Yup. We had loads of fun!
The day after my race in Vegas, we headed over to Flagstaff so the husband could attend some sort of Biology conference. (No, I am not a scientist, in case you can't tell. I studied linguistics...) I was easily convinced to come with him because - FRIENDS! I dearly miss my Flagstaff friends and training partners and was THRILLED to have a chance to hang out with them! As soon as we pulled into town, we headed over to Karen's for a birthday party. MY birthday party, actually. Because Karen knows me well, it was super low key and I loved it. Thank you, SuperK, for getting everyone together at your house!
brick run #1
After two short days of hanging out with friends on the trails, at the pool, and on the trainer, Karen and I decided it was time for a little get-away to somewhere less cold and rainy. Phoenix - here we come! First stop: Dove Valley Road! Remember how much I love this road? It was perfect yet again and we had all kinds of fun on this ride! Mainly, I got out-sprinted by Karen every few minutes during our 30-second pick-ups. No matter what trick I came up with, she beat me. She claimed that I wasn't trying but, boy, did I ever try! We don't call her the spring b*tch for nothing! Second stop: What I thought was my favorite little pool down in the Valley but I might be changing my mind... The water was so cold that I got out half-way through the workout (Karen never even got in!) and took a hot shower. Needless to say, I never went back in! Duh. Instead, we headed over to Sweet Tomatoes for some yummy dinner with our Ahwatukee boys, Malcolm and Bayram. Let the carbo-loading begin! In preparation for a LONG day of training, we went to bed early we decided to have a sleep-over under the stars and tell stories past midnight.
the boyfriend loves the desert as much as I do
The next morning it was ON! We hit the McDowell pool over in Scottsdale (go there if you get the chance!) as soon as it opened and enjoyed a gorgeous sunrise swim before stuffing our faces on the short drive over to Rio Verde. Then it was time to bike, run, bike, run, bike, run for the next 8 hours in preparation for Ironman Arizona in a few short weeks! I wasn't sure how I would be feeling so close after Silverman 70.3 but I was ready to find out! With Karen by my side, the sun in my back, and plenty of yummy snacks, I figured it would be a good day.
I love brick workouts. As a matter of fact, I hardly ever NOT run after a bike ride. Even if it's just around the block. I think it's crucial to get (and then keep) our legs used to running off the bike. No matter how far, short, fast, or easy, I slip on the running shoes and head back out the door. If I am pressed for time, I'd rather cut my ride short than miss my transition run. I actually prefer running after biking to just running and, if I really want to nail a long/hard training run, I sometimes warm up on my trainer to give myself a better chance to succeed. So, as you can imagine, I LOVE double bricks. Getting to bike-run and then hop back on the bike and do it again is my (almost) favorite workout! It can be a bit time-consuming but if you plan it right (tips below) and use it as transition training, I promise you that it's worth your while! Especially if you are anything like me: I have a 60-mile ride and a hard 14-mile run on tap and I think: Yikes, that run might hurt. But when it's broken up into 30/7/30/7, I go: Yep. I can do anything for 7 miles!
run #3 at sunset
More isn't always better but if 1x = fun and 2x = more fun, then 3x = MOST fun, right? Right. That's why the triple brick is my MOST favorite! I don't get to do it all that often but when I do, it's a great challenge! They're not always as long as this one. Some might be rather short where I stay on the trainer for the bike portion and just run laps around the neighborhood but they always have a very specific purpose.
Today's triple brick consisted of 3x (2h bike, 30min run). Doesn't sound too bad, does it? But when you add it all up it's about 7.5 hours of training and will take you at least 8 hours depending on how fast and efficient your transitions are. Each bike leg was the same and included hill repeats, IM efforts, and 70.3 efforts. Each run leg got progressively faster than the last. I stayed on the same bike and run course all day. One, because I am part hamster. Two, because it's easier to compare numbers that way. Three, simple logistics. I carefully chose a course with minimal traffic that would allow me to follow coach's instructions.
Usually I do these by myself but today was my lucky day and I had my favorite training-buddy/partner-in-crime/supporter/cheerleader with me. It made a huge difference! We parked the van at the bottom of Rio Verde hill and Karen joined me for ride #1 and ride #2 and biked next to me during all three runs. Life-saver! The first two rounds went well and and I nailed it fairly easily. On the second run it got HOT and - in hindsight - I ran a bit too fast but, just as I started to fade, SuperK came along and dumped ice water on me every few minutes. The luxury!!! Then it got hard. I started out ride #3 a bit too aggressively and really paid for it at the end. Not sure I've ever struggled so much trying to get my watts just a LITTLE higher for what seemed like eternity. But I stayed on top of nutrition and hydration and, alas, I finally made it back to the van and took a few extra minutes to gather myself for the last run of the day. More food, more salt, more water, different shorts, finally music, and off I went begging Karen to NOT leave me alone. It went better than expected and I was THRILLED! And completely exhausted.
If this sounds a bit like a race report, then that's exactly what this kind of workout will do for you. It prepares you for race day! Mentally and physically. But recovery will be much shorter because I didn't pound the pavement for 13 miles straight. Although it adds up to the same amount of mileage, my experience tells me that it affects the body differently. There is no doubt that I was able to push harder on each of the legs than I could have if I had biked for 6 hours and then run for 1.5 straight. It's a challenge and today I came out on top. I believe that I gained a fair amount of fitness from this training day and, maybe more important, the confidence that I can feel extremely tired on the bike and STILL run well. I can be completely exhausted and still rally! It was a GOOD DAY at the office.
rallying on run #3
Some tips on bricks:
Spend some time figuring out a good location to set up camp with minimal distraction. For example, I don't like to start from my house because of city traffic and stop lights and because I've learned that transitions ALWAYS take longer at home due to distractions. I much prefer to park the car somewhere outside of town that it's ideal for biking AND running.
Make sure you have enough fuel (food, water, salt) for all of the legs of your brick. Things will go south quickly if you run out of energy. This is a good day to practice race-day nutrition! If you know it's going to be hot, then - ideally - you have an 'aid station' on your route or by your car where you can get cold water and/or ice. Part of the reason I chose Rio Verde for my triple brick is that I know a 'secret spot' at the golf course where I can easily pull up on my bike and fill up my bottles with water/ice in a matter of two minutes.
Invite a friend to come along! Because you are basically riding and running big circles around your car, this works out well even if your friend isn't going the same pace as you. I was super lucky to have Karen with me who joined me for some but also took a break in the middle and went to a coffee shop to get some computer work done.
If you haven't, then I'd like to encourage you to incorporate a single, double, or triple brick into your training schedule and see how you like it. I promise it's fun! Well, you know, THAT kind of fun...
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