Airtorn

I race a lot of duathlons and running races (15K though marathons). I got back into cycling a couple of years ago and it has definitely helped my running. I feel that doing both gives me all around stronger/fitter legs.

exmechanic89

I'm not currently running due to an injury, but before that happened I was running and riding regularily and I believe both activities complement each other. I think running makes you a better cyclist, and cycling makes you a better runner.

Seattle Forrest

I went for a run today. My bike is in the shop. I cooked my brake fluid on a long dirt road descent, so they're putting red hoses on and new fluid in them. Anyway the sun was out and I needed some exercise.

wphamilton

Yeh those are the main pieces that I toasted. After healing up it feels amazingly better, perhaps some adaptation occurred?

Laurido92

I find that they compliment each other as long as I don't over due either one. I usually run 2-4 miles two to three times a week and bike about the same. What i've noticed is that if I'm going to ride I don't run the day before the ride. If I do, I notice my legs feel heavier and I am a lot more tired afterwards. Running the day after I ride doesn't to be an issue and my legs feel fine.

Fiery

I haven't thought about this too much, but now that I read how you describe it, I feel it describes my short experience with running and cycling very well. I never used to run, and I cycle for fun, not fitness. However, after a few years of more frequent cycling, my fitness inevitably increased enough that running no longer felt like a chore. Thus I went for an experimental run where I pushed way above my actual ability. I believe this run planted a seed of the IT band injury that first manifested itself on the first ride after that run, and that finally required surgery in an attempt to fix it.

There is definitely some crossover, but it is tricky since some key areas stay underdeveloped in either direction. A combination of both seems like a good idea.

Shuffleman

I'm in the same boat. Tore my hip labrum prepping for Boston a few years ago. I had the surgery in nov. I'm not running yet because I tore my glute as well and will have surgery on that in oct. I would run 30-35 miles per week. It made the transition to road riding easy. They are different but the cardio will greatly enhance things. I like to run because it is easy. Wake up at 5:30 and hit the road whether I am traveling or not. Cycling is great too. In a perfect world, I would run 6 days per week. Road bike 2 times and mtb whenever I can.
Cycling is easier than running to get good. If you really want to excel past that point, you must log in the time. I'm ok with being just good as I don't have the time to be better than that on the bike.

dalava

I commute to work pretty much everyday, and I run 3 or 4 times a week in the evening. I just feel like I have better legs on the commute or weekend ride if I ran the evening before. Quantitatively I am definitely faster overall since I picked up running. I don't know the reason why, but that's just what my numbers are showing.

My running max HR is much faster than my cycling max HR, more than 10 bpm faster. Believe it or not, my knees feel better now than a year ago with all the running (>500 miles this year).

seypat

I think they compliment each other as long as you are not doing to much climbing on the bike. I think the faster spinning cadence on the bike helps with the cadence and foot turnover running. If you throw a lot of heavy climbing in however, it slows everything down.

RobbieTunes

I ran for years, and had very little problem getting on the bike and keeping up with my cycling friends who detested running.
I then stopped running, and slowly picked up cycling.
Now I detest running.

Most runners-turned-cyclists tend to be mashers, from what I've seen, but that can be trained/practiced out of the equation.

One thing I've noticed, though, in everywhere but the more elite cycling ranks (and by this, I mean pro's), is that runners are much more accommodating of discomfort than cyclists. As an ex-runner, I think this is because running is generally more uncomfortable, slow or fast, short or long, than cycling, so runners are kind of used to feeling like crap and not panicking.

I've run marathons under 2:30, and an 80-miler. I've cycled 100 and 100+ many times. Nothing in cycling was anywhere near as devastating as the running, but when I watch the pro's who really go at it, I think they get there, too.

