Improve your transitions and go from bike to run more easily

Are you struggling with wobbly legs coming out of T2? We had a closer look how to get better at going from cycling to running with minimal discomfort using brick sessions.

When you jump off the bike your legs are most likely feeling like anvils when you try to switch from pushing and pulling on the pedals to a running action. To improve things, ‘brick’ training sessions – where you go immediately from bike to run – are the best bet.

As the first couple of miles are where your legs do most of their adapting, there’s no need for brick sessions to be too long. In fact, it’s better if you can do multiple short intervals of bike–run in one workout, rather than simply doing one long one.

When planning a brick session:

Aim for 2-4 bike/run transitions within an individual workout (two when starting out, building to four as you get fitter).

Try to mimic race conditions, using your race bike and by keeping the pace similar to race pace.

Make transitions quick – the longer you take to change, the less realistic it is for your legs.

A good brick workout to start with would be: short warm-up; 2 x 10–15mins at race pace on the bike; then 5–6mins at race pace running. Take a short break between sets and then do a cool-down to finish. As you get stronger, you can add a third and fourth set to the session.

To make transitions easier, if you can set your race machine up on an indoor trainer for brick sets this can work well, maybe even on a running track.