Sports Medicine: Just the Facts

CHAPTER 92 • TRIATHLON 541

may also raise the potential risk to triathletes com-

peting in extreme course triathlons.

8. Sunburn: Sun protection factor sunscreen of at least
   15 (SPF 15), a hat or visor, and UV protective sun-
   glasses are recommended to prevent the burning
   effects of the sun during training and competition.

TRAINING CONSIDERATIONS

•Triathlons are unique and demanding events that
require a dedicated, well-organized training program.
Proper training will prepare a competitor for success-
ful completion of the race and minimize the risk of
injury while training and while competing.

1. Training programs need to be customized to meet
   the competitors’ needs—what works for one ath-
   lete may not work for another. Recommend that
   novice competitors check on the abundant
   resources on the web, in triathlon magazines and
   from more experienced athletes and develop a pro-
   gram that suits them.

• General triathlon training recommendations

1. Increase training distance and time by no more
   than 10% per week.


2. Incorporate a regular stretching program as part of
   training.


3. Insure proper amounts of sleep and appropriate
   nutrition.
   4.Listen to your body: if you start a workout and feel
   tired or run-down, reduce the workout to a shorter
   distance. Pushing yourself and completing the longer
   workout may do you more harm in the long run.


4. Swim, bike, and run distances a little further than
   the race distance—builds confidence that you will
   be able to complete the race.


5. Open water swimming is very different from lap
   swimming in a pool; race day is not the best time
   to try it for the first time. Training will require
   some extra personnel as solo open water swim-
   ming is not recommended.


6. Train on the actual race course if it is possible.


7. Do not train hard the 2 weeks prior to the triathlon;
   you won’t make enough of an improvement to
   notice but you may hamper your performance.


8. Get plenty of sleep the night before the race.

BRICK TRAINING

•A combination bike/run workout that is used to help
train for probably the toughest part of the race, getting
off the bike and onto your feet.

1. Phrase coined in the late 1980s: Bike – Run – ICK
   (BRICK) descriptive term for how one’s legs feel
   after the workout.
   •Very demanding workouts and should not be routine.
   The novice triathlete should do only 1–2 before a
   competition with the more seasoned triathlete doing
   3–4 at the most.

NUTRITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Energy expenditure during exercise depends on the
  duration, frequency, and intensity of the exercise.
  Energy expenditure and energy intake need to be bal-
  anced and appropriate for the specific activity that the
  athlete is training for or competing in.
  
  
  1. Triathlons are incredibly energy expending events,
     with the average male Ironman competitor requir-
     ing 9000 kcal during a race and 3000–6000 kcal
     during training (DiMarco and Samuels, 2001).
     •Triathletes acquire 99% of their energy from the
     body’s endurance or aerobic system. After approxi-
     mately 2 min of exercise the body switches from
     anaerobic systems to aerobic systems for energy.
     ATP-creatine phosphate, glucose, and muscle glyco-
     gen provide rapid energy to exercising muscle but are
     unsustainable over prolonged periods. If carbohy-
     drates are not continued during endurance activities,
     glycogen stores are depleted in approximately 1 h.
     The aerobic or endurance system through the utiliza-
     tion of fats via the Krebs cycle and electron transport
     can produce the large amounts of adenosine triphos-
     phate (ATP) required for prolonged activity. More
     than one energy system may be utilized concurrently.
     This process is dynamic.
  
  
  2. The conversion of energy systems from anaerobic
     to aerobic is not abrupt and the intensity, duration,
     frequency, type of activity, and the fitness level of
     the individual all play a role in determining the
     conversion point.
  
  
  3. Training does not impact the total amount of
     energy expended during practice or competition
     but it does change the source of the energy from
     carbohydrates to fats. A well-trained athlete uses a
     higher percentage of fat, with long-chain fatty
     acids being the preferred source, than an untrained
     person at the same workload.
  
  
  
  


• The diet of the triathlete should be the same generally
  well-rounded, balanced diet that is recommended to
  all adults with some specific changes based on the
  need of the sport.
  
  
  1. The average endurance athlete requires approxi-
     mately 55 kcal/kg body weight while training. The
     daily requirements are as follows: