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When I was training for my first half marathon I decided to train with a 1:30 group to guarantee myself a sub 2:00. Around this time I moved into a three storey walk-up apartment beside a subway stop that might as well have been a mile below ground because the stairs never ended.
All this to say what my Sports doctor later said to me when I injured myself a month before my race: "You're calve muscles were used too much without enough gradual increase. The right muscle could tear if you continue training as much as you do. Stop runs over 10km for at least two weeks."
What could I do a little over a month away from my half?
To maintain the training I had done up until that point, I did some research on running techniques that didn't include so much running. That's when I discovered bricks, a training method for triathletes.
What's bricks? It's the combination of two cardio workouts back-to-back with minimal rest time in between. When you combine cycling with running, you target a broader range of muscles that aren't triggered with only one exercise. Plus, cycling is a great complement to your runs because it helps develop endurance, improve you neuromuscular system, reduces impact on your joints, and improve recovery time.
So why can a brick run be a substitute for a long run once in a while? The idea is that cycling can target many of the same muscles needed to run - and they can get targeted in less time because cycling can allow for intense training for longer periods than a sprint. By mixing cycling and running, your muscles react as though you've run a longer distance than you actually did.
I'm not sure why it's called bricks, but I've heard it's the feeling of carrying bricks on your legs as you start to run after cycling.
Here's the bricks work out I followed at the gym to replace my 12-18 km runs:
Bike: 5 km at high intensity
Run: 1 km moderate run
Repeat 3-4 times within workout. Do workout 2-3 times per week.
