Is running not good for cyclists?

[Yukon37]

Running has been shown to increase bone density. Serous cyclists have been shown to have some of the lowest bone density of all athletes. (citation is from some study another BF actually quoted properly here... to lazy to look for it). Running/jogging has been shown to be very healthy for people in general and is exceptionally less expensive than cycling. Ironically I find no desire to go running.

+1 need some weight bearing exercise to maintain bone density. Given the choice I would rather ride but will still run during the winter months when I can't XC ski

[SwampDude]

Running is awesome!!! All of my life I have been a runner, and a cyclist. I began competitive track racing at 13 and have run thousands of miles since. 5Ks, 10Ks, marathons, mountain running, etc. And then something snapped, at age 57, my left knee. The arthroscopy photos showed bone on bone, running career over.

I can sure still ride a bike. I can push it and it feels just like it did years ago although a bit slower. YMMV

Yes, rubic, bone-on-bone...I'm probably facing knee replacement some day, but, like you, I ride a bike without discomfort. My orthopedic guy gives high praise to bicycling. Fortunately, I also find that the elliptical trainer causes no pain.

[bikepro]

I think Lance is doing pretty good combining riding and running -- of course he warms up by swimming a few miles.

[lechat]

Very "haiku" style writing, funny! Zen master

Probably even funnier to watch. The way I was tap dancin' 'round that bad boy I must have looked like Sammy Davis after putting the hurt on an 8 ball.

[robncircus]

Whenever we get a runner turned cyclist on the team they always end up being pretty strong. I personally find running miserable but in fairness you see a lot more fat century riders than you do fat marathoners. It has its benefits for sure.

[Bevis]

Hi Fuji,
I don't think running is bad for cyclist and in your case I think you are not having proper diet to meet your body requirements. Do you have some breath or joint problem? Do focus on your diet plans and avoid oily and spicy food.

[JustinNY]

Whenever we get a runner turned cyclist on the team they always end up being pretty strong. I personally find running miserable but in fairness you see a lot more fat century riders than you do fat marathoners. It has its benefits for sure.

You cant leisurely cruise on a flat or downhill when running. When you're running, you're running until the run is over.

[dstrong]

I began jogging 7 years ago at age 47. The furthest I've run over those past 7 years is 6.2 miles...and that's enough for me. I run for two reasons: It's a good quick workout with little prep time required; I run with a friend and it's a great way to catch up with him. Our standard loop is 3.1 miles and takes us between 27 and 29 minutes depending on how we're feeling. We stretch before and after, and on Friday's we reward ourselves with a beer afterwards.

I've never felt any conflict with cycling from a muscle standpoint and believe that because most of my jogs put my HR between zone 4 and 5 that it helps me cope with longer periods of efforts while on my rides.

Oh...and all the fit women running the hike & bike trail is good incentive also.

[ColinL]

One recent systematic review of the literature
http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2011/...y-on-knees.pdf

American Academy of Sports Medicine

interesting, but the study is about joint pain and health. I do not have joint pain when running, I have swelling and pain in soft tissues. Where is the study about the meniscus, ACL & MCL, achilles, plantar facia?

let me put on my prognostication hat and say... I bet there is no study that absolves wear & tear on those parts of your body as a result of running.

[hhnngg1]

interesting, but the study is about joint pain and health. I do not have joint pain when running, I have swelling and pain in soft tissues. Where is the study about the meniscus, ACL & MCL, achilles, plantar facia?

let me put on my prognostication hat and say... I bet there is no study that absolves wear & tear on those parts of your body as a result of running.

You need to put on your reading comprehension goggles. THey clearly state in that article that they reviewed a lot of papers that included MRI and xray data. The MRI covers the soft tissues you mentioned for sure. Your 'bet' seems like a good guess based upon what we'd expect from physical material weardown, but in the context of a regenerating tissue that responds to stresses often in a good way, it looks like at least these experts think you're wrong.

[ColinL]

You need to put on your reading comprehension goggles. THey clearly state in that article that they reviewed a lot of papers that included MRI and xray data. The MRI covers the soft tissues you mentioned for sure. Your 'bet' seems like a good guess based upon what we'd expect from physical material weardown, but in the context of a regenerating tissue that responds to stresses often in a good way, it looks like at least these experts think you're wrong.

if you're going to be rude, you first might want to read the article yourself and make sure you are right.

I did not read it before posting the first time, but I *DID* open it and read the abstract. now I have read the article and furthermore I've done some keyword searches. it is a tiny piece of the overall study I'm sure.

they were looking at cartilage thickness and joint health. they did not look at ligaments or tendons AT ALL. the only time either of those words appears in the document is that they noted that some of the test subjects did have prior ligament injuries-- unsurprising, given they are footballers (soccer players).

now, we certainly are biased. you love running without a doubt, based on all the times I've seen you post about it. I dislike running but have no reason to attack those who do love it, beyond relaying my own experiences: it causes me swelling and pain.

[save10]

running...one step closer to the evil world of triathlons...

[ArchEtech]

It always surprises me the lack on simple logic people use with exercise. Million dollar studies bla bla bla. You don't need a doctor to know, too much of anything is bad. It doesn't matter if it's jogging or fraking cheese cake.

