Ironman Melbourne Pro Notes

I was fortunate to have a front row seat to a lot of the action during IM Melbourne, courtesy of a media pass and scooter that allowed me (and a photographer on the back) to go well out onto Eastlink to get close-up and side-by-side with all the top pros during the bike, and not to mention tracking Crowie & Brown up the run course. It was fantastic for a fan of the sport like I am, especially with the class of athletes racing.

Here are some notes from my observations of the pros and some of the things they do...many you might expect, but interesting to observe nonetheless:

Bike

• Hardly any pros carried a spare tyre, perhaps because of the low chance of flat on the freeway surface, or perhaps for competitive reasons.
• Almost all the pros - men and women - sit well forward on the nose of their saddle, bringing them right over the crank.
• Perhaps a consequence of this is that many of them also ride with what I'd call a "toey" pedal technique, ie, toes pointed & heel lifted.
• They ride low and aero, with little change/movement in their position.
• They have simple set-ups, clean set-ups with generally only 2 water bottles - hardly any bike streams between aero bars, but many with bidons clipped between aero bar handles. Also, hardly any bento boxes with nutrition generally in back pockets or a bidon.
• Cadence was generally in 85-90 range, with only a couple of outliers at both lower and higher cadences.
• The two chase groups both had a Technical Official accompany them, and rode legally, however there is definite benefit from being in a group compared to solo. 
• Interestingly, during bike Crowie was frequently checking movement in the group behind him, even though he was near the front (in 4th wheel) at the time. This contrasts with the run where he never checked behind.

Run

• In the early stages, they looked like they were holding back despite having 7 guys within 15 sec.
• The fastest runners *looked* like the best runners - they had the best form. Crowie has gold standard run form, and Cam Brown is close.
• Even big guys can run well with good form, eg, Freddie van Lierde, who has good form and cadence.
• The road camber from 5-20km was real and hard to escape. High up the road was the preferred position.
• Crowie & Brown mostly ran in line rather than side by side, but this depended on the road width/surface.
• The better the runner, the more resistant they were to losing technique under fatigue, ie, hips sinking back, heel strike, shortening stride. Crowie & Brown ran the same at the end as the start, just a little slower.
• Crowie & Brown each used a Fuelbelt for their nutrition, relying on aid stations only for drinks, which included Coke from before halfway. They each used special needs.
• Neither Crowie or Brown even so much as looked sideways, but made some nice gestures like offering drinks to each other.
• Surges were only subtle rather than overpowering, having more psychological effect than physical. 
• Their running was defined by their smoothness and economy of motion in their whole body.
• Notably, when Llanos & van Lierde dropped off, by 13km mark, they didn't lose much time over the next 10-15km, or at least, only gradually. This indicated they were racing in control rather than being blown.
• Also notably, David Dellow started slowly, barely inside the top-10 after 5km and a good way behind behind the runners ahead, but moved steadily through the field to 5th place.

6ft Track Marathon non-race (training) report

Two years ago, in March 2010, I ran the 6ft Track Marathon for the first time and even before the stiffness and soreness had subsided, decided I wanted to go back and do it again...faster. Knowing the course would be a huge advantage second time round, and learning from what happened during my first attempt would help me prepare more specifically. I couldn't wait for another chance to race the 6ft track again.

Little did I know at the time that it would be two years before I would get another chance to do it again after many, many months of dreaming and planning, injuries and training. During that time I'd had achilles surgery, calf strains, inflamed nerves, tedinopathy and more. But finally I was fit enough to target, enter and train for the 2012 event, scheduled for Saturday 10th March.

History will record, however, that 2012 turned out to be the first time in the history of the race that it was cancelled, due to the raised level of Cox's river. Rather than dwell on what might have been, this post is to document my approach to the 2012 event and the training I did.

September and October 2011 were months of frustration with an injury to my plantaris tendon which took 7 weeks to fully recover from, and forced me to skip the New York marathon...again. This was the third year in a row I'd entered and then pulled out of an international marathon, so my track record with training for big races wasn't looking good, and history might suggest the same for 6ft Track. But if nothing else during those injuries I'd learned a bit of humility and what my body can cope with, and what it needs to perform. Plus I still have a burning desire to see what my 40+ body can do as I still feel I've got some fast running in me...I just need to manage things to give myself the opportunity to do so.

