The Achilles tendon, named after the seemingly indestructible mythological Greek warrior, is the largest and strongest tendon in the human body. Your Achilles tendon is the large band of tissues connecting the muscles in the back of your calf to your heel bone. Also called the heel cord, the Achilles tendon is used when you walk, run, jump, or push up on your toes.

Achilles tendonitis is present when your Achilles tendon becomes inflamed or irritated.Often, Achilles tendonitis results from sports that place a lot of stress on your calf muscles and Achilles tendon. Achilles tendonitis also is often associated with a sudden increase in the intensity or frequency of exercise, hence why so many endurance based athletes suffer from the condition.When treated promptly, Achilles tendonitis is often short-lived. Left untreated, Achilles tendonitis could cause persistent pain or potentially cause your tendon to tear through lack of treatment and rehab exercises. If so, you may need surgery to correct the damage. Fortunately, rest and over-the-counter medications to reduce your pain and inflammation may be all the treatment you need for Achilles tendonitis.

Signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of Achilles tendonitis often develop gradually. They include:

 - Dull ache or pain when pushing off your foot during walking or when rising on your toes

 - Tenderness over your Achilles tendon

 - Stiffness that lessens as your tendon warms up

 - Mild swelling or a “bump” on your tendon

 - A crackling or creaking sound when you touch or move your Achilles tendon

You may notice that the affected tendon is sore when you get up in the morning or after you’ve rested, improves slightly once you start moving around, and then worsens again when you increase your activity level.

If you have sudden pain and swelling near your heel and are unable to bend your foot downward or walk normally, you may have ruptured your Achilles tendon. If you’ve ruptured the tendon completely, you won’t be able to rise on your toes on the injured leg. You may feel as if you’ve been kicked in the back of your ankle. See your doctor immediately if you suspect you have an Achilles tendon rupture.

Causes
When you place a large amount of stress on your Achilles tendon too quickly, it can become inflamed from tiny tears that occur during the activity. A sudden increase in a repetitive activity that involves the Achilles tendon can be to blame. A number of other factors can cause Achilles tendonitis, including:

Improper conditioning
Achilles tendonitis is most common among athletes whose bodies aren’t properly conditioned for their sport or activity. Inadequate flexibility and strength of the calf muscles can contribute to overload of the tendon. Frequent stops and starts during the activity, as well as activities that require repeated jumping can also increase your risk of Achilles tendonitis.

Too much, too soon
Achilles tendonitis resulting from overuse can occur when you begin a new exercise regimen. If you’re just beginning a new exercise program, be sure to stretch after exercising, and start slowly, increasing your activity over time. Don’t push yourself too quickly. Excessive hill running can also contribute to Achilles tendonitis.

Flattened arch
Flattening of the arch of your foot (excessive pronation) can place you at increased risk of developing Achilles tendonitis. This is because of the extra stress placed on you Achilles tendon when walking. If you have excessive pronation, be sure to wear shoes with appropriate support to avoid further aggravating your Achilles tendon.

Trauma or infection
In some cases, inflammation of the Achilles tendon is due to trauma or infection near the tendon.

Complications
Achilles tendonitis can progress to a degenerative condition called Achilles tendinosis, in which the tendon begins to lose its organized structure, making the tendon weaker and more fibrous. Continued stress to your Achilles tendon could cause it to tear (rupture), which may require surgery to correct the damage.

Treatments
If you’ve tried self-care measures, such as rest, ice and over-the-counter pain relievers, and they aren’t working for you, your doctor may suggest other Achilles tendonitis treatments:

Orthotic devices
A temporary foot insert (orthotic device) that elevates your heel within your shoe may relieve strain on the stretched tendon. Your doctor also might prescribe special heel pads or cups to wear in your shoes to cushion and support your heel, or a splint to wear at night that will keep the Achilles tendon stretched while you sleep.

Boot and crutches
In severe cases, your doctor may suggest a walking boot or have you use crutches to enable the tendon to heal.

Surgery
Nonsurgical treatments, including physical therapy and perhaps a change in your exercise program, should allow the tendon to heal and repair itself over a period of weeks. If these treatments aren’t effective, surgery to remove the inflamed tissue from around the tendon may be necessary; however, this is usually a last resort.
If left untreated and if the tendon continues to sustain small tears through exercise and repeated movement, the tendon can rupture under excessive stress.

Sports Massage/Physiotherapy
A sports therapist or physiotherapist will aid you to a quicker recovery be performing massage techniques and/or ultrasound on the injured Achilles tendon in order to break up scar tissue, promote healing, and increase blood flow to the injured area. Whenever I have an injury and feel rest and stretching isn’t working I always pay a visit to my local physiotherapist. The recovery rate using a private sports physiotherapist is much quicker than going through a doctor. You may have to pay for the treatment yourself if you wish to get back to full fitness as quickly as possible, however in my opinion the benefits of such services outweigh the costs.

