How often should I do bricks?

For a newer athlete to the sport I will typically have them do 3 or 4 before a race to accomplish 2 things - practice transitioning from one sport to the next (the actual physical transition of changing shoes and such) and to allow the athlete to understand what it feels like to go from a low impact exercise using muscles in one fashion to a high impact effort and using the muscles in a completely different fashion.  That will simply let the athlete understand what the process feels like.

The key thing for you doing Irongirl is to make sure you are getting adequate cycling time.  The course is rolling and you need to be mentally prepared for the hills on both the bike and run.  It is a little late to jump on any specific plan, but be consistent in your workouts and you should be fine.  Good luck!

Thanks Daremo.  Luckily, living in Warrenton, there are plenty of hills that I can't avoid in training.  I have done one brick..actually we swam, biked and ran that day and I was able to maintain a 8:30 pace for the 3 miles running..although the first mile was pretty tough. 

Your ability to run well off the bike is inherently linked to how much bike fitness you have and how hard you push the bike pacing.  You can be the best runner in the world but if you overcook the bike you can end up barely able to run.

wow - my twin!!!

I'm doing the Army Ten-Miler (my 4th one) 1.5 months after the Columbia Iron Girl (which is my first tri). 

I had heard the trail was hilly, luckily there is a HUGE hill behind my apt, so I get lots of practice in!

Good luck!

Edited by rbtrumpet 2009-07-09 8:09 AM

do them until you feel you're really comfortable that you know how you will get from swim to bike and from bike to run.  Seemingly silly things like how you roll your socks can have a big impact on the day; they may be easy to put on when it's dry, but how about when your feet are wet.  My first tri, I put a t-shirt on over my bathers and it got stuck half way and I was lucky that the chick next bike took pity on me and pulled it down. Sort out how you want to arrange your stuff and just get relaxed with it all - there's some really good articles on here.  Even just knowing how your legs feel running after the bike will help you to feel more confident on the day.  Good luck with it all, you'll have a blast.

rb- are you doing the practice race on the 31st? 

Thanks Daisy!!

planning on it!  I know, it's stupid, but I don't have a car (planning on getting my boyfriend to drive me and my bike up there on Sat the 22nd, and me on the 23rd), so as long as my friend who I signed up with is going, then I'm hitching a ride with her.



As for bricks: I've done 5 mile bike and 3 mile run - that felt pretty good (not great, I had to take a couple walking breaks, but it was OK), and I'm planning on doing my first swim/bike this weekend.

RB- My training partner and I are actually spending the night on the 30th so we can be up there early for the practice race.  It would take us 1.5-2 hours to drive up there the morning of and with traffic around here.. way too long!  Are you planning on doing the bike course on your own that morning as well? 

I'm really not sure, since I don't have a car, I don't have much of a choice.

I really need to do the swim - that's going to be my worst by FAR, and I don't live near open water (well, near the potomac, but I wouldn't swim in that!!!!), so I need all the open-water practice I can get!


If my ride is bringing her bike/doing the bike route, then I probably will too - but if she's just going for the swim/run, then that's what I'm doing.  It's more a matter of traveling with her, her time, and taking up room in/on her car (for the bike)