Hi everyone, glad to have found this site and keen to get training for either a Duathlon or half marathon.
Hopefully I have posted in the right section....

I have been cycling for the past 8months or so on a 8kg Trek road bike, I cycled from Adelaide in Australia to Queensland just recently which was about 2800kms so the bike and I got to know eachother fairly well :-) You can check out my blog at www.rawhealthconscious.blogspot.com
My boyfriend is at pro-cyclist level and set the bike up for me, he also tricked me into going up a lot of hills to improve my training!...

I have been jogging for about 10years but not competitively and rather slow I'd say!At one stage in my running career I was going quite well but then 'hit the wall' and stopped running for about 6months. I was a personal trainer for about 5years, 1year ago so I have a lot of experience with weights etc. Have been a yoga enthusiast for about 8years inconsistently.

My current fitness level is proably intermediate although I have never challenged myself by racing anyone, always had too much 'fear of failure' going on to take the first step.
I am 166cms, 60.5kg, bf% not sure but its prob about 23% or more, I have strong quads and build muscle easily, good flexibility and co-ordination.

How much weight-training/bodyweight exercise should I incorporate? Yoga? etc..

So any advice on what to go for first would be appreciated and your personal experiences...plus a free duathlon program would be appreciated!

Sounds like you are pretty knowledgeable, but from being a triathlete and competing in a lot of Duathlons I can only add that you need to do a lot of events, race to get race-fit, as we say.

That will also improve your confidence.

Do a good brick session once a week for your intensity session, where you get use to riding hard with your heart rate high, as it is when you get on the bike after that first run, then get use to running with blown legs from the ride!

There are not too many things I have done sport-wise that are more painful than the 10/40/5 distance duathlon!

Hi there LBP, unique name, just got barked at on my walk by a little carmel pug
Thanks for responding so quickly. So Duathlons can be tougher than Tri's? I guess it makes sense with all the emphasis on the legs. So when you say I need to do a lot of events to get race-fit, what do u mean exactly? i should focus more on just doing races rather than so much on training for them? Yes i can imagine that definitely improving my confidence.

What is a brick session?
What training did you do specifically for your past Duathlons?

I know my fitness is ok and pretty well-rounded but the mental edge is what ill be needing to develop...
I'm not sure at my beg-intermediate level in running what distance I should start out doing say 14weeks out? and how much would you suggest increasing daily, weekly by? Should I do a different course/intensity daily? I know its important to increase distance gradually & factor in a rest week but am interested in everyone elses prescripiton

Thanks again!

Cool I just noticed you are a Vegan! Me too :-) I am raw vegan though, no cooked food.

A brick session is where you jump off your bike, change into your runners and go again so you get used to running on jelly legs after the bike. You can do it the other way around also, but running staight off the bike is much more difficult.

What distance duathlon are you training for?

Do you have a local tri club? They usually hold duathlons over winter, so once a month a club race is a really cheap and low-key race to get you racing. Otherwise find a race about 6 weeks out from your goal race as a practice event.

Joining a local cycling club that hold regular weekend races is great for getting some higher intensity bike race fitness too.



I had about a 6 month period when I was training specifically for the world duathlon championships, and basically I did 4 runs and 4 rides a week, off an ironman base, so my base fitness was good with lots of kms in the legs.

It looked something like this:

Monday PM = Easy Run 10kms OR recovery ride OR rest day if needed.
Tuesday AM = 50 - 60kms ride (2 hours)
Wednesday PM = Run Speed/intervals session 10-12kms
Thursday AM = 50 - 60kms ride (2 hours)
Thursday PM = Easy Run 8kms
Friday = PM Run tempo 12kms
Saturday = PM Bike race with cycle club ~ 80kms total riding / or AM long ride 100-120kms
Sunday AM = Long Run 20kms - 22kms / 2 hours
Sunday PM = Recovery Ride or wind trainer.

It's very hard to write a program without knowing alot about the individual and the distance. A training week for a reasonably fit individual could look something like this:

Mon: rest
Tues: 50km ride - include hills
Wed: 10km run steady
Thurs: 50 -80km ride - include intervals or TT section say 30km
Fri: 8km run easy
Sat: 60km ride 8km run (brick! ) rest if you are going to race
Sun: 18km run or race

This is just throwing a bit of a sample out there. This sort of program assumes a reasonable aerobic and running base and could easily see 3 weights sessions thrown in if that still floats your boat. As I said though, this may look too hard or really easy (hard to know)

I had reasonable success (1 Age Group National title, 1 National selection race win, 1 Age Group Worlds race, 1 Elite long course Worlds race, some A grade cycling racing) with weeks that looked like this (training for 15kmrun/60km bike/7.5km run and 10/40/5 races):

Mon: rest
Tues am: 100-120km ride - inc hills and specific strength work
pm: 15-20 km of runnnig including speed word eg. 12x400m, 20x300m
Wed am: 16km tempo run
pm: weights inc light stretching and core work
Thurs: 100 km ride - often group TT section approx 30km @ 42-55kph
Fri am: 12km run easy
pm: weights or stretching session or physio session
Sat: 6km run 60km ride 6km run (steady) or 120km ride or rest if racing
Sun: 20-25km run or 120km ride or race (running or Duathlon)

Note: There were many variations in intensity and duration of sessions but I hope you get the picture or the mix of sessions. I did not have children when I was doing this training . I no longer train like this....but I do have kids.

