Ask the Coach : Duathlon First Timer Wants More

Coach Jojo “Jomac” Macalintal is the Head Coach of TriMac Coaching and has been doing marathons, triathlons and cycling races for over 15 years. Today he remains a consistent medalist in his respective age category in local triathlons and duathlons. He is a certified level 2 triathlon coach by the INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON UNION (ITU). Coach Jomac is also a certified level 1 spinning instructor for MADD DOGG ATHLETICS as well as a certified trainer for TRX SUSPENSION TRAINING SYSTEM. To top it off, he’s also the running consultant and an official endorser of ADIDAS PHILIPPINES.

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We got a letter from a weekend warrior who joined his/her first Duathlon last September 10 at the Powerade Duathlon 2nd Leg! He rocked the race using a MTB and finished! Our letter sender is now hooked and is thinking joining the 3rd Leg! See below of Coach Jomac’s advice to Duathlon First Timer.

From Duathlon First Timer :

hi coach jomac! sumali po ako last weekend sa powerade duathlon. since first timer ako naka mtb lang ako. i plan on concentrating sa duathlons sana. the problem is i’m just a weekend warrior since i have family and work. nakaka bike lang ako every saturday and sunday. Would appreciate any advice or tips you can give to me since plano ko sumali sa 3rd leg ng duathlon.

from Coach Jomac :

Congratulations on finishing your first duathlon! Ako rin nagsimula sa pagsali gamit ang mountain bike. Kung ito pa rin ang balak mong gamitin sa 3rd leg, I suggest gumamit ka ng rigid fork at ng manipis na gulong. You can also adjust your set up para nalalapit siya sa set up ng triathlon/duahtlon bike. Maaari mong iabante ang saddle mo forward such that the tip of the saddle is close to or over the center of the crank, and then make the necessary increase in saddle height to compensate for the forward position. Sa ganitong position, mas madali kasi makatakbo as compared to doing a duathlon in a mountain bike position.

At karamihan ng mga kasali sa duathlons at multisport ay mga weekend warriors tulad mo, don’t worry. If the 3rd leg duathlon is standard distance (10km run – 40km cycle – 5km run), you can try doing your hard efforts sa bike on saturday, like intervals, short time trials, or hill repetitions total around 30-60km, You can also do a short run immediately after the bike, around 3-5km. 2 or 3 weeks before the race, you can do a simulation. Sample workout is 20 minutes run – 30 minutes bike – 10 minutes run, at moderate to medium effort. And then rest 5 minutes and repeat all but at hard effort.

And then on Sunday, you can do your aerobic endurance ride of 40-80km.

Goodluck, and see you on the 3rd leg!

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