Cyclocross Racing - The pain of running practice

Part of my CX workout is a jog to a local park where I have been doing hill running intervals (1x/week). I run very little throughout the year so I had started off a few weeks ago with just jogging, hoping to get my muscle used to it. I know sprinting is going to be painful until I get used to it but my legs have felt terrible on the bike!

I know it will be different for everyone but I am just wondering if everyone goes through this phase and I just have to grit it out for a couple more weeks, or if something else is the matter?

Part of my CX workout is a jog to a local park where I have been doing hill running intervals (1x/week). I run very little throughout the year so I had started off a few weeks ago with just jogging, hoping to get my muscle used to it. I know sprinting is going to be painful until I get used to it but my legs have felt terrible on the bike!

I know it will be different for everyone but I am just wondering if everyone goes through this phase and I just have to grit it out for a couple more weeks, or if something else is the matter?

Is one time a week enough to notice improvement?

Is one time a week enough to notice improvement?

Good question. My schedule was running 2x/week for 2 weeks (working up to 2 mi). Then the 1x/week was just a 6min warmup jog to the park and then 3-5 15sec hill runups with 1-2min rest [adding more eventually]. I had started with the 1x a week as I wanted to see the impact on the rest of my riding and also I try not to do more than 3 hard days a week (one day of interval sprints and another day of tempo with surges).

I have noticed in the 3 weeks of sprinting that it is getting easier to run up the hills compared to the first week. It's just when I get back onto the bike [even a few days later] my legs feel like dead weights.

Running is a jealous mistress.

Running is a jealous mistress.

ha, but bicycles are too.:love:

I've been told "light jogs" once a week and race on the weekend.

i'd recommend building slowly. yes, you'll be sore for awhile at first, running is usually way more stressful on your body than riding. it will get better though.

if something hurts (not sore, but hurts) then rest it until it doesn't. even if that takes a week. running injuries like shin splints and knee pain can take a loooong time to go away. if you're not careful you can lose a month or more of training by getting too ambitious too early.

I run about 3X a week now, about 2.5-3 miles each run, just to get those muscles used to the motion and pounding, usually after a 25-30 mile ride on the road. I've noticed a big difference in my dismounts and my heart rate post dismount – I'm not spiking so high after a dismount/run sequence, which means that I'm able to recover quicker and go faster. I do like running, though, and I try to incorporate a run at least once a week into my workouts, just because I get sick of riding the bike.

definitely start out slowly. try running on something other than pavement to reduce the harsh impact.