Biking Instead of Running (Read 234 times)

I raced bicycles for 15 years.  I was a really good bike racer ( I am still a Cat III on the road)

I am a pretty average runner.

They are very different sports / activities.

Biking will give you some aerobic benefit, which will help you as a runner but it does not improve your running.

To get better as a runner you need to run as much as possible.

That being said, sometimes bicycling can be part a running training plan.  If you are prone to injury say.  So you can get some aerobic benefit with less wear on the body.

So cycling can augment but not substitute for running training.

As a rule of thumb, you need 2 to 3 times the distance on a bike to simulate the same kind of aerobic benefit you get from the running.

Riding a bike indoors is the most mind numbing experience in the world. I lived in Minnesota for a while so I have done it but it completely sucks.  I would rather be riding/running outside in a blizzard.  

I raced bicycles for 15 years.  I was a really good bike racer ( I am still a Cat III on the road)

 

I am a pretty average runner.

 

They are very different sports / activities.

 

Biking will give you some aerobic benefit, which will help you as a runner but it does not improve your running.

 

To get better as a runner you need to run as much as possible.

 

That being said, sometimes bicycling can be part a running training plan.  If you are prone to injury say.  So you can get some aerobic benefit with less wear on the body.

 

So cycling can augment but not substitute for running training.

 

As a rule of thumb, you need 2 to 3 times the distance on a bike to simulate the same kind of aerobic benefit you get from the running.

 

Riding a bike indoors is the most mind numbing experience in the world. I lived in Minnesota for a while so I have done it but it completely sucks.  I would rather be riding/running outside in a blizzard.  

It's not too bad if you have one of those compu trainers and are competing against someone both being simulated on an actual course.

 

Or TheSufferfest.com workouts...they are, um, "fun."  I always work a LOT harder while watching one of those than I do left to my own devices while watching TV or a movie.  A group of us get together every Thurs. night to do one of these.

I think one problem runners have with biking is they are only familiar with biking at an effort level somewhere between walking and a recovery jog, unless they encounter a hill. Of course, that kind of biking would be a poor substitute for running. If you want to work biking into your program as a sometimes substitute you are going to have to work. Otherwise why not just go for a walk?

 

I think one problem runners have with biking is they are only familiar with biking at an effort level somewhere between walking and a recovery jog, unless they encounter a hill. Of course, that kind of biking would be a poor substitute for running. If you want to work biking into your program as a sometimes substitute you are going to have to work. Otherwise why not just go for a walk?

A walk won't cost me over 5Gs in equipment :-)

 

A walk won't cost me over 5Gs in equipment :-)

Don't you have a Landice? You can walk on it.  

 

You just made my investment even more worthwhile, albeit less than 5G.

And you can share the Landice - one size fits all!

Who rides a 5G bike anyway? Not me.

 

And you can share the Landice - one size fits all!

 

Who rides a 5G bike anyway? Not me.

That kind of dough can buy 2-3 awesome bikes!

And some bikes are shared...DS and I can pretty much share everything for maybe another year or two.  This is good and bad.  I predict many fights for the fat bike! 

what happened to the troll,

I'm pretty sure we bored it to death.