kenj's group closed, training hard and having fun!! (Page 53)

Bricks – what your philosophy on them?

I’ve read in a few different places that doing them is OK but you make better gains by training separately. But I was reflecting on my last race (a sprint) and though that some specific brick training for that race could have made a difference.

Any thoughts or comments on brick training.

Newbie question:

What do you all pack into your Tri bag?  I've heard so much about not wasting space and trying to pack light.  Should I bring an extra towel to dry off my feet after the swim or is this a waste of space?

Sorry, just starting to ponder the details.

Bricks are great tools, even if its just a 10 minute run after a bike just to get your legs under you.  I try to get at least one good brick work out in, it is easy with our club because every Wednesday night we have a run-bike-run as a training session.

Bricks.  Yes. 

As for the bag, I'm the guy who takes everything.  Two helmets (can't race without one and often someone forgets and what if my strap breaks?), shoes for both, wetsuit, socks for longer runs, towels (Lord, yes, I feel so much better after a fast wipre down), tire pump, nutrition, hydration.  I hire two men to carry it.

Training has been time consuming. 3 to 4 hours on WEEKDAYS with 6 plus on the weekends. Long bikes followed by runs. Long runs midweek isolated from the long bikes. Bikes are a mix of long plus short intense VO2.  Swims 2- 3X, mostly VO2 stuff with longer ones mixed in.  A 2.4 miler is coming.  Yoga and rollers routinely.  Sleeping 7 to 9 hours if I can get it, naps on the weekend.  Kinda crazy.  Will be happy for a rest in September.  

This weekend is a century plus ride for charity and a run Saturday, plus a 2 hour intense ride and longer run Sunday.  Might try to swim if I can find an hour. have to devote time to the Mrs. too.  Today is a rest day and date night, Cowboys and Aliens and dinner.

For sprints and olympic I keep it as simple as possible,  I have a small mat that I lay out my stuff on and do it the same way every time and practice that way.  Mine is something like bike shoes with number belt,  gatorade bottle and gel, then my running shoes and socks with my visor.  Sometimes I put an extra tube of aquaphor on there.  My helmet and sunglasses are on my aero bars.  I like to have a towel there in case of sand or feet wet or anything to wipe off with, but not a big towel I have an old gatorade sideline towel that works great.  Just remember these are all suggestions you need to try things and find what your magic solution is and remember to HAVE FUN!!!!

If you want to PM your email address and I can send you a nicely formatted checklist I did in word.

My transition setup is minimal. I have what I use and that's it. I did really well in in my last race during transition 7th in T1 and 34th in T2 so I keep it simple and it works. And no I didn't wipe my feet off but you need to feel comfortable. I'll admit to being a little fanatical about transition.

But my bag has a lot of stuff. Like Ice I pack doubles of most things and triples of a few things - googles being one of the things I have multiples of. Drop your googles and step on them right before a race - no problem grab another pair from your bag. Oh and I started packing a headlamp (which might not be on my checklist yet) last year I had to setup my transition area in the dark at my last race of the season.

Friendly or not….

So depending on my route or activity I come across the same people. This morning I passed 2 people I usually see. On my bike ride around 5:45 I passed a woman jogging on the other side of the road and she gave me a big wave and smile and I returned the gesture. Then around 7:00 I passed another women jogging near my house but  I can barely get her to acknowledge my existence and we are about 5’ away from each other – I usually pass her jogging not riding but the reaction is the same…...

Pass any “regulars” out there and are people more friendly in different parts of the country?

Bricks-I think they are very important when you are newer to get used to the feeling of running off the bike. Don't even have to be long, just long enough for your legs to feel back to normal if that's all you have time for. For me, running off the bike gets easier every year, and now I actually have a little spring in my step instead of that heavy jello-y feeling that I used to get. I brick now just to fit a little more running into my schedule. Did a brick today and ran probably 30 seconds/mile faster than if I had done a stand alone run.

Transition bag-Definitely as simple as possible. I do have a towel in transition, but I only use it to wipe sand or dirt off my feet if necessary. A headlamp is very helpful in late season races.

Friendly People. In my neighborhood I usually only see people walking their dogs, and they are friendly. Once I get away from any houses I moo at the cows and neigh at the horses, but they just look at me and don't respond.

Have a great race, Tim!

Enjoy the weekend, everybody!

Nice race today!!

Congratulations on a good race!

Great advice! When I do a brick it's a short run after a good bike ride but if I was planning a brick the bike would not be a 'hammer fest' and I would not bike before my hard or long run.

I know for me it's hard to regulate my pace and HR off the bike. I tend to start off too fast and have a hard time settling in with a comfortable pace. I did a brick yesterday and while it was the longest ride I've done in a while I kept my cadence up and my power just a little bit lower knowing I'd be running. It also helps me to increase my running cadence off the bike so my HR doesn't get too high.