Anyway, I began running again during a trip to Noosa in late-October, and suffice to say, I thought about 6ft Track during every single run. It was the burning goal that fueled my motivation almost to the point of obsession. I thought about the race, the course, what it would take to improve from last time, my approach for training, schedules and more. Each run was thinking time, and I was equally daunted by the task as I was motivated to give it good shot.

Looking back on my 2010 attempt at 6ft I saw two main weaknesses in my race (three if you include not knowing the course), the first being that I bonked at about 30km...although managed to pull things together with caffeine, coke, gels and lollies, and the second weakness being my slow-down on Black Range Rd, which is about 9km long from Pluviometer (26km) to Deviation (35km). The fact this coincided with the bonk is not surprising, but it did my head and body in with the gradual incline and the repetitive nature of the terrain. Also, in 2010 my legs were smashed from the hills (not surprisingly) which slowed me in the last 10km.

Putting those things together I could see where the improvement I was seeking would come from...basically, more running and more hills at solid pace, and race fuelling. Specically, I set my target at the 40+ age group record of 3:27:11hr, which was 4:04min faster than my effort. It would take a huge effort to get that...or even close to it.

My plan was to do as many long runs in the Dandenongs as possible, using my knowledge of tracks from 2010 to plot the course each week for maximum effect...although this would involve quite a bit of reptition over many of the same hills each week. One Tree Hill would be home away from home on Saturday mornings, with routine even dictating parking in the same spot each week!! This time around I wasn't alone in my 6ft Track quest with Monty (Michael Montgomery) from our running group also signing up for the challenge, which helped in sharing the effort and torment of the training.

After a couple of easy weeks in early-Nov getting my legs back post injury, I made my first trip to the D'nongs starting with a fairly ambitious 32.5km and 1204m ascent. The metres of ascent became as important as the distance and time with my goal being to do a run including 40km+ and 2000m+ of ascent. 6ft Track (only) has 1528m of ascent and 1788m descent. The Saturday long run became the key staple and top priority each week.

The remainder of the week took a little time to work out a routine that would be sustainable and repeatable, although this became harder as the weeks went by and my fatigue grew. Training needed to fit in around work, coaching and home life, where I became very conscious of the knock on effects of the time and cumulative fatigue of it all at home...but fortunately Ms A was supportive, even if she thought I was nuts. All this meant most of my mid-week running was done between 5:30-7am, with a wake-up time 20+ min earlier to get my body moving.

A standard week looked something like this:

Mon - AM Run 13-15km easy (+ ride to/from work (25-30min each way) + some core strength)
Tue - AM Run 20-22km undulating tempo
Wed - AM Run 12-13km to work, PM Run 12-13km home
Thur - AM Run - 6-8km easy, Lunch Run - 14-16km hills/fartlek
Fri - AM Swim 40min (+ ride to/from work (25-30min each way) + some core strength)
Sat - AM Run 40-48km hills
Sun - AM Run 18-20km easy

The hardest thing about this routine was getting out of bed in the morning and just getting going. Firstly I was always tired; sleepy tired and muscle tired/stiff, and my left heel was an almost constant source of morning soreness. This is the same heel as the achilles surgery from 2010 but a different issue right at the base of my heel, related to some irritation (inflammation?) of the fascia tissue around the back/bottom of my heel. It was not an "injury" as such, just a spot that was sore every morning and took 10-15min of running to fully warm-up, and not helped by running hills... Just getting going each morning was hard work, physically and mentally.

But I was loving running. I was getting tired from doing a lot of running to the point where I limited by easy-peasy bike commute in favour of the scooter...my rule was if I ran > 20km in a day it was the scooter. I also found that the nature of my core strength eased a little so as not to fatigue my legs too much more than they already were. I was pushing the limit of how much I could actually cope with, and to my surprise found that a few stiff/sore niggles gradually improved the fitter and stronger I got, which proved to me the value of strength and endurance in building a resilient body.

