotion to words, her mother interrupted by saying, “She’s clearly not a runner.” Right at this moment, the belief patterns of this beautiful young girl have begun to change. She may have the resilience and stubbornness to prove her doubters wrong. Or perhaps, unfortunately (and from my experience of what is most likely), she may grow up to believe that she simply cannot run. I know that this seems like a rather confronting way to kick things off, however it is a clear observation I’ve come to realize. Kids have not been exposed to the same amount of life experience that adults have. They do not have clear boundaries of what they can and cannot do (i.e. less fear than adults) or what is possible (or rather, what seems to be impossible). There are no preconceived ideas or expectations. Kids tend to focus more on the task than the outcome. The saying by Lao-tzu, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” rings a bell here. Drawing inspiration from the great man, John Maclean, who started this foundation, Anything is possible!!!
Lets break it down…
Swim
- Swim total = 3.8km
- Weekly swim total = ~320m (just under 13 laps of a 25m length swimming pool)
- Swim training/lessons… our kids have been going to formal swim training/lessons since the age of 3. Last year we measured that our son Elijah (4yrs at the time) would swim approx 150m in his 30min session. Our daughter, Charli (6yrs at the time) would swim approx 200m.
- Additional “non-formal” swimming… We would aim to get to a public pool once per week to “top up” their swimming distance. There is no way that we could encourage our kids from the side of the pool. It was all for one and one for all. We made it fun by having diving competitions, underwater swimming races, fetching weighted rings, etc. More often than not, we would all ride to the swimming pool which gave the kids a few additional weekly kilometers towards their cycling distance. Perfect 2 hour outing on a Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday.
Cycle
- Ride total = 180km
- Weekly ride total = 15km
- Soccer training on Saturday morning… ride there. Going to the grandparents for lunch… ride there. Play date at a friends house… ride there. Outing to the city… ride there (and get the train home if kids are too tired). School drop off and pick up… ride there. That’s what we did (and still do). It doesn’t invlove much more planning, only a little more time. And time is one thing that we can use well or abuse irresponsibly. Turn off the television, get off the social media, wake up half an hour earlier. The time is there and its available to you – find it and use it for something good.
- The ride distance should be fairly easy to clock up as long as the family is consistent in reaching the minimum weekly target.
Run
- Run total = 42.2km
- Weekly run total = ~3.5km
- Kids love to run. Have you ever seen a kid running freely in the park moaning and complaining? Not me! Another lesson learnt last year was that young kids do not grasp the concept of training. For them, its all about movement. And movement is FUN! Where do they find the enegry to run, jump, climb, skip, hop, etc? When you’re actively involved in a task that you absolutely love to do, there are no limits as to how much passion and energy you can direct towards it.
- With our kids being 4 and 6 years of age last year, we had to break down the weekly running distance into smaller chunks. Fortunately we live across the road from a fantastic park and we have a 5th family member, Jess (Border Collie), who also happens to love running. We’re at the park almost every day. During the Kids4Kids Challenge last year, we made a concerted effort to “coax” our kids into some structured running at the park. We used the cricket nets to do 20m shuttle runs, and made them fun with high fives at each end. We used the running drill called “Indian Runs”, we played tag, we ran around imaginary obstacle courses, etc.
- Again, consistency is the key here. And so is active participation by the entire family.
Progress chart
- This is a visual masterpiece for your kids.
- The chart is a personalized project for your child, and once complete can be framed as a momento of their tremendous efforts.
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