MAXIMISING OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLON PERFORMANCE ...

shoulders nor too big in the quads orgluts. This is just extra weight to becarried during the run. Yet swimmingand cycling develops these parts. Bodyshape is something over which one haslittle control. Just as a result of trainingyou naturally develop in the quads or theshoulders.Perhaps the best body shape is to lookas much like a runner as possible -narrow in the shoulders, not overlydeveloped in the quads, and very leanall over. However, this has to beachieved without losing strength in theupper body and legs required for the runand the bike. But, without a good runleg in Olympic Distance triathlon in awell balanced field of elite triathletes,you cannot win. Therefore I think someemphasis needs to be placed in theideal shape of a runner to maximiseperformance. Perhaps triathlon training,in the long run produces the idealtriathlon body naturally.9. Diet and SupplementsMy diet is fairly basic with pasta and fruitand vegetables as common elements. Itake little in the way of dietarysupplementation probably through alack of reliable professional advicerather than anything else. This mayneed greater consideration whenconsidering performance maximisation.10. TravelTravelling is part and parcel of being aprofessional triathlete and in some wayshinders performance. The dilemma ofthe triathlete is that he/she must travel toraces to earn money and/or worldranking points. One has to decidewhich races to target which hopefully fallnicely into training programs but as theraces set down in countries around theworld they will only coincidentally matchup with an athlete trying to maximiseperformance.11. ConclusionOlympic distance triathlon comprises aset of events the technical aspects ofwhich are extraordinarily complex whentaken as a whole. I believe it offersmore challenges than any other sport,not just because of the separatedisciplines, but as a young sport thenorms in respect of training,preparation, racing and recovery are stillbeing established. The currenttriathletes in some respects arepioneers, as are the coaches, sportsscientists and administrators each ofwhom has a role in contributing to themaximisation of performance oftriathletes.I have outlined my introduction to thesport and my subsequent journey todate and hope that this will contribute tothe general education one mightundertake in becoming an elite olympicdistance triathlete. I hope that theoutline of the historical record of myolympic distance races provides someinsight into the training and racemanagement for triathletes, particularlythose progressing through the juniorranks, and the subsequent progressiontowards high performance at the elitelevel of olympic distance triathloncompetition.My performances have been founded ona good technique in each disciplinewhich I believe to be the most significantfactor, apart from having the aerobicability, that has sustained myperformances.39