También disponible en españolThis is the second part of a three-part interview with elite tri-athlete Hernan Rubiano. He spent about three months in the Los Angeles area in a training camp with other young athletes with the purpose of improving his performance and learning new techniques from a renowned American coach. During those three months, Hernan spent a couple of days at our house before returning to his native Bogota.
JO: What is your routine like during training camp?
HR: The training at camp and at home varies in terms of intensity and the type of exercises performed. The frequency of and training time is about the same. I train 7 days a week with a one day break every 3 weeks. Four days of the week are spent training for 2 of the 3 sports; the remaining days, I train for all 3 sports within the same day. A typical day may go like this: I am in the water at 6 a.m. for up to 2-hours of swimming and water exercises (now that I am in Southern California, I train in the ocean). I eat breakfast, rest and hop on the bike around 11 a.m. Depending on what the coach has for planned for me, I could do a long ride or time trials. Right after, I do some speed work on the running track, followed by stretching and a full dinner. I sleep at least 8 to 9 hours per day, and take naps depending on the schedule.
JO: Which of three sports are you strongest on? Do you have a preference for any of them?
HR: The first question is somewhat difficult to answer. Every competition is different, so I may perform better or worse than expected on any of the three sports during an event. For the second question, I don’t have a preference – I enjoy triathlon as a single sport.
JO: What is the food/diet situation like given the demands of your training? [Note: Before you read Hernan’s answer, I witnessed in multiple occasions this guy eat anything and everything that was placed in front of him].
HR: I eat anything I can. I must plan to eat throughout the day, so I carry food everywhere I go. My focus is on consuming large amounts of protein. Not counting a snack before swimming, breakfast after swimming, and dinner after the day is over, I can down five large bottles of water, one banana, one protein bar, and four energy gels. I also take mineral and natural herb and animal oil supplements.
How many pairs?In the first 9 months of 2009, Hernan was already on his 10th pair of training shoes and third pair of shoes for competition. He also spends a small fortune on sunblock, which he wears year-round.
JO:Are there any odd or funny things that happened to you during a competition?
HR: During my first competitive event, I ran for about one kilometer before realizing I was still wearing my cycling helmet. In the middle of swimming in the last South American championship, another participant grabbed me and ripped a hole in my wetsuit. I had to finish the rest of the competition with part of my rear-end showing. I have had multiple toe nails fall off during a competition and ran with tennis shoes soaked in blood due to burst blisters (common for triathlon competitions). The most serious thing that has happened to me during a competitive event: I broke my right thumb when I fell off my bicycle (but I did cross the finish line).
JO: Do you say a prayer or have a routine before entering a competition?
HR: I have several routines that I do unconsciously. One of them is that I prepare a list of everything I need before leaving for a competition because I hate forgetting to bring apparel or equipment. And I never shower the day of a competition.
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