Respecting my age and the vulnerability of my legs, I had regular contact with my fabulous physio, Rosie, and got regular massages from Brad, both things which helped to stay on top of little issues. In particular, my on-going relationship with Rosie - since my achilles surgery - has been fantastic. I've learned a lot from her about my body, insights into how it responds, how to recognise issues and what to do about them...pre-emptively. As I have throughout my sports career, I've used body as an experiment of one, with all the things I learned through first-hand experiences helping build my body of knowledge and how to apply different approaches for athletes I coach. It's on-going and never ending.

Anyway, the weeks ticked by and the training volume built steadily. Here is the weekly progression, including noting the long run.

W/C	Wk Tot	Long	Time	Ascent	Run Location	Other Notes
7/11/2011	119	29	2:09	535	Studley Park
14/11/2011	122	32.5	2:40	1204	Dandenongs
21/11/2011	125	36	2:55	1336	Dandenongs
28/11/2011	115	15	1:07		Lorne (race)	Anaconda team (15km)
5/12/2011	117	38	3:07	1435	Dandenongs
12/12/2011	138	41	3:20	1513	Dandenongs
19/12/2011	133	40	2:55	634	Studley Park
26/12/2011						Strained thigh
2/01/2012	136	43	3:46	2036	Dandenongs
9/01/2012	128	28	1:54	681	Two Bays	Two Bays (28km), 3rd
16/01/2012	147	45	3:42	1679	Dandenongs
23/01/2012	153	45	3:44	1923	Dandenongs
30/01/2012	108	48	3:43	1459	Dandenongs	Mid-wk race (8km), 3rd
6/02/2012	152	46	3:42	1710	Dandenongs
13/02/2012	70	30	2:19	950	Yarra Ranges	Mid-wk race (8km), 1st, Maroondah race (30km), 1st
20/02/2012	77	28	2:16	780	Canberra
27/02/2012	85	21	1:31	100	Melbourne
5/03/2012	88	42	3:35	900	Katoomba	Mid-wk race (4km), 1st

There were a few things I noticed over these weeks, in particular after xmas-new year and a weeks forced break due to a mild strain, which were two pronged. On one hand I was getting fitter and stronger, noted particularly by how I was running over the hills each Saturday (notwithstanding the massive bonk in early-Jan), but then things got harder as my cumulative fatigue increased. By the start of Feb my legs were hammered, the quality of the mid-week sessions suffered and Saturday became an epic physical and mental effort. I've never experienced this feeling before...my glutes and hips almost seized up with stiffness and fatigue, almost feeling like an injury but actually just muscular overload from the hills.

In hindsight, I should have taken an easy week in late Jan, but decided to push on to complete a 6 week block before an extended taper. During this block I also did some races, both trail and road, which worked well. Two Bays was a really good run to do early in the block, but by the time of the mid-week races in Feb my legs were on the edge of being over trained, and were unfamiliar with the intensity and speed of the shorter (8km) events.

The last long Dandenongs run was 4 weeks pre-6ft - I was exhausted and my legs nailed. I knew it would take a while to recover and adapt to the load, but perhaps underestimated how long. During the first recovery week I did another 8km race on Wed and then on Sun a 30km trail race in some serious hills - both were great runs. But the flip side was how long it took to recover...a full 7-8 days to get some life back in my legs, however this was more frustrating than concerning as there was still 2 weeks to go until 6ft, so things were generally going to plan generally beside feeling behind the 8-ball.

This plan included having a moderate week 2 weeks out, then a final easy week. I did two really good mid-week sessions during the moderate week, running well in both - Tue 15km hilly tempo at 3:45 min/km, Thur 8.5km fartlek tempo @ 3:29 min/km. But as well as I ran, these sessions knocked my legs around indicating they weren't as fresh as I'd hoped. I really needed the last 7 days to freshen up.

