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I love training for the triathlon because there are three sports instead of just one! I love the variety and I love that each week I “have to” do all three activities! I like running, but it’s also really nice to jump in the pool or on the bike too. Especially now that it’s summer, I love to go on longer bike rides. One of the parts of training for the triathlon that I like (for the most part!) is The Brick Workout! Basically, the brick workout is a combination workout of two out of the three triathlon events. I think that the bike to run combo workout is the most popular, but I like to mix in other combinations as well. One of the difficult things about the triathlon is that the muscles used for biking are different than running, and blood flow is different.
When you jump off the bike you only have a few minutes in transition before you start the run, and your legs feel HEAVY- like a brick (hence the name- I think!). My legs tend to feel like they’re about 50 pounds heavier and don’t quite move right as I start the run, and mentally it can throw you off if you aren’t prepared. Doing brick workouts helps your body get used to this transition, both mentally and physically. I enjoy bricks because it makes me feel really tough, even when I’m doing short distances. It also adds variety, as you mentally make a very quick switch from one thing to the next. Sure, it adds more time to the workout, which can be tough, but it’s incredibly beneficial!
Here are my bricks so far:
- 8.5 mile bike to 1/2 mile swim (obviously not in proper order of a tri. It was easier gym wise to do this and I just wanted to get my body used to the endurance of multiple sports)
- 8.65 mile bike to 1.75 mile run
- 12.28 mile bike to 1.10 mile run
My legs have felt heavy after the bike, but nothing that I can’t power through at all. Obviously these distances are pretty short, but for a sprint triathlon these bricks are just fine.
I have done a swim to bike brick, but I have to wait 2.5 more weeks to be able to run again to get in my first bike to run brick. I know it’s going to feel so strange, but I’m excited and think I’ll feel the same way you explained. I’m loving tri training so far, though I have to say I’m only doing the swim and bike portion right now. Can’t wait to add in the third!
Is this your first tri then? It’s a crazy feeling- you’ll have to let me know how you enjoy the bike to run combo 🙂