bricks...

[rocknrollgirl]

Ouch. That is it. Just Ouch. All I have to say...just ouch.

Two hours of very hilly, singletack...and then a two mile transition run. The first .6 miles straight up hill.

Just Ouch.....

keep on truckin'

[btchance]

Yes, ouch is the operative work for bricks (ie brick, run, ick - can't remember who said that, but I love it!). Especially up hill out of transition, no thank you. Good job. I'm doing my first one since October this week, but at least it's on a flat road.

[Velobambina]

Shot Bloks keep me doing during bricks. Where I live, there is no escaping hills.

[Running Mommy]

Yep. No way around it.. They just hurt! But if you are faithful and do at least a small 10 minute run after EVERY ride it really helps!
You know a funny thing just came to mind from last years Ironman.
When I made it out of the water the first thing that came to mind was "well I guess I get to keep racing. I made the cut off". Then when I came off the bike I thought " Ok, now I get to run.... OH CRAP! Now I have to RUN??!!"
Of course as it turned out it was more like a 26.2 mile slog, but I just remember thinking "oh how am I going to run???" YIPERS!!

[KnottedYet]

Jeez, I just can't imagine doing IM distances. I couldn't even run the little 5k in my sprint!

This year, my goal is to be able to run at least half the 5k. I'm going to train very slowly and carefully so I don't mess up my knee again. One of the PT's checked my knee out and said it's "age related degeneration." Not much I can do but strengthen the heck out of the muscles that support the knee joint.

My bricks are walks, but they still count, don't they?

[Trek420]

Hi,

Can a non triathlete visit?

My knees are shot, if I was a horse they'd shoot me (sorry for the analogy, no horses or even animals for that matter were harmed in the writing of this post). I can't run at all.

For my first two AIDS rides I knew I should spend a few months of the pre-season lifting. But I can't seem to weight train. It makes me even tighter no matter how much I stretch and how light a weight I use.

Velogirl here said "just do your weightlifting on the bike"

Both Spazzdog and Velogirl here taught me a lot about strengthening my legs on a bike.

First is there a hill nearby that you can walk? I am concerned about the jarring downhill on your knees but find a hill and climb it. That does wonders for your quads and hams.

Twice a week I do either hill repeats or wind sprints or low gear climbing drills or one-legged pedaling drills (that's more for form though), either IRL or in spin class or on the Cycleops...

Would stength training on the bike spare your knee and translate to the run?

[rocknrollgirl]

I do not know about IM distance, I can only speak from olympic distance and adventure racing, but I think that unfortunately nothing can replace the brick workout.

I think that strengthening legs anyway you can is an excellent idea. I used to do hill climbing on a road bike as a leg workout before I started to run. And it sure would make those supporting the knee muscle stronger which would translate in to better running with less pain.

But sooner or later you have to deal with the "oh no, now I have to run" feeling in triathlon training.

No way around it.

And for now, a bike to walk transition sure can't hurt.

Just for a laugh picture this...this spring I am going to practice wetsuit removal to bike transitions in my yard....now who would not pay to see that....my neighbors already think I am a loon...this ought to seal the deal.

[Wahine]

Degenerative joint changes are often referred to as DJD (degenerative joint disease). This is a fancy name for cartilage breakdown in the joints. The best way to manage it is with strength training and stretching. The good news is that cycling is one of the best exercises to strengthen the appropriate muscles in a wonderful, no impact way. Cycling is the exercise that I recommend most for my clients with DJD (I'm a PT).

As a triathlete and casual coach, I agree that there is no way to replace the brick workout but it all comes down to goals. If you want to do well in a sprint tri, you need to practice bricks. If you're a longer course racer or do not care how you place in any length of race, bricks are not as important and can be altered slightly. I've coached many masters athletes with DJD and I will often have them do bricks by riding their trainer poolside, (hopefully you can find a tri friendly pool), and pop into the water for fast turnover water running. This gets the legs moving as needed for running but does not help train the calves. To train the calves I get them to walk briskly up steeper hills or on a treadmill for their brick.

The long and the short of it is that running is not good for DJD, so you have to weigh the pros and cons. Yes bricks help performance but they also run a high risk of causing injury or irritation for people with DJD as they are running on tired legs. Even if their legs are strong, they are not likely getting any muscle support to the joint because they are also already fatigued.

I hope that helps you masters athletes out there. And don't give up. I have an athlete that PRed at HIM distance at the age of 60 with DJD of his knees. He has since retired.

[mariposa]

The bricks get easier and easier, the more you do.

After a few weeks, it will feel natural to run after biking.

This may sound odd, but I actually LOVE to run after biking. My legs feel, uh, warmed up.

Just trust that it will get easier!

[Thistle]

ok, am reading out of my comfort zone ... so can someone tell me what a "brick" is?

[rocknrollgirl]

A brick workout consists of getting off your bike and running after you finish a bike workout. The 'brick" comes from the fact that your legs feel like bricks, or tree trunks in my case.

It helps train you for the bike run transition in a tri.

Wahine.....great advice for all of the tired knees out there!

Thanks.

[tygab]

This may sound odd, but I actually LOVE to run after biking. My legs feel, uh, warmed up.

Hmm, oddly, I agree. On the days I 'just' run, it always takes a while for me to get into it. I end up telling myself stuff like "this will seem so short, may as well enjoy it" to get into the proper mental state.

[Thistle]

A brick workout consists of getting off your bike and running after you finish a bike workout. The 'brick" comes from the fact that your legs feel like bricks, or tree trunks in my case.

It helps train you for the bike run transition in a tri.

Wahine.....great advice for all of the tired knees out there!

Thanks.

I can understand why they call them bricks That would kill