During race week I'd planned to do a short tempo run about mid-week, Tue or Wed, and decided to use the final of the mid-week Super Sunset series to do the 4km event as the tempo session. On the day I was on the edge of feeling OK and in hindsight would have been better to skip it. A race is a race and although only 4km, I ran it pretty solidly, but perhaps a little too hard and I woke up on Thurs, 2 days before 6ft, feeling leg tired. Uh oh!!!! I knew I was in good form but might have just sacrificed my race to being tired...it would be line ball about feeling better by Saturday.

As it turned out the race was cancelled on Thursday, to my disappointment but in a very small way, also my relief since my legs were a few days away from being ready to race...I judged it to be 2 days after race day. But we'll never know what might have happened since the race was never held, but had my legs been fresh on race day I think I might have bagged my goal.

So from this training campaign I learned a lot about what I can cope with, what is a good training strategy for 6ft and more. Some key learning's:

• Nothing replaces long, hard and very hilly training runs. But I should have broken my training block into smaller blocks and/or had a weakened away from the Dandenongs.
• The hilly running added great resilience to my body and legs, and actually allowed me to get on top of some niggles through developing all round run strength.
• This much hill running also weakened me a little, mainly from fatigue. In bouncing back during the taper I've come through a lot stronger.
• This time I did less tempo / speed work and more emphasis on the long hills, with (obvious) consequence that my road race pace fitness and speed is down.
• It was really valuable going into the training with a good level of core strength fitness since this aspect became neglected a bit.
• This build phase went beyond what is sustainable on a routine basis. I think perhaps 10-20% less volume (120-130km/wk) is more sustainable, with bigger volume weeks during focused build phases.
• The trail races were invaluable, to really see how well the training fitness would convert to a race situation, over extended distances. Two Bays and Maroondah Dam were really well placed in the schedule.
• The shorter, mid-week races were also good but my lack of specific race fitness meant they took a little more out of me than I gave them credit for.
• My practice with fuelling in training and races went well. My plan for 6ft was built around a much higher intake of gels to avoid the bonking situation.

While it is really disappointing not to get the chance to race 6ft Track this year, there's always more races coming up, and for me these are road races and the aim of getting some speed back. The goal event is Gold Coast marathon where a PB (sub-2:32hr) would be fantastic - the 6ft training has set me up really well for this, and have gained some training time in not having to first recover from 6ft Track.

As for next year...I don't know. Prior to the cancellation I wasn't planning to, thinking to run a summer of track races for a change, which would involved less time...a big consideration with a kid due to arrive in mid-June. Either way, it will take a while before I'm ready to take on One Tree Hill again. Right now I'm enjoying keeping things flat for a while!!!

Ironman lessons

Differing from shorter events, Ironman is a journey during both training and the race itself. If you get impatient then you'll set yourself up for a very tough time ahead. Here are some lessons I've learned from IM racing:

Avoid pre-race analysis paralysis
Perhaps because IM has such a build-up, an extended taper, involves being at race site for days beforehand, etc, it is all too easy to over think, over talk, over analyse what will happen on race day. Of course it is a big deal, and trying not to think about it is hard, but if you can do anything to keep your mind from being focused on the race for every minute of race week then it will help you relax and not get worked into a 'state' before the gun even goes. Yes, plan your race strategy - nutrition, pacing, etc - but don't necessarily compare with your mates because they are different athletes and different people, and you don't really want to be influenced by them when your training should have proven your own strategy.

Rest up and carb up beforehand
Once you get to race week you can really only do more harm than good by training. By this time your mind should have switched from train, train, train to race, race, race and all the things that contribute towards a good race...which means resting up except for the small amounts of training you will do. Keep your feet up, but as mentioned already, try not to spend the excess of time not training in thinking about the race!!! As well as resting up, remember to carb up 2-3 days pre-race, also known as carb-loading. Hopefully you know how to approach this in terms of food choice, timing and quantity, so make sure you execute this part of race preparation well!!

Don't overload your bike
A characteristic of IM bikes is often how much extra gear they have on board. Multiple water bottles, spare tyres, nutrition, etc. While it is good to be self-sufficient, IM's also have great aid stations at frequent intervals, plus special needs bags, so make sure of these rather than carrying everything at the outset. Look at how sleek the pros bikes look and see what you can replicate by keeping your bike set-up simple and straight forward.

