I have been doing lots of cycling in the past 6 week, while I have not been running too much due to niggling injury.
Now I am running a bit more, my running performance seems to be reduced. I have also noticed that my Quads have increased in size significantly, I guess due to the increase in cycling power.
Question: is my running slow because I have not been running much? or is my running slow because my leg muscles have changed due to cycling?
I am still not 100% running fit, I can feel general tighness, so I am not pushing either pace or distance
I doubt itās a totally linear question to be honest Matt. Your increased aerobic and lactate clearing systems etc will clearly be enhanced from your cycling, and this will have a positive effect.
The lack of running will have caused a drop off, and cycling just doesnāt replicate those exact muscles in the same way. I guess if youāve really had a significant change in muscle mass, then thatās going to potentially effect your gait as well as being more weight to carry when running. A few weeks of running would likely settle things down Iād imagine. If you cycled for a year with limited running, as opposed to 6 weeks, I guess things would be a bit different.
Iāve no experience in this of course, just my thoughts. But I think things will settle over time, especially as a return to running will likely cause a reduced cycling volume.
Thanks,
I noticed a different gait while running, but that may be down to injury recovery. Its surprising how much muscle has increased. My shorts are all loose around the waist and tight round my thighs
There is a Lboro paper about the lack of transferability of cycling to run trainingā¦i will try and find it some day (in a box of many similar papers).
There will potentially be some benefit, but that would probably be more than offset by the lack of running.
Did a lunchtime run in my Vapor Flyās, what a difference to the Pegasus 36: hardly noticed any soreness from injury. Good tip for anyone recovering from injury, the Vapor Flyās are magic
Despite no injury problems, and running at a relatively sedate 5m/km, quads hurt, hamstrings hurt, right calf hurtsā¦ not like injury hurting, more like āwhat is this abuseā sort of pain. Maybe this has something to do with smashing my legs on the bike this weekend.
On the positive side, my HR avg was 138bpm, with 80% below 140, so an easy Z2 run. The engine is still there, the muscles just need a bit of tuning
Iāve always had issues with the running when I up the cycling during summer, I think some of it might be a loading issue TBH, itās difficult striking the right balance and not overtraining, particularly in recent years.
Iāve found that I can carry forward spring marathon running for a month or two assuming I donāt come out injured by one decent run session P\W, or parkrun and a longer run.
I can hold some performance for 70.3ās, but IMās are a bit different, Iāve got a couple nearly right, but I think that is as much a fuelling\pacing issue.
Donāt think thereās any answer to this thatāll be consistent for everyone. Iām currently not running at the minute due to a niggle. 6 days a week on the bike/turbo now, 11-14 hours. Plus strength and conditioning and stretching. My highest heart rate training is when running. I canāt quite hit the highest heart rates on the bike. So my faster running suffers more when Iām not on on the bike. I can usually maintain fitness quite well but the running muscles get deconditioned and they take a while to build back up again so I have the fitness to run pretty much as I did before I take time off running, but I have to be careful because of muscle soreness. I was injured in the lead in to 70.3 SA worlds in 2018. My run was a miracle. But I literally couldnāt move the next day. I couldnāt get out of bed. Legs were absolutely ruined. Took a while to come round againā¦ at the minute Iām telling myself that a few weeks off running doesnāt really matter and I am quite enjoying seeing my biking improve.
I have to mobility work 4-5 times per week and have done for the last 5-6 yrs. Without it, I literally canāt walk properly. But thatās genuine mobility, rather than strength.
At the gym at my old work, I used to some strength/weights a couple of times per week, which seemed to help with running.
But I swear, after every dedicated foam rolling sessions, I end up with tight calves for a few days and have tp tread carefully. (and weird dreams of course ). Either Iām rolling incorrectly, or it isnāt beneficial.
At the gym, I used one of those softish orange rollers. At home I have a Covacure which is much harder but I get the same result.
My physio recommended these the last time i saw her, she used it on me, and it seemed quite effective. I got too scared to buy one though as i a) iām not spending Ā£200 on the one that she recommended and b) there then seems to be about 20 identical looking ones on anything from amazon to ebay that range from Ā£30-Ā£200. But they look literally identical ā¦ so i guess a bunch of factories in China have managed to get hold of the designs and are just pumping them out with different labels. I wonder if itās hit or miss if you get one thatās as powerful as one of those travel fans you get in a 99p shop or one thatās like a pneumatic drill. Similarly will the battery last 3 days before it explodes, or 3 years?
). Either Iām rolling incorrectly, or it isnāt beneficial.