deacon mark

I am runner and although I do not do Tri's I find that my cycling is great but my running is getting so slow. Normally I would train at 8:40 to 9:10 pace for a usual 7 mile daily run. Now after 6 years of cycling I find running to be "off balance." I have can ride great up to 200-250 miles a week at 18-19 mph but trying to go back to running I find 9:30 miles a struggle. I just cannot coordinate my legs to run smooth. Can cycling cause your muscles to fire in a way that confuses the body? I have maintained about 30-35 miles of running a week but I do not want to give up running. If if I drop to 20 mpw running and do 200 plus riding then I wonder if I should quit worrying about how fast I run. I can say on the bike I just get on an haul my little butt as fast as possible it feels like the only thing holding me back is if I am tired. Trying to run hard seems to just make things worse.

Ok, I am 53 years old have I lost my running for good?

elephino

Have you changed up your schedule at all? I find that I pace a solid 30 seconds/mile slower (running) the day after a solid bike ride, for the same amount of perceived effort. I figure I'm getting just as good a workout and settle for the increased time. I have taken significant time off my half marathon PR this summer following this strategy, so I assume it's decent enough.

Another thing I can think of would be to try switching around your run workout for some variety. Do you always run a steady state, or do you try hills, tempos, etc to change things up?

And you seem to be doing a lot; it is always good to take a recovery week once a month or so. (I try to do 70-80% of the previous week's mileage.) Maybe you just need a break to get your legs feeling good again?

Jingo Lopez

This is true to me, I cannot run a mile, i cramped. I suppose cycling muscle development affects running dynamics. this has not been discussed yet but I am pretty sure in the tri forums has.

Thomas54

If you have been maintaining 30-35 miles a week while doing 200+ miles on the bike you are doing pretty good. I am surprised that your running has tapered off even though you are running likely five times a week.

(Stereotyping here) I will say the good runners tend to have small, lean calves while cyclist tend to develop larger calves. I remember a huge discussion on a running forum where the debate centered around the performance loss in runners with larger calves.

You may need to balance your training better. It could be that your overall time / position will improve by moving some training away from cycling and into running. Not sure what distance you are training for but giving up 30 seconds a mile on the run is a lot of time.

deacon mark

I normally would say overtraining is the issue but I do think some firing of the muscles have changed. I do deal with some lower back arthritis/disc issues but I do not have any back pain. I do get pain sitting at times in my left butt numerous things I had checked with MRI and PT last year. It comes and goes but does not hurt to run or ride as such, and mostly only after I am done running. At 53 I just have cut back and realize I cannot keep it up. If I simply ran I am sure my training pace would improve but I love the bike. I do not train for anything anymore did marathons years ago but not need to do that. I just run and ride for stress relief but frankly I would like to every once in awhile run a few hard sub 8 minutes miles. Yesterday I ran 7 miles in 64:45 about 9:15 pace. I could have with not much more effort run another 4 miles at that pace or close to 1/2 marathon, but ask me to run 3 8 minute miles I a row I just could not, nothing to do with have the wind just slow legs.

FrenchFit 

I love this question, similar to brainstorming I've been doing this month. I run 5-6 days a week, 5-15K. I came back to biking this month, doing 2 group rides and one solo per week. None of the above would be considered particularly fast, but they tend to be 2-3 hour rides. The added biking has slowed down my run tempo, there is just no doubt about it. My stride doesn't groove in until mile 2 or later and it seems I've lost top end.

So, I skipped the biking for a week and the runs have been improving. So it leads me to think that the more compact nature of the biking spin compromises that running stride, plus the run warm up seems to take a good deal longer the day after a bike ride.

Hardly scientific, but if I was really serious about my run times I think I'd limit my bike time.

deacon mark

French Fit,

thanks for the reply I PM you but this great feedback. I for whatever reason think that running requires the legs to do the opposite of what cycling legs do, that is compact as you say. It would seem that in general cycling improves most folks fitness but someone running for as many years as myself the fitness is nothing, cycling is simply different and not really giving me any fitness gains. In any case now my dilemma is I love to cycling an am a very good wrench and wheel builder. I guess I cannot have everything.

runner pat

You're doing far too much cycling to maintain your running at it's previous levels. When i started riding in my late 30's, it was due to my noticing I was not recovering from my running workouts. By substituting riding(to work, actually) on what had been easy run days, I was actually running faster than before. I did maintain the meat of my running work-long run, steady-state and tempo.

I went from running 45-60 mpw to riding 60-90 mpw and running 30-35.

You may also be finding that you're a better cyclist than runner.

deacon mark

I do wonder if I actually am better at cycling at least for distance and maintaining pace. I find that when I do organized century\grand fundo things I ride pretty well and never need to stop like others. I have road with a group for a while and then like to stop and drink a bit and eat. I find I just as soon keep moving drink on the bike and eat when I am done. I have no trouble riding 80 miles on nothing but water if I have eat well the night before. I never eat before morning rides and unless I am pushing a timed century I do not take any or little calories. Not the best for performance but in training that is just what I do.

I rode 60 miles last week ending Sunday with a short 20 mile ride. This week no rides just running and finally this morning with cooler temps I ran the 1st mile in 11 minutes then managed to run the next 6 at 9:00-9:30 the last mile the fastest.