IM is an easy day
Regardless of distance, your best performances will usually feel 'easy', albeit in the context of the necessary intensity for each race distance. A good IM should feel 'easy' from start to finish, because it is at an easy intensity from start to finish...it's the duration that makes it hard. Two rules of thumb to remember, 1) if you think you're going too hard, you probably are, and 2) the ride is for show, the run is for dough. What these say is that you need to be very careful and conscious of your effort across the day according to your pace plan, and that the bike leg is there as a warm-up to the key part of the day, the run leg. Pace yourself based on your actual and proven ability rather than your imagined ability.

Start easy, finish strong
Further to the pervious point, you need to hold yourself back early in the IM in order to finish strongly (albeit fatigued) at the end. Be constantly thinking ahead...how will what I'm doing now affect me 1, 2, 4, 8 (or more) hours later? Starting hard and finishing weak is not a good race, so always think about how you want to feel later in the race and adjust your current effort in order to achieve that.

Concentrate on the process
Doing an IM is all about following the process you’ve done in training, over and over and over. You know what to do, so just do it. Concentrate on the process and the outcome will look after itself. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Relax and just do.

Keep moving forwards
An Ironman finishes at the finish line, so any forward movement will get you there sooner than being stopped. What this means is to spend as little time as possible stationary (only if absolutely necessary), and most time moving forwards. So don't dawdle in the transition tent, keep moving through aid stations, etc...just keep moving forwards.

Do the best with what you’ve got
You’ll never know how your race day will go until you start. So regardless of whether you’re playing with your A, B or C game, make sure you get 100% from whatever you’ve got...you owe it to yourself at least to do the best you can on the day.

Sunscreen up
You see the best (or worst) triathlon sunburn the day after IM races on sunny days. You're out there for hours, so of course you will get burned, and sweat doesn't stop it. Sunburn hurts, damages your skin and is a performance inhibiter. So be sensible and cover up and/or sunscreen before and during the race. It's easy to do and will save a lot of discomfort.

Smile and the world smiles with you
They say that smiling uses less muscles than a frown, but that's not the only reason to smile during the race. If you smile, people will smile back and give you their support. Positive karma and energy are things that will help you keep going when the race gets tough. Try it and see the response.

Avoid the "run split slower than bike split" club
At each IM there are new inductees to a small but exclusive club, but it's not a club you want to qualify for. You see, these people had a run split slower than their bike split. Ouch!! Needless to say, something has gone wrong, and whatever it is, you really don't want that to happen to you so plan ahead to avoid it.

The Australian IM Landscape

This is an article for www.firstoffthebike.com that will appear there soon.

They say that nothing is more constant than change...not even 12 months ago there were two IM's in Australia...and this week there are four.

Back then we had the 'main' IM at Port Macquarie that has been trying so hard to carry on the history sustained for so long at Forster, and the 'other' IM over in Bussleton which has grown in popularity to be an established event on the calendar.

Now we can add to this list the newcomer and debut IM in Melbourne later this month, plus the (surprise) transformation of the previous Challenge Cairns into IM Cairns, with these races bringing 75 and 40 Kona slots (respectively) to the field for Australian triathletes.

Even with the appetite for IM events amongst Australian triathletes, surely four of them in a country this size is reaching saturation point...can they all survive? If it weren't for IM being a monopoly brand you would say no, but WTC have proven smart at developing the spread of the IM around the world and maybe their business people know more than we do.

But let's have a quick look at each event on the calendar, in chronological order:

IM Melbourne
Currently it has no history, but after years of red hot rumours it sold out 1600 spots in 5mins, helped by being a tier-2 IM and the Asia Pacific Championship - not to mention 75 Kona slots - it is destined to be a success. The course has capacity to support a large field and Melbourne has a history of supporting big sporting events. Many people are eagerly awaiting Sunday 25th March to see how it actually unfolds.

