(cycling fitness != running fitness)

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by wasfast

Some of the bigger cushion shoes from Hoka might be a good starting point. I found it ironic that they appeared during the barefoot/minimalist shoe era a few years ago. Notice who's still around.......

The minimalist shoe era worked alright if you have perfect running form and were under 80mpw. If you're even a little bit off, then welcome to an overuse injury.

I've found that I can translate my marginal on-bike fitness to a 5 mile run a couple times a week. But neither of those translate to my weekly rec soccer league, where the stop/start sprints wreck me for a good 36 hours afterword.

[Climb01742]

Doing some sort of weight bearing exercise is important for bones strength. Can be running, some forms of weight training, hoops...something to load your bones/joints.

[juliussharpe]

I was a pretty fast runner in my 20s and that was literally my only exercise - zero pushups, nothing. Now more into biking, with the occasional run (at 46) but two things really have me stronger and more pain-free than ever - kettlebell and foam roller. If you can learn Turkish get-ups, it seemingly works every tiny muscle and translates to every activity, and all those nagging little ankle/joint pains are way less. The rest you can knock out with a foam roller. At least this has worked for me, until I drop a 50 pound kettlebell on my own head.

[benb]

Consider yourself lucky..

I have way more cycling gifts, I got the shaft with respect to running.

Not that slow and had great endurance as a kid playing soccer.. but as my teens wore on I just became an injury magnet with respect to running.

I have really flexible arches.. what a mess. Easy to mess up my back unless I wear orthotics, but it feels like if I try to run the orthotics have always made it super hard to not be a heel striker and transfer way more shock to my knees.

I would really really love to be able to run more.. it is so simple and cheap. But I'll take cycling, I was always fast even as a kid and had good luck right away as an adult as soon as I realized it was a sport.

I wish I lived somewhere warm and/or had gotten more into swimming as a competitive sport. It's fairly inconvenient living in NE though.. gotta pay for pool memberships and drive to the pool. I worked as a lifeguard & swim instructor when I was younger... just never made the connection that soccer & running were dumb sports for me and that I should have been swimming or something. Cycling probably never would have happened as a kid cause it's expensive.

[Gummee]

Last nite's run was hateful. Legs did not want to work.

I was DFL in the group of 3 of us that went out.

...but I persevered and made it the entire 44ish min. Yeah, I said 44min like it's an accomplishment.

I'd gone and done gravel and did cruise intervals Sat
I'd gone running with the Fauquier running club Sun for 4mi then did 26mi of mixed surface. My legs were pretty well trashed before I started out last nite. I probably should have taken the night off, but I still feel 20-some!

Today I went for about an hour on the road bike. Didn't get over 101 BPM with most of the ride in the mid-80s.

Feel better, but not great. Tomorrow's a rest day, so I'll get back at it Thurs

M

[Louis]

Originally Posted by smead

I know I need to ramp up some impact activities to prevent bone loss

Is this correct? That you have to do an "impact" exercise (which I guess means either running or jumping) to prevent bone loss in your later years?

So even if you're working like crazy on the bike or the rowing machine (or swimming or elliptical) that doesn't help with bone loss?

[livingminimal]

Running improves my cycling in massive ways. The core strength, different muscles, the cardio, it's awesome. I try to do 2-3 runs per week, every week.

Cycling does not help or improve my cycling in anyway.

More and more I'm convinced that cycling, when compared to kettlebell work, plyometrics/crossfit is kinda crap for your overall health.

[Louis]

Luckily for me (since my knees can't take running) there are a variety of other ways to work on core strength. In my case it's primarily rowing (erg) and a some other things like planks, leg raises and Turkish get-ups

[vav]

Originally Posted by Louis

Is this correct? That you have to do an "impact" exercise (which I guess means either running or jumping) to prevent bone loss in your later years?

So even if you're working like crazy on the bike or the rowing machine (or swimming or elliptical) that doesn't help with bone loss?

I think weight bearing exercises is a more accurate term. Swimming, cycling, rowing, running, etc are considered non weight bearing exercises that don't do much when it comes to sarcopenia and osteopenia. The simplest and easiest solution is to hit the gym 3-4 times a week and do a few big - compound exercises like back squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, bench and shoulder presses plus pull ups and chins. I think every woman or man over the age of 40 should do this to prevent frailty and grow old strong so you don't need help to get up from the toilet

[Nomadmax]

I've always been a cyclist first and a runner second, by necessity because of my job(s). When I stopped racing bicycles I ran marathons and ultras but I never "enjoyed" it; they were just ways to test myself. I don't have any injuries or other conditions that preclude me from running now but I wouldn't run if you pulled a gun on me.

On topic, IMO the big difference between running fitness and cycling fitness are the surges, especially repeated surges. There's a huge range in which cycling occurs, from very low to very high; running seems to have a much narrower range. A good runner on a bike can get gassed after a few times on the front of a paceline, especially if they don't know where to be or how to make their body one with the bike. Many times, they look like a lumberjack chopping wood with their legs.