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2008 Rimini ITU Duathlon World Championships, Italy. 10km run, 40km bike, 5k run
Paul Amey won his third ITU Duathlon World Championship on a day marred by controversy in Rimini, Italy. Belgian Rob Woestenborghs was first across the line but after his own teammate lodged a protest, Woestenborghs was later disqualified by race officials thereby giving the world championship title to Amey.
The drama began early in the 40-kilometer bike segment as all six men were in the lead pack. According to Dereere, his Belgian teammate Woestenborghs was cycling dangerously. Eventually Amey, Aernouts and Woestenborghs broke away and went on to post the three fastest bike splits of the day by almost two full minutes. That lead was enough for all three to secure the podium with Woestenborghs crossing the line first, Amey second and Aernouts in third.
However, after the race, Dereere filed a protest with race officials against Woestenborghs for his aggressive riding. Officials said it was a tough call but ultimately disqualified both men for what was deemed “unsportsmanlike and dangerous behaviour on the first lap of the bike segment which risked the safety of the competitors around them”.
In the women’s event Olympic silver medallist Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal successfully defended her ITU Duathlon World Championship. It was a commanding victory for Fernandes who finished ahead of 2-time Long Distance Duathlon World Champion Catriona Morrison of Great Britain and double Olympian Ana Burgos of Spain.
Morrison, who only started her season last month due to knee surgery in April, has come back strong and adds the silver medal to her long distance world championship in August.
Alongside the impressive elite success in Rimini, Great Britain’s Age Group competitors also accumulated a number of medals.
You can view the full results for the elite and age group catagories here. Results and report courtesy of ITU official website.
Olympic silver medallist Vanessa Fernandes headlines the elite competition at tomorrows ITU Duathlon World Championships in Rimini, Italy. One of the most accomplished athletes in ITU history and known as one of the two greatest runners in triathlon today, Fernandes is perhaps less known as one of the strongest cyclists in the world.
Last year Fernandes won her first elite Duathlon world championship in Gyor, Hungary and will defend her title this weekend in Rimini against a field that includes Duathlon star Catriona Morrison. Her resume includes a silver medal in 2005, gold medal in 2006, last year’s European Duathlon championship and the last two Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. Last year in Gyor she finished a disappointing ninth place but this year will likely challenge Fernandes for the top spot.
On the men’s side, two-time Duathlon world champion Paul Amey of Great Britain defends the world title he won last year in Hungary. Most recently Amey took silver at the ETU Long Distance Triathlon European Championships earlier this month in Gerardmer, France. This weekend he’ll face still competition from Belgium and Portugal to repeat as champion.
Good luck to all those GBR age-group competitors taking part in the event.
Throughout my days as a Personal Trainer I’d be often asked the question ‘Does exercise first thing in the morning burn more body fat?’.
This is an interesting question that not only effects those just interested in fitness but more so us, as multi-sport athletes, as most of us try to sneak a morning session in before our daily chores, but perhaps don’t understand the possible negative effects.
Fair enough, if fat loss is your main goal, exercising on an empty stomach, such as first thing in the morning, may encourage your body to burn slightly more fat for fuel. Research suggests that insulin levels are at their lowest and glycogen levels are at their highest after an overnight fast. This increases the amount of fat that leaves your fat cells and travels to your muscles, where the fat is burned. On the downside, you may fatigue sooner or drop your exercise intensity and therefore end up burning fewer calories, and less body fat.
This is where it gets interesting. More often than not as multi-sport athletes performance is our main goal. Exercising in a fasted state will almost certainly reduce your endurance. The same goes if muscular endurance type strength work is an important element in your training because after an overnight fast, when muscle glycogen and blood glucose levels are low, your muscles will burn more protein for fuel. So you could end up losing hard earned muscle.
The solution to this problem for us multi-sport athletes is simple. Try to consume a light meal before training. If you can’t fit a meal in due to timescales, at least take on board a cereal type bar and a sports drink of some description. Remember my post on race day breakfast?
For me, I have to eat something before exercise in the morning regardless of the type of training session. Even if time is tight I try to have a piece of fruit before dashing out for a run. I accept that an individual’s needs and gastrointestinal abilities are different but if you can, try to eat as you’ll most definitely feel the benefit.
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As the main triathlon season draws to a close it’s time to reflect on what ‘has been’ over the previous months. There’s one final race this weekend, a sprint triathlon to finish of my season.
As far as the season goes it’s been far from normal. I like to be in reasonable shape for the opening regional duathlon grand prix series, consisting of four races over a six week period. This years efforts were marred with an ankle injury during a 10k road race in March which meant that only two of the four races could be attended. Not too bad a result for both events considering training was halted for a short while.