IM Australia, Port Macquarie
Originally established at Forster, the Australian IM has a long history from the 1980's which has been continued at Port Macquarie since 2006. Port Macquarie is a beautiful spot (especially if you're retired), has hosted some great triathlons over the last decade - including IM and 70.3 simultaneously in 2011 - and has sold out in quick time in recent years. However many people say it just isn't the same as Forster, locals are not really in favour of it, and that its success has only been because of lack of choice...we wonder how many entrants switched to IM Melbourne once it was announced last year? But an IM is an IM in any location and this is still IM Australia.

IM Cairns
The other new entrant to the IM list in Australia, this race had its first appearance in 2011 under the banner of Challenge Cairns, continuing the growing world wide spread of Challenge events. By all reports it was a fantastic race, albeit with smallish numbers (compared to IM) but Challenge were committed to its future. However everything changed when event organisers USM Events were taken over by WTC, and now IM has replaced Challenge as the branding for the race, with the addition of 40 Kona slots and 100,000 Euro pro prize purse. Far north QLD is a great location for an IM, and makes for an iconic course.

IM WA, Bussleton
This event has been on since 2004 and has established its own appeal and history, attracting athletes from Australia and around the world. The fields have grown each year, as has the strength of the pro field, and it represents the great combination of unique location and fast course...not to mention being separated by a number of months from the other three IM races.

So what is there to make of this situation this year, also considering NZ IM across the ditch? Well, I think it’s a safe bet that Challenge won’t be in a hurry to set foot in Australia soon. People will still go to Busso for a fast IM time. Cairns will be a postcard event with the spectacular setting. Melbourne will rock the IM world. Port Mac will still be IM Australia, although it’s prestige has lost some shine. And NZ will always have appeal, but perhaps less so for Aussies and Kiwis alike when there is so much choice in Australia.

But what about next year? One would think the IM landscape in Australia may be changing by then. Melbourne will be huge feature on the calendar. Busso will retain its appeal. Cairns will appeal as an iconic location...now with Kona slots. But what for Port Mac? Has it’s time come? Geographically it is stuck in the middle, and same for the event date. The course is challenging with great, but short, sections along the coast. Can the sentimentality carried over from Forster prop it up? Will the Sydneysiders and Brisbanites who are used to being able to drive to an IM support a race they must fly to?

I’m not privy to any information, just speculation. But one would think that a long-term future with four IM events in a small country like Australia – plus NZ nearby – is either not sustainable, or that at least one event will suffer a dwindling fate. I’ve suggested what I think might happen...time will tell.

Katoomba trip pictorial

Last weekend was meant to be the 6ft Track Marathon at Katoomba in the NSW Blue Mountains, however it was cancelled due to the river crossing level being too high...read more about the whole 6ft experience in a later post. Anyway, Monty, Andrea & I decided to go up anyway since everything was booked, and have a nice weekend away in a beautiful location in the mountains. The following are some photos from the trip, as somewhat of a pictorial diary of the trip.

We arrived on Friday evening and made a beeline for the Katoomba family hotel, which turned out to be a great choice since the food was well priced, and my hamburger was so good it deserved a photo!!

On Saturday morning we met up with about 20-30 other runners for a substitute run in place of the actual race. We left from the Katoomba aquatic centre and headed out along Narrow Neck, which is a stretch of plateau that extends out from Katoomba into the valley a little like a peninsula might do in the ocean. It was a fantastic run in brilliant weather and with spectacular views around each corner.
At the end of Narrow Neck the big group had thinned out to these folks who gathered for a postcard photo.

Then we headed down into the valley down some really steep terrain, including a ladder and at a different point using these steel pegs hammered into the rocks to help us get down.

Although we didn’t actually get there, here is a photo of the river we were meant to cross in the race...pretty clear that the decision to cancel the race was the right one.

Later in the afternoon we made a trip to the race start point so Monty could see some of what he missed out – it was to be his first time in the race.

We also went to Scenic World and took the cable train down into the valley, did a walk and then caught the cable car back up – it’s all just so green and spectacular. It was a great day in Katoomba, and we all love the scenery.