Prevention
While it may not be possible to prevent Achilles tendonitis, you can take measures to reduce your risk:
Increase your activity level gradually. If you’re just beginning training, don’t feel like you have to be Ironman-ready in record time. Starting slowly will help you determine your limits and follow a sensible training program.

Take it easy.
If you can, avoid other activities away from your multi-sport training that place excessive stress on your tendons, especially for prolonged periods. If you can’t avoid this, warm up first by exercising at a slower pace. If you notice pain during a particular exercise, stop and rest.

Choose your shoes carefully
The shoes you wear while exercising should provide adequate cushion for your heel and should have a firm arch support to help reduce the tension in the Achilles tendon. Replace shoes that show excessive wear. If your shoes are in good condition but don’t support your feet, try arch supports in both shoes.

Stretch daily
Take the time to stretch your calf muscles and Achilles tendon in the morning very gently and after exercise to maintain flexibility. This is especially important to avoid a recurrence of Achilles tendonitis. Use steady exercise as warmups prior to your main training session.

Strengthen your calf muscles
Performing exercises such as toe raises, especially with a slow return to the ground after each toe raise, trains the muscle-tendon unit to withstand more loading force.
Cross-train. Alternate impact activities, such as running and jumping, with low-impact activities, such as cycling and swimming.

Finally, if you are unsure of the extent of you injury, don’t hesitate to visit the doctor or a sports physiotherapist. With the limited time us muli-sport athletes have, you wouldn’t want to be out of action any longer than necessary would you!

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Register with Trispace to receive our monthly newsletter as well as being automatically entered into our monthly draw. Register now to have a chance of winning August’s prize, a breathable moisture wicking t-shirt like below. Once registered and you remain registered, you’ll be entered into the draw each month automatically. Register by midnight August 31st 2008 for a chance of winning August’s prize.

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If like me, you have three sports to juggle, as well as a full time job and a family, training for triathlon is a compromise between training you know you should do, and the training you know you can do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t improve when time is limited.

Plenty of triathletes with full time jobs have gone on to achieve great things in endurance sport. A regular guy from Dorset with a full time job was 2nd at last years Ironman UK 70.3 and is hoping for a top 10 finish at this years full UK Ironman.

There are plenty of busy people who do manage to train and race to their full potential. They all have on thing in common. They cut out the ‘junk’ and concentrate on quality training. Quality training means you know the reason behind every training session. You’re not just training for training’s sake.

Quality training also has a plan behind it, so that the training progresses over time and includes recovery time. Junk training is when you do the same session’s week in week out with no overall plan or progression. You put in junk miles because you can fit them in, not because they are specific to your goals. They fatigue you but have no meaningful benefit. Remember it’s not about finding more time to train, but using the time you have to greater effect.

To help determine whether you are making the most of your time, ask yourself these questions next time you train;

Is the session going to improve a specific weakness?

Is the session specific to the race I am targeting?

Is the session going to benefit me or wear me out?

Is the training session part of a broader plan?

Have I progressed with this training session over the weeks?

If the answers are mostly no, then you’re not making the most of your time. It’s a good idea to think about improving the quality of your training and remind yourself that quality training is considerably more satisfying than junk mileage. Triathletes who know the reasons and rational behind each sessions are going to be more motivated to complete them.

Time efficient training does not mean that you need to do every session at maximum intensity. It means that your training should be dependant on you strengths and weaknesses, and the type of race you are targeting. Training that doesn’t fulfil these criteria should be avoided, unless you have spare time and energy.

For example, if you are training for an Olympic distance race you may benefit from a regular two-three hour ride at the weekends. However three, additional weekly rides of one hour might make you feel better, but they are probably not an effective use of time. They may just add to fatigue, waste your time and not produce any meaningful benefits. You would be better served doing two back to back 15 minute efforts at your 25 mile TT pace, or some other planned session that is specific to your race distance.

It is also important to acknowledge the difference between busy and very busy. Some triathletes barely have any time to train and just avoiding junk miles is not enough. If this sounds like you, super effective short sessions of less than an hour may be a more effective way to train.

Time efficient training can make you a better triathlete in the longer term. It forces you to think about the importance of each session and encourages you to scrap the junk miles. Limited training can also reduce the likely hood of injury though overtraining, giving you the consistency you need to keep improving year on year. If you are so busy that you only have a few hours to spare each week, the news is not all bad. A few high intensity sessions and regular racing help to ensure that you compete well even with a hectic lifestyle.

Happy training!

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Make a date in your diary for these select few. I’ll see if I can track down any air time on TV, or the net for the events.

