BTC Brick Workout
Week 24
9/17/20

Hi Everyone,

The goals of this week’s brick are:
1) Complete a distance multi-brick with a pacing focus
2) Build fitness and confidence in your IM or Half IM training zones
3) Evaluate your bike/run transition in order to optimize it

Note 1: This is a workout to be rested for if possible. If you start the warm-up jog and your legs feel heavy, or your heart rate doesn’t want to rise, end the workout there and keep it to a very easy 30min jog or ride. Give it another day or two.
Note 2: You should practice race fueling throughout the bike and run, on regular intervals as if racing. 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:
This workout is to be done at IM or Half IM pace, with a descending profile. The idea is for the final cycle to be above your chosen race pace, even if just a little. Choose a model based on current fitness, for example:
cycle 1 = upper Z1, cycle 2 = lower Z2, cycle 3 = upper Z2, OR
cycle 1 = lower Z2, cycle 2 = mid Z2, cycle 3 = upper Z2, OR
cycle 1 = lower Z2, cycle 2 = upper Z2, cycle 3 = lower Z3, you get the idea

Three cycles of:
BIKE: 50min
Transition: as fast as possible
RUN: 20min
Total workout should be 3:30, including transitions.
Note: shorten bike/run cycle time as needed for time or fitness constraints.

Have fun and be safe,
Coach John

Hi Everyone,

The goals of this week’s brick are:
1) Complete a distance brick with long Tempo intervals
2) Confirm training zones and/or the pacing you’ve seen in training so far
3) Evaluate your bike/run transition in order to optimize it

Note 1: This is a workout to be (at least fairly well) rested for if possible. If you start the warm-up jog and your legs feel heavy, or your heart rate doesn’t want to rise, or you get to the bike and it seems like a lot of extra effort to push Z3 power/pace/HR, end the workout there and keep it to a very easy 30min jog or ride. Give it another day or two.
Note 2: 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’ll do before 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
Have your swim to bike transition set up for when you come in off the warm-up jog. Your helmet is on your bike, upside down with straps placed to the outside, glasses inside, for easy access. Glasses should go on under helmet straps so they stay in place when you take the helmet off for the run. Bike shoes are either on the bike with rubber bands, or in some other way ready to be carried down those five flights of stairs in your walk-up. You’re not walking down stairs with bike shoes on…

BIKE:
Distance: 2-3 hours/30-60 miles
Effort:
15-30min build effort, power, or heart rate to Zone 3 without overshooting.
3x (30min Zone 3, 5min Zone 2 recovery)
Zone 2 for the remainder of the ride
You’re not pushing up into Zone 4 during this session.
Data: Get some split times and HR or Power data if you have access. Then you can compare them to your Zone 3 work from Peter’s rides and see if pacing/lap times are similar. Note RPE if using that metric.

TRANSITION: As fast as possible
Get out of your shoes on the bike if possible, keeping your eyes on the road in front of you, and riding in with your feet on top of your shoes. Dismount into a jog in bare or socked feet if you can do this safely. Once inside it’s just popping on a run cap, donning shoes, and getting out of there.

RUN:
Distance: Divide bike mileage by 10
Effort:
5min moderate, then settle into your Zone 2 run pace.
You really don’t want to go out too hard here. This is where your multi-brick pacing work pays off. Your focus should be on running tall and opening up your stride a bit. You’ll be a little stiff from the ride.

Q&A
BIKE:
– Is there anything off about the training zones you have set up, or do they seem spot on based on this effort?
– If riding in the park, were the lap times what you are used to for this heart rate or RPE?
– Was your cadence steady throughout? Any issues shifting? Sometimes you can find yourself between gears a lot for a particular effort level, and you’ll perhaps need to make an equipment adjustment at some point.
TRANSITION:
– Was it smooth and quick with no delays?
– Any equipment changes to make, such as bike shoes or speed laces, or something else? There’s no bad time to start making these changes.
RUN:
– This is similar to Half Ironman pace. Could you have held this for ten or more miles?
– Out too fast or too slow?
– How long before you hit your stride and felt fully acclimated to the run?
– If you ate, how did that go?

As we move into the later part of the season, you’ve likely had three or more attempts at each of our bricks. Hopefully you’ve come away from each with a better performance, or learnings that improve your next one. Keep at it! Bricks are about improving race skills and knowing how well you transition between sports under stress. Looking for a quality workout this week? Do the session as written – option 3. If mid-level endurance fits the bill, go with option 2. If you want active recovery with a skill focus, that’s option 1. Have fun!

This is our Week 7 video. Just be aware that this week’s session has fewer transitions. Please see the Week 7 post for an example worksheet to track your data (if not using something electronic).

Hi Everyone,

The goals of this week’s brick are:
1) Multi-brick with negative splits
2) Focus on building effort steadily, with lightning-fast transitions
3) Review Training Zones and their respective Adaptations

The Brick Workout:
OPTIONS: 

1. Easy: keep it in Zone 1 or lower Zone 2 for a recovery session
2. Mod: drop all the zones (as written) one level, so you start with Z2 on the bike
3. Hard: as written

WARM-UP: Run 1 mile easy, with a few 30sec pickups to a moderate effort.

