Duathlon Practice (recap)

Distance: 5/9.25/3 = 17.25 miles
Max personal HR: 170
Average personal HR: 142
Calories Burned: 1352

Starting 24 hours prior to this, I kept wondering whether we'd be able have the activity outside with the threat of adverse weather looking like a strong possibility. In the end, it turned out to be a great night. Temperatures cooled off slightly, but not one drop of rain until well after we'd wrapped up. We have certainly been blessed with good weather.

A few of the regulars could not attend tonight, so there were four of us: Keven, Greg, Bill, and Eddie. Bill's wife was nice enough to take a picture of all of us. Bill was also gracious by allowing us to storm his yard to complete a mock-Duathlon. We didn't pull out bike racks, but bikes, helmets, shoes and the like were scattered in his yard.

The idea for the Duathlon was shamelessly selfish with the Oakdale Duathlon this upcoming weekend. Both Greg and I are participating in that race again this year and hadn't made time to get our bikes on the road yet this year, though we've each spent plenty of time through the winter riding our bikes indoors. As with a normal duathlon, we did a run leg, then a bike leg, and wrapped up with another run, which were 5 miles, 9.25 miles, and 3 miles respectively. Bill came up with a good route for each (thanks for that too!).

The first run went smoothly and everyone was strong. More kudos again this week to Eddie who continues to push hard every week and has improved significantly in the very few short weeks he has been a part of the group.

It was great to get back on the bike on the road. The ride did help iron out a few items we'd like to address prior to Saturday plus it was a pleasure just to get out. 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back with a great choice for the primary road on Bill's part. The route was a good mix of hills and flats and the main road was very smooth and clean. I should note that Eddie was a great sport on this leg too, being the only one who hadn't really ever ridden a road bike previously.

Upon our return to the start, we dropped helmets and bike shoes to get back to the run. Two observations for those of you who haven't done multisports before and are contemplating doing so. First, one of the simplest and cheapest ways to save time (outside of training sufficiently) on a duathlon or triathlon is completed in the transition area by having a product like Yankz on your running shoes rather than laces. My helmet was off and running shoes were back on in a few seconds. Some of the others had to work at their laces and that consumed time that would be very valuable on race day. Second, I am always astounded by the feeling of running after biking. The pace nearly always feels snail-like. Don't panic, just run through it. The feeling eventually passes and you realize you are running at decent clip.

No other observations for this week. We'll be back to longer runs again next week. For those interested, we'd be open to doing another duathlon between now and when the Duluth Running Co starts their triathlon nights in a month or two. Make sure to let us know if you are interested.

Duathlon Practice

Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 (6:00PM)
Meet Location: 450 Hastings Dr, Duluth, MN 55803 (see map below)
Activity: Run/Bike/Run (see details below)
Weather: mid 40's (updated forecast)
Essential Gear: running shoes and a bike (see details below)

Activity Details
With the Oakdale Duathlon less than a week away for Greg & me, I selfishly put a plug in last week for a mock duathlon for this Tuesday's activity. Everyone verbally assented and has a bike save one, so we are on for the practice! If you weren't there last week and would like to come, but do not have a bike, please send us feedback and we'll bring an extra.

The objective of this activity is to truly simulate a duathlon, including transitions. Please arrive promptly at 6PM or even a few minutes early. Greg and I will spend a few minutes discussing transition techniques and describe how we'll simulate them. Second, we'll go for a 4mile run. Third, immediately upon our return, each individual will hop on their respective bikes and complete a 30 minute out & back ride (15 out, 15 back) so we can make a loose attempt to hit the next leg together. Last, we'll transition back to another run of 3 to 4 miles. In total, I expect the practice to take just under 1 hour and 45 minutes. Anyone that wants to skip or shorten the last run is certainly welcome. That being said, the second run leg is usually the most difficult get into in any duathlon and is worth trying.

Running routes are to be determined, but the bike out & back will go out to and along Martin Rd.

In the event of certain rain, we will meet at Miller Dwan's Center for Personal Fitness and complete a similar exercise indoors. If you are unsure, you can always check the blog immediately prior to the activity and we will make any last minute changes no later than 4PM.

Meet area map

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Woodland Hills (recap)

Distance: 11.25 miles
Max personal HR: 174
Average personal HR: 142
Calories Burned: 1350




Another great night for a run! The weather cooperated nicely and our group of six (Keven - not pictured, Bill, Jim, Eddie, Chris, and Greg) enjoyed one of the nicer days we've had this spring.

This week's plan was to increase the mileage from last week and add in a little hill work. Mission accomplished. We started with a few good efforts on the hill by Ridgeview golf course. I can't speak for the others, but my personal heart rate was about as high as it gets as we crested the top.

After Ridgeview, we ran several miles before looping back to Hartley to give people the option to drop out before embarking on the second half of the run. This seems to be working out well and we'll continue to do our best to cater these outings to runners with varying abilities and/or time constraints.

With the parking lot pit stop behind us, we pushed onward (and upward) for our ascent up Mt. Minneapolis Ave. Much to my surprise, climbing up Minneapolis wasn't as hard as I imagined it would be (although I did acheive my maximum heart rate at this point in the evening). I think I recall Keven inquiring as to whether or not we should climb it a couple of more times, but the rest of us pretended not to hear him and we kept on moving. In any event, it was a good climb and we were all glad that it was behind us. The rest of the run was smooth sailing on good roads with wide shoulders and minimal traffic.

My apologies to Eddie, who through miscommunication on my part got separated from the group early on in the evening. As someone who's just getting back into running, Eddie has been a welcome addition to the group and I was thoroughly impressed that he still ran close to 10 miles despite the fact that he was on his own for most of it. Good job, Eddie!

Good weather, good company, and a great run. What more could you ask for?

Thanks to everyone who showed up! It's great to see some larger turnouts lately. New participants are always welcome, so please spread the word if you know of anyone interested in joining us for future outings.

Next week... running + cycling = duathlon practice