A Journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step

Manic Midsummer Midweek Duathlon - August 2007 August Duathlon - 2007

I had done the Monster Duathlon in July which is 2-10-2-10-2, but in this August (2-10-2) one I wanted to see if I could achieve more consistant splits.

With this objective, I was going to use my heart rate monitor to make sure I did not start too fast and keep up the same effort levels on the bike as well.
At the start I met a friend who was also doing, I would see him a few times during the race.


Colin and Jim before the start
It was a fine evening with no wind so it was looking promising for a good time. I started as I normally do not far from the back. I paid attention to my HR on the first run lap and kept it around 89%, I didn't think I could go any faster anyway! On the bike it was harder to see my wrist while riding but afterwards I saw I had managed to keep it at 90%, so not much different effort to the run.

I finally manage to pass a rider only to have her pass me on the next lap
On the final run I maintained a similar effort (91%) and my offical times for the 2 runs were only 4 seconds different.
My conclusions from this result is that I should be able to go a bit faster in each leg without a drop off in performance. I will put this to the test in September!
I found out at the Chippenham Wheelers Time Trial the next week that the Castle Coombe circuit is actually 1.8 miles around so the 5 laps are 9 miles not 10, which is why my bike time at the duathlons is quicker than the 10 mile time trial times. And I thought it was just because a 2 mile run warm up was what I needed!