Basic Triathlon questions from those who don't know

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gt Apr 2018 3:48pm, 26 Apr 2018 9 posts	0 gt Not a triathlon question but a duathlon question, mainly because I swim like a brick :-D I'm entering an off-road duathlon in September and I've never done one before. I've done loads of mtb races previously and wasn't terrible so I'm not too concerned about that leg but apart from my running being distinctly average I've also got no idea how to train for it! The event is 10k run/20k bike/5k run. Should I be starting to do similar things in training and build up to the event distances? Should I do run/bike sessions or bike/run sessions? Anything else I need to start doing in my training? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Gobi Apr 2018 3:56pm, 26 Apr 2018 63,786 posts	0 Gobi It is worth doing run/bike And bike/run They both feel different Distance wise it is not crucial to do do race distance Vary the efforts. So maybe run for 30mins with the last 10 hard then jump on the bike and just ride easy initially. Raise it to 15 mins hard run into first 15 mins of bike hard. Do similar bike to run. I'm racing sharp end and am close to 50 . Couple of outings at an event in Cirencester You don't need to go daft.
jdarun Apr 2018 7:21pm, 26 Apr 2018 2,797 posts	0 jdarun Bit concerned you talk about building up to race distance. 10k run and 20k bike wouldn’t normally be considered long workouts.
LazyDaisy Apr 2018 7:43pm, 26 Apr 2018 22,295 posts	0 LazyDaisy Looking at your training page the 10k is a distance you can do/have done with no trouble so that's no problem and nor is the bike mileage! Also the duathlon is not until September so you've plenty of time to get used to going from one discipline to the other. Do plenty of run>bike and bike>run sessions and you'll ace it Good luck!
gt Apr 2018 7:46pm, 26 Apr 2018 10 posts	0 gt I should probably clarify that a bit, I meant building up to the distances combined. I've raced plenty of mtb events which were much longer than 20k so no concern about that at all. On the running front, I've only been running for the past three months or so but I'm comfortably doing regular 5k runs and one 10k a week at the moment but trying to build the running up slowly to try and avoid injury. The whole run to bike and bike to run thing is the bit that I need to build up to.
jdarun Apr 2018 8:07pm, 26 Apr 2018 2,799 posts	0 jdarun Fair enough, that makes sense and Gobi’s reply is probably perfect for you. Though I’d still suggest upping the runs gradually to closer to 20k steady/easy pace.
gt Apr 2018 10:53pm, 26 Apr 2018 11 posts	0 gt I'll try and do that as well. I'm hoping to build up my longer run each week and at the same time try and build up a bit of speed in my shorter runs. The cycling side will be taken care of with my commute and one or two extra sessions each week.
Gobi Apr 2018 11:05pm, 26 Apr 2018 63,789 posts	0 Gobi he is not running 20km - I also read it as building the sessions to length. It is not needed thanks for the support JD - nice when people agree with my coaching
GordonG Apr 2018 9:41pm, 28 Apr 2018 7,501 posts	0 GordonG FYI here's a triathlon with a difference: 20K bike 5k run, and er... 2k kayak i have no idea how the kayak bit of it is organised, but it sounds fun! I don't think transition times are counted as it looks like you might have to wait for a kayak to become available. i've listed it in the fetch race listing Winchester July 8
Cyclops Apr 2018 9:52pm, 28 Apr 2018 3,453 posts	0 Cyclops One of the tri club does quadrathlon which includes a kayak leg.