race distance brick for oly?

I would agree with John, you really need to watch your hydration in a climate such as yours.  Hopefully you are running with some kind of hydration device at the moment such as a Fuel Belt.

I myself am doing an Oly next month.  I think that you should do some race specific bricks, but they don't necesarily have to be the same distance.  For example you could do a 20/5 or a 30/7 brick at a little under race pace.

However the most important thing for me when I'm doing a brick is my HR.  I almost NEVER let it get above 150 in training.  If it starts to get close to that range then it's time to back off.  Although when you're a few weeks out, you can probably afford to push it a little more.

Good luck with your race.  I hope this helps some??  I think if you watch your hydration and HR and stay within yourself then you should be fine.

I have an Oly tri next weekend.  The training plan I'm using had me do a brick today.  The plan called for 1:30 bike / :30 run.  The first 1:00 of the bike was in zone 2.  The last :30 of the bike was at race pace - zone 4 to 5a.  The first :15 of the run was in zone 2 and the last :15 was at race pace - zone 4 to 5a.  I felt great doing this workout.  Next weekend will be my second tri.  My first was a sprint.  I have done a couple bricks like this and feel pretty confident about next weekend.

Hope this helps.

TJ

Let me pull out a couple things from your posts and give you my opinion...

You have no reason to fear a DNF.  If you can do the race distance within the context of your training week, you will have no trouble doing them both at the tail end of a taper.  Think about how fatigued you are for your weekend efforts now, and remember that on race day you will be fresh and poised for action!  Moreover, if you always add a little bit extra to your race-distance sessions, you will be that much more ready.  You do not, IMO, need a race-distance brick in order to be able to finish.  If you want it to build fitness, but are wary of your ability to recover, push it back to two weeks prior.

Not sure where "flatland" is, nor where your race is, but you need to do three things to acclimate yourself to the heat:

1. Hydrate.  Preferably with a sports drink.  Water alone doesn't have all the stuff your body needs.
2. Weigh Yourself.  Before you workout, weigh yourself naked, then do so again after your workout.  Your goal is to weigh the same before and after.  Each pound you lose equates to 16 oz of fluid.  And know that weight loss as little as 2% starts to affect performance.
3. Spend Time.  You have to train in the heat to be able to train or race in the heat.  Spend some time out there, and follow #1 and #2 above while doing so, and you'll get better at it.

That's enough for this morning.  Enjoy your race!