The next morning, on Sunday, we went for another, shorter, run where I bumped into 2 of the guys I ran with on Saturday who proceed to take me on some very winding, muddy, rough tracks – plus stairs – which took us to the top and then the bottom of the Leura Falls...this is Brendan Davies posing with me!!

Despite not doing the race we’d trained so long and hard so, the weekend was not a waste and was a great get away.

Alastair Brownlee's achilles

The following is an article soon to be published on www.firstoffthebike.com

The ITU world was buzzing recently with the news that Alastair Brownlee is injured, with a small tear in his left achilles tendon that was expected to sideline him for a month. It was reported that the injury should not impact Brownlee’s race schedule as he prepares for London 2012, with his first major event taking place in San Diego in May.

“Obviously this isn’t an ideal situation, but I can say that this has been his best winter’s training, probably ever,” Malcolm Brown (one of Brownlees’s coaches) told the BBC. “We had scheduled a break from training at the end of the winter period anyway, so I am not overly concerned at this stage. He is swimming every day, and will train on a static bike today."

This is big news, and no doubt Brownlee has access to the best of treatment and advice so we can only take the news as it is reported. However, as someone who's had two achilles surgeries on the same leg (plus another op for a related matter), I thought I might offer some thoughts based on what I've learned about the topic.

But first, I'm no medico, so these are just my considered thoughts.

Suffice to say, the achilles is a very important tendon for running. Tendons are also notoriously fickle things to treat with many techniques that are / have been used but none that are proven to be better than any other. Just ask someone with 'tennis elbow', 'jumpers knee' or more relevantly, achilles tendinopathy, about their torment dealing with them. A tear might be more clear cut, I don't know, but to me, anything issue to do with the achilles sounds the biggest, brightest and loudest warning bells.

When dealing with achilles issues, you need to think in terms of weeks and months, not days. It just doesn't respond that way. It is said that Brownlee is in an "air boot" which I assume is a CAM (Controlled Ankle Motion) boot which is great for forcibly resting the achilles while still allowing some general mobility (I used to commute on a bike wearing mine!!). But a CAM boot has other issues - it rapidly weakens the muscles in the lower leg, and can cause knee and/or hip issues due to the uneven nature of having one foot basically on a platform several centremetres off the ground - if you walk too much like this, you get knock on problems elsewhere.

So even if Brownlee is in the boot for 2-4 weeks and his achilles does repair (I suggest that would be best case), then not only is the achilles going to continue to be a weakness, but his calf and lower leg will also be weak - all this takes time to rehab let alone to be doing quality (run) training. All the while, time is ticking down to the Olympics, even though he has earned a slot already. The injury and time out of training will present as a chink in his armour, although he has returned from injury before (stress fracture in his femur in 2010, I think) successfully. I'd suggest an achilles tear is more complicated than a stressie.

What his injury also means is that his competitors not only benefit from training that Brownlee is missing, but will give them a huge motivational boost to know that a key gold medal contender is, perhaps, not untouchable. Brownlee is a mortal, like them, which in their mind will level the playing field enormously and perhaps change the way the race may be run. Expect to see the top ITU guys with an extra spring in their stride.

I hope Brownlee does recover as we all want to see the best in the world compete at their best for Olympic gold, and I hope my speculation is way off mark. Either way, we all know there are two Brownlees and the younger Johnathon is reportedly still going well.

Taper Tactics

With two Australian IMs just around the corner, athletes in these races will be either at the point of tapering or looking forward to the reduction in training that a taper brings with it. For many people, a taper is simply seem as the time for R&R, which is spot on, however, the approach you take towards actually tapering can make a difference on race day both physically and mentally. A taper is about preparing for the race in all respects, to get the most return from the training and preparation effort you've put in over weeks and months.

When you talk about tapering, there is the theory and then there is the practice, and the relationship between them can be somewhat tenuous!!! The reason is that tapering needs to be flexible to take into account all kind of circumstances in order to get to the start line feeling ready to race. Everyone will respond differently to the IM build-up - and how they respond during periods of rest - so the taper needs to reflect the circumstances each athlete has been through. So thinking and planning for a taper will begin 4-5 weeks out from the race, and there are few principles I like to build into a taper, generally in order.

