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5 tips for the perfect Duathlon

Its road Duathlon season and athletes are sharpening their form as well as trying out the worlds finest sport before the mediocrity of tri season sets in.
 ;-)

I thought I'd re run here my five tips for the perfect Du from the article I wrote for Triathlon Plus magazine two seasons ago.

Get out there and get at it Duathletes

5 Tips For The Perfect Duathlon

1) Don't start too hard. The massed run start of a duathlon is like a red rag to a bull for many duathletes who all of a sudden are offered the chance to be in the lead even if just for a few seconds. However, all too often they spend the rest of the run paying for it and end up being slower overall as a result. It is a problem rarely experienced in triathlon with its swim start. For novice duathletes the start can conjure memories of school running races all over again and the nerves can get the better of you. Start calmly; measure out your effort in order to finish strongly and leave the 'lead chasers' to fade later in the race.

2) Always think ahead. Once racing, never ever look back or even think about those behind you. It’s amazing how many people focus on those behind them rather than those ahead. Looking back ruins your running form and gives hope to those behind you but more importantly it's negative. Whether you are winning or you are in last place, looking back or even just thinking about those behind you serves no purpose at all. Think of those ahead of you as tracks that you are literally eating up over time. Even if in reality you are slipping backwards, always think 'ahead'.

3)Practice your transitions repeatedly for 40 minutes. Set up a mini transition area somewhere safe and mark out an entry and exit line. Once warmed up, repeat running in, changing shoes, putting your helmet on and running out to mount your bike. Each time you exit or enter hit the lap timer on your stopwatch or have a friend time you. You only need to ride or run gently for a short distance out and back and as you do, think over what went well and what didn't in the last transition and then aim to keep getting quicker and quicker in transition during the session. For really fine improvements, see if you can film yourself doing it. You would be surprised how much 'flapping' we all do.

4) Use two pairs of trainers. To shave even more off your transition times, a duathlon specific trick is to use a separate pair of shoes for each run. That way, your second pair will be open and perfectly positioned in transition to be slipped on rather than thrown where they were left after the first run as often happens with just one pair. It goes without saying that having elastic laces in both shoes is an absolute must in order for this tactic to fully pay off.

    5) Run, then bike. Going for a short, sharp run straight after a bike ride is a common add-on session for many duathletes and it should indeed be a regular part of your training but so few seem to think of going for a short run just before a ride so that you get used to riding having run already. It’s all about making sure your body isn't caught out on race day and if your body comes to expect to ride after a run then you'll be that much more efficient come race day. 

#coxs80 the full version! (All 81 of them!)

I always tell my athletes to take away 1 key lesson from every race they do so having won my 81st duathlon today at the WD13 im embarking on tweeting 80 days of bike and run related lessons I've learnt from the last 10 years in duathlon. Wish me luck! Its under the hash tag #coxs80 here we go....






#coxs80 1/80 the minute you really hurt in a race, remember that moment, where you were and how it felt and try to recreate it in training as closely as possible.


#coxs80 2/80:most people start the final run way too fast. Forget the crowd and start at 60% and you'll nearly always be quicker overall


#coxs80 3/80:use elastic laces in both race and training shoes because they allow a much more natural foot action.


#coxs80 4/80:in your kit bag keep spare bar end plugs,a chain link,inflation canister,gaffer tape and get out of jail free #maxifuel gels;-)


#coxs80 5/80: Race more. Most Triathletes are stifled by not racing enough.Go tohttp://www.tri247.com/events.html and get planning!


#coxs80 6/80:ITU and BTF rules actually allow drafting in cross du and tris but organisers rarely say so. Make the most of it!


#coxs80 7/80: One recovery month a year, one recovery week a month, one recovery day a week. (Ish.. make your months 5 weeks ;-))


#coxs80 8/80: dont listen to people talking before a race about 'the hill' , 'that corner' 'that descent'. They're rarely ever that bad.


#coxs80 9/80: In a race, as in life, never look back or think too far forward. In all aspects of sport and life: Be Here Now.


#coxs80 10/80: don't mess around with shoes. Find the ones that work for you and stick with them.Forget fashion & go with function over form!


#coxs80 11/80: I never race without taking two Imodium Plus tablet an hour before the start. Don't take my advice on this but if you're friends with the bushes you might find them mircaculous. I do...


