Brick Breaker

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In other news, I am one bike ride closer to being a crazy biker chick!

Well…not really. Actually not even close, but that is what I pretended in my head today!

Today was my first official BRICK workout for the TRY-A-TRI.

What is a brick workout?

• Bricks refer to training on two disciplines during the same workout, one after the other with minimal or no interruption in between, just as you would do in a race. [source]

Because the order of the triathlon will be Swim –> Bike –> Run, I decided to Bike and then Run in today’s Brick.

[Dwight is a beast!]

This was a lunchtime workout, so I had half of a Raw + GF Glo Bar for fuel and ate lunch when I got home.

I filled my water container with my caffeinated water– (Chilled Green Tea), and I was on my way…

Just me and the road.

I have lots of practice with gear shifting in our area!

75F and sunny. Boom.

After about 4 miles on the road, I channeled my inner Crazy Bike Chick (CBC)…

I decided to take a deep breath and tackle the same trail that Eric and I rode last night!

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely thrive on activities that I cannot do well/confidently. The fact that biking on rocky trails scares me, makes me want to do it so badly! It is like some magnetic force that makes me want to prove to myself that I can master it.

I think the key to tackling new things is to turn: anxiety –> motivation –> excitement.

I told these rocks that I would conquer them.

I think I did do better than last night too! I didn’t go as slow. Eric tells me that I am more likely to fall when I go super-slow. Maybe there is truth to that?

I like this comment from Katie this morning:

“My stepdad is a mountain biking fanatic and when I first started going on trails with him, his best tip was to never look at the rock’s you don’t want to hit. Keep your eyes focused on the path you want the bike to take.”

I must admit, I stare at the rocks…

I have also realized that there is something very peaceful about mountain biking.

He shall now be called HAROLD, Guardian of the Woods.

I did 10k today– which is the distance of my Try-a-tri bike leg.

I can totally see myself becoming addicted to mountain biking…I had a blast!

10k bike ride stats:

• 40:02 mins
• 6.1 miles
• Avg pace: 9.1 mph
• Max pace: 17.4 mph

Then I made a quick transition, drank more green tea, and was on my way for a quick run.

I ran a short and sweet mile (I was thirsty and forgot my Camelbak). My legs didn’t really feel tired, in fact, they felt warmed-up and quite loose.

Run stats:

• 1 mile
• 8:23 mins

Total Bike + Run Brick = 48:25 mins. (plus a few minutes for transition)

Lunch was speedy- 1 can of Amy’s Reduced-Sodium Split Pea Soup + a couple handfuls of Mary’s crackers.

I love split pea soup. I always thought it was gross until I just tried it one day!

For dessert I had the other half of the GF + Raw Glo Bar.

Eric wants to swim laps with me tonight…I wasn’t planning on it, but I can’t bring myself to say no because I am just happy that he is enjoying it. I’ll probably just take it easy and have a relaxing swim (and lots of sauna time!)

PS- This post was titled to honour my husband’s addiction to Brick Breaker. Eric has beat all the levels once and now he is on round 2, level 16. He just can’t get enough of it!