I always wondered how PCs would do on a Softride. Especially as you get used to them, I'd like to know how you find the ride to change, if at all. If you are a runner, be prepared to be amazed at your better run times!

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

JBerg, that is an above average effort, cowboy ! i can relate. tell me, did you feel the "shot" was in that good way "shot"?? as in - "man i want more of this" or "this is exactly what i need", or similar ??

It was a good shot. I do want more.

I am not a runner--my definite weakness in tris. That was one reason I thought of the pc's. I need help in the running category.

One day later and I want some more.

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Jon Bergmann
http://jonbergmann.com

"I am not a runner--my definite weakness in tris."

That makes two of us. I'm a cyclist and hate running. Anything that would improve my run without actually having to run more is very appealing. I'll get some eventually.

Funny thing about the run. I am a swimmer by training as a young man and get out of the water in tris usually in the top few in my AG, but after three years of running for tris I would rather go for a run than a swim or a bike ride. I still am very slow (either middle of the pack or worse). Maybe it is the runners high I get after more than 50-min of running.

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Jon Bergmann
http://jonbergmann.com

I've heard about this thing called the "runner's high" but it's something I've never experienced. I used to race cars/go-carts and got an adrenaline rush. I get the same sort of thing on the bike, especially on hard roadie group rides. Maybe it's because my running is just too slow to get high on.

I like running for the same reason you do. Something about it just feels really good. But, I get hurt running. I just aggravated an old achilles problem, or started a new achilles problem. in the first mile of a 1/2 marathon on Saturday. By mile 10, I was almost running on 1 leg...noticeably limping. I couldn't push off my right foot without stabbing pain in that achilles. If it weren't for my new-found ability to lift my knees, I don't know if I would have finished. I still did it faster than the only other 1/2 I've done in the last 15 years, but I was on pace to break 1:30 until the ten mile mark.

The bad thing is, cardiovascularly, I was fine, I even ran a 6:20 mile on the flats at mile 8-9...it was just that one spot that was hurting. I bought a bag of ice and kept it off and on all day Saturday, and several times Sunday. Went and had it worked on today (heat, ice, heat, TENS unit), taped it up, and rode on my PCs for about 10 miles easy. Thank goodness I can do that without discomfort. Maybe I'll just have to stick to PCs the next month and I'll be well enough for my 1/2 Ironman on May 10th.

Man, right when everything is going so well....

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

I agree. One thing I like about tri's is that we don't get hurt as much as single sport athletes. My running friends especially are always getting hurt. As a triathlete I run maybe 3 times a week. I think it keeps the joints healthier.

This weekend I am thinking of doing a 1/2 marathon that is preceded by a 50 mile bike ride. A group of triathlete have done this for years. Ride from Boulder CO to Ft Collins CO and do the 1/2 marathon in Ft Collins. Some then ride back. I don't think I am ready for that just yet. Great training for Fe Man. I am training for my 1st Fe Man but that is in October (GFT) so being in that kind of shape now is not going to happen. JB

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Jon Bergmann
http://jonbergmann.com

One more thing: do you think I should ride with the PC's on the 50 mile bike ride before the 1/2 marathon or should I stick with the fixed cranks?

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Jon Bergmann
http://jonbergmann.com

I would do the ride on the PC's then evaluate how you feel for the run. No benefit to you to doing this on regular cranks but not sure you are up to that kind of performance your first week. Play it by ear.

Frank

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

I saw a guy racing at Ralphs 1/2 IM last weekend. It was a hilly, windy course. I would have loved to have seen what kind of shape he was in after this race.

That is my fear. If I had been riding the PC's for weeks or months it seems like a no brainer. But I still want to run the 1/2 marathon.

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Jon Bergmann
http://jonbergmann.com

Since you have already done a 60 miler I suspect you will be ok to do this a week from now if you are smart and pace yourself, although it may take a little recovery time (slow start) before you feel ok on the run. One never knows until one does it and somebody has to do something to upstage ttn's 100 mile record.

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

You guys are total studs on your PC's. I got mine 2 weeks ago today. Since I got my PC's I have preceded every one of my runs with a 30-40 min PC warmup ride. In my timed 90 min aerobic training runs, I am already covering an extra 1.5 K at 150 bpm compared to what I was doing 2 weeks ago. I am totally amazed by how they have forced me to effciently engaged my hip floxors and hamstrings simultaneously during the recovery phase of my run stride.



