Brick Workouts

As every triathlete knows, brick workouts are a great way to prepare you mind and your body for race conditions.  Most brick workouts focus on the bike/run transition.  Below are some workouts provided by Scott Iott (level 1 USAT coach):

Olympic Distance Bricks:
The pure speed of Olympic distance race requires brick training to have some added intensity.

Bike Focused:

Warm-up for 30 minutes then do 2-4x at 20-30 minutes at threshold HR or FTP.  5 minute recovery between each.  Then make a quick transition to a 20-minute run (10-20 second surges to race pace)

Run Focused:

Warm-up with 15-20 minutes of easy riding, then alternate between 15 minute periods of zone 2 and zone 3 riding for 90 minutes.  Then make a quick transition to a 30 minute run on a track.  After 5 minutes easy jog, do 3-5x 800 meters at 5k pace with 200 easy jog between.

Race Specific:

Do this session 1-2 weeks before race day.  Warm-up with 30 minute ride, then do 2x 30 minute at your goal intensity with 5 minutes of easy riding between sets.  Finish the ride with a 20-minute threshold effort.  Then make a fast transition to a 30 minute run.  Go faster each half mile until you're running at threshold pace for the last mile.

Long Course (Ironman) Bricks
Unlike Olympic distance racing where speed development is the main concern, long distance racing is more of an endurance event.

Half-Ironman Focus (4 hours):

After long easy warm up, ride 60 minutes at goal IM intensity, 60 minutes at HIM intensity and then 60 minutes at faster than HIM intensity.  Then transition to a 45 minute run with the goal of getting faster every mile.

Full Ironman Focus (6 hours):

Ride easy for 60 minutes then ride for 4-5 hours at goal IM intensity.  This should be high zone 2 or low zone 3.  Practice nutrition.  Then run 60 minutes as 5 minutes easy, 25 minutes goal IM pace, then 25 minutes 10-20 seconds faster than goal IM pace.