The bike-to-run transition in triathlon is where races are won and lost. Your legs feel like concrete blocks, your heart rate is elevated from the ride. And your running mechanics are completely different from the pedaling motion you have been doing for the last hour or more. In addition, brick workouts train your body to handle this transition, and they are a non-negotiable part of my multisport training.
A brick workout pairs a cycling session immediately followed by a run, simulating the T2 transition in a triathlon. My standard brick is a 60 to 90 minute moderate-intensity ride followed by a 20 to 40 minute run at planned race pace. The first mile of the run always feels terrible, and that is exactly the point. In addition, you are training your body and brain to push through the disorientation and find your running legs quickly.
I structure brick workouts with progressive specificity as race day approaches. Early in the season, the bike portion is easy and the run is short. Just enough to experience the transition feeling. In addition, as fitness builds, the bike intensity increases to race effort and the run extends to race distance. Nevertheless, by race week, my body knows exactly what to expect when I rack my bike and head out on the run course.
Transition logistics matter more than most new triathletes realize. During brick workouts, I practice the physical act of transitioning: dismounting the bike. Racking it, changing shoes, grabbing nutrition, and starting the run. In addition, i time my transitions and work to reduce them. Nevertheless, because in a short-course triathlon, a fast transition can make up several places in the overall standings.
Nutrition during brick workouts follows race-day protocols. I fuel and hydrate on the bike exactly as I would in a race. And I carry run nutrition for longer bricks. In addition, practicing your nutrition plan under transition stress is essential because your gut behaves differently when your body is shifting between exercise modes. Nevertheless, ethlete electrolytes and familiar fueling products eliminate one variable from an already stressful situation.
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For more resources, visit USA Cycling.