TameTheBison

practice a lot of fitness training, being light on your feet and riding outdoors where possible with the weather to make it race specific :)

In particular to the Bison : Hill reps and trail running! On the bike you'll be looking at tackling hills as well as dialling in your aero positioning as there are a load of opportunities to gain some speed on straight sections & downhills!

Funnily enough, we're had wind, overcast or even rainy weather at all our course discovery days. :) The athletes who came got a good taste for what it will be like on Oct. 8.

The run course has sections of uphill steps (see piccy) and downhill sections on footpaths. While running is not that technical, practising relaxing and running downhill quickly would be a huge advantage.

@TriTrust Yeah, you definitely schooled us with your descent skills the other day!

@emmapallant what is your view on pace judgement in duathlons? Different from in triathlons?

at least the downhills are not overly technical

definitely, you can never go flat out on the first run, try to get out of your comfort zone but keep the lactic as low as poss, so start out a bit steadier, warm up into it, blitz the bike and then everything on the second run!

my weekend run was a potential ankle breaker ... gave me confidence for Bison run

@martinmedforth Looked amazing! Where was that again?

The Bison course maps are here: http://www.thebison.... .. for those not familiar with it. We recently ran out last course discovery day with a trip to @tringbrewery, one of our key partners. It was 1 lap run 1 lap bike. Tough! I aim to please.

Great advice @emmapallant I see most people at the start of duathlons sprint off.......no need....especially on a course as tough as @bisonduathlon
#tamethebison

@EmmaPallant Good advice @emmapallant. Do you like hills? :)

love them! :)

Careful @emmapallant ...you'll be talking yourself into toeing the startline on Oct 8th at @bisonduathlon
www.thebison.co

@Ironrav MamTor in the High Peak ... did the 75 metre timed ascent in 3:50 against fastest fit course (lead runner) of 2:48

@TriTrust well I'll try my utmost to get to @bisonduathlon if @emmapallant will!?! ;) #doitfortritrust will need a bike mind ;) But if can resolve logistics, I'm in. Don't worry Katerina, think its been 3 years (never mind months) since I last rode (MTB!)

unfortunately I'm going away to race a half ironman in china otherwise i would be there :(

@emmapallant we'll let you off with that one......a long as you get on the podium! (no pressure!)

suppose that is a legitimate excuse @emmapallant not to #TameTheBison ;) next year perhaps!

thanks, great to be here :) I got into triathlon coming from a running background. I had knee surgery and had to do a lot of swim and bike training and so wanted a race to aim for at the end, i met michelle dillon and never looked back :)

Which do you prefer? #duathlon or #triathlon?

i would have to say duathlon for sure, theres something a bit more painful about it :)

Wow that's great! I believe a few of us out there have similar stories. Maybe not as illustrious though... ;-)

so there's hope @emmapallant for us runners, who'd love to do Triathlon, but worry as can only float as well as a brick!?! Duathlon a natural progression?

@emmapallant What are you most proud of in your career? You just won IM 70.3 Weymouth, so is a full IM next?

ooo hopefully the end of next year, just need to sweet talk michelle round to letting me but definitely plenty of half ironmans in the plan and of course world duathlon champs is a key focus :)

Good point about #duathlon being a bit painful. Glad to say that The Bison lives up to that statement!! As the other guys here can vouch for. ;)

@emmapallant do you have aspirations to compete in Kona one day?

@EmmaPallant That's awesome! That's the right kind of progression!

for sure, kona is the big goal but the bike still needs a lot of work :) looking forward to tackling it though! :)

@emmapallant where do you base yourself for training these days? @BisonDuathlon

i am with Michelle Dillon and Stuart Hayes and the Team Dillon crew training in sunny london :)

What would a typical training day / week consist of @emmapallant?

