Training & Nutrition - Beginning Cycling Schedule?

Cheers! I'm a 16 year-old runner from Anchorage, Alaska who recently screwed up her leg big time training for a 1/2 marathon. Now I can't run for longer than, say, 1/2 a mile. But I can ride a bike! Today I found a bike trail that went out, let’s say, about six miles, and back six miles. I did that in *cough cough* a little more than an hour *hangs head in embarrassment*. This included many stopping breaks where I stepped back and wondered why exactly I was doing this. Most of these stopping breaks happened, coincidentally, on large hills. Imagine that.

Anyways, the last time I ran was the 14th of June, two days after I became injured. That was the day that I realized that this injury isn't going to "go away". After sulking for ten days and mourning my lost cross-country season, I started a program of pool running (also known as aqua jogging) on the 24th. One week later I gave up on that, considering that I had to wake up at 4:45 and TREAD WATER for 70 minutes going ABSOLUTELY NO WHERE. Then I proceeded to sulk for another 13 days and mourn my loss of fitness. Now that its been over a month, I finally realized that today, I HAD to start doing SOMETHING or I was going to become a fat couch potato and never end up running again (my worst nightmare is ended up like at least half of the American population . . . overweight, lazy, and addicted to greasy potato chips).

Since you all seem like a nice, friendly bunch of people (I've read some of the other messages) I was wondering if you might help out a fellow endurance athlete and lend me your expertise. I really need a training schedule. On a flatter trail then I did today, I was able to go about an hour and ten minutes (who knows how many miles) without stopping but once on my turn around point and remaining on the seventh speed the whole way. I figured that was pretty good, considering I passed a whole lot of little kids, various old people, and a mom and daughter on a tandem bike! :D

So now that I've given you guys more information than you would ever need to know, perhaps you can help me with a bit of a schedule here.

Thanks,
Juliane :p

WELCOME to the Forums.
The first thing you need on your schedule is PATIENCE. Nothing comes quickly, nothing comes overnight. It all takes time.

Training for riding is no different than training for running. Some days you put in a lot of miles and some days you don't. Some days you do intervals, some days you combine the two. Just like in running.

Learn to spin for a cadence of 90 rpm higher. That means ride in easier gears so that you turn the pedals faster.

Find as many different routes to ride as you can with a varied degree of difficulty and work them into your hard and easy days.

Don't worry too much about speed, that comes with riding, just as it does with running. Your endurence will also develop as you ride.

The biggest difference between training for riding and training for running is the miles. If you run 20 miles, you'll need to bike 80. Some claim the trade off is 4 riding, 1 running; some say 5:1; and I believe there are some who will say it is less depending on the degree of difficulty.

You sound as though you had a good training schedule for running, just transfer that to the bike.

Make sure your bike fits and has appropriate gearing for your terrain and you are equipped to handle simple repairs. Cycling has its problems as well, which you can help avoid by :

Wearing gloves and helmet.
Always wearing clean shorts.
Riding in a comfortable position.
Spinning pedals fast rather than pushing hard.
Learn to handle your bike well.
Ride on the road like a vehicle.
Look and think ahead, dont get zoned out if there are cars/pedestrians/bears/moose to avoid.

Personally I think "schedules" and "programs" snuff the fun out of riding, but thats just me.