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Valentin Andre's secrets for progressing over 10 kilometers!
Interview with Mizuno athlete Valentin André, accompanied by the brand's Marketing Manager Mehdi Trabelsi. Aged 34, Valentin André is a duathlon professional with four selections for the French national team and a sixth-place finish at the recent world championships. With a record time of 28'55 over 10 kilometers and 14'01 over 5 kilometers, Valentin answers our questions for Call Room. Here are the main points covered during the podcast, so don't hesitate to listen in for more details.
Can you tell us about the duathlon discipline and its place in France today?
Duathlon is a combination of cycling and running. In recent years, the discipline has become increasingly professionalized, with brands such as Mizuno investing in athletes.
In France, great athletes such as Benjamin Choquert and Marion Legrand have contributed to the development of the discipline. Today, the level of competition has greatly evolved, and we need to run ever faster, with high race density!
How did you discover duathlon?
It's a very recent development, since I only really started getting involved in 2021. Coming from a 3000m Steeplechase background (runner-up in the French U-21 event at the age of 21), I already had a good level on foot. Then, during the confinement period, I also discovered my cycling skills thanks to some friends with whom I used to ride Zwift.
"With my performance, I decided to take the opportunity to put aside my pastry business and lowered my time by doing a 10 kilometer in under 29 minutes."
Valentin Andre
What role does duathlon play in your daily life today?
My wife and I had the opportunity to move to the Netherlands and that was the catalyst. With my performances, I decided to take the opportunity to put aside my job as a pastry chef and lowered my time by doing a 10 km in under 29 minutes. At first, I wasn't sure where I was going, but now I've been devoting myself totally to duathlon for two and a half years. I don't regret taking the plunge at all!
How do you manage your training?
Planning for running is similar to that for 5 or 10 kilometers. Then you add cycling to your daily routine, and as you approach competitions, you work on transitions and sequences.
I'm staying very classic in the construction of my weeks, with no double threshold or lactate test, for example. I'll still work on different intensities, whether it's with threshold, VMA, fartleck... I try to do my cycling sessions on the same days as my running sessions, to reproduce the fatigue of competition. I also add weight training to my training.
On foot, this represents between 100 and 120 kilometers a week, and 300 to 400 kilometers by bike, or around twenty hours.
How important is recovery to you?
This is where I saw a big difference when I turned professional. By combining duathlon with my job as a pastry chef, I found it hard to recover. Before, I always seemed to be chasing the train, which led to injuries, which are now a thing of the past.
In the Netherlands, I don't have a medical facility around me, but I've been able to set up a cold bath protocol after each session and I can really feel the benefits.
I also pay attention to my nutrition, hydration and sleep.
MIZUNO
NEO VISTA
How did you train to break the 29-minute barrier for the 10-kilometre race?
For the Lille 10 km, I was very consistent in the two to three months leading up to the event. As the race approached, I slightly increased the intensity and lowered the mileage, to reach a time of 29'20. Then, with my coach, we set our sights on Valencia in January 2024, with a more cross-country-style preparation that included less track.
Can you share with us some key sessions you've done?
One session I really enjoy is doing 3 blocks of 2 laps of a soccer pitch at running pace. I then follow this up with 8 diagonals. I do this big block three times. It stings a bit, but I have the impression that it's helped me get over some hurdles. Often, 10 days before the 10 km, I'd do a 2x500/1000/3000/1000/2x500 between 22 and 23.5 km/h. Before Valencia, this session confirmed my ability to achieve these times, and I was able to project myself onto the race.
