Thursday Brick - tri plans

Training
1

Hi all, the tri plans have this brick on thursdays that I found really complicated to fit in my schedule this season. For the next season I was planning to switch it for another wko and only do the Saturday brick every other weekend.

Do you have any wko or sequence of wkos for me to follow on a half and full IM medium volume?

Thanks

Ronaldo

2

Thinking out loud here, as I haven’t had this issue yet, possible solutions:

  1. if you can do a bike and run that day, just separate them and do a slightly longer easy run (suggested by @tribuddha in another thread: https://www.trainerroad.com/forumt/brick-workouts-in-winter/5174/4?u=scheherazade)

  2. just do the prescribed bike workout and skip the run part

1 Like
3

Hi,

The problem with separating the bike from the run is that it will not be a brick anymore, not the same adaptations.

Just doing the bike part could be an option but I keep wondering if not doing the brick would also defeat the purpose of that specific type of ride(that is usually a long steady tempo/endurance ride) and, in that case, it would be better to do something completely different.

A third alternative would be to Switch the Thursday brick with Saturday’s ride(that would give me time to complete both) but it means that I would end doing a brick every Saturday and I’m not sure if this Is the type of adaptation that the coach was looking for when he laied out the plan.

Cheers

Ronaldo

4

We should think about though the purpose of bricks:

  1. Psychologically running on tired legs and pushing through the jelly legs. This can be achieved by running straight off the bike but also later on in the day when you actually might be more tired and pushing yourself to get on the treadmill is more of an issue.
  2. Physiologically, the benefits are small compared to running on tired legs later on in the day but the risks are high. Many top end coaches actually do not put many or intense bricks in because of the risks. If they do, they will be 20-30min long with intensity but this is at the Olympic level. If you are doing an easy or even tempo run, the adaptations from doing it straight off the bike to later on in the day are smaller. Later on in the day might even be better because you are able to get a better quality run in.
  3. Time: one shower instead of two and it’s easier to refuel
  4. Specificity since it simulates a race. But, this becomes more important closer to race day and does not matter as much further out (see point 3)
  5. Break up the boredom of long trainer rides by doing multiple bricks and practicing a very quick transition.

I will admit though that If you are training for Olympics or draft legal races, brick runs become more important.

5

Oh, I should mention that I love bricks. I find them convenient especially when I cannot get to a workout later on in the day and psychologically beneficial. As race day gets closer and closer, they become more and more important. In the winter though, they serve less of a purpose.

Overall, it is just important to recognize what purpose they serve and why we are doing them.

1 Like
6

Something I started incorporating was running in tired legs. For example km repeats on the treadmill and the beginning of each interval I add 20 body weight squats. I don’t know if it brings similar adaptations, but to me it certainly gives the same super heavy leg feeling as a brick and doesn’t take much time. It also makes my legs sore(good sore) in a way both running/weights don’t do independently.

7

as @tribuddha says the bricks have a place

this will probably affect your saturday run, but maybe it works for you.

if you’re time pressed consider if you can make it every 2nd week after one of the bike workouts? better than not getting it done.

8

The benefits of bricks are minimal. I do them if time permits but separate them if I need to.