I should also add that in my humble opinion Duathlon races are by far the most painful sort of endurance event I have done (out of shorter running races, half marathons, marathons and triathlons, road racing, cycling TTs). The first run is almost race pace as compared to a normal running race (without 'emptying the tank' in the last couple of kms) followed by a very hard pre fatigued cycling TT, topped off with a very fatigued final run. Calf cramping and quad spasms can be a problem for people not used to running off the bike.

Littleblackpugs suggestion of hooking up with a tri club is a great suggestion as there should be some qualified coaches to guide you.
Cycling clubs for some higher intensity riding and bike handling skills are also a good idea and great fun.

My philosophy was to train with the best runners I could find, ride with the best riders I could find and then two together on my own in my 'brick' sessions.

Oh wow thankyou so much everyone!

Rockdoc thanks for the heads up on brick training, I almost chucked in a session today. Where i am living is really hilly & although I can make it up the hills on my bike(just)some of the hills are like 30%inclines and jogging it really takes it out me, is it better to start doing bricks on the flat?

Hi LBp, man you are one inspiring woman! I am going to print out your schedule. I realise we are all different but having a loose idea of a suitable routine is so helpful, i can now modify it to suit me. I haven't actually chosen a Duathlon to train for yet but thinking of doing one in about 3months or so in Adelaide but then again maybe sooner. Not sure of the distance but less is more right now! I can't really swim so I haven't joined a tri club, can i just join and do the cycling and running? Im also scared I won't be able to keep up with a bike group (although I know joining a group is vital in me succeeding) so i'll work on that mindset. So you don't believe in 1 -2 days recovery a week? I have an issue with trying to do too much too soon then burn out. Those 50-60km bike rides for 2hours, are they incorporating hills? because averaging 30km/hr in the hills is impressive! There are just so many hills around here, i do love them but not ideal for easy sessions. Fantastic advice thankyou x

Hey littlesim, thanks for taking the time to help me out :-) Yes I understand completely about the need for an individual program, i guess I was just after everyone elses experiences mainly. So you think only 1 brick session a week?
Wow that second prescription you gave is intense but I love it and I am going to now find a Tri club...just concerned about the swimming.
I like your philosophy u sound just like my boyfriend! A great attitude to have thats for sure.

sorry, I was going to post something useful, but I love the above comment. I thought you were still talking about your boyfriend ...

Unlike LBP, I reckon there's not too many races harder than the 10/40/5 duathlon! Apart from the 400m hurdles perhaps. Sure there's tougher courses and looooonger distances in ultra events and the like (some moron came up with the deca-Ironman some years back). But taken at full tilt, a duathlon over that distance sounds like a world of pain to me.

But you're a cyclist, so you've got the hardest bit sorted. As others have mentioned, bricks, bricks, bricks are the secret to duathlons. Run on and off the bike. Cycling after running can be just as hard as the other way round.

hello Freelea,

wellcome to coolrunning.

triathlon typical brick training session is longish hard bike ride and than straigh off fast medium long run.


with duathlon

it can go either way do cycle first and than run, or run first and than cycle, this second version has some intersting logical stuff behind it, but it is too long for this topic.

However there is nothing to stop You to do simulation training session, doing the duathlon format in the training : so run, cycle and run in 1 go, the distances and paces are not that important.


There are few technical issues You have to consider :

I know Harley has a view on using well cushioned motion control running shoes, but this will never allow You to become fast runner, You need to train and race in so called racing flats, perhaps not every running session needs to be in racing flats, You can have various running shoes for various type of ranning paces and surfaces, but need to get confident runner in racing falts.

Second issue is the changing of shoes or not during the duathlon, You have 2 option, have the running shoes for run and cycling shoes for bike, and You need to practice quick shoes changeover, You need to go to watch few races first and watch the transition area.
Another option for short duathlon is use 1 shoes for whole race, obviously that would be running shoes, You need to work out, how to cycle in running shoes, perhaps go back to old pedals with straps system etc.


This shoes issues and strategy You need to work out well ahead of any race and practice and practice in training.


Say hello to Harley for me

and good luck with duathlons


Rudolf