TRANSITION: As fast as possible to the bike.

ROUND 1
BIKE:
Distance: Ride two loops of the park (or ~20min for those not in the area)
Effort: Build to lower Zone 3 (effort 4/10) over their first several minutes, then very gradually build to upper Zone 3 (effort 6/10) by the end of the second loop.

TRANSITION: As fast as possible
Get out of your shoes on the bike if it’s possible to do so safely, keeping your eyes on the road in front of you, and riding in with your feet on top of your shoes.

RUN:
Distance: Run 1.5 miles
Effort: Maintain pace/HR in mid-Zone 3 (effort 5/10)

ROUND 2
BIKE:
Distance: Ride two loops of the park (or ~20min)
Effort: Build to lower Zone 4 (effort 7/10) over their first several minutes, then very gradually build to upper Zone 4 (effort 8/10) by the end of the second loop.

TRANSITION: As fast as possible

RUN:
Distance: Run 1.5 miles
Effort: Build from Zone 4 (effort 7/10) to Zone 5 (effort 9/10), with a strong finish.

Preparation:
– Set up your bike pedals using rubber bands (as if you were going to run it out of transition and do a step on or flying mount). You’ll do this to start your first bike if you’re using a trainer, and if you are comfortable, on the road. You can do a normal stepover mount, but it’s good to practice setting up your pedals. You could do it each time you start a new bike leg, but it’s not required.
– Get your electronics set up and on your body and bike: sports watch, Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), Power Meter, etc.
– Before the workout, try to get them connected online and get somewhat comfortable with the screens and data you’re seeing. You’ll upload data afterward, or your device may do this for you automatically.

Training Zones:
Here’s a review of our Training Zones, including the Borg Scale for Rate of Perceived Exertion. We want to be thinking in these terms within most of our workouts.

Hi Everyone,

It’s time for our distance brick. Everyone is in a different place with their fitness, but we can all benefit from adding a little mileage to our long workouts. A brick is a good way to do that since it changes the main muscles you’re using, and your body position, one or more times each session. They say a change is as good as a rest. Perhaps not quite in this case, but the transitions will certainly give you a boost! Choose a duration that challenges you without overcooking the turkey. There are 1:40 to 5:00 options.

The goals of this week’s brick are:

1) Complete a distance brick in a Run-Bike-Run format.
2) See if there is any fall off in pace toward the end of the bike, for the same or increased heart rate. There shouldn’t be, if your distance fitness is solid for your chosen timeframe.
3) Work on running form off the bike as you try to duplicate the first run. Are pace and heart rate the same as before?
4) If you determine you would like something shorter, lessen the runs to 10 min each, and the bike to 40 min. Maintain effort in Zone 2 throughout, with a similar run form focus off the bike.

The Brick Workout:

WARM-UP (10 min)
5 min walk, or some active stretching as demonstrated by John Hirsch
5 min easy jog

RUN – Main Set (20-30 min)
Steady but relatively easy run, noting pace
Last 10 min build gradually to the top of Zone 3, noting pace

BIKE – Main Set (60-210 min)
For the first ¾ of the bike, for whatever duration you choose, hold effort steady in high Zone 2
For the last ¼, hold low- to mid-Zone 3

TRANSITION
Fastest Possible! Do not rest or catch your breath or eat or drink!

RUN – Main Set (20-60 min)
Focus on running form, especially running tall and with a full-length stride in the first 5 min off the bike (see additional form ideas below, and change it up every 2-3 min)
Steady but relatively easy run, noting pace (should be similar to your first run)
Last 10 min build gradually to the top of Zone 3, noting pace

COOL DOWN (10 min)
5 min easy jog
5 min walk

Vision: See how steady you can hold your gaze, limiting bounce, even over rough terrain.
Posture: You hear ‘run tall’ a lot, so bring your shoulders back a little, straighten up, and feel lighter on your feet.
Arm swing: Arms crossing the centerline in front? Bring them more in line with where you’re going. Hands really low? Move to a 90deg bend at the elbow. Fists clenched or forearms pulled up tight to your shoulders? Open your fingers and shake them out. Choose one and run.
Core Engagement: Pull your abs in, belly button toward your spine.
Legs: A sequence I’ve always found helpful, from coach Ken Mierke: Drive knees forward each stride. Kick heels up each stride. ‘Paw’ back just before footstrike. Choose one, or as I like to do, cycle through all three for two minutes each.
Run Quiet: Can you hear your feet landing a bit too heavily? Bend your knees, steady your gaze, and try to take the sound away.
Stride length: Some may say if you extend your stride you’ll heel-strike, or over-stride, but we’re not looking for triple-jump distances. Just a few inches. Others may say if you shorten up you’ll slow down. Just shift a little one way or the other to see how it feels and what your pace and perceived exertion are.
Turnover: Count strides per minute for one foot, then consciously choose to speed that up or slow it down.