Free 4-week duathlon training plan: how to go from three sports to two

Transitioning from the tri season to duathlon is surprisingly tricky and requires a dedicated duathlon training plan. The time spent on swim sessions needs to be used up elsewhere. Getting the balance of bike and run time will depend on your background and weaknesses.

Duathlon is a run-dominant sport; looking at a standard distance there’s 50% more running than normal, which means a very different set of sessions. And, in many cases, it’s physically more demanding as the impact of running is greater than swimming.

The four-week duathlon training plan here is based on the intermediate triathlete who has a foundation of training hours in the bank. Four weeks is not a large amount of time to go from triathlon to duathlon. But as long as you’ve been training regularly through the summer, and don’t have any underlying injuries, then it’s long enough. If you’ve got longer to prepare, use our free eight-week duathlon training plan.

Just like other triathlon training plans there needs to be a balance of intensity in the training week. Therefore, some sessions focus on endurance. Others are interval-style sessions and focus on improving speed and power.

How to race a duathlon

The most common mistake is struggling to pace the first run correctly. We feel strong going into the first run and begin to get excited by our times, but then our legs feel tired on the bike. We’re often taught to limit the use of our legs during a swim, but there’s no way out of this in duathlon, so brick sessions are easily the most important session of the week. Other essential duathlon training sessions include hill repeats.

Using these sessions to learn what pace will allow you to bike strong is vital. Start by reducing your normal 10km race pace by 10-20secs per km and see how that feels – if you’re able to bike strong and then go out and run again you’re close to the right pace.

If you struggle, then keep experimenting with the pace to find your ideal strategy. If you’re able to execute a strong second run where your pace is as close as possible to the first run, then you’ll probably overtake people!

Dermott’s top tips for duathlon

1. Brick it

Don’t neglect the importance of brick-style sessions. It’s crucial that you know what it feels like to run on tired legs, and all styles of brick sessions are vital to a great race outcome.

• Sub-1hr session: duathlon brick session

2. Practise transitions

Develop your transition technique. With no wetsuit, it’s all about the changeover of footwear. Even indoor sessions should include swapping bike shoes for run shoes

3. Work out run pace

Many duathlons are ruined by hitting the first run too hard, so the remaining bike and run are a disaster. Use the brick sessions to establish a strong, first-run pace

4. Know the course

If the course includes some climbing then train on hills in the longer sessions. Make hills your friend! For a flatter course, spend time on your aerobars in training

For more advice, read these 12 duathlon race-day tips. Elsewhere, we’ve answered how to train for a duathlon, what to eat during a duathlon and what should you wear for a duathlon.