There is an old rule of thumb around endurance sports that states 10 per cent of your total training time should be spent stretching. But is this a rule or an old wives’ tale?

When Rod Cedaro asked me to write an article on sports science for TMSM, I initially thought, "What the hell do I know about exercise physiology and biomechanics?" However, as Rod pointed out, over the last 10 years I’ve probably been poked and prodded by more doctors, physios and exercise scientists than most athletes see in a lifetime. So once I got on a roll the following flowed pretty easily.

We’re always hearing about the importance of technique when we swim and while this is extremely important, so too is having good form and technique when we run. Most triathletes are pretty conversant with swimming drills and how to hold themselves correctly in the water, even if they struggle to do so. On the other hand, ask a triathlete to do some running drills and what constitutes good running form and often you’ll be met by a blank stare. Here, we shed some light on the topic.

The human foot is a remarkable piece of engineering design. It is a shock-absorber like no other. When you consider that a 70 kilogram athlete will put something in the vicinity of 126,000 kilograms through each foot every kilometre they run, even at a moderate pace, it really puts things into perspective as to why the foot is vulnerable to injury if something goes astray.