Has anyone done multisession bricks? As in 3 sets or more of bike/run in a single session? Curious of your experiences if you think they help
I’ve done them a couple of different ways:
As transition practice where the whole workout is 60-90 minute. 10-15 bike with 5min runs. Probably best for short-course tri.
As a way to breakup longer days with 1hr rides, 3-mi runs. I’m not sure that these a physiological benefit over a regular brick, but they do provide some variety to training that can otherwise become repetitive and monotonous.
Subbing a long Sunday ride instead of a TR workout is a great option. Just ebcause a workout is in the plan does not mean you need to do every single one. DOn’t be so dogmatic about any training plan that you can’t adapt it to your needs and preferences.
If you absolutely want to keep all TR workouts, I’d probably recommend going Tues-Thurs with the workouts w/ Friday as an easier training day so you are rested for the weekend efforts (assuming a long run / swim on Sat and group ride on Sunday).
Maybe the idea is to help the transition… we all know off the bike the legs feel like crap after a hard effort…
As with anything else, if you train for this, then the legs will eventually adjust. Most people who do tri are already adjusted and for the most part the transition is mostly uneventful.
But now… imagine how much better it could be if your legs are used to it… going from cycling to running with even less effort…
I could see a wo like bike/run/bike/run could help with getting there…
For me I tend to do more bricks to save time during the week. I try to get in at least 2 bricks with a TR endurance style ride that is on the plan and then do 3-5 miles at an easy pace. Works for me but I am ramping up the running volume and have not started swimming and won’t until start of the 2022.
Unrelated anyone have the redshift aero bars? (had profile design in the past) I am looking to get some as it seems like they are easy to switch between bikes. I would use them on my Neo bike and then switch to my Tarmac. As much as I want a TT bike I don’t think it makes sense for me and my Tarmac position would work with minimal adjustments.
It’s really up to you as to how you organise the week, TR has always expected people to do normal riding as well so the question is whether you can handle the load and have the right volume. Is the group ride usually leaving you unable to walk, or is it always a consistent endurance pace?
If you are doing a full distance plan then I think the optimal choice is to leave group rides behind in build or speciality because the long ride is your key ride and it’s pretty unlikely that a group ride will be anything like the consistent power output you need for long course success.
If you are in base, then swap them round and see what work for you - and yes, absolutely swap out Charlotte for this group ride if you think it is the most similar in training benefit. The other two are vo2 max intervals so of the three these are the clearest choices for indoor workouts imo.
Personally I have found no issue in doing back to back triple days this year (I haven’t been working), swim in the morning bike in the afternoon and run in the evening - I was very surprised at how easily I coped. In other years I have struggled to get a single workout done each day.
Indeed, I’m not slower on the first km but I do feel the difference and RPE is higher, then in the 2nd km I actually feel better than I do on a straight run. Heart rate is already up and the body is ready for the action.
Similarly, I used to run immediately after my cycle home from work which meant that every run was effectively a brick run. The first 300m would feel a bit wobbly but ultimately the first km was the same pace as the run overall.
I’ve heard from running focussed tri coaches that a brick run is a bit like a long run in that you are training yourself to run on fatigued legs. I’m, not sure how much it can substitute for long running, but it;s easy to see it in that category of training. The only thing to watch for is loss of form, in that there’s little value in dragging out a brick run for the sake of volume.
You won’t get the same physical training effect / adaptations as a long run, but you ARE getting the benefits of a long endurance workout, with some run specific adaptations with a much lower risk of injury.
And as I noted above, you are training for a very long aerobic event (no matter the distance) so anything that leads to gaining extra volume benefits the aerobic system overall.
Doing the above is also a great substitute for running while injured. So if you schedule calls for an hour run, but you are limited in running time due to injury, ride for 45 min and then quickly transition and go for a 15 min run. Reduce the length of the ride / increased the run length as you rehab your injury.
Not worth its own post, but wanted to mention: I’ve been looking to replace my aging and ailing Ambit 3 for a couple years and picked up the Coros Pace 2 this past weekend. So I’ve only had it a week, so take this with a big pinch of salt, but I gotta say: For $200, it’s a freaking gem. Great little device.
I tend to lean towards lower volume/higher intensity with running and I’ve always found brick runs to be pretty helpful to that end, especially if you’re able to increase frequency over what you would normally do. Works well for me in winter when long runs are a bit more of a struggle…not looking forward to that rapidly approaching prospect
My coach really likes strides at the beginning of brick runs- gets you used to running faster off the bike without the additional stress of doing the whole thing at race intensity, plus it can help out with maintaining form a bit.
thanks for the responses and agree with @Power13 a brick run does not replace an actual long run. For me as I mentioned it is just to save time during the week so I feel like I am not so crunched for time scheduling wise. Never would I do an interval style run after a ride but I only tend to do 1 of those weekly anyway when I am in full running swing from Pfitz workouts.
I’m not suggesting you go out and hammer out intervals and then go run hard…but if you ride in Z2 for 45 min and then run easy for 15 min (or whatever time you can tolerate a/o stressing the injury, you’ll be fine.
I have rehabbed numerous injuries this way w/ great success.
Put me in the camp of towards brick runs. I see the value with time limitations, but there’s really nothing to “learn” from them IMO especially once you have a couple race experiences under your belt which are going to be different than a training session either way (likely a swim to start things off, a longer and/or more intense bike, a longer and/or more intense run than your brick effort, race day adrenaline, etc.).
towards brick runs. 
I see the value with time limitations, but there’s really nothing to “learn” from them IMO especially once you have a couple race experiences under your belt which are going to be different than a training session either way (likely a swim to start things off, a longer and/or more intense bike, a longer and/or more intense run than your brick effort, race day adrenaline, etc.).