Duathlon Training Plan – Skeleton For (Super-) Sprint and Standard Distances

Here is a VERY basic WEEKLY template for a Duathlon. You’ll have to work out your own specific sessions. If you want to do your own thing but follow a broad structure then this is for you. If, like me, you tend to follow very detailed plans then this is not what you want! You need a coach. A coach will be better value than investing in new bike kit…If you are doing an Ironman/Powerman distance then again you really need to take it more seriously and do much more research.

Make sure you know how to taper!

With about 1-3 weeks to go to your race make sure you recover well between your fast intervals and are comfortable with race pace.

NEVER do the same thing in consecutive weeks. Instead make subsequent weeks a little harder than the previous week. On the 4th week go back down several notches to BEFORE where you were in the first week. Then make the 5th week harder than the third week and again ramp it up to the 7th week. 8th week like the 4th.

You can cross train (swim) on rest days or do some strength work or stretch or plyometrics.

The active (non warm-up) component of your daily sessions should be at least half as long as your anticipated total race time. For your slower sessions then longer still.

Ideally every 4th week you will have some sort of test to see how you progress. Probably too advanced for users of this ‘plan’.

If you know about VO2 max then well done. But really IMHO you should understand and know what your HR training zones are based on LTHR. That’s more important for mortals like you and me.

Here’s your week:

Day 1: Slower run based on HR.  Certainly no more than tempo pace.

Day 2: Fast Bike. We’re talking intervals or pyramids. VO2. Say 5 min intervals at faster than race pace/power. Most of these intervals will see you go above your LTHR.

Day 3: REST

Day 4: Slower Bike based on HR. Say 10 beats lower than your LTHR-bike

Day 5: Fast Run, VO2. 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 minute intervals at faster than race pace.

Day 6: REST

Day 7: Alternate Weekly the Long run with Long Bike with Brick. (2:1 or 3:1 ratio of minutes of bike:run)

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