In our first athlete interview for 2017 we catch up with Caleb McInnes Duathlon and Triathlon World Championship Competitor, Podiatrist and Director of Freedom Sports Medicine.
Caleb McInnes
Podiatrist /Director – Freedom Sports Medicine
Duathlete / Triathlete
4th Duathlon World Championships 2015
4th Triathlon Sprint Distance World Championship 2009
Multiple State and Australian Duathlon & Triathlon Champion
The past 2 years have seen a big change for you, starting up your own venture at Freedom Sports Medicine and qualifying for the World Duathlon Championships in Adelaide and Canada.
How have you managed to incorporate training, work and family life?
To be honest it has been had…juggling family, work and training. I am lucky in that I have a degree of flexibility around work and incorporate some of my training into my lunch breaks. The rest is done at cray hours early in the morning when the family is still sleeping.
Also doing events in with my clinic is involved has helped.
When did you begin multisport competition and what encouraged you to get involved?
I first started when I was about 20. I had previously been racing on the track, cross-country and playing basketball and a high level and was asked by a mate I rode with for fun and x-training if I would do a Triathlon with him.
I did well winning my age group…the rest is history…I pretty much stopped doing the other sports and focused on Tri’s then started Duathlon over the winter months. I loved it and haven’t looked back.
What would you classify to be your weakest leg, what have you been doing to strengthen it and what kind of improvements have you seen?
Coming from and running background the bike and swim were probably equally as bad in different ways…training for all there and being good at them in a balancing act. Focusing on one or 2 to get good at them usually means sacrificing another to a degree.
Getting a coach that could work on my weaknesses while having an appreciation and being able to program around my life was a huge key. On top of this, private stroke correction and drill work across all three sports has been a key.
I am very big on drills to help improve efficiency and load management.
In my opinion too many people focus on progressive overload and don’t focus on the things like technique and strength to enable the body to withstand the stress placed on it as an injury prevention and performance enhancement strategy. This is something in my practice at Freedom Sports Medicine I am very big on!
What would you classify as your strongest leg, does it continue to be a focus of training and do your PB’s continue to improve?
Run & possibly after lots of work almost on par is my bike leg. PB’s come from consistency and working on the little things. I don’t always get PB’s. This is partly due to the fact that conditions and course are always different.
You competed over a similar course in 2014 to qualify for this year’s event, have you developed any particular strategy for the upcoming race?
Not really but knowing the course and knowing where you push hard and where you can possibly conserve energy has its advantages.
What distances are you covering in each leg?
In a race:
Duathlon: 5run/20ride/3run or 10run/40ride/5run
Triathlon: 750swim/20ride/5run or 1.5km swim/40ride/10run
In Training: Swim 5-8km a week ; Bike 200-250 a week, Run 40-60 a week
What are the spec for your bike and do you where orthotics in your cycling shoes?
I am lucky enough to have bike Sponsor in WIZZ Racing bike…I have a road bike and Time Trial bike depending on what style of race it is, draft legal or non-drafting.
Yes I wear orthoses in my cycling shoes. Mechanics on the bike are totally different to that of running.
You are in a closed chain and want as stiff a foot as possible to maximise power transfer as well as distribute pressure. Most of the pressure in a cycling shoes otherwise concentrated over the ball of the foot.
What shoes are you wearing while running for both training and competition and do you wear orthotics in them?
Running:
Training: I rotate between Mizuno Rider, Sayonara and Hitogami – no I don’t wear orthotics in any of them. What I wear depends on distance and intensity
Cycling: Shimano TR9 Tri Shoe – Orthoses. Yes for the reasons stated above.
What kind of cross training and strength work have you done to prepare your body?
Keeping up with current evidence and doing it as part of an endurance athlete program is essential to maximise performance.
I am in the gym (home gym) 1-2 x week and focus on mobility though the use or foam rollers, lacrosse balls, stick and more about 4-5x/week, all on top of my 8-10 other training sessions a week when in a big training block.
Leaving 4-6hrs between a strength session and cardio is essential to maximise the benefit of both. Weights/Targeted strength work turns on certain cell signalling which has a certain effect on your body as does endurance/cardio work. The problem is that the chemicals that are released with each particular type of training will compete against each other if done too close together or at the same time and to some degree cancel out the physiological benefit of the specific type of training adaption you are trying to achieve. On top of this diet, recovery and sleep and periodisation of a training program are all equally as important.
Thanks for talking to me and all the best for the upcoming race.
Jackson McCosker
Director/ Chief Editor
FootNotes Publishing 