Injured: will cycling help me keep at least some fitness (Read 1129 times)

I can`t believe you haven`t gotten at least one response from this. As a runner and a cyclist, I can tell you this. It will help, but it won`t do the same for you as running. You mainly use the calf and quadricep (thigh) muscles for cycling. Cycling will somewhat help your running if you can keep your cadence high, (around 90 rpm), as this will help keep the leg turnover speed higher. You just have to spin easier gears than you probably are used to doing. You might be surprised to know that cycling can actually help with your running, but the opposite is not true. Running will do nothing for cycling except keep your cardio fitness in check. Since you use different muscle groups for each activity, they kind of work against each other. I know this rambles, but about 4 years ago I was off from running for about 12 weeks due to a back injury. I biked a little bit along, but couldn`t really accomplish much. To my surprise, my overall fitness did not suffer that much. It did not take near as long as I thought it would to get back to where I could run comfortably. Your legs will actually feel great when you resume, as a lot of those aches and pains that nag all of us, will be long gone. To put it simple,the only thing that will really keep our running sharp is...........running. Good luck in your recovery!

if I dust my bike off and take off for a 20miler 3 times a week will that help me keep at least some approximation of my current level of fitness?

Running fitness, no, due to specificity. Overall fitness, yes.

or will I have to start over when I get back?

It depends on how long your time off from running is. After a week or two, you should be able to resume your plan, as long as you go carefully & back off as soon as you feel any recurrence. After several weeks, you probably should back down your mileage and just do easy runs for a while. I think there are general guidelines out there (like a certain percentage of pre-injury mileage per week off, etc.), but couldn't find them with a quick search. Jack Daniels gives a very detailed method of calculating & planning a comeback, using time off, VDOT, etc. I 2nd what both jkw and Richard say. I used an aquajogger for about a month a couple years ago when I also had PF & achilles troubles and found it fairly easy to get back into running afterward. Good luck! Injuries suck.

thanks all for your replies everyone. the pool aquajogger idea is interesting, I haven't been in a swimming pool for at least 10 years, not that I don't like it you understand it's just that I belived that the shape of my body would make everyone very ill............ all in my head I know. hmmm you've got me thinking now. I got into running after looking at training methods for marathons when training for LEJOG by bike last year (a 1000 mile UK challenge ........... google it) and being fit from that, began running 2 weeks after. I've been keeping at the maffetone sort of intensity for my running and was able to begin straight in at 12m/mi and I think this is what the problem is. er and the fact that I haven't done any fitness stuff at all except some heavy lifiting of glasses of ale. not that 12m/mi is a particularly impressive pace or anything it's just that when people usually begin with maffetone their pace is quite often 16m/m or slower........... so what I'm saying is that essentially I've been working out at an intensity that my ligaments and joints haven't had time to grow into, and now that I've improved at maf down to 10:30m/mi it's gone past what they can cope with, so hopefully they are just giving me hell for that and will settle down, and when I get back I'll only run in the region of 11m/mi and be patient. I went out for a bike ride today, did 8.5 miles with no problems at all....... not even when I got off after and started walking. so that's pretty encouraging. if it turns into something long term maybe I could go to the pool 2x a week and a long bike ride at the weekend.

MTA: I see you have the Oxford 10k Town & Gown on your list. She ran that back in the 90s.

yeah a few of us from the Running Ahead Uk Runners group are going for a meetup race and it's so central to everyone that it seemed the best location. it's also aparently pretty good fun with all the students in Oxford so I'm really looking forward to it............. hope I can at least wog the 6.1 mi.

If you can get on an elliptical trainer, it's the closest thing approximating running, although the PF might not allow that.

If you do the pool running, make sure you read up on it so you do it correctly. You want to do a running motion as opposed to cycling. It is horrifically boring, so I used to put my Ipod in a ziploc bag, put it on top of my head under a baseball cap and then I had music while I did the running. You look like a total idiot, but it's worth it. A number of top marathoners have done months of training entirely in the water to recover from injuries and kept in shape.

the pool aquajogger idea is interesting, I haven't been in a swimming pool for at least 10 years, not that I don't like it you understand it's just that I belived that the shape of my body would make everyone very ill............ all in my head I know.

Not that you were serious, but even if you were, it's a good idea for guys to wear a t-shirt under a running belt rather than just trunks so that the belt doesn't rub. So you're wearing the t-shirt because of the belt, not because of the wobbly bits. Of course if you have a full Victorian body-suit as your bathing attire you don't need the shirt.

Of course if you have a full Victorian body-suit as your bathing attire you don't need the shirt.

now you're talking............. hey I could start a new trend in pool fashion wear.