Help on getting daughter into tris

Just my opinion, but keep it low pressure. Nothing turns a kid off like HAVING TO DO anything. I like the idea of training logs and loose training plans, but make it fun. Try to get her to have a freind join her as well. One that lives near her mom's house, that way they can keep each other motivated or slack off together (guilt free)

Logging her workouts here on BT would be a great way for her to check in on you and maybe get an inspire me or two from a few helpfull BTers.

Good luck

4 of my kids have done tris this year (7, 10, 11, & 17). I suspect your daughter probably could do a sprint tri right now without training.

My 17 year old son ran 2-3 times, swam the distance once, did the tri, came in last in his AG...figured it would take him 2 hours and he came in just under 1:30. My youngest two did a kids tri that take all of 20 minutes. They practices riding and then running, we practiced bricks, and they would swim at the Y their distance then play in the pool.

My daughter Emily is 11 and has done 3 sprint tris this year. She bought a road bike Trek 1000 with her paperroute money last Fall after doing one kid tri realizing how a road bike would help her. She trains on and off and honestly I don't push her. If she wants to do tris great, if she trains even better, but it is for fun. I printed off a sprint plan off BT that she help select and we adjusted it to fit her schedule. That lasted about 3 weeks. Now she does what she wants to do...and she may run 2-3 times a week maybe none...riding a couple times and swims whenever we go to the pool she'll swim maybe 500 yds and then go play.

She likes to train with me which is super but it ends up being in addition to my training and at times is hard to fit in.  I end up riding or doing something on my rest days to go with her. She can come on my aerobic runs or long runs and just cut them shorter. She runs faster than me, but we are more even when we run 3 miles or so...I run maybe 60-90 seconds slower than she does...so she'll sometimes drop me or go out and back. She does have a BT log and sometimes puts in her workouts sometimes not...currently not. She only like to ride with me....otherwise she just does short laps in our neighborhood which is boring. We have a couple routes we'll do and often I use the 8-10 miles as a warm up for my long rides if it works out as my long rides often she is still sleeping.

Emily comes with me to all my tris even if my husband doesn't. She volunteers and does body marking and normally helps at the finish. She comes with me to my tri team meetings and loves going. There is a boy on the team 2 years older that won the Ironkids race in Germany last year and was in the local paper and I think on the radio. They talk tris and have a great time.

I think the motivation has to come from within. She is a kid, this is one of many things she is interested in. Once the passion burns brighter the training/motivation will follow.

My daughter and sons all did a kids tri ealier this year.  They did it without really training for it.  Now my daughter and son (9) are both training for a 5K run at the end of Sept.

I am running with them some, and they use my dreadmill (something I don't use unless I have no choice).  But since they like to use it, I don't mind letting them.  I expect that at some point one or both of them may want to do a longer race.  I don't know that I will sign them up for a while, some of the races around here will not let kids under 14 participate.  I think others will, but I would have to check.

Helping her set goals and then having a reward for hitting them would help.  The rewards should align with the level of the goal.  And part of that would also depend on the kid.  My daughter would love just a time with dad type thing.  My son is more into "buying" something.  A reward of hitting 90% of the weekly training would result in.... X, hitting mileage goals, something different.  Maybe 50 miles biking is dinner at a her choice (within reason) and 50 miles of running is a trip to some place special... whatever floats her boat.  Just make sure that you don't go over board, that can both lead to unhealthy training and expectations that can not be met.

Ditto getting her onto BT, if your ex has a computer and is willing to let your daughter use it.

Don't be upset or dissapointed if she DOESN'T enjoy training regularly.  Even if she does one tri and never does another she has learned valuable lessons about working toward  a goal, and also about how being fit feels better, no matter how she goes about it.

All 3 of my daughers have done tris, and none of them liked it.  HOWEVER....one is in basketball and track, the other runs "just for fun" and those 2 are joining MarkK and I for a 5K in a few weeks.  The youngest is joining a swim team this year.  Even tho they don't like tris they have learned from us the value of feeling fit and strong...and to me that is the most important.

Lot's of awesome suggestions for you here. I'm always psyched to hear a young person really interested in being active and healthy--there are just way way way too many fat kids that do nothing but watch TV and play video games!

Since everyone else has made all the great comments, my only thought is that you might also want to go over internet blog "safety" (I don't know what other word)... I think that BT is great and would be a wonderful way for you and her to stay connected every day. However, since it is a blog, you wanna be sure that she's not a target. Not that there are any sketchy people on BT, but you know... it never hurts to just tell her not to post exactly where she lives, or last names of people, etc.

OMG, I don't even have kids yet, but I'm becoming as paranoid as my Mom was when I was a kid! Ahhh, the saying is true, you do become your mother...!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't really have too much to add other than my experience.

My 7 year old did her first TRI (100 yd s/ 3 mile b / .5 mile r) at the end of last month. I too am a divorced father who sees my girls twice per week.  The whole idea started with me asking my 7 year old if she was interested in doing a TRI the week before the race.  Much to my surprise, she said yes.  She is fairly active and a decent soccer player, but she hates running so I didn't expect her to be interested.  Well, the week before the race passed and that was all she could talk about.  We did a practice brick one night and she swam the required distance in the pool during the week.  The week before the race she was also obsessed with eating healthy.  The morning of the race came and we got there early to set up her transition area.  I was surprised that she was one of only a few bikes that didn't have gears - oh well.  She ended doing well in the race and finished 3 in her AG (out of 3) and got a trophy.  That is one of her proudest moments of her life.  She already is talking about doing the race again next year, where she wants to finish at least 2nd in her AG.  I now talk to my daughter often about training and tris and she has done a couple of bricks workout since the race.  However, I never push the idea of training as I want everything to remain fun and at her pace. 

The only real issue I had was the fact that her mother did not support the idea of her doing the race.  She said it ruined her week as that was all my daughter could talk and think about.  To me, the fact that my daughter is interested in something as healthy and active as TRIs is a good thing.  In fact, my 5 year old says she wants to do it next year and she is not active what so ever.  So, the triathlon lifestyle may be rubbing off on my girls even though I don't live with them and never push the subject.  Now, I just need to get their mother on board.

The moral of my story is - don't push your daughter.  She will take to it at her own pace. 

Good luck. 

Ruined the Mother's week - your preaching to the choir on this one.  Perhaps there is a reason I am not married to this woman anymore...................