I'm in your boat - I will bike to work 3-4 times per week, but I'll drive or take public transit once or twice a week, so that I have the time and energy for run workouts. FWIW - my bike commute is 48 miles roundtrip, so I'm not quite up to the task every working day.

---

_______________________________________________

You never have the wind with you - either it is against you or you're having a good day. ~Daniel Behrman

wow. mine is little only 6 miles each way, with a bridge climb.

my coach asked not to bike on non-bike days for recovery. sometimes i just want to ride anyway, instead of going in a crowded subway.

i'm relatively new into triathlon, so still building myself up. i'm up to about 150 miles of biking per week.

If you really want to ride your bike to work, then don't let your hobby get in the way of you doing so!

An extra 12 miles on your bike will likely not hurt your daily workouts. If you're relatively new to cycling, it might take a short time to adjust to the incremental training load, but it's only going to help you long term.

---

-Andrew

Got it thanks. It is relatively little, but still thought it might effect the time in between.

Why can´t a non-bike day include a really, really easy commute for 2x6 miles?

Got to be better than any time spent on public transport, particularly at this time of year (in the Northern hemisphere that is)

---

-------------------------------
´Get the most aero and light bike you can get. With the aero advantage you can be saving minutes and with the weight advantage you can be saving seconds. In a race against the clock both matter.´

BMANX

I bike commute five days a week, five miles round trip. On my run days, which are every other day, I still bike to work. However, I keep the focus on the run and really take it slow and easy when I'm on the bike.

I've found it helps with recovery and loosens me up for the run in the morning. What happens twice a week is a bike/run session - bike to work for 15 minutes, hop off and immediately go for a 30 to 45 minute run.

I honestly don't think a little 12 miler is going to hurt you as long as you keep the effort easy EASY EASY.

I commute to work every day on my bike. It's about four miles, and I take it easy. No problems at all.

---

http://aclockworkmango.com

Thanks for the input.

Will be riding. Had a 54 ring, and swapped out to stock 48. Cog is 16, and may consider going to a 17 to make the ride a little easier.

When I was riding home the other day, I just had a smile the whole way.

Bike commuting is the best ever. No parking worries, no traffic worries and you get some fresh air.

It's good for the soul, even if you're training.

---

http://aclockworkmango.com

are you in NYC? which bridge are you taking? i have about the same length of a commute. i usually have my chain lock, and my 25+lbs of laptop and clothes and books with me. i still ride hardish when i commute, unless i'm trying to not be extra sweaty, but if it's a ride day, i'll either come home and then start my ride, or i'll put all my commuting gear back on and ride to central park and do two or three laps, THEN go home.

Bike Commuting is fantastic, and the 12 miles isn't going to adversely affect your training schedule. Ride On Bro!

---

res, non verba

6 miles is actually a pretty solid warm-up if you have a run coming up after work.
I find I can commute home and immediately get out the door (after changing etc.,) for a run and be ready to go pace-wise.

"my coach asked not to bike on non-bike days for recovery."

Tell your coach you are sorry that your life doesn't fit into his/her plan. Ask him/her if they think another coach
might be better suited to put together a plan which incorporates the commuting.

FWIW, my commute is 22.5 miles each way. I saw a pretty big jump in performance (HIMs) when I spent a summer where my only
bike mileage was commuting 5 days a week, which ended up being a pretty big jump in weekly mileage even though the longest ride was
a little over an hour. Some times I'd ride fast, sometimes I'd ride slow.

My pack gets like maybe 10 lbs at most with change of clothes and other things that I might be bringing from home.

I live in Brooklyn and ride over the Williamsburg Bridge. I see people flying up, but I just try to stay seated and take my time up.

Every time I take off from riding this bike, and hit that bridge, it gets hard again.

Rode in today, and just been on a high.

I bike pretty much irrespective of my core workouts: 15 miles each way. Some days my legs are trashed and the ride to/from work is very slow, most days it's no big deal.

If you don't want to bike every day, that's fine, but with a 6 mile commute, the physical demands your other training is not a legitimate excuse.

---

The question of who is right and who is wrong has seemed to me always too small to be worth a moment's thought, while the question of what is right and what is wrong has seemed all-important.

-Albert J. Nock

I bike commute 22 miles round trip per day. When I am training I will ride several days at recovery pace (helps if you have a powermeter). It takes me about the same amount of time to ride or drive and I had enormous benefits from the recovery rides while training for an Ironman last year. Do not let triathlon's interfere with your life, we do this for fun right?

Agree! Commuting builds consistency. Consistency is integral to a successful training program. Ride on!

Sounds good to me.

Sounds like it's time to get a new coach. Noodling for 12 miles a days will not negatively affect your training.

P.S. Like KDW, I realized a HUGE jump in bike fitness when I started commuting. Enjoy! It's a great bookend to the day.

---

The question of who is right and who is wrong has seemed to me always too small to be worth a moment's thought, while the question of what is right and what is wrong has seemed all-important.

-Albert J. Nock

Bike commuting has been very valuable training time for me. I have a pretty long commute, about 17 miles with several hills and a million stoplights (city). I used to do it several times a week, but a schedule change last year means that I now only do it once or twice a week.

If you are capable of keeping the pace easy on "non-bike" days, you'll be fine. I have found I am not capable of doing that, though - every ride turns into a race against the clock or the other commuters or cars or whatever. So now I don't bike commute on rest days.

---

----------------------
Tri Me.
Work Me.

The other nice thing about bike commuting is that you get better able to adapt to various weather conditions. So I never cry when it rains on race day, or it gets chilly or way too hot.

---

Ian

+1
Although I do wince when I saw snow outside, and remembered I couldn´t be bothered to get studded tyres on a spare wheelset this winter.

---

-------------------------------
´Get the most aero and light bike you can get. With the aero advantage you can be saving minutes and with the weight advantage you can be saving seconds. In a race against the clock both matter.´

BMANX