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Anyone here race offload duathalon like the xterra type events? I've really got into my running recently but I am starting to miss XC. Thought I might give combining the two a go! What's a typical week of training look like?
Watching this 🙂
I've done the last two years of the Cirencester Off-Road duathlon which is a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run. Great event and really tests your overall aerobic system. I'm much more of a XC racer so mainly focused on doing runs most days of the week and the usual amount of riding: 4 or 5 sessions.
Best thing I've found is practising the change over and getting the legs used to working the two muscle groups for running and cycling straight after each other.
Brick sessions. You need to get the legs used to running after being on the bike
I did the Wildman Duathlon in Nov - 10K run, 20K mtb, 5k run. It was cold and I found it hard? Brick sessions are the key, as already mentioned, and I found hill repeats useful as it was an up and down course.
I've done howarth mudman and clumber off road. Only way I can make running enjoyable is if it's off road and linked to a bike ride.
I do them quite regularly and really enjoy them. I won my only ever race in 23 years last September at the hurtleberry on holmbury hill! My finest moment!! Anyway, I enjoy them as a mountain biker first as most people are runners who seem to only occasionally pick up a bike. This means that you hang on grimly in the first run, then smash everyone out of the woods on the bike then see how far backwards you disappear on the last run! The human race series are good but expensive, other races are about but less common. An interesting variation is something like tri adventure.co.uk, that adds navigation into the mix. Do it, they are fun!
What sort of balance do you strike between running and riding over the course of a training block?
Those tri-adventure things look good but unfortunately are a wee bit far from me!
If I'm honest I'm not a big one for specific training - I commute 25miles a day 4 days a week, do parkrun on Saturdays (which I ride to and from which helps with transitions), try to fit in a longer run on weds, and a big mtb ride on Sunday's. Then I just race with what I have from that! For me it's about fun rather than specific training. I could probably be fitter and faster with more formalised training, but cba!
For my first Duathlon, I followed a BHF plan:
I modified it somewhat to fit my availability/encompass things I already did but it was a useful reference to ensure I was building up my activity and tapered to the race. For a single event, this kind of plan is great.
The first couple of brick sessions felt completely alien but I quickly got used to them.
Practice your transitions! I've done a few duathlons and sprint distance triathlons and it never ceases to amaze me upon review of the race results how very competitive run/swim/bike times are thrown away by farcical transition times.