Advice on giving up running for cycling

[fkelly]

Interesting link to the TED talk. However, the overall article is about as accurate as:

I could throw a rock and hit a high-school boy who can run faster than 4:15

Not. A few State champions in a few years, maybe.

I attend annual runner's get-togethers with guys I ran with in the 1980's. In their 60's and 70's and 80's now. A few still run regularly but none are anywhere near the times they ran 30+ years ago. Most are broken down for running.

People live longer these days and healthier too. Most can stay active at the right exercises. Cartilage on the other hand does not re-generate.

[Dave Ferris]

Originally Posted by jimbolina

Here's my argument for continuing primarily running...

https://www.ted.com/talks/christophe...pt?language=en

Just a fwiw regarding ultras. Quite a few of my friends that I've trained with over the years have gotten into them. Especially when their speed declined at the Marathon and Half-Marathon distance.

I'm counting ten of those friends who have done at least four Ultras measuring 50K and over. Most are in the 50 - 100 mile range. Those particular 10 have all contracted some form of Cancer and very sorry to say, five of them are no longer with us.

[Steve in SLO]

Originally Posted by madsciencenow

I'm also starting to notice it in my knees which I attribute to either age or my lack of run miles.

Don't discount the possibility that this may be from cycling rather than a lack of running. Pedaling with a low cadence can place a great amount of strain on your knees, as can poor cleat placement, saddle height, etc.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by tv_vt

Don't know whether to be seriously impressed or concerned about the beating OP is giving his body. But I'm in my 60's - my body couldn't take that kind of day-in, day-out punishment. I wonder if at some point OP might need to consider a rest day or two in the week.

Sooner or later, your body is going to talk back to you about that routine. That may be what's going on now. Say hello to midlife, and having sore muscles.

Fishing. The OP should consider fishing....

[booglebug]

Half my group are former runners that broke down and started cycling

[colker]

You will be faster on a road bike! Much faster than running on your feet.

[Hellgate]

I hate running. And this is from a long time runner and junior olympian. I'll take my bike any day. At 53 my knees hate it, my back hates it, and my whole body hurts from running. And Herb Lindsay was my hero in high school...

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[jumphigher]

Your situation OP, is similar to mine 2 years ago. I was running around 5 miles a day and riding once or twice a week. As I was getting older, (54 now) I knew I'd eventually be switching to low impact cardio since I was starting to get small injuries here and there. Then after getting a compression fracture in my back, I decided to stop running altogether.

My routine now is a 35 minute high resistance eliptical machine workout around 6am every morning, then riding 25-50 miles in the afternoon or evening - sometimes longer on weekends. If for some reason I cant do both routines due to scheduling, I make sure I do at least one of the exercises. For instance I wrecked my rear derailleur 2 days ago so cant ride ATM, so while I wait for the replacement parts to arrive, I'm steadfastly doing the eliptical workout every morning. In about a week I should be able to add the riding back in.

I miss the running a bit sometimes, but as long as I'm doing something strenously cardio-related, I feel good. The important thing is to make sure you always do something as you get older, otherwise you get fat and your health declines. That's my philosophy, anyway.

[oldpotatoe]

I was a dedicated runner for about 10 years..Jim Fixx school of long, slow distance. I was built for comfort, not for speed. I ran a 10 miler or 1/2 marathon at same pace as 10k...meaning..10k was not fast. 7 marathons, zillions of smaller 'races', ran all over the world..even on the aircraft carrier flight deck(5 times around=1 mile).."I got my tan off the coast of Iran"...

I LOVED to run..did a 8/12/8/12/8 mile weekly sked with a 16 miler on Sunday, Monday off. Running is SO much simplier than riding..shoes, shorts, go run..wear a hat and t-shirt if you're cold..maybe some thin gloves.. Run in all weather, rain shine, day, night..Nothing nicer than running in Ft Story park, dirt path, during a big, fat snowflake snow storm..it was beautiful and so quiet.

BUT..torn quad, calcium deposits in my achilles tendons.
Talked to MD, couldn't bend my feet in the AM...shuffled around until it got less painful, then I went out and ran..wife said I was 'running away'...I was addicted, perhaps I was. Surgery was the initial answer..but MD said I 'might' walk with a limp..other choice..stop running.. I think I gained 15 pounds the next day.

Bought a bike(Ciocc, still have it)..and the rest is history. BUT you CAN combine both..get great shoes, like cycling, run smart...BUT running is tough on your body...I would love to run again..if I couldn't ride for some reason, I'd give it another go...

YMMV and all that.

[tigoat]

I used to run a lot more but not even near your 3k+ miles annually. Boy that is a lot of running every week. Nowadays I only run once a week and I bike 3-4 times weekly. Last year, I ran 700 miles and biked close to 17,000 miles. For me running does a lot more damage to my legs than cycling as it takes me much longer to recover. When I run 10+miles one day and then I would have to wait a few days to recover before I can run another 10+miles. Unlike cycling, I can ride a century (100 miles) almost everyday for a whole week. That is the main reason I reduced my running to once a week. I am 48 and I would like to be able to still run long after I retire so I try to control my running and not hurt my legs as much as possible. I have met so many cyclists who used to be runners but no longer running for medical reasons so I feel very grateful to still be able to do both.

[Seramount]

another person who was 'forced' to take up running when I moved to OR...while in Eugene, was often sharing the trails with people like Mary Decker and Joaquin Cruz. inspiring stuff...

started out 'jogging,' joined a running club, and got into the culture of devoted citizen racers. shared a house with two lawyers who were obsessed with the sport and trained with them. really enjoyed the experience.

don't think the 15+ years of pounding pavement helped my knees tho...they're now retired from anything concussive...no running, no basketball, no tennis. at least one is ready for TKR surgery. if I had it to do over again, I'd probably delete some of the mileage and take a more moderate approach.

so, it's only cycling and swimming now. used to miss the running, but riding is is equally as satisfying, if not more so...

changes, life is full of them...

[middec11]

Another long time runner here, with a slightly different perspective. I used to run much more, but cycling has taken over, both mtb and road. I did have lumbar disc degeneration that I blame mostly on running. So I took 2 whole years off from running and did lots of yoga, strengthening, and riding. I have slowly worked running back into my routine but only on trails and not too many miles or too much intensity. And I feel great. I'm not as fast as I used to be but I'm ok with that. I think running can be a fantastic way to stay fit and strong through the long winters here, and to stay balanced when riding a lot in the summer.

And running will not lead to needing a knee replacement. It drives me crazy when I see people say that. I have scrubbed in on many hundreds of joint replacements and cannot think of even one that was a runner without some other previous sports, work, or other injury. And its not just my experience, there is nothing to support the running/replacement theory anywhere in the medical literature. We do replacements mostly on obese people.