Basically, I think running helps cycling but other than weight and cardio fitness, I don't see it crossing back much.

dalava

I think you are onto something. We cyclists like to think we can suffer, but comparing to running, cycling has the benefit of short recovery when needed. I think mentally, running trains to be more tolerant of working at your threshold.

seypat

Every sport at a high level has it's own suffering. People always think that their particular sport is hard. Every sport is hard at the top. You don't think golf is hard, try hitting balls in the rain with the skin worn off of your fingers from those wet grips. They do it, bucket after bucket. That is by far the most mentally draining sport I have done. So tough on the nerves that Beta blockers are PEDs and are banned.

dalava

Golf is a sport?

seypat

If anyone knows about running and cycling, Robbie is the master! I know he doesn't like to toot his own horn, but he has the info. More importantly, he has the real world experience to talk about it. Even at his worst, his talent level is, and will always be well above mine. We did an event together earlier this year, a 5K/15 mile Duathlon. Robbie had I think a total of 1.5 miles running for the year, and not that many miles on the bike either leading up to the event. He still smoked me by 3 or 4 minutes on the run and increased his lead on the bike. Some people have it, (Robbie) and some people don't. (me) Best of all though, he is a great person to be around.

seypat

I played 72 holes in one day once in my teens. Walked the first 45 and got a cart for the final 27. Never again. At some point your arms and shoulders feel like they are going to fall off. The core and abs are screaming. The hands get sore as well. 9 hole course and we would pass the clubhouse at the end of the 5th and 9th hole. The conversation would be, "It's time to stop. "No, we can go a few more holes."

Kind of like on a long bike ride. "I think I am about done." "Naw, you can go a few more miles." "Okay, let's keep going then."

CrankyNeck

I've been a triathlete since 1984. As one would likely expect, I have had various injuries over the years (funny, most that I remember were not as result of swimming, biking, or running). Some of those injuries allowed me to run but not bike, and vice-versa. Each time I felt that I lost something from the activity I could do when not doing the other activity. I think it does depend heavily on how much running you're doing (my running mileage never exceeded 50 miles per week, and was usually more around 30-35), and how you work the running into your cycling regimen. I think for most cyclists 5-10 miles per week of running is good for them. How you work them in is the key.

Seattle Forrest

I agree with this, too. I mean, I've ridden my bike up to the top of the roads on Rainier and Baker and many passes, but running for an hour is another thing entirely. I feel like I have more matches to burn; I don't know if it's because I'm training my anaerobic system, because I'm getting used to tolerating discomfort, or a combination of both. But I'm sure you're on to something here, too.

RPK79

I used to do 72 holes every day during college. I never got sore or blistered from it. The trick is to not take so many strokes at each hole.

texaspandj

I ❤ golf.

deacon mark

Today for instance I road 62 miles in 3:17 never unclipped. I felt pretty good when done and not wiped but good workout. The last 9 days I have run 6-7 miles each day. I ran 3 of those runs at harder pace for me and they seem initially much more demanding than the bike. I fell like 5 miles of riding at a good pace is like running 1 mile. If you really push the pace on a bike for 3 hours it can be taxing, but a very hard tempo run for me of 7 miles can leave me more drained.


I still say after cycling a lot the last 8 years my running form seems off and I do not stride as fluid. I am sure age has much to do with it a 55 but it is much more of a struggle to feel fluid running. If you are seriously trying to run and train for races I would only use the bike when injury keeps your running down or out.

mpath

Lol. +1.

seypat

It was in Texas in the middle of summertime. I also played with full cord grips for a while. Tough with wet hands. Then I switched to the standard Golf Pride Velvet grip. No more Velvet cord for me.

RPK79

Wear gloves.

seypat

I always struggle running for a month after doing the Storming Of Thunder Ridge ride. All of the upper leg above the knee is just too stiff after all of that climbing.

seypat

Then I moved to Virginia with all of that humidity. I quit the game about 5 years ago. It used to take about 3 hours to shoot 80-85 for an 18 hole round. Then the "technology craze" took off. It started taking about 5-5.5 hours to shoot that same 80-85. There was a lot of standing around waiting to hit a shot so I quit. I pull my clubs out about once a year and look at them. Mizuno MP-14s. So pretty and shiny.