General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Early training - bricks Rss Feed  
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2013-04-23 9:17 PM

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Subject: Early training - bricks

Hi everyone - just one week into a 14 week program for a sprint tri. Trying to accommodate this into my schedule, is it necessary to do for example the swim and bike in the same session? Or could I ride in the am and swim in the evening?

I realize that eventually these need to be joined, and transitions practiced, but in the early stages how much is lost if I break up these workouts?

Thanks.



2013-04-23 9:49 PM
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Subject: RE: Early training - bricks

You will find a lot of opinions on this topic, so to start, here is mine:

 

-Bricks are important as they teach you to mentally (and physically) handle multisport transitions. These are very taxing the first few times, learning how it feels to run off the bike is a tough skill to learn, it feels like your legs wont work, and that is something you can get used to in training. But the real value of bricks, for me, is:

-Learning how to handle nutrition and pacing in a multisport context. Some things i found through weekly (and often biweekly) bricks: I can have water as soon as I exit the swim, but I can't have sports drink or gel for 30 minutes, I can NOT have any solids on the bike or I feel very, very sick on the run, if I ease up and spin in the last 2 minutes of the bike I run much more comfortably, if I kick more towards the end of the swim I feel better both in transition and on the bike.

 

So, I think they are essential to race effectively, but others disagree. 

2013-04-24 8:32 AM
in reply to: #4712677

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Subject: RE: Early training - bricks
Most of your training can (and probably should) be single-sport sessions.  Doing some bricks (combined sessions) as you get closer to your race will help you practice transitions and get comfortable moving quickly from one sport to the next. 
2013-04-24 8:38 AM
in reply to: #4713028

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Subject: RE: Early training - bricks
JohnnyKay - 2013-04-24 10:32 AM

Most of your training can (and probably should) be single-sport sessions.  Doing some bricks (combined sessions) as you get closer to your race will help you practice transitions and get comfortable moving quickly from one sport to the next. 


x2 - there is a time and place for bricks, especially for someone new to the sport to practice and getting used to transitions, but most training sessions should focus on a single sport.

Shane
2013-04-24 9:01 AM
in reply to: #4713043

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Subject: RE: Early training - bricks

gsmacleod - 2013-04-24 8:38 AM
JohnnyKay - 2013-04-24 10:32 AM Most of your training can (and probably should) be single-sport sessions.  Doing some bricks (combined sessions) as you get closer to your race will help you practice transitions and get comfortable moving quickly from one sport to the next. 
x2 - there is a time and place for bricks, especially for someone new to the sport to practice and getting used to transitions, but most training sessions should focus on a single sport. Shane

 

I agree with both of these but I am 35 miles from the gym, the pool doesn't open until 6:30 (I can only get a 30 minute swim - I have to leave for work) So I get to the gym 5:45 and use the spin bikes for intervals for 30 minutes . It really doesn't seem to effect my swim which is improving every time.

2013-04-24 9:27 AM
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Subject: RE: Early training - bricks
Meljoypip - 2013-04-24 10:01 AM

gsmacleod - 2013-04-24 8:38 AM
JohnnyKay - 2013-04-24 10:32 AM Most of your training can (and probably should) be single-sport sessions.  Doing some bricks (combined sessions) as you get closer to your race will help you practice transitions and get comfortable moving quickly from one sport to the next. 
x2 - there is a time and place for bricks, especially for someone new to the sport to practice and getting used to transitions, but most training sessions should focus on a single sport. Shane

 

I agree with both of these but I am 35 miles from the gym, the pool doesn't open until 6:30 (I can only get a 30 minute swim - I have to leave for work) So I get to the gym 5:45 and use the spin bikes for intervals for 30 minutes . It really doesn't seem to effect my swim which is improving every time.

Nothing wrong with using bricks as a 'time management' tool.  For many of us, time is as big a limiter on our performance as anything else.  In an ideal world, you'd get in the pool at 5:45 and swim for an hour or more (at least on most swim days).  But you have to work within your constraints (assuming you are unable/unwilling to change them).



2013-04-24 10:20 AM
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Subject: RE: Early training - bricks
pmcroome - 2013-04-23 10:17 PM

Hi everyone - just one week into a 14 week program for a sprint tri. Trying to accommodate this into my schedule, is it necessary to do for example the swim and bike in the same session? Or could I ride in the am and swim in the evening?