#coxs80 12/80:For multisport, always leave a 'get out of jail free' Isotonic gel such as a Viper Active gel next to your run shoes in T2


#coxs80 13/80: higher peaks come after deeper troughs. Its all about the balance. Only want to be the same? Just do the same.


#coxs80 14/80: remember to pick up your wheel QRs from the pavement before driving 1/2 way round the M25 to suddenly remember leaving them there. (Doh.)


#coxs80 15/80:Cant remember last time you just went for a ride or run for the fun of it? wind back a bit and stop to smell the flowers (man)


#coxs80 16/80:look after your chain and clean it regularly. Its one of those things that can gradually slow you down without you noticing


#coxs80 17/80: Gentlemen:Shave you legs. Ladies, for goodness sake shave your legs!


#coxs80 18/80 : Ride MTB XC? Forget fashion and fit bar ends.They were there at the start in the 90s for a reason : they work


#coxs80 19/80:try to have a v hilly run route and a pan flat one. specific extremes r the way to go.avoid no-man’s-land!


#coxs80 20/80: wide bars=better stability,lower position,better air through-flow,leverage,stability and control.Don't argue! just try it!;-)


#coxs80 21/80: Easy on the caffeine. Its great for pre-training but when racing, in reality what most people need is to be calm.


#coxs80 22/80: Its cheating, I know, but I've got 57 to go! “It always seems impossible until it's done.” - Nelson Mandela


#coxs80 23/80:Your compression socks should be a nightmare 2 get on and off if they are tight enough to be effective.The very best are CEP


#coxs80 24/80: too dark to train? Look up 'cree bike light' on ebay to find an incredible £27 bargain of a light with a green rim lens.


#coxs80 25/80: twice a week this winter spend 15 mins riding just left leg, then both, then right, then both in a nice light spinny gear. www.howgoodcouldibe.com


#coxs80 26/80:training at altitude works!as I found in the Himalayas '06 you just have to accept going much slower when you're there though


#coxs80 27/80: Dont buy the 'train on Christmas Day because no one else will' myth. Too many people do! Bliss out man......#pigsinblankets


#coxs80 28/80: Forget Lanzarote for training.Gran Canaria is where its at.Mountainous,more varied and 50min climbs...


#coxs80 29/80: stage races and long rides. Vaseline.


#coxs80 30/80: Sitting straight?If not, nothing beats the new Bontrager RXL Hi-Lo Saddle for complete groove adjustment precision #trekbikes


#coxs80 31/80: a pair of ripped track mitts will mean you can still ride tomorrow. (who wants hand tan anyway, Tom Rowan ..?)


#coxs80 32/80: every now and again spray the top surface of your road pedals with GT-85 and notice the difference in smooth float


#coxs80 33/80:carefully experiment with pure L-Glutamine powder to help speed up recovery. An idea that worked for me, your choice though...


#coxs80 34/80: never ever start a race without knowing why you are there and what you aim to do.Then have a plan B.


#coxs80 35/80: With racing (as with life) just accept that some some days you're the statue and some days you're the pigeon.


#coxs80 36/80:Learning from 2013:Start with subjective lessons, then objectify them, extract the learning outcome and apply it.List them!


#coxs80 38/80:use this time of year to try other disciplines. Aim for ones you're really bad at as thats where you'll learn most.


#coxs80 39/80: don't copy others without knowing why. Only dead fish go with the flow.


#coxs80 40/80: Never be afraid to celebrate being HALF WAY BABY! Pass me that barrel scraper.....


#coxs80 41/80: get some 15mm spikes and make the most of running in this mud. It'll do you so much more for you than the road.


#coxs80 42/80: if you use offroad pedals trust me you cannot beat time atacs. I have no ties to them but they're simply perfect.


#coxs80 43/80: if you go on a treadmill this time of year do the 1st and last 10 mins v light in bare feet and simply aim 2 have quiet feet


#coxs80 44/80: Never pretend that it's all real. Someday, soon this will all be someone else's dream.


#coxs80 45/80: One race will be your last. You may not get to chose which and you might have already done it. Don't put off being your best


#coxs80 46/80:struggling for running inspiration? Get a copy of chris mcdougal's (sp?) 'Born to run'. Its a great read.


#coxs80 47/80: I've won 81 races and come 2nd 50 times. In at least half those 50 races I 'resigned' to coming 2nd before the finish. Dont.


