Brick Legs

Two weeks ago I completed my very first brick workout. It was a swim/ run brick done at my apartment complex.

It was definitely challenging, but I did much better than I expected to. However, it was not the swim/ run bricks I was afraid of- it was the bike/ run bricks. I don’t know why but in my mind, I had built them up so much that I started to get nervous for my brick workout today.

Today’s brick workout called for a 30 min bike and 25 minute run, but I definitely did not read my training schedule correctly and ended up doing more work.

Last night I prepped for today’s brick by assembling my transition bags- the purple bag for my bike gear and the navy blue for my run gear. I also learned how to use the quick release for my front tire so I could put my bike in the backseat of my car while I ran (I have a bike rack on my car that I normally use but didn’t want to keep my bike unattended for obvious reasons). I am embarrassed to admit that before last night, I had no idea how to use the quick release because I had no use for it! (This video explains the process)

This morning I headed out to the rail trail to ride and then run. I thought that my plan called for a 45 minute ride and 25 minute run so I ended up riding a little more than 15 minutes more than I was supposed to. Not a big deal, but I need to read my plan more carefully because this is the second time I’ve read my plan wrong this week!

I had my watch set up for multi-sport mode so I could ride, then hit the “lap” button for the transition and then hit “lap” again to start my run. It was the first time I’ve used my watch in this mode and it was great to not have to mess around with my watch settings in between legs.

The bike ride was fairly simple- a “quick” 6 mile out and back. Some cooler weather has rolled into the area which made the ride easier than normal because my energy wasn’t sapped by the sun. Also there were no wind gusts for the first time in weeks.

The ride took me 49:02 (12.08 mi) for an average speed of 14.8 mph. Not my goal pace for the race in March, but I will get there.

Then I went into my “transition” which took a long time (6:40), but not unexpected. The transition from my bike gear to my running gear was quick and getting my front wheel off using the quick release was simple, but it was shoving my bike into my backseat which took awhile.

After some pushing, twisting, and a few choice words, I crammed my bike into my backseat (not easy to do in a Honda Civic), I was on my way for the run.

The run was where I expected to crash and burn, but I did much better than I thought. Throughout the entire run my legs never lost that heavy “brick” feeling and I felt that I was running at a snail’s pace, but apparently I was clipping away at a good pace. Even though my legs were shaking and my ankles gave out a few times during the first 1/2 mile, I finished the run in 25:49 (8:36 pace) which is speedy for me right now. In fact it was the first time in over 6 months that I have ran a sub-26:00 3 mile run!

Overall, the entire brick took me 1:21:32- not great, but not bad for my first bike/run brick. Obviously my T2 time during the actual race won’t take me close to 7 minutes (at least I hope not!).

I am enjoying the challenges and achievements this training is bringing me. It is kind of nice feeling like a “newbie” to a training plan/ sport again and celebrating different milestones!