I realize that eventually these need to be joined, and transitions practiced, but in the early stages how much is lost if I break up these workouts?

Thanks.

If you're just starting out with SBR then you probably won't lose much by splitting them, as you are more working on individual sport fitness/technique. It can also depend on how you recover, if doing two workouts a day constantly leaves you drained, then try switching to one session as you'll have more time to recover between workouts.

Now that said, sometimes you have to go with what fits into your schedule - whether it's 2-a-days or 1 longer workout.

2013-04-24 2:22 PM
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Subject: RE: Early training - bricks
Hi. Only been doing triathlon for two years, but I do a lot of brick training and I'd like to share a couple of thoughts. Feel free to criticize 1. High intensity. Triathlon is usually about long, low intensity training, and there is nothing wrong with that. But I really like training with high intensity at times, and it has worked well for me on short distances. I have a good deal at my local gym, so I usually do a 50-90 min spinning class followed by a 30 min HIT run. When training at high heartrates I often feel that my muscles fail before I'm done, and changing sports is a good way to get some fresh muscles working. 2. Better run pace in races. Not super fast as a runner, but I'm able to run at almost my optimal running pace in races, and I think this is due to my brick training.3. Run pace in general. Going through all the fuss of getting out running just to do a 30 min speedwork is a little frustrating, but doing it after a long bikeride feels a lot better. Great way to work on your speed without a drop in weekly traininghours. 4. Recovery. I feel that I recover better from a 90+30 bike/run brick than from a 120 min bikeride. It's not the same, but this allows me to maintain a higher weekly amount of time in the saddle.5. Great indoor training. Winters here are long, and I just can't go more than two hours on a stationary bike without having a small mental breakdown. This is a good way to get a little more training done during darker times I do all my brick sessions in a trisuit. Good way to get the feel for racing in it, quicker transition and and less stuff to carry I suggest you do one or two a week, especially as it is a shorter race. You will feel a lot better on the run. Swim/bike training I'm not too sure about, but practicing that transition is really important. It's really easy to get stuck in T1. I feel really dizzy when I get up from the water, and knowing what to do and not having to think really speeds it up.



Edited by JPanula 2013-04-24 2:45 PM
2013-04-24 4:02 PM
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Subject: RE: Early training - bricks

JPanula - 2013-04-24 2:22 PM Hi. . Swim/bike training I'm not too sure about, but practicing that transition is really important. It's really easy to get stuck in T1. I feel really dizzy when I get up from the water, and knowing what to do and not having to think really speeds it up.

Well I pretty much have to run out of the pool into the locker room to shower, dress, apply makeup, and do hair & then drive all as fast as possible so I can make it to work so maybe I will be ready for the transition anyway :-) jk

 

edit: typos- always :/



Edited by Meljoypip 2013-04-24 4:02 PM
2013-04-24 4:30 PM
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Subject: RE: Early training - bricks

I have to say that the only bricks I did before my first sprint and Oly tri's were bike-run "bricks", and I didn't do any swim-bike bricks, and I still don't.   It's completely impractical for me to do swim-bike bricks from my pool/gym, which both have high bike theft rates from bikes locked up outside (day or night).   However, if you can do it, then go for it.

However, don't stress out about doing bricks, especially very early in your training.  I did some bike-run bricks slightly later on in my training (probably 2/3rds into it), and I think these were really important.  Nothing can recreate the crazy noodle-legs feeling of running after biking.  Do these bike-run bricks though, and let us know if: (1) your legs just don't feel like "your legs" for the first 0.5-1 mile of your run, (2) you feel like you are running really slowly only to look at your watch at the 1st mile to find that you're running 1-3 minutes/mile faster than usual.  (1) and (2) happen to me all the time!  I have to say that I've tried shifting to a higher cadence (faster leg speed) for the last 1-2 miles of my bike ride, and my legs only feel like noodles, rather than overcooked-noodles for the first 0.5 mile of running.  

Now I try to do one brick/week, and I like to mix it up, either bike-run, bike-swim, run-swim, as I really enjoy the extra intensity of multi-sport training.  

Good luck, and have fun in your training and racing!

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