I am looking forward to seeing the impact of using PC's in this short training period come Boston marathon next week. Once Boston is done, I'll be ready to hit the road and try some longer rides, hopefully building up to 100 miles by the end of May. Like you guys, "I want more"

So, are you going to take them to Boston to warm up with before the race or how are you intending to warm up the HF's before the race? First I have heard of anyone using them to warm up before a run. good idea.

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

Frank and others. I do most of my running early in the morning. For six months a year, the morning temp is usually below zero celsius and in the depth of winter, often sub minus 20 in Jan, Feb and Mar. I hate spending the first 20 min of my runs running in the cold with stiff legs, so a few years ago I decided to precede most runs with 30 min easy spinning on the rollers. I found this had a few benefits. First of all, I eliminate the first 15 min of "getting going" with stiff and cold muscles early in the morning. Nothing like pounding legs that are not warmed up to ensure you get injured !!! The second benefit was to have already "broken a sweat" so the cold does not feel that bad and finally the biggest benefit was obviously to be able to ride off the bike. The short ride is just enough to warm up the legs and get one going without taking anything away from the run (i.e. a real brick workout).

Once I got PC's I just kept the same regime going. By warming up on the PC's I noticed that the proper technique of firing the hamstrings and Hip Flexors in unison is just reinforced. As such, I do not believe that the PCs have added any huge fitness benefit in this short time (the key word is huge, they have strengthened the hip floxors), but they have largely helped in technique improvement, both on the bike, but more importantly, on the run.

Have you learned how to stand to climb on PCs yet? If you haven't done it...it's really a blast! ttn's explanation makes it simple to do if you're having trouble.

BTW, after my 10 mile easy PC ride today, I'm not getting more pain in my achilles than I had before the ride, so, I think I'm going to be OK to do this instead of running, and hopefully, it will keep my triathlon season going this summer. Achilles' injuries can be season killers.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

While I can understand the concept of isolating and strengthening the hip flexors by using PCs. I would assume that the effect has to take time, your HFs aren't suddenly going to be made of steel after your first ride right? So, if PCs make you work your HFs, wouldn't 'warming up on your PCs' just pre-fatigue your, presumably weak, HFs making you run slower? I am not questioning the long term effect of training/strengthening your HFs with PCs, just how hitting your HFs just before a run will make you faster on THAT run.

That is a great observation and something I would have predicted myself. It generally takes 4-6 weeks to develop good capillary beds in new muscles when one starts exercising but runners routinely report improvement in 2 weeks or less. The question has to be WHY?

Dev seems to think they encourage better form, the type of form advocated by the POSE method of running. Also, his HF's seem to be in better starting shape than most because of his XC skiing background so maybe he isn't toasting them as much as the typical new user.

Anyhow, form improvement seems to make the most sense to me to explain these very early improvements that are seen. Someone is going to have to study this to try to figure out what is really going on.

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

Efernand, I believe my hip flexor muscles were already reasonably strong from lots of XC skiing this winter. The PC's just got me running a bit smoother and ensured that I was using my latent HF strength more effectively. They seemed to have helped my run technique. So by warming up on the bike before a run, I am not frying the HF muscles, but simply getting them firing with proper timing relative to the hamstrings, which then carries over very nicely to running.

It is really hard to appreciate that this would be true until you give them a go for a few weeks.



dev

Do you remember the old cartoon, "Atom Ant"? He'd need some super ant power, and would hoist a barbell above his head and yell, "UP and at 'em, Atom Ant!", then, he'd be much stronger....sort of like Popeye eating spinich suddenly made him stronger.

Hey, it's one explanation!

Here's another...the amount of hip flexor/hamstring power/efficiency it takes to make a good running stride isn't much compared to how much it takes to make a good "PC style" pedal stroke. If you've any adaptation at all to riding on PC's, running just doesn't require much of the power/efficiency you now have available...so, a good warmup on PC's does that, just warms up those hip flexors/hamstrings real good.

I'll guarantee you that the first time you ride PC's you won't run better immediately afterward. In fact, after my first couple of rides on PC's, I had to sit down in the shower to wash my feet...just couldn't seem to be able to pick them up high enough to reach them.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)