Cycling V Running

[BillyJoe]

I am thinking about attempting the 210 km "Round The Bay" cycling race later this year. The problem is that I am a regular runner but only an occasional cyclist. The reason for this is that my time is limited and it seems to me that you can do more exercise in a shorter time running than cycling. Also winter is fast approaching and, whilst I love running in the rain, cycling in the rain is the pits.

So I have a few questions.....

1. Can I prepare for a cycling race by running?
2. If so, how much running would I need to do each day to have a good chance of finishing the race in reasonable time?
3. If not and I have to cycle, how much cycling would I need to do each week?

Thanks for any replies.

 

[Crossbow]

210 km?

That is a lot of bicycling and if you will have to a good bicycle and be in very good physical condition if you wish to finish, let alone win, this contest.

My advice is to get to the gym and work on your legs; you will need a lot of leg muscle.

 

[Always Free]

Hi BJ,

I think you need to do some cycling several weeks prior to the race to toughen up your bum. If you don't you will regret it after--believe me.

 

[BillyJoe]

That is a lot of bicycling and if you will have to a good bicycle and be in very good physical condition if you wish to finish, let alone win, this contest.

I have a mountain bike in pretty good condition but I realize that I will need a set of road wheels for the race.
My physical condition is not too bad. Presently I run about 6 - 7 km five days a week but I don't think this will be sufficient to complete the race.
I do not kid myself that I can win this race. To finish in reasonable condition would be nice. I'll have to work the next day.

My advice is to get to the gym and work on your legs; you will need a lot of leg muscle.

That requires travel which uses up valuable time that I don't have. With running, I can start from my front door. So, can I prepare for it by running?

 

[BillyJoe]

Hi Alfie,

I think you need to do some cycling several weeks prior to the race to toughen up your bum. If you don't you will regret it after--believe me.

What about running 6 days a week and a cycle on Sunday? Would that do it?

BJ

 

[Crossbow]

I do not have too much experience with running, but I do have a bit with biking. So I would say that 210 km of biking is about equal to 50 km of running.

Therefore, if you wish to do all of this biking in one day, then you have a good deal of preparation to do. Any sort of physical conditioning will be useful (including running), it is just that I have found that lower body execises (especially the leg press) gets the most bang for the buck as it were.

Good luck!

 

[BillyJoe]

I do not have too much experience with running, but I do have a bit with biking. So I would say that 210 km of biking is about equal to 50 km of running.

50 km???
I sincerely hope that is not right.
About two decades ago I ran a marathon (only 42 km) on 64 km running per week and I just bearly made it (in just under 4 hours).

Good luck!

I think I need a miracle!
Anyone got one for sale?

 

[Always Free]

Hi Alfie,

What about running 6 days a week and a cycle on Sunday? Would that do it?

BJ

Nope. How about borrowing an exercise bike and work out in the lounge room or why not put the bike next to the computer while you talk to us??

 

[no one in particular]

I don’t know too much about road biking (I have no idea why anyone would want to do that), but I do know from personal experience that mountain biking can not prepare you for running, and I assume visa versa. The following anecdote I will quote as absolute proof of this concept:

At the end of last biking season I thought I would go running for the first time in two years. I hade been biking all season (late spring/summer/early fall) and had completed more than 2,200 kilometer (yes, I had to convert from miles) in the season. Because of this excess of biking I assumed that being in such good shape I would be able to run quite a great distance. Well, I have a good 16 kilometer (yes, I had to convert) loop that leaves from my house, traverses the great distance and returns to the other side of my house. I found during this run that I was feeling great, cardiovascularly (hey, that is not a word), that is. Being in good shape, I was not a bit tired. It was not until the last 5 kilometers or so that my legs, back, arms, entire body started hurting. But, as anyone who has ever enjoyed running knows, if you have a goal and you are nearing the end you keep going.

After the run, while exhaustedly resting in my living room floor, I felt relatively good and I slept better. The pain began when I woke up the next morning. It took me quite a while to get out of bed, and when I finally did, I was nearly unable to walk! You, dear reader, know the feeling. I was as sore as I had ever been. I limped around all day (and for about four days after) and felt severely crippled. Being devoted to my mountain biking I, with no regard for my pain, was going biking that evening. To my surprise, even though I could barley walk, I was totally unhindered in my biking!

So, yeah, different muscles. Good luck and enjoy, BillyJoe.

 

[arcticpenguin]

I have always been told that running and cycling use different muscles, so you should do both to train.

 

[CurtC]

The rule of thumb that I've guessed at is a 5:1 ratio in distance to be at the same effort, so a 210 km bike ride is the same effort as a 40 km run. But you need to condition yourself for biking - running won't do it. It would help with your aerobic capacity, but there's a lot more.

Another rule of thumb I have for biking is that you need to train at 1/3 the distance, three times a week, to be able to finish comfortably. This doesn't mean that you will be able to come close to winning.

 

[John Harrison]

I am thinking about attempting the 210 km "Round The Bay" cycling race later this year. The problem is that I am a regular runner but only an occasional cyclist. The reason for this is that my time is limited and it seems to me that you can do more exercise in a shorter time running than cycling. Also winter is fast approaching and, whilst I love running in the rain, cycling in the rain is the pits.

So I have a few questions.....

1. Can I prepare for a cycling race by running?
2. If so, how much running would I need to do each day to have a good chance of finishing the race in reasonable time?
3. If not and I have to cycle, how much cycling would I need to do each week?

