BTC Brick Workout
Week 30
10/29/20

Hi Everyone,

The weather is getting colder, so make sure you have appropriate layers as you roll out this week/end. Given the possibility of temps in the 20s, shorten this session as needed or wait until Sunday or Monday when it warms up a little. A trainer ride and road run works well also, since sometimes it’s easier to work on bike technique when there are no other distractions. Given the intensity of our Tuesday bike and Wednesday run, this session is one of lower intensity, just like two weeks ago. Choose two or three technique points that you haven’t focused on recently and improve them.

The goals of this week’s brick are:
1) Complete a distance brick
2) Work on bike and run technique
Note: You should practice race fueling throughout the bike, and at mile one of the run. It’s good to see how your body responds to planned race foods over longer distances. Try to eat a meal 2-3 hours before the workout, so your muscles will be topped off, but your stomach won’t be heavy. Like your next race.

The Brick Workout:
WARM-UP:
Raise your heart rate and loosen up your legs with a 10min easy jog including several 30sec pickups with 1min rest.

TRANSITION: As fast as possible

BIKE:
Distance: 1-3 hours or 20-60 miles
Effort:
15min build effort, power, or heart rate to Zone 2 without overshooting.
Hold Zone 2 for the remainder of the ride.
For 5-10min each hour, take some time and use each of the positional thoughts below to evaluate and improve your body position.
Evaluate:
Road Position:
– Relax your shoulders and feel them drop into a position that takes pressure off your neck.
– Slight bend at the elbows.
– Keep your wrists straight: they should be in line between your elbows and fingers.
– Notice if your back is rounded or slouched down – both extremes can cause pain. Keep it relatively neutral and relatively flat between hips and shoulders. Every body is different, so your ‘neutral’ may be more rounded than someone else’s.
– Each leg should be moving in a flat plane from hips to knees to ankles. If your knees are bowing out or collapsing in, this can cause a loss of power and knee pain.
Time Trial Position:
You’re rotated forward and this begs a few more points:
– Relax your back and shoulders before lifting your chin to look ahead.
– Allow your hips to rotate forward on your seat, otherwise your lower back will be too upright for aero.
– If your knees are popping out to the side, pull them back in. 

TRANSITION: As fast as possible

RUN:
Distance: Divide bike mileage by 10
Effort:
5min moderate, then settle into your Zone 2 run pace.
For a few minutes each mile, take some time and use each of the form thoughts below to evaluate and improve your running technique
Evaluate:
– See how steady you can hold your gaze, limiting bounce, even over rough terrain.
– Run tall, bring your shoulders back a little, and imagine someone is lifting you up from the top of your head.
– Arms crossing the centerline in front? Bring them more in line with where you’re going.
– 90deg bend at the elbow.
– Open your fingers and shake them out.
– Pull your abs in, belly button toward your spine.
– Feel your knees passing behind your hips.
– Make your footfalls quiet.

BTC Brick Workout
Week 29
10/22/20

Hi Everyone,

The goals of this week’s brick are:
A solid threshold bike and run effort.

The Brick Workout:
WARM-UP:
Ride to the park, then do a half loop including a few 30sec spin-ups to a fast cadence

BIKE:
Distance: 4-5 park loops, or 40-60min
Effort: 2x15min at Threshold effort with 5min easy recovery after each

TRANSITION: As fast as possible

RUN:
Distance: 3×1.5mi OABs on the run
Effort: 1mi hard / ½mi easy for each OAB

BTC Brick Workout
Week 28
10/15/20

Hi Everyone,

The goals of this week’s brick are:
1) Complete a distance brick in some nice fall weather
2) Work on bike and run technique

Note: You should practice race fueling throughout the bike, and at mile one of the run. Try to eat a meal 2-3 hours before the workout, so your muscles will be topped off, but your stomach won’t be heavy.

The Brick Workout:
WARM-UP:
Raise your heart rate and loosen up your legs with a 10min easy jog including several 30sec pickups with 1min rest.

TRANSITION: As fast as possible

BIKE:
Distance: 2-3 hours/30-60 miles

Effort:
15min build effort, power, or heart rate to Zone 2 without overshooting.
Hold Zone 2 for the remainder of the ride.
For 5-10min each hour, take some time and use each of the positional thoughts below to evaluate and improve your body position.

Evaluate:
Road Position:
– Relax your shoulders and feel them drop into a position that takes pressure off your neck.
– Slight bend at the elbows.
– Keep your wrists straight: they should be in line between your elbows and fingers.
– Notice if your back is rounded or slouched down – both extremes can cause pain. Keep it relatively neutral and relatively flat between hips and shoulders. Every body is different, so your ‘neutral’ may be more rounded than someone else’s.
– Each leg should be moving in a flat plane from hips to knees to ankles. If your knees are bowing out or collapsing in, this can cause a loss of power and knee pain.

Time Trial Position:
You’re rotated forward and this begs a few more points:
– Relax your back and shoulders before lifting your chin to look ahead.
– Allow your hips to rotate forward on your seat, otherwise your lower back will be too upright for aero.
– If your knees are popping out to the side, pull them back in. 

TRANSITION: As fast as possible

RUN:
Distance: Divide bike mileage by 10

Effort:
5min moderate, then settle into your Zone 2 run pace.
For a few minutes each mile, take some time and use each of the form thoughts below to evaluate and improve your running technique

Evaluate:
– See how steady you can hold your gaze, limiting bounce, even over rough terrain.
– Run tall, bring your shoulders back a little, and imagine someone is lifting you up from the top of your head.
– Arms crossing the centerline in front? Bring them more in line with where you’re going.
– 90deg bend at the elbow.
– Open your fingers and shake them out.
– Pull your abs in, belly button toward your spine.
– Feel your knees passing behind your hips.
– Make your footfalls quiet.

BTC Brick Workout
Week 27
10/8/20

Hi Everyone,

The goals of this week’s brick are:
1) Complete a brick with a bike pacing focus
2) Practice making negative splits using your specific race paces
3) Run off the bike at a steady pace, focused on technique after a strenuous ride

The Brick Workout (1:45)
Note: see the end of this workout for a review of race paces and their respective training zones

BIKE OPTION 1 – high intensity:
20min easy
15min half IM pace
10min Oly pace
5min Sprint pace or faster
10min easy spin
10min Oly pace
5min Sprint pace or faster

BIKE OPTION 2 – low intensity:
20min easy
15min IM pace
10min half IM pace
5min Oly pace
10min easy spin
10min half IM pace
5min Oly pace

RUN:
10min settle in, straighten up and run tall, gradually lengthen your stride to normal lengths
10min half IM pace, cycling through three thoughts for one minute each: quiet feet, heels up, knees forward more quickly
10min easy jog

Race Paces as they relate to Training Zones:
Sprint: 1-1.5hr. Most of your time will be spent in the Threshold Zone (Z4). Faster athletes may bump up into VO2max (Z5) for short periods, while slower ones will spend time in Z3.
Olympic: 2-3.5hrs. Mostly Z3. Faster athletes some Threshold. Slower ones, more Z2.
Half IM: 4-6.5hrs. Mostly Z2. Faster athletes some Z3. Slower ones, more Z1.
IM: 8-17hrs. Mostly Z1-2. Faster athletes some Z3. Slower ones will spend all their time in Z1.