#coxs80 48/80:next time you corner hard, instead of sticking your inside knee out just try pressing it in against your top tube as you lean.


#coxs80 49/80: appreciate what you have achieved and love what you are trying to achieve. Leave the rest to God.


#coxs80 50/80: Activate your glutes! they drive so much of what you do but we just sit on them way too much. http://ow.ly/szr3o


#coxs80 51/80 : Marry a beautiful pro cyclist with the aim of living off her winnings.


#coxs80 52/80: Replace your elastic laces once a year or more.Mine snapped half way through the Mud and Mayhem at Thetford to teach me that.


#coxs80 53/80: use downhill running reps at speed to open up your hip flexors and improve form.15x 50 metres should do. just lean in...


Okay, so I meant 15 x 50 metres....


#coxs80 55/80: take it from me: within minutes of quitting a race you'll feel fine and wish you'd carried on. Be safe but be resilient more


#coxs80 56/80: mediocrity is a disease. As a vaccine, try to spend time with people who are steadfastly excellence focussed.


#coxs80 57/80:every now and again when out training just stop, listen and breathe. It's the lemon to your pancake.


#coxs80 58/80: imagine yourself trying to fire a rocket launcher from a canoe on a lake. That's why you need good core stability.


#coxs80 :59/80 further to my barefoot treadmill tip a few weeks ago, here's some barefoot skins to stop the blisters: http://ow.ly/2aB5o2


#coxs80 60/80: In the 80s Nike coined quite simply the must inspirational, important and relevant mantras of all time : just do it.


#coxs80 61/80: doing the Iceman today? It's the perfect race for measuring your effort evenly. Try not to go too deep with spikes in effort.


#coxs80 62/80: never ever half wheel people at the front of a group ride. For most people it's their chimp doing it. have a word.


#coxs80 63/80:new road bike?Make sure you remove both dust caps and nuts from the valves. Its how you move on from looking like a beginner.


#coxs80 64/80:if you're off the bike you should sit down. if you're sitting down you should lie down. If you lie down you should be asleep.


#coxs80 65/80:doing big gear force training ont bike, always mix it up with high cadence low resistance stuff.its formulaic.


#Coxs80 66/80: Graham Crow: "Attack, then attack again. If that doesn't work then attack harder. Thanks Graham!


#Coxs80 67/80 2 good 2 pass by: Gordon McCauley : "Use your quick release lever when you're out of tyre levers out on the road." Top man GMC


#Coxs80 68/80: if you're looking for the final touch to your TT bike the disc wheel is it. Windy? That's when you get the most out of it


#coxs80 69/80: do a life audit and don't put off getting rid of the things that drag you down no matter how new they are.


#coxs80 70/80 (borrowed) Don't hurry, don't worry. You're only here for a short visit. So be sure to stop and smell the flowers.


#coxs80 71/80: try great races: human race off-road, hillingdon du series, mumbles du, go beyond, clumber classic, powerman uk for a start


#coxs80 72/80: everyone's potential had a ceiling. Find the loft hatch, open it and climb through. Theres always surprising things in an attic!


#coxs80 73/80: when riding behind the Derny you can go much closer than you think. (tip to self!)


#coxs80 74/80: if I could offer one cycling tip above all it would be relax. In all disciplines unnecessary tension is a big no no.


#coxs80 75/80: Your minute by minute experience of the world is really framed by your reaction to it so smile in order to re-frame it.


#coxs80 77/81: get inspired by:Thomas Frischnecht,Maurizio Fondriest,Roy Chamberlain,Marianne Vos,John Tomac,Suzanne DeGoode,Danny Macaskill


#coxs80 78/81:as one of my GB AG 74+ team told me last year: you don't stop racing because you get old. You get old because you stop racing.


#coxs80 79/81: Think not how much time you have in your life. Think how much life you have in your time.


#coxs80 80/81: ODP,talent team and GB squad are NOT the only way.dont let a panel decide your future. Get out there and do it.


#coxs80 81/81:far greater it is to dare mighty things to win glorious triumphs even though chequered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much, nor suffer much, for they live in a grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

Thanks for listening, thanks for questioning and thanks for making me laugh. I've enjoyed it and actually learnt a fair bit about you lot along the way. Thanks.Www.howgoodcouldibe.com