@emmapallant with you naturally being a good runner; how did you adapt to cycling/swimming? Did training shift more towards those new disciplines? And what's it like to run, then cycle & back to running again? Asking from a runner's pov

it was hard, you need to take a step back on your strength to bring up your weaknesses but the challenge is certainly motivating :) it gives you an edge for duathlons though as you always get a good start :)

When its a hobby...you do it for fun.....it's important that you should never lose that enjoyment...even when it becomes full time

It sure isn't as easy as it looks. Some people are innately driven, but then there are those who push themselves even more. It's different for everybody.

Very timely article on work/life balance: https://racezone3.co...

Further, I don't really think there is a type as there are folks from such diverse backgrounds. Everybody manages differently. Dealing with individuals who go all in need our support. support.

a lot of my athletes have demanding jobs they need to balance with their family and training, the key is eliminating stress, training can be a healthy balance to the mind and emotional stresses of life and we always make it functional :)

How do you find ways to eliminate stress since you are a coach and pro athlete? Does training then not become a "must do"?

coaching is a great way to exercise my brain after my body has been working all day and all my athletes inspire me with their own personal journeys,Ive made so many great friends, coaching is a fab stress reliever and keeps you feeling human

@EmmaPallant im starting to realise coaches are more than just someone giving you a program! Sometimes they need to be psychologists too ;)

for sure! you need to have a lot of trust in your coach but trust needs to be earnt. my athletes allow me to be effective in their lifes because its not just a programme being sent out, its constant communication and specific tailoring :)

@emmapallant when you were younger how much training did you do and if you could change the training you used to do....how would you have changed it? (from my 11year old daughter)

I see training as a stress buster ... what enail or voicemail is so important it can't wait an hour for a reply!

i trained most days but as a runner, if i could do it again i would have done heaps more swimming!! :)

Thanks Emma (from Antonia...age 11)

Hi there everyone

hello!!! :)

Hi gang! Nice to have everybody here.

Good Evening Everyone!

Hi everyone, I'm "Billy the Bison". :)

hello

A couple of tips: you can vote on comments you like ad RT them, too. :) All posts you see here are tweeted out from your account with the hashtag #tamethebison.

as it's a bit quiet can I ask a question ... I know not much about bikes but would it help to get up the hill if I put road tyres on my cyclocross bike?

@martinmedforth It would certainly make you go faster in general. Less rolling resistance means faster bike splits.

and Better gearing uphill?

Yes @martinmedforth .....though cross-bikes normally have gearing setup to tackle muddy, steep courses.....so should be more than adequate for the 15% incline on The Bison. Sometimes too easy a gear can be detrimental as you lose forward momentum

maybe I'm losing something in gear technique

@martinmedforth I recommend practicing taking on climbs in different gears and with different positions on the bike. some people prefer to 'spin' easy gears at high cadence while sitting...while others prefer to stand and push a bigger gear slowly

hi all!!! I have never done a duathlon!!! eeeekkkk!!! just triathlons...but starting to think maybe a good way to train for triathlons especially in off season

it is a really good off season strengthener :) i would recommend it, a lot of my athletes start and finish the seasons with duathlons and find triathlon then a bit of a relief! :)

You bet Katerina.....early and late season duathlons provide added interest to your season...combined with some winter cross-country running maybe

@TriTrust love trail/cross country running! not a big fan of MTB though

I prefer to do late season duathlons as I'm usually fried from late season Ironman events! ;-)

The @bisonduathlon sounds perfect for you then Katerina...off road running...and road biking. We may see you on Oct 8th? www.thebison.co

ha maybe....haven't cycled in 3 months!! Think I would probably die lol @TriTrust

We have a run-only event: The Bison Trot. 6.5km, but very hilly.

Oh.. and there's also a kids duathlon: The Bison Junior (8-16 year olds), since @TriTrust are our charity partners.

when is the last date for declaring intentions

You'd be fine Katerina.....the Sprint distance is only 10km on the bike...sandwiched by two 6.5km runs....defo one for the runners!