Thanks for any replies.

1. Absolutely not. Some of your aerobic fitness will transfer over but your muscles are used very differently and for a much longer time, and you need to get your butt, hands and feet used to riding (trust me, this is important).
2. If you want to finish the race in a reasonable amount of time you are going to need to be extremely fit.
3. You will need to ride 5 or 6 days a week, with one long ride a week equaling the time you will spend finishing the race. For example, when I was racing, it would take roughly 5 hours to complete a race of this distance, depending heavily on terrain. This was when I worked a part time job and trained about 350-400 miles per week and raced on the weekends. Basically all I did was ride, sleep and eat.

Now, is this an actual race, or an organized ride? Will you need a racing license or do they have an unlicensed category? I've never heard of such a long race for unlicensed riders, but there's a first time for everything.

I'm not trying to discourage you from doing this, but you need to know that even a training ride of this length is tough. I also recommend that you try to borrow, beg, or steal a road bike. It will be more difficult on the MTB even with road tires.

 

[Attrayant]

What about running 6 days a week and a cycle on Sunday? Would that do it?

No! Your crotch will be very sore around the 80 km mark, making you sorry that you hadn't prepared. Riding on a stationary bike won't help, because it doesn't offer the bumps & vibrations you get from the road. Every time biking season comes around, it always takes me at least 3 or 4 rides of at least 80 km each before the soreness goes away (and doesn;t come back on successive rides).

Also, you might want to look into something called butt balm. Or at least vaseline.

 

[Doubt]

CurtC pretty much told you what you needed to know. No amount of running will prepare your legs for the bike.

I do triathlons and adventure races. (Never been on a bike for more than 112 miles.) If a road bike is suitable for this ride, I would recommend it over a mountain bike any day. If you have to climb paved hills, the road bike will make things easier for you by being lighter. Also you will ride in a body position that reduces drag. (Yes, that does make a difference.)

Another skin lubricant that works well for long rides is called Body Glide. Looks like a stick deodorant and works quit well. It is not greasy like Vaseline. Bag Balm may be useful after riding to sooth the sore spots.

Another problem with stationary bikes is that they don’t work your core muscles very well, since you don’t have to balance the bike. Also the position on a stationary bike may not match your position on the bike you use for the ride. That will make a difference in how you ride the bike.

Also make sure the bike is adjusted properly so you don’t waste your efficiency. Saddle height is the most important part of this.

 

[arcticbiker]

Here's my 2 cents worth (and as they're Canadian cents, after the conversion it's about 0.0001 cants worth):

Running will help with aerobic fitness, but not with the leg muscles and lower back muscles needed for cycling, as others have already said. Riding once a week will probably be insufficient to get you over the finish line of a 210km race without a great deal of pain.

From my experience, I'd say ride at least 3 times/week, doing 50-60km on shorter days, and one ride a week of at least 100km. (You might need to work up to these distances gradually.)

I wouldn't want to do a 210km race without doing at least one training ride at 2/3 the distance, or 140km.

I'm training for the 24 Hours of Adrenaline near here at Canmore. I'm on a 5 person team, not solo, so I'll probably end up doing 4 or 5 laps at an average of about 1 hour each. For training, I typically ride 40-60km/day on weekdays, then do the more technical mountain bike stuff on the weekends. There are very few days when I don't ride at all. I've completed two marathons, Portland, OR and the Walt Disney marathon in Orlando. I had to walk most of the distance, because I suck at running! Definitely, different muscles are used for cycling and running.

 

[Phaycops]

I second, third and fourth what everyone else said -- running does NOT train you for biking! Totally different muscles, not to mention totally different friction points and stuff. In all honesty, this is not really the kind of ride you want to do if you're not a serious cyclist. DO NOT attempt this ride on a mountain bike! I'm not trying to be rude, but if you don't understand why that should be, you should set your sights a bit smaller. If you want to buy a road bike, fine, but you still need a training plan. Go out and buy the latest issue of Bicycling and follow Carmichael's century plan. Check out the forums on Bicycling.com for lots of good info and help on all aspects of cycling. I hate to wee on your race, but I want you to enjoy this and be safe as well!

 

[Rat]

I never run, and I haven't ridden a bike in some time, but I can tell you this: if it's downhill all the way, it should be fairly simple.

 

[BillyJoe]

Nope. How about borrowing an exercise bike and work out in the lounge room or why not put the bike next to the computer while you talk to us??

But wouldn't I be too breathless to say anything.

 

[BillyJoe]

I don't know too much about road biking....but I do know from personal experience that mountain biking can not prepare you for running, and I assume visa versa. The following anecdote I will quote as absolute proof of this concept:

At the end of last biking season............ .........To my surprise, even though I could barley walk, I was totally unhindered in my biking!

So, yeah, different muscles. Good luck and enjoy, BillyJoe.

Yeah.....I see.....different muscles. Thanks for your little story, no one in particular.

Seems like there is no way around it then. If I am to enter a bike race, I will have to actually train on a bike. Bummer. This means an exercise bike because it's nearly Winter here and it's only just getting light in the morning when I leave for work and properly dark when I get back. And I hate the rain.

Hmmm...I'l have to think about it.

 

[BillyJoe]

I have always been told that running and cycling use different muscles, so you should do both to train.

Don't really understand, AP. If I'm going to train for a bike race why would I need to train my running muscles?