Running is second to none for burning fat and maintaining cardio health. That doesn't mean run every day. That doesn't mean run when your body is hurt, injured or otherwise overtrained. If your knees swell up after a run to the point that walking becomes difficult - ya maybe you need to take a break or give up on it. If you are running 10 miles every morning and are 45 years old complaining about planters issues with your arch, maybe you need to take some fraking time off!!!

I personally want to maintain my ability to jog and sprint until the day I die.
Im not a doctor.


1) I do a mix of sprints and long distance.
2) I never run two days in a row.
3) I never run if my knees or calves are severely sore from other activities or previous runs where I've really pushed it.
4) I prefer regular sprint interval training on inclines and hills to distance running, because being a meathead and heavier runner, pounding away for 45 minutes really breaks me down. What I have found; however, is that pushing my cardio and max heart rate with sprints, and mixing 2-4 mile occasional runs in, I can go out and run 6 or so miles at any time without dying without having to break down my body by doing it every day. Sure if I ran 10 miles a day, a 10 miles run might be easier, but then I also feel lie crap, and I don't want to have my knees replaced at age 55. I don't believe running every day allows the body to recover. Knowing what I know about other forms of training, it's just not possible.


Likewise:
1) If my upper body is trashed from some powerlifting, I take a couple days off before doing my next muscle group.
2) if my legs are trashed from a heavy day of squats where I pushed it, I don't go out and try to ride my bike 45 miles at 20mph. I may ride at a leisurely pace to loosen up, but if your legs are already broken down, stiff, sore, swollen from previous activity, going out and kicking your ass on hills is NOT going to make you stronger. Or at best won't make you as strong as fast as incorporating proper periods of rest.


If you hurt take a break. It's not rocket science. Why do you think, a) people use performance enhancing drugs, and b), then die at young ages and or suffer serious health issue because of its use? Because it allows the body to ignore needed recovery time, as well as building muscle and endurance before the body has adapted to the stress, healed and built up the needed tissue.

There is no logocal reason adding running into any kind of training would be bad, unless you have specific issues that would disallow it. Ask your doctor if you can't figure that out for yourself.

[spyre]

I have jacked up knees and cartilage that I can really only attribute to running. If I try to go for a run I might be ok during but then shortly after it's like there is fire inside my knees that lasts for a couple days and is severe enough to interrupt sleep and generally make life crappy. Walking (regularly do 10+ mile walks at night) or biking are just fine. It's the high impact from running that really kills.

As to those studies, I'm sure they will find people who consistently run long distances have great cartilage. People who don't, don't run and wouldn't qualify. I have lots of friends who run crazy distances every day and don't ever have knee problems. Some people just have the knees for it, some don't.

[ArchEtech]

I have jacked up knees and cartilage that I can really only attribute to running. If I try to go for a run I might be ok during but then shortly after it's like there is fire inside my knees that lasts for a couple days and is severe enough to interrupt sleep and generally make life crappy. Walking (regularly do 10+ mile walks at night) or biking are just fine. It's the high impact from running that really kills.

As to those studies, I'm sure they will find people who consistently run long distances have great cartilage. People who don't, don't run and wouldn't qualify. I have lots of friends who run crazy distances every day and don't ever have knee problems. Some people just have the knees for it, some don't.

If they run too much those friends will develop problems. A lot more than just the knee joint takes the impact. Most likely they already have problems from too much running. But yes, some people are built more for it, and less for other activities. That and we all get old.

[fly:yes/land:no]

Dusky dark and mind was wandering
Wasn't poisonous, still sphincter tightening!

Very "haiku" style writing, funny! Zen master

i agree. the combination of metre, rhyme, and whit in this post is actually pretty remarkable. very well done.

[jumprdude]

If you have pain from running short to moderate distances, you might want to take a look at your running form. Some people have horrible running form, ones that lead to injury. Just saying "oh my legs are not made for running" is basically a cop-out. Nothing wrong with a cop-out as long as you realize its a cop-out.

People get repetitive injuries biking as well, just take a look at the number of questions involving saddle height, cleat positioning, handlebar height, etc. Running does have higher impact which makes you get injured faster than biking, but when you boil down to it, its all just biomechanics. Put in the time to analyze and fix what's wrong and I daresay you will be surprised at how well you can run.

And as another poster stated: rest is critically important if you push hard at any activity.

[Paul Y.]

Who goes out on a Saturday morning and runs 40 or 50 miles? Running is more exhausting and takes a toll on joints.
I"ll stick to running 3 miles or so, but biking just suits me better.

[rubic]

Whenever we get a runner turned cyclist on the team they always end up being pretty strong. I personally find running miserable but in fairness you see a lot more fat century riders than you do fat marathoners. It has its benefits for sure.

Not only this, I've seen some cyclist smoke (cigarettes) but never runners. Interesting.

[Bacciagalupe]

Who goes out on a Saturday morning and runs 40 or 50 miles?

Different sport, different goals, different benefits.

[Drakonchik]

Yah too running utilizes the lungs differently from cycling. More fully IMHO.

[ArchEtech]

Yah too running utilizes the lungs differently from cycling. More fully IMHO.

I guess you don't really ride your bike then - HTFU

[Drakonchik]

Ha Ha -- SMTFU. Shouldn't surprise that hunched over posture not optimum for breathing.