Help... I just signed up for a duathlon!

[laura jane]

Hello...

In a moment of great confidence and motivation, I signed up for the Philly Women's Duathlon/Triathlon this coming July. It's run/bike/run and I thought by signing up for it, I wouldn't be able to talk myself out of backing down. But now I have to train and I'm a little overwhelmed with how to get started.

I have done the distance before (18 miles) but I am still relatively new to my road bike (Cannondale Synapse) and my clip in pedals. Also, I will need to outfit myself for this race (tri shorts?). I am set with jerseys, shoes, gloves, helmets, etc. Any suggestions on training programs and apparel, and just general advice for a relatively new road biker? My goal is just to finish, not to place, obviously.

Also, I would be interested in any duathlon specific advice, as well.

Thanks!

[Bike Chick]

Good for you! Last year a coworker and riding partner talked my husband and I into training for a triathlon. We had 5 months to train. I didn't know how to swim, was afraid of the water and hadn't ran in 10 years. We started with reading everything on the internet we could find and I used the TE forum for motivation and guidance. There are a lot of experienced ladies here that offer loads of advice and support. I took swimming lessons and trained hard. I had 3 goals: I wanted to finish, I wanted to do it under 2 hours and I didn't want to be last. Five months later I achieved those goals and had a great time. It was a lot of fun. You will enjoy this too. I would recommend going to a good sport shoe store and get fitted for a good pair of running shoes. Start a training journal and write down what you do every day and your times. It's encouraging to go back and read how far you have come when you hit a slump. You should be able to find training programs for duathlons on the internet. Try bicycling.com, runnersworld.com, or beginnertriathlete.com. Good luck!

[Jiffer]

As for the bike, get on and ride a little further each time. 18 is extremely doable, even for someone relatively new to cycling or out of shape, plus you've done it before. Some days you might want to do intervals to work on your speed (which is great to do with running as well). Just go as fast as you feel you can maintain for a specific, somewhat short distance, then go slow and recover, then do another fast interval, etc. When my friend and I did this last on the bike, we did it between signals. We'd ride as hard as we felt we could go to get to the next signal, then ride really slow to the next to recover, then go as fast as possible to the next, etc. Once you find yourself losing power, stop the intervals and just ride whatever pace is comfortable for the rest of the route. That may be only 2 intervals or 5 or whatever. I think we did signals because we don't have a long flat road without signals around here where we can measure a specific distance, like quarter or half mile.

My sister is in a triathlon training club for women. Hers is called Tri Diva. She gets coached and the camaraderie of other women and they do events together. You might look for something like that in your area.

[HillSlugger]

Hi, I'll be there doing the tri.

You've got 4 months to get ready; that's plenty of time to get used to your bike and get used to the distance.

For the duathlon I did in October I ditched the bike shoes and did the whole race in my running shoes, with PowerGrips on the bike pedals. I did this so as to greatly simplify the transitions and reduce their time to a minimum.

As you get used to the biking and running distances, you should also get used to the transition from one to the other. You should run, then bike and also bike then run, to get a feeling for what your legs will feel like going from one to the other. Also, practice the actual transition, changing from your running stuff to your biking stuff and also back. Try to keep it simple.

[atombessy]

Hi Laura Jane! I might be doing that duathlon as well, just chiming in to lend my support. The big hurdle for me will be running, I just started this winter to stay in shape when it's too dark to bike. Good luck! I'll be watching this thread for advice too

[Bike Chick]

Another couple of suggestions is to find some duathlons in your area before your race and go watch. This helps a lot if you are new to the event. Stand by the transition area and just take mental notes. Transition is where to can gain or lose time and something you always need to practice. If you do decide to change shoes, I would get speed laces for your running shoes. Sure beats tying knots when you are on the clock. I know you will be able to do this and you will have loads of fun. Enjoy it!

[spindizzy]

Welcome to TE!

+1 to what everyone else has said. The race is very doable and you have plenty of time to prepare. Aim to finish, with a smile and you will feel fantastic! We know you can do it.

I am a duathlete and my best peice of advice from my very first race - "Stay in the small ring" on your bike. I was so busy watching what other people were doing, and thought I could do the same... what was I thinking! I spent a lot of that race in the big ring and it totally fried my legs for the 2nd run.