Training

Well…don’t let this scare you. Because the course is all flat and designed to be completely do-able training isn’t really required. If you can place one foot in front of the other and ride a bike without training wheels then WELL DONE – you will complete the course EASY!!

If you want to go a little faster though and make the top 5 boy or girl in each category then a little training might be the go. And we are only talking a little – just enough to be fun.

The training each kid should look to do is the following:

• Running. Get used to running on a flat course at a constant rate. Most kids go out hard and fast at the start and get puffed too quickly and tire rapidly. For training practice a quick start, then slow to a pace you can run and still talk at and then a quick sprint at the end. One option is to head down to the school sports field and aim to run around it twice. Start by running the width of the rugby / soccer field fast (i.e. across the goal area) and then slow down the long sides at a pace you can still talk easily at and the sprint the next goal area. The idea is to work out haow far you have to run and the ensure that you can manage the distance and still have a bit of gas left in the tank to finish.
• Biking. Again – this is a flat course so no hill work is required. You want to practice getting on the bike quickly and then riding at a constant pace to get through the whole distance. For those of you with gears make sure you find a gear that you can ride fastest in for the whole course (not the gear that you can ride the fastest in for some of the course) and use that to get around. For those without gears, get used to a pace that gets you around the course without spinning your legs off so that you can make a wee sprint at the end.
• Transition. This is the bit that really needs the work. People can run and bike but put them together and the legs go all wobbly. It is easier for races like the Mighty Mites where the bike follows the run. The main things to learn are to have the bike in the right gear (if it is a geared bike) at the start, have your helmet ready to go for you as soon as you finish the run and make sure your helmet is on BEFORE you get on the bike.

See. EASY!!!!