Mazda London Triathlon London, UK. 09 - 10 August 2008 (Channel 4 from 08:00 Sun 17 Aug)

World Long Distance Duathlon Championships Geel, Belgium. 09 - 10 August 2008 (Live Online Here)

Beijing Olympics Womens Triathlon Beijing, China. 18 August 2008 (BBCi from 03:00 Mon 18th Aug) Replay

Beijing Olympics Mens Triathlon Beijing, China. 19 August, 2008 (BBCi from 03:00 Tues 19th Aug) Replay

Long Distance ITU World Cup Almere, Netherlands. 30 - 31 August 2008 (Official Website)

European Long Distance Triathlon Championships Gerardmer, France. 06 September 2008 (Official website)

U23 and Youth European Championships Pupli, Spain. 06 - 07 September 2008 (Official Website)

Ironman UK, Sherborne, Dorset, UK. 07 September 2008 (Official Website, Results)

ITU World Cup Vienna, Austria. 13 September 2008 (Official Website)

Duathlon ITU World Cup Rimini, Italy. 27 - 28 September 2008 (Official Website)

ITU World Cup Lorient, France. 28 September 2008 (Official Website)

Ford Ironman World Championships, Kona, Hawaii. 11 October 2008 (Official Website)

ITU World Cup Huatulco, Mexico. 26 October 2008 (Official Website)

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Scotland’s Catriona Morrison put an injury-stricken start to the season behind her as she defended her ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championship title in Geel, Belgium.

Athletes endured an 18Km opening run, followed by a cycle of 74 kilometers, before finishing off with a 9Km run.

With a commanding second run performance which took her away from the chasing athletes, Morrison showed once again why she is one of the best duathletes in the world. Having suffered with plica syndrome in her knee earlier in the year she missed out on the chance to defend her European Duathlon title. She has now won one standard distance and two long distance world titles in the past three years. GB’s Michelle Lee finished in fifth following a silver medal in last year’s competition.

In the elite men’s race Belgium’s Joerie Vansteelant also defended his 2007 crown with an outstanding display, listing the fastest 1st run and bike splits. Meanwhile Bristol University medical student Oli Mott was an excellent ninth in the senior men’s competition, with Matt Moorhouse a very well placed 14th.

You can get the full results here, including some excellent photos of the event.

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Many triathletes are body conscious and try to eliminate fat from their diets. If you avoid fatty foods such as red meat and dairy products, you will miss out on vital micronutrients such as calcium and iron.

We all need a certain amount of fat in our diets to make hormones amongst other things. Fat in foods is also an important source of the fat soluble vitamins A, D and E, while essential fatty acids will help to keep your immune system in peak condition.

Don’t avoid fats completely. Some dairy foods, meat and meat products can be high in fat and saturated fat but careful choices can keep your fat intake down.

Choose lean cut of non processed meats, remove visible fat from skins of poultry and stir-fry, bake, poach or steam. Red meat is an excellent source of iron, which helps transport oxygen around the body, and zinc, which is essential for a healthy immune system.

Skimmed milk, cottage cheese an low fat yoghurts provide a tiny amount of fat but are rich in calcium and are also a good source of protein. While oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel are rich in essential fatty acids that are also important for the bodies immune system.

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Following on from Swim Fitness & Efficiency Part 1, here’s another post to assist you with your swim fitness and efficiency.

Intervals
Interval training is a great way to get more out of your time in the water. The aim of an interval session is to swim at race pace or faster over the distance you will be racing so your body is prepared come race day. An example is a set of 10 repeats of 100’s at 80% effort with 10-20 seconds rest between swims. This is a great way to improve your aerobic swim fitness.

Time Trial
Track your increased stamina and fitness to motivate yourself. Choose a distance up to two thirds of the race day distance and swim at a perceived rate of exertion of about 8 out of 10 (or roughly 80% maximum heart rate). Note down your time after each time trial. Try to keep the same routine on the morning of each time trial for true accuracy. Only complete the time trial every 3-4 weeks.

Recovery Swim
A slow paced swim can aid recovery during training. It will ease you into switching between activities. Your effort level should be at a perceived rate of exertion of about 5-6 out of 10 (or roughly 50-60% maximum heart rate). Another recovery swim is to just get in water and swim, granted at a much slower pace than normal. Again aim for 50-60% MHR or 5-6 out of 10 effort and swim for 30-40 minutes (distance specific of course).

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This weekend London will once again welcome thousands of competitors pushing themselves to their limits as the Mazda London Triathlon hits town. This years event will be the event’s 12th anniversary and has become the largest triathlon in the world.

With an expected 30,000+ spectators lining the course, some of the world’s finest triathletes racing in the elite race, and over £1million raised for charity, the event has become an incredible experience for all involved.

The event takes place this weekend from Saturday 9th August – Sunday 10th August 2006. Events begin at 11am on Saturday and 6.30am on Sunday. Races start at the Royal Victoria Dock, Excel Centre.

