Why weeks are structured

A good training week is not "as hard as you can every day." It is a deliberate mix of quality sessions, easy aerobic work, and recovery so the hard days actually land.

Quality vs easy

Most of your week should feel genuinely comfortable — roughly the classic 80/20 idea. Easy days build the aerobic engine with low recovery cost. The two or three quality sessions are where speed and race-specific fitness are forged — and they only work if you arrive fresh.

Going "kind of hard" every day (the gray zone) is the most common self-coached mistake. Brick polarizes intensity on purpose. What's on your calendar.

Why spacing matters

Hard sessions need recovery beside them. Back-to-back quality days get softened when the week would otherwise stack stress. Long rides and key intervals are placed against your available days so the stimulus has room to stick.

If an easy day looks too easy, that is often the point: it protects tomorrow's work and keeps the week sustainable.

Priority on the calendar

Lower priority numbers are more important. If life forces a miss, protect the key sessions first. Brick may propose a reprioritize so the week still serves the season instead of crumbling into random leftovers.

Bricks and special days

In triathlon build and peak, a long ride and the brick run are an atomic pair — one training unit for fatigue and logistics. Treat them that way. Race weeks, recovery weeks, and fitness tests also reshape the skeleton for a reason, not as random variety.

How to execute the week

• On easy days, stay conversational. If unsure, go slower.
• On quality days, hit the prescription — that is where the week earns its keep.
• Do not "make up" a missed hard day by stacking two hard days tomorrow.
• Trust recovery weeks when volume drops; deload is often intentional.