Duathlon Tips

Hello,
First tip - If you haven't already done it, get your bike fitted. This
alone increased my speed by 2-3 MPH.
Second tip - You should try to keep the same cadence at all times. I try
to keep my cadence around 100 RPM.
Third tip - Ride as much as possible. This will help you keep a high
cadence on your big sprocket.
Fourth tip - To increase run speed, do fartleks. There are several
variations, but it is basically: run fast, run slow, repeat.
Fifth tip - Upgrade your bike. If you don't already have them, aerobars
make a huge difference. Aero wheels if you can afford them.

Even though I've done duathlons for three years, I still consider myself
a beginner. I've also had trouble following my own advice! I'm sure the
experts will have more tips.

Hope this helps,
Larry

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all-

I'm a 24 yo male who played varsity sports in college and am looking to
do something now to keep me in shape.

I've recently started doin duathlons and am now looking for how to
better increase my times.

I've been thinking that the best way would be to start biking at a
lower gear with as close to a cadence as i had before and to run up
hills for sustained periods.

What do you folks think? Do you have any better ideas, or ideas
possibly related to weight training to better increase my time.

Thanks
David

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted post said:

I've recently started doin duathlons and am now looking for how to
better increase my times.

Get a heavier bike, then tape iron ingots to the top tube and put a few
in your bike jersey and bottle cages. Underinflate your tires and don't
take spare tubes. Try to sit up on the bike ass much as possible and
avoid aerodynamics. Maybe wear a jacket you can spread out when biking
into the wind. Don't use cycling shoes. Adjust your brakes so they rub
on your rims. Walk during the running segment. And the bike segment.
Maybe even lay down by the side of the road for a while, or crawl on
your hands and knees. I'm sure other people will have good ideas as well.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

Quoted post said:

I'm a 24 yo male who played varsity sports in college and am looking to
do something now to keep me in shape.

I've recently started doin duathlons and am now looking for how to
better increase my times.

I've been thinking that the best way would be to start biking at a
lower gear with as close to a cadence as i had before and to run up
hills for sustained periods.

What do you folks think? Do you have any better ideas, or ideas
possibly related to weight training to better increase my time.

Harold Buck certainly gave you the literally correct responses, but
I'm going to guess what you REALLY want to do is to DEcrease your
time. Otherwise, just keep getting older - that'll do nicely. ;-)

Do a number of your runs and rides as intervals - at race pace. It's
a heck of a lot easier to run/ride a bit longer at a pace you've
trained at than it is to incrase your pace on race day for a distance
you've trained at (at a lower level).

Don't get too hung up on the equipment - you can upgrade as your
skills merit, but in general it's not a great use of money to spend a
grand in go-fast equipment to move you from 56th to 52nd overall.
There's nothing WRONG with nice equipment though - if it blows your
skirt up, it can be worth the investment.

Practice the transition. That's the least fun part of training, but
will (per hour of effort) produce the most results. Note - I've never
done this myself, but think it's a great idea. You might consider
getting some clip-in platforms so you can ride in running shoes -
these are popular in short duathlons since they reduce the transition
time to just the time necessary to throw on your helmet and grab your
bike. You'll ride a bit slower, but will come out ahead on short
races.

And mostly - have fun. Don't burn yourself out training. Taper off a
few days (minimum) before a race so you're fresh. Warm up before.

And I've heard that riding a titanium bike will make you not only
faster, but irresistable to the opposite sex. ;-)

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

:-D

Not even a hint of irony ...

"Harold Buck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted post said:

I've recently started doin duathlons and am now looking for how to
better increase my times.

Get a heavier bike, then tape iron ingots to the top tube and put a few
in your bike jersey and bottle cages. Underinflate your tires and don't
take spare tubes. Try to sit up on the bike ass much as possible and
avoid aerodynamics. Maybe wear a jacket you can spread out when biking
into the wind. Don't use cycling shoes. Adjust your brakes so they rub
on your rims. Walk during the running segment. And the bike segment.
Maybe even lay down by the side of the road for a while, or crawl on
your hands and knees. I'm sure other people will have good ideas as well.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

cadence of 100? I aim for 85 to 90... what do most people average?

Larry Gray said:

Hello,
First tip - If you haven't already done it, get your bike fitted. This
alone increased my speed by 2-3 MPH.
Second tip - You should try to keep the same cadence at all times. I try
to keep my cadence around 100 RPM.
Third tip - Ride as much as possible. This will help you keep a high
cadence on your big sprocket.
Fourth tip - To increase run speed, do fartleks. There are several
variations, but it is basically: run fast, run slow, repeat.
Fifth tip - Upgrade your bike. If you don't already have them, aerobars
make a huge difference. Aero wheels if you can afford them.

Even though I've done duathlons for three years, I still consider myself
a beginner. I've also had trouble following my own advice! I'm sure the
experts will have more tips.

Hope this helps,
Larry

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all-

I'm a 24 yo male who played varsity sports in college and am looking to
do something now to keep me in shape.

I've recently started doin duathlons and am now looking for how to
better increase my times.

I've been thinking that the best way would be to start biking at a
lower gear with as close to a cadence as i had before and to run up
hills for sustained periods.

What do you folks think? Do you have any better ideas, or ideas
possibly related to weight training to better increase my time.

Thanks
David

On Wed, 21 Sep 2005 20:55:45 GMT, "Larry Gray" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Second tip - You should try to keep the same cadence at all times. I try
to keep my cadence around 100 RPM.

Wow, do you actually succeed at keeping it that hight? How fast are
you going?

JT

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Quoted message said:

cadence of 100? I aim for 85 to 90... what do most people average?

80

--
Mark
_______________________________________
Nerves of Steel, Heart of Gold, Knob of Butter

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mark \(MSA\) said:

Quoted message said:

cadence of 100? I aim for 85 to 90... what do most people average?

80

Actually, they recommend 90 for cycling. But you may be right about the
average.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

Hello,
I try for 100, but realistically get about 90 to 95. I still don't shift
in time, and slow to 70 to 80 on hills. I don't go very fast, because I
cannot maintain this cadence in my highest gears. My highest race average
speed this year was only 18 MPH (which is a big improvement over previous
years). I've read that a higher cadence will not tire your legs as much as a
slower cadence. I tend to agree with this. When I first started racing, I
would get in my highest gear, but only crank around 60. When I started my
run, my legs were shot. Hopefully, next year I can train enough to maintain
atleast 90, in my highest gear.

Larry

"Harold Buck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mark \(MSA\) said:

Quoted message said:

cadence of 100? I aim for 85 to 90... what do most people average?

80

Actually, they recommend 90 for cycling. But you may be right about the
average.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 23:11:49 GMT, "Larry Gray" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I've read that a higher cadence will not tire your legs as much as a
slower cadence.

Where did you read that? And did this source point out the
appropriate cadence is at least somewhat related to the speed you're
going and the power you put out, or did it claim that higher is better
in all cases?

Quoted message said:

would get in my highest gear, but only crank around 60. When I started my
run, my legs were shot. Hopefully, next year I can train enough to maintain
atleast 90, in my highest gear.

What's the highest gear on your bike? If it's about 108 inches (52x13
with 700c wheels) that's over 25mph I think. That'd be a *massive*
imporvement in speed over 18mph and seems quite implausible.

JT

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