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gettinbent
07-08-04, 09:17 AM
...and I really miss my long (well...long for me 10-13 miles) runs. What would the recumbent "long ride" equivalent be?
P.S. I am LOVING my bent. I have been struggling to find something that could get excited about that would not cause hip pain. :o
...and I really miss my long (well...long for me 10-13 miles) runs. What would the recumbent "long ride" equivalent be?
Running and riding (particularly a bent) are a lot different in the stress they put on your body. When you're running, you're not only burning energy to move your body along, you're also absorbing the impact of each foot through your ankle, knee, hip, etc., and exerting effort to keep your body straight, etc. Riding a bent is, of course, low-impact, and virtually all your energy is put into moving yourself forward.
That said, calorie consumption in running at a pace to finish a marathon in three and one-half hours and to ride a bike at 16-19 MPH is supposed to be about the same. See http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist4.htm
For me, riding at 16-19 MPH for three and one-half hours takes a whole lot less out of me than completing a marathon in the same time period. At the end of such a bike ride, I can go out and do another one just like it. Can't say that about the marathon.
My unscientific take is that if you can push your bent over 20 mph for two hours, you'll be working your body about as hard as you would running seven and one-half to eight minute miles for an hour. Hills, wind and how fast your bicycle is are all huge factors in this comparison, however. 20 MPH isn't a big deal on a low-racer, but is very tough on an EZ.
Yup! No more ouchies for me since getting a 'bent.
'bent Brian