May brought two triathlons. The first being a time trial based triathlon event with 45 minutes rest between each discipline.This meant I could really put the pedal down on the bike and have a slight rest before the run.
The second triathlon was a regional sprint race event. Coming off an encouraging performance at the previous triathlon I was even more raring to go. The swim went ok, even though a little off my usual pace, T1 spot on, then the nightmare occurred. Whist coasting up to the cycle dismount line my thoughts were obviously all about something else rather than the transition and for whatever reason one of my bike shoes got caught up in my pedals, eventually leaving me on the floor with my sparkling new Orbea lying on my chest.
My left hip took the full force of the fall, it felt as if a twenty stone rugby player had just taken me out. I hobbled in and out of T2 thinking I could ‘run it off’. The extent of the fall left me out of action for about eight weeks. Throughout the eight weeks I kept asking myself “what if I hadn’t continued with the run, would I have recovered any quicker?”. At least I could still swim throughout the time injured though.
In June I had a real reason to stop training. My wife gave birth to our baby boy mid June, and he’s already making progress with his swim technique in the bath. Enter junior athlete number two. I still managed to sneak in the odd swim session though!
I tentatively started back training late July, only two weeks later to be floored with a spell of apparent ‘patella tendenosis’. Talk about fed up, it’s a good job my family are a demanding bunch otherwise I’d have been taken away in a white coat.
I decided after spending so much cash on private treatment through my local sports physiotherapist that I’d try the National Health Service route of ‘treatment’. Little did I know how much time I’d waste trying to receive treatment this way. The Doctor I saw didn’t seem to want to help as it was a ‘sporting injury’ and I was really still ‘fit to work’. Anyway, to cut a very frustrating story short, I’m back paying for treatment with my local sports physiotherapist, but at least I’m back training and have been for the past three weeks!
Am I fit to race this weekend at full throttle?
Not really, however I’ll defiantly make it round. Who knows, I’ll probably enjoy it more with not having to bust my ass!
As I’ve said before time efficient training can make you a better athlete 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.
This 2K time efficient swim session minimises the time you spend standing still at the end of the lane, yet still allows you enough recovery time. Also the warm-up and cool-down forms part of the main set, keeping things simple and making the most of the time you have available.
200m front crawl (personal best (PB) pace + 20 secs)
50m easy backstroke
200m front crawl with pull buoy (PB pace + 20 secs)
50m easy breaststroke
45 second rest
200m front crawl (PB pace + 10 secs)
50m easy backstroke
200m front crawl with pull buoy (PB pace + 10 secs)
50m easy breaststroke
45 second rest
200m front crawl (PB pace + 5 secs)
50m easy backstroke
200m front crawl with pull buoy (PB pace + 5 secs)
50m easy breaststroke
45 second rest
200m front crawl (PB pace + 15 secs)
50m easy backstroke
200m front crawl with pull buoy (PB pace + 15 secs)
50m easy breaststroke
45 second rest
How’s that for efficiency? Could also be used as a session to keep you ticking over during your ’down time’.
Happy training!!
Plantar Fasciitis is a common foot condition that causes heel pain and pain in the sole of the foot. Plantar Fasciitis is inflammation of the Plantar Fascia, a fibrous sheath that runs most of the length of the sole of the foot. It attaches between the heel bone and the bones at the base of the toes, covering the small muscles in the sole of the foot. During walking and running, as you ‘toe-off’, the Plantar Fascia becomes taut and helps the foot act as a lever to push off with force. It is one of the primary stabilising structures of the arch on the inner side of the foot.
Inflammation of the Plantar Fascia usually occurs at the point where it attaches to the heel bone.Plantar Fasciitis is reasonably common in older individuals, where the movement in the joints of the foot has become restricted and strain on the Plantar Fascia is increased.
It may also occur in individuals who do a lot of standing, walking or sporting activities, usually as a result of overuse. It tends to be more common in females and in people who are overweight.
Signs and symptoms
Plantar Fasciitis produces foot pain over the inside of the heel and this usually radiates down the inside of the sole of the foot. This foot pain usually occurs with activity and is also typically present in the morning when taking the first steps of the day.
Plantar Fasciitis can be diagnosed by a doctor or physiotherapist, if pain is present on touching the affected area, and/or on stretching the Plantar Fascia (by pulling the toes up). The diagnosis of Plantar Fasciitis can be confirmed on an Ultrasound scan, when the fascia has a thickened appearance. In a small number of cases of heel pain, that fails to respond to normal treatment, it may be necessary to get an x-ray to rule out other conditions such as a bony spur on the heel bone or a fracture of the heel bone
Causes
There are a number of plantar fasciitis causes. The plantar fascia ligament is like a rubber band and loosens and contracts with movement. It also absorbs significant weight and pressure. Because of this function, plantar fasciitis can easily occur from a number of reasons. Among the most common is an overload of physical activity or exercise. Athletes are particularly prone to plantar fasciitis and commonly suffer from it. Excessive running, jumping, or other activities can easily place repetitive or excessive stress on the tissue and lead to tears and inflammation, resulting in moderate to severe pain. Athletes who change or increase the difficulty of their exercise routines are also prone to overdoing it and causing damage.
