What the heck is a brick???

[adt216]

I am a very new to duathlons and someone in another thread mentioned that I should try to use bricks once a week. Can someone explain to me what a brick is? What I do with it and where I can get one? :confused:

[Lise]

Sad to say, you can't get one, you have to do one! :p

A brick is when you do two parts of your race back to back, in training. For you, a duathlete, that would be running then biking, or biking then immediately running. It's an opportunity to practice that challenging transition of using your muscles to do one thing, and then immediately doing another.

Welcome to the Triathlon board! Lise

[btchance]

What Lise said. Word of warning though, your legs will feel completely weird the first few times you do bricks, just fight through it and it will go away, I promise! and the more you do them (I try to do one per week), the easier it gets. Good luck, and welcome aboard :)

[Running Mommy]

Yep! There is a reason why they call them BRICKS!! It's the feeling in your legs the first few paces you take after getting off your bike and running! :p
But they DO get easier!! They really do!!

[Veronica]

I thought it was something you shouldn't throw if you lived in a glass house. :D

V.

[chickwhorips]

I thought it was something you shouldn't throw if you lived in a glass house. :D

V.

no those are stones.

even though i'm not doing tris or dus can i still do this just to get in better shape? or will it hurt more than help?

[SadieKate]

no those are stones.If you are Veronica, you carry them around in your bike bag.

[Veronica]

If you are Veronica, you carry them around in your bike bag.


Have you been hanging around my husband? That's what he said! :D The triplets are patiently waiting in the garage for my return to training with them.

V.

[Tri Girl]

no those are stones.

even though i'm not doing tris or dus can i still do this just to get in better shape? or will it hurt more than help?


Sure, do them for good training sessions. It won't hurt you. I kinda like the feeling I get running off the bike. It's tough at first, but then I feel strong.
Once that muscle memory gets used to the transition- they get much easier.

[KSH]

Do any of you do the whole thing as practice in your training. In other words, do you ever do the whole swim/bike/run or bike/run/bike at any point before the event?

Well, a lot of training plans have you do a "run through" for sprint tri's... 2-3 weeks before the event. I know with my Tri 101 program, we did this.

You can do it with du too...but make sure it's 2-3 weeks out from the event.

Good luck! It sounds like you are doing to do just fine.

[adt216]

Thanks! I think I did it a little too close to my race.

[divingbiker]

Oh. My. God.

I rode my bike for an hour this morning, then attempted to run/jog/walk for a half hour. My legs are still rubbery three hours later.

I need to do this way more often before my triathlon in three weeks.

And to think that there's a swim thrown in there, too. Yikes!

[Lise]

Oh. My. God.

I rode my bike for an hour this morning, then attempted to run/jog/walk for a half hour. My legs are still rubbery three hours later.

I need to do this way more often before my triathlon in three weeks.

And to think that there's a swim thrown in there, too. Yikes!
yeah, it's intense. But imagine if you'd never felt that, and you get to your tri, and take off out of T2 with those rubber legs! Whooooa, that's wierd! Now you know what to expect. It will pass. :)

[Tri Girl]

And remember, muscle fibers have a wonderful memory, and the more you do bricks the more they remember what to do when you take your tushi off the bike. Pretty soon, after each ride, they'll just take off whether you're ready to run or not. :D

[vicvroom]

I heard it was for Bike Run: ICK.

Why are bike/run workouts so easy for me to talk myself out of?

[Tri Girl]

I heard it was for Bike Run: ICK.




That's cute- and so very true!!! :)

[adt216]

As a beginner, who has only done one duathlon, I promise it passes after you do it a couple of times. And Lise is right, better feel it now than on race day.

[triflor]

as for adding in the swim, I've only ever done one or two workout sessions with all three. Trained properly, the swim of the tri should feel relaxed, and like a good warm up to the other two.

[Lise]

Trained properly, the swim of the tri should feel relaxed, and like a good warm up to the other two.Maybe someday I'll feel that way. It still feels like the thing I endure and fight through to get to my bike. Can't yet convince myself to spend the money on a Total Immersion training weekend.

[crazycanuck]

I have a rather odd q...

Would a brick workout still work if you did reverse (no, not moving backwards, silly rabbit-tricks are for kids). So if you did a run then a bike ride would it still have the same effect as bike then run?

Just a thought that went through my mind today....:D

c

[triflor]

I'm thinking that part of the purpose is to train your muscles to move from biking to running. Did you ever notice, at tris, early in the run seeing people whose legs are still trying to bike!?!

I wouldn't doubt the value of doing run/bike, but would wonder if you're achieving what a brick is meant to do.

[crazycanuck]

Ah...gotya...thanks!!!

:)

I shall now crawl back into the silly hole where i came from..