It’s the beginning of a new year and everybody is dreaming big dreams. Whether you are an elite athlete, a middle-of-the-packer or looking to get to your first finish line we encourage you to set an early season baseline that you can measure against later in the year and have it to compare with next year and beyond. To make the process a little bit more fun, we turned the baseline test into a challenge for the team too!
STEP #1: 5K run at tempo (or fast pace) after a 1-mile warm-up. Record the 5K run time. Also record environmental information like temperature and humidity if possible. Avoid high intensity for 3 days and then proceed to Step #2.
STEP #2: 12.5-mile tempo bike (or fast pace) & 5K run after a 1-mile warm-up. Separately record the bike time and the run time. Both disciplines can be outdoors or indoors. Also record environmental information like temperature and humidity if possible.
STEP #3: Calculate Brick Impact Percentage = Impacted 5K (Step #2) / 5K (Step 1) – 1.
RESULTS. The smaller the Brick Impact Percentage the better. A number of 0.10 or below is considered good. If the number is greater than 0.10 you might consider moderating the bike pace. With increased brick training and overall fitness, that number will likely decrease.
VARIATIONS
- Olympic Distance Baseline. The same steps but with a 10K bike and 40K (24.85 miles)
- The order of Step #1 and Step #2 can be reversed.