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strategy for a weird duathlon?
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hey everyone -

in a few weeks i'm hoping to jump into my first multisport race of the year, and my first du in a long time. sadly i'm not in any kind of race shape, so threatening for any podiums isn't the issue. but it's a weird one:

4k run - 16k bike - 4k run - 16k bike - 4k run.

it's held in zofingen, switzerland, home of the powerman. apparently the swiss ITU guns often come and light it up. bike course is 2 laps, and looks to have a lot of turns and one punchy 40m climb halfway through. run is also 2 laps around the city, so again several turns per lap.

so:
-i'm thinking i'll ride my aero road bike (cervelo soloist) with hed jets and a pair of cinelli spinaci clip ons.

-how do i handle fueling? on the one hand it's a sprint, but on the other it's 12k of running and 32 of riding.

-when to take in fluids? part of me thinks i shouldn't bother with a bottle on the bike, though maybe that's insane.

any pearls of wisdom, ST?
-mike

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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Why don't you ride regular aero bars? If you are running the Heds, it's obviously not a weight concern.

Many triathletes eat and drink too much in short races. I would have a gel in my pocket and bottle on the bike anyway, but not worry too much.

***
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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i would just have a bottle of sports drink on the bike and sip it a few times each bike leg.
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [Sean H] [ In reply to ]
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Sean H wrote:
i would just have a bottle of sports drink on the bike and sip it a few times each bike leg.

+1. You don't need calories for this distance race (if you're worried, eat an easily digestible breakfast). If it's warm, you'll want the liquid.
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [HandHeartCrown] [ In reply to ]
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well, normally i'm a minimalist in terms of nutrition - especially for sprint efforts. but in terms of duration this will be half-marathonish . . . an hour and a half, maybe? and most of that on the rivet, i think. in a half, i'd take a caffeinated gel or two, and drink a sip of water maybe every km or two.

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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I did the Intervallduathlon Zofingen last year. Out Swiss Duathlon Series races are usually off to a blazing fast start.
I enjoyed running with Ruedi Wild and Co but it was a bit too fast and I had to drop back.

I had a bottle on the bike mainly because I like to drink whenever I want and not just on the run. 16k times two is more than you would think, but I hardly used it.
I had a gel in my pocket but I think I didn't take it.

I guess it will take a bit more than 90 minutes. Last year Schildknecht and Wild battled it out to the tape and none of them broke 1:30h.

Enjoy the race it is great run.

10k - 30:48 / half - 1:06:40
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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So this is 20% more running and about 10-15% more cycling than a 'standard' sprint du. Do nothing crazy with respect to fuel. A bottle on the bike - water or drink mix - isn't a bad idea, but it's more of a 'just in case' thing. On the run? Slip a gel in your pocket if it makes you feel more confident. You could also use that on the bike, especially if there's a bottle of plain water on the bike. If you are super nervous, leave a 2nd gel in transition - you'll have plenty of chances to pick it up. But you are asking the wrong Q. The *real* difference here is double the number of transitions. Get your transition time down. Normally, I flip the bike shoes into a pile b/c I won't need them again - but you will. So, some thought/organization here is probably more valuable than a gel in your pocket. No water/nutrition on the course? I just did a 'standard' sprint du last Sunday. Water and Clif Shot Bloks every mile on the runs As it turned out, I had some calf cramping at the start of the 2nd run and a spearmint (?) Shot Blok - just one - seemed to help. Probably not from a nutrition POV, but just the sharp-ish flavor and taking my mind off my blah performance...
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [giorgitd] [ In reply to ]
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giorgitd wrote:
So this is 20% more running and about 10-15% more cycling than a 'standard' sprint du. Do nothing crazy with respect to fuel. A bottle on the bike - water or drink mix - isn't a bad idea, but it's more of a 'just in case' thing. On the run? Slip a gel in your pocket if it makes you feel more confident. You could also use that on the bike, especially if there's a bottle of plain water on the bike. If you are super nervous, leave a 2nd gel in transition - you'll have plenty of chances to pick it up. But you are asking the wrong Q. The *real* difference here is double the number of transitions. Get your transition time down. Normally, I flip the bike shoes into a pile b/c I won't need them again - but you will. So, some thought/organization here is probably more valuable than a gel in your pocket. No water/nutrition on the course? I just did a 'standard' sprint du last Sunday. Water and Clif Shot Bloks every mile on the runs As it turned out, I had some calf cramping at the start of the 2nd run and a spearmint (?) Shot Blok - just one - seemed to help. Probably not from a nutrition POV, but just the sharp-ish flavor and taking my mind off my blah performance...

thanks mate - i'd already counted on that! fortunately i've been racing for many years, and am counting on transition being the place where i'll make some time.

as for support on the course, it's only water every 2k on the run.

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds almost identical to fly-by-night. Go hard from the start, expect each run to hurt a lot more than the one before and be about a minute slower.

Ride your TT bike.

Drink a little water on the bike.

Have fun - its a great format.
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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iron_mike wrote:
well, normally i'm a minimalist in terms of nutrition - especially for sprint efforts. but in terms of duration this will be half-marathonish . . . an hour and a half, maybe? and most of that on the rivet, i think. in a half, i'd take a caffeinated gel or two, and drink a sip of water maybe every km or two.

Hi Mike -

Obviously everyone is not the same so I am not saying this is perfect for you.

During my 2 hour runs, I only bring my fuel belt holding two small bottles of Gatorade.

I eat a large amount of food up to 2 hours before the run.

I think for a 1.5 hour race you would be perfectly fine with only Gatorade. Bring a gel or two if you need it for insurance.

"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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How steep is the climb? If it doesn't get above about 4%, i think I'd go with run shoes on the bike. Just spin a high cadence up the climb.
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Re: strategy for a weird duathlon? [sxevegan] [ In reply to ]
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sxevegan wrote:
How steep is the climb? If it doesn't get above about 4%, i think I'd go with run shoes on the bike. Just spin a high cadence up the climb.

Haha, 4% in Switzerland is not a climb.

10k - 30:48 / half - 1:06:40
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