The first thing to include in a taper is rest and recovery. After an IM build phase of many weeks, athletes are tired and worn-out (but hopefully not in a well of fatigue!). So the first thing is to make sure you recover, physically and mentally, for as long as it takes to get your 'mojo' back. This might take 5-7 days, or longer. How long it takes doesn't matter - you will know how when is long enough by the feeling of being alive again, with some spring in your step and being truly excited by the race coming up.

During this time your training should cut right back, in terms of number of sessions (especially run, and bike to an extent, but maintain swimming frequency), duration and certainly all intensity (except swimming). You need to be severe in cutting training volume...and don't even look at or compare training numbers to usual, as this is not 'usual'. The hardest part of this R&R period is that you may well feel worse than when you are actually in normal training - this does your head in, often for days, as you can't figure out why such a drop in training leaves you still so tired. But don't panic, and 'keep the faith' in the plan because it is simply your body going through a super adaptation phase after which you will feel fitter and stronger than before.

In an ideal taper I would start this R&R phase 3 weeks pre-IM, after your last big, key sessions. Expect it to take anywhere from 5-9 days, and avoid the temptation to short-cut it so you can train again. You are past training and now into tapering, which is real shift in mind-set that is hard for many people to make. Your focus is on doing what is necessary to feel great on the start line, not counting miles in your diary.

Once you've got your mojo back, you really are in the home straight to the IM race start, and where the structured taper kicks in. So during the 2nd week pre-IM, once you're recovered, you can even step up your swimming - you can make great gains in the pool now you're not tired - and focus on 2 key runs and rides; a shorter and longer one of each. Your shorter, typically mid-week run and ride should be much like your regular mid-week session but about 2/3 the length. Don't change the intensity from usual because you are feeling better, and enjoy the feeling of being strong and on top of  your training. Do the ride and run on separate days, where you want to be feeling good for each session...that is a pre-requisite. If you aren't, then you must have short-cut the R&R part!!

The longer ride and run would also be about 2/3 of usual length, but still being no change in intensity from what you've been doing. Keep things relaxed and in control. During this week you might do one other ride and run, but keep them very short and very easy. Focus on doing the key sessions well and feeling good.

Come race week you're almost at the point where you can't do too little. A couple of swims, ride and runs is all you need, and plenty of sleep. If you're feeling confident, do a few short race efforts, but keep at the front of your mind the number one goal of not doing anything that you think might jeopardise feeling great on race day. Your actual sessions will need to fit around race week routine and travel, of course. Finally, carbo load begins 3 days before race day and ends morning before race day. After that just eat so you're not hungry.

In summary, you start the taper with R&R, which then leads into reduced volume but maintained intensity, which leads further in race week to much reduced volume and hardly any intensity. Plus rest. The two goals of this approach are to be feeling refreshed and good by 10-12 days pre-IM, and then to get to the start line feeling really good.

So that is the theory of a taper. The practice of a taper might fit exactly, but more likely will deviate from about 4 weeks out to 1 week out - race week should be much the same. Sometimes an athlete might be so tired from the IM build that the R&R period needs to be brought forward, to back off training for as long as it takes and then get into the structured taper.

Alternatively, some circumstances mean an athlete may had a limited or interrupted build, so their build period wasn't so hard and their fatigue isn't so deep. In this case, the R&R may start a bit later, and be a bit shorter just as long as you feel good by 7-9 days pre-IM.

The specifics of the sessions you do should be similar to what you've done during your training build phase. Don't do any new type of training, or increase your intensity. Keep things same-same, just less of it. Other aspects of taper include mental preparation, tatics, technical and nutrition.

The taper is a great time, like a victory lap after all the hard training. Just don't blow it all by messing up your taper...there is few reasons for turning up on race day tired and not ready to go. The taper is to prepare you for a great day.

Finally, these taper tactics can be readily applied to other sports - running, cycling, etc - but with respect for the nature of sessions typical for those sports.