Treatments
Physiotherapy is the main treatment for this condition.
Stretching is an important treatment. If the pain is bad in the morning the foot can be stretched up by putting a towel under the forefoot and pulling up with the hands. Standing calf stretches and a night splint to hold the foot up in a partly stretched position can also be useful.
Deep massage along the plantar fascia may be useful and can be done by the sufferer once shown how by a therapist.
Ice can reduce both pain and inflammation, used from 10 to 20 minutes as an ice pack. Use care with ice and ensure your skin is protected. Do not put a freezing pack directly on your skin as this can cause frost-bite like damage.
Taping can be used by a therapist or trainer to attempt to route some of the forces through the sole along a different line.
Advice on activity modification is important as the condition may not completely resolve. Patients may need to consider alternative methods of keeping up their aerobic fitness and strength if weight-bearing activity is too painful.
Shock absorbing heel pads can be useful and should be tried as soon as the condition presents. Silicone gel pads are commonly used and are relatively cheap.
Arch supports may also be useful to restore more normal foot mechanics in cases where this has been disturbed.
Prevention
Inadequate footwear is often implicated in Plantar Fasciitis. Shoes should provide adequate support for the foot. Unsuitable footwear can increase strain of the Plantar Fascia and lead to the development of inflammation.
Insoles that support the arch on the inner side of the foot can be helpful for limiting excessive pronation and relieving stress on the Plantar Fascia and Achilles tendon.
As most of use have finished our main triathlon/multi-sport season our focus shifts towards next season, after a short rest of course. However, I try to keep a little fitness training going just to tick over, before we enter the ‘real’ base training period. One of my favourite training sessions is the long run on a weekend. I find it quite enjoyable because of the low intensity as well as it preparing me for the ‘base phase’, as this key session is vital in any base training period.
Some key points to consider when planning your long runs;
The length of run is going to be determined by your current fitness levels and training gaols. A long run for a sprint or Olympic distance novice athlete could be as little as 45 mins to begin with, whereas an experienced Ironman athlete may be heading out for 2 hrs. If you’re at all unsure what you can handle, then start well within your known capabilities and build up slowly. That way injuries and staleness are less likely to hamper your progress.
The pace needs to be hard enough to stimulate adaptation to the training but not so hard that you end up working anaerobically and overdoing it.
It’s wise to make your long run ‘time’ rather than ‘milage’ based, as factors like terrain and weather exert a large and variable influence on a session.
Try to monitor your pace or heart rate to keep the level of exertion fairly consistent. This means that it’ll probably feel harder towards the end of the run and your heart rate may drift up slightly just to maintain your speed. This is ok, as it is good preparation for the season.
Try to progress the ‘long run’ in small increments each week (around 10% is usually safe). Do this for about three to four weeks and then have one week where you take it easy and step it back a bit. This R&R week acts as a safeguard against illness and injury because the body rarely likes to keep responding to pressure applied in a constant manner.
Running off road is much kinder on the body’s joints and can be much more pleasant, so try to mix up the terrain as much as possible.
Happy training!!
To help you with your healthy eating and meal planning Trispace have introduced a fortnightly recipe, all of which are quick, simple and fun to make. They are specially designed for sports people who need to eat a diet high in carbohydrate, low in fat and rich in essential nutrients. Each recipe provides nutritional analysis to help you put together numerous healthy menus.The main meal recipes are divided into sections based oh nigh carbohydrate foods t enable you to plan your meals according to the recommended nutritional guidelines. Recipes suitable for vegetarians contain no meat, poultry or fish and are marked with a ‘V’ symbol.
‘Muesli Bars’ (Makes 16 Bars)
Ingredients
50g (2 oz) butter or margarine
3 tbsp honey
75g (3 oz) wholemeal flour (self raising)
2 eggs
225g (8 fl oz) low-fat natural yoghurt
225g (8 oz) low-fat soft cheese
100g (4 oz)mixed dried fruit
Method
Combine the butter and honey
Mix in the yoghurt, soft cheese and eggs, followed by the remaining ingredients
Spoon onto a non-stick baking tin, approx 30cm x 18 cm or 12″ x 7″
Bake for 20-25 mins or until firm and golden
Done, Enjoy!!
Nutritional Information (Approx per bar)
Calories = 112
Carbohydrate = 14 g
Protein = 4.8 g
Fat = 4.5 g
Fibre = 0.9 g
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