Saturday 9th August AM

Youth Super Sprint
Male Super Sprint
Female Super Sprint
Saturday 9th August PM

Male Sprint
Female Sprint
Team Relays

Sunday 10th August AM

Junior Elite
Female & Female Elite
Male & Female Sub 230 (TBC)

Sunday 10th AM & PM

All other individual Olympic races – please note what order these races are scheduled is not decided until entries are closed!

The Triathlon Expo will be held at ExCel Centre, Docklands, from Saturday 9th August – Sunday 10th August.

It could be well worth a visit, if you’re not taking part in the event. The event itself is being broadcast on Channel 4 on Sunday 17th August at 8am.

Best of luck to all those taking part in the world’s largest triathlon !!! 

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The potential effects of caffeine are not exactly a recent phenomenon. Indeed, there is documentation to suggest that it has been used to enhance performance for more than 30 years. Every athlete may have a different opinion of caffeine intake but hopefully the information below may explain how this ‘drug’ can be used legally and effectively.

What does caffeine do?
Caffeine has a change in body function action on the human body so it is classed as a drug rather than a nutrient. It is found in certain drinks such as coffee (50-100mg per cup), tea (30-60mg per cup) and Cola (50mg per 330ml can). It is also added to a number of energy and sports drinks (around 100mg per 250ml can).

Caffeine acts on the central nervous system increasing alertness and concentration, which could be considered advantageous in many sports. It also stimulates adrenaline release and in doses above 5mg/Kg bodyweight, mobilises fatty acid release. This means that more fatty acids are used for energy and less glycogen (muscle energy stores). This could be especially for endurance type sports as it would spare glycogen and increase endurance.

What is the evidence for caffeine?
There is a huge amount of research evidence that caffeine improves performance. Positive effects have even been shown for doses within the legal limit. According to this research, in runners caffeine can improve performance by as much as 40%. One study with swimmers showed a 23 second improvement in a 21 minute swim. However, not all studies have shown positive results. Researchers in South Africa found that caffeine had no effect on performance during a 100km cycling time trial.

What are the side effects?
Caffeine’s side effects include anxiety, trembling, and sleeplessness, however some people are more susceptible to these than others.
Although caffeine is a diuretic, a daily intake of less than 300mg caffeine results in no larger urine output than water. At this level caffeine is considered safe and unlikely to have any detrimental effect on performance, or health. Taking caffeine regularly (e.g. drinking coffee) builds up your caffeine tolerance so you experience smaller diuretic effects.

If you decide to use caffeine, make sure that you are well hydrated before training or competition. Cutting down on caffeine for several days prior to competition may result in a more marked ergogenic effect(anything ergogenic is said to positively affect physical or mental performance). Then, immediately before exercise take approximately 150-200mg of caffeine from drinks such as coffee (1-2 strong cups) or an energy/sports drink (1-2 cans). This may help you to keep exercising longer and harder.

Is caffeine legal?
The IOC classes caffeine as a stimulant, but as it is a constituent of drinks it is permitted in doses that produce a level less than 12mg/ml in the urine. The amount needed to reach this legal limit varies from one person to the next but on average, its equivalent to 8 cups of coffee or 16 cans of cola.

Once again if you are experimenting with sports nutrition it is vital that the changes in your dietary intake are practiced prior to any competition.

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With the big Beijing shadow being cast over most of the MultiSport world, not to be forgotten is the 2008 Geel ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championships on August 10 from Geel, Belgium. More than 100 avid duathletes are on the start list in elite and age-group categories. The elites will battle for a $50,000 prize purse.

Elite men to watch:
Joerie Vansteelant (BEL) - defending world champion 2007, bronze medallist 2006
Lino Barruncho (POR) - Duathlon European Champion in 2006, 2nd at Duathlon world championships in 2004
Nicolas Lebrun (FRA) - multisport specialist, multiple medallist in winter triathlon and duathlon
Rob Woestenborghs (BEL) - 3rd at Duathlon world champs (10-40-5) in 2006
Javier Garcia (ESP) - silver medallist 2007
Koen Maris (BEL) - bronze medallist 2007, silver medallist 2006

Elite women to watch:
Catriona Morrison (GBR) - defending world champion, 2nd in 2006, Duathlon World Champion 2006
Michelle Lee (GBR) - silver medallist 2007
Miek Vyncke (BEL) - U23 World Champion in Geel in 2004

Athletes will begin with an 18-kilometer opening run (4 laps of 4.5 kilometers), then will cycle 74 kilometers (4 laps of 18.5 kilometers). They’ll finish with a 9-kilometer run (2 laps of 4.5 kilometers) before crossing the finish line. The course is flat but the bike course contains some technical corners.

In 2004, Geel was host to one of the most successful Duathlon world championships ever and another highly successful event is expected this weekend.

You can watch the event unfold live online by clicking here.

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