I just started a custom plan using Plan Builder and Adaptive Training beta to train for a full distance triathlon (not actually doing a full distance tri, instead training for a marathon, but want to stay in triathlon shape) . Yesterday after my Ramp Test + endurance workout as suggested by TrainNow, there were some adaptations suggested. I accepted them and noticed that it changed the workout I am scheduled to do tomorrow, which is now a sweet spot ride (Weston) followed by a 20 min brick run.
Having spent the better portion of the past two years following the TR full distance tri plans, I am used to brick runs always following a tempo ride, not an interval ride like this. Now I am not yet declaring this a good or bad thing, but it is certainly one of those haven’t-thought-about-until-now things. Have any of you tried brick runs after interval workouts? I would imagine this particular sweet spot workout will have a similar impact on my running legs as a tempo ride, but maybe in the future AT suggests something more intense? Having only done bricks after more steady state rides (e.g. Phoenix) I am not sure what to expect from doing a run after intervals. Perhaps it’s one of those things that none of us have questioned until now and AT will cause us to think about this.
I have done bricks with interval bike sessions, I would only say that vo2 bike intervals followed by vo2 run intervals is a special kind of hell, otherwise it can be fine. You get the normal 1km where your legs and lungs figure out what the heck is going on then you settle in.
As AT doesn’t do anything intelligent with runs, I would suspect that the interval workout is on the same Progression path as the previous Tempo ride.
As it a SS interval ride I’d have a crack at it, in all likelihood I think you’ll be fine and get the aerobic benefits the workouts are trying for.
My coach has thrown brick runs in after all manner of workouts, and I personally find that how I feel on the run is more dependent on fatigue/difficulty than the nature of the bike session. With that said, I do wonder if it would be tougher for a long course athlete who might not need to cope as well with surges over race intensity as a competitive short course athlete. (I;d be interested to hear your experience!)
I would think that nutrition/hydration would be pretty important in the case of a SS brick, and I don’t think there’s any harm in erring on the side of conservative if you need to adjust intensity- in either case if you’re building to a marathon keeping the run quality high should be the priority.
If it’s a easy 2 or 3 miles off the bike, to me even tho my hr might be high, i find it tolerable. When I think TR does some times that i personally don’t like, is scheduled a vO2 max Wo, then a tu Wo next day, then finally on the 3rd day a tempo/ss Wo, followed by a race pace 3 miler. The levels of tiredness is always high by that 3 mile fast run and usually i under perform and get me to wonder if I am capable of running at that pace on race day.
I did this sweet spot workout with a brick and it felt very similar to other bricks I’ve done following tempo workouts- but I did cheat a little by extending the workout and spending about 10 minutes at tempo before a 3 minute cooldown. Will keep going and see how these progress, especially as the SS workouts became closer to threshold
I have seen AT make suggestions for the swim and run workouts. I use different apps for those and adjust the duration and TSS (when available). I think AT picks up on that and adjusts.
For me, the brick-run was usually easy pace + strides or a tempo-ish run after the long ride on Sunday. Sometimes there where some bricks during the week on Wednesday. Swim in the morning and then endurance on the bike followed by fartleks for the run.
So yeah, also followed by steady state work.
I have done some swim-bike bricks where the swim was endurance based (2k lake swim) followed by some sweetspot or treshold interval work on the bike. Pretty doable if you don’t forget nutrition on the bike.
With AT out for a while now, how are people finding the adaptations as part of a brick?
I’ve always followed the adaptations but this week it’s thrown in a threshold, rather than tempo ride. I’m on the full distance plan, so this doesn’t seem very race specific, but I’m on the fence if giving it try or switch back to a tempo ride.
