Hello Everyone,
I’m a 45 y/o Cat 2 roadie who recently caught the running bug. I’ve been racing for many years now cat 1/2/ masters and occasional TT’s. I’ve only done one sprint triathlon in my life. I would like to know if being a cyclist will help with the transition to running ? My goal is the Philadelphia Marathon in November if doesn’t get cancelled. I would greatly appreciate any advice from you guys/gals.
Thanks,
Jim
I think you will find that your aerobic engine will carry over and give you a boost. However, I also think that you will find that the weight bearing aspect of running will take some time to get adjusted to.
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Haha! that’s awesome 👠😂
I think you will find that your aerobic engine will carry over and give you a boost. However, I also think that you will find that the weight bearing aspect of running will take some time to get adjusted to.
Certainly the aerobic component will crossover to running.
IMO the main drawback that a cyclist has is body position. Cyclists stay in a position where the hip flexors remain shortened.
Running involves a much more erect body position, which is hard to maintain if the hip flexors are tight.
I think you will find that your aerobic engine will carry over and give you a boost. However, I also think that you will find that the weight bearing aspect of running will take some time to get adjusted to.
Certainly the aerobic component will crossover to running.
IMO the main drawback that a cyclist has is body position. Cyclists stay in a position where the hip flexors remain shortened.
Running involves a much more erect body position, which is hard to maintain if the hip flexors are tight.
Pretty much both of theses replies.
I had a similar journey coming from a good running background in my twenties and then switching over and doing bike racing for many years as a category two. I have found now later in life when I try to return to running that the tight hips and lack of mobility lead me to get injured.
you may not be in the same boat and perhaps you’ve taken better care of yourself over the years. I think for someone like you for every hour you spend running you should probably dedicate a similar amount of time to strength and mobility work that directly supports running. maybe establish a relationship with a physical therapist and find some good resources online for exercises to do before and after you run.
I would personally be disinclined from running a marathon right away. It’s sort of like when you have an older car and you try to tow a trailer over a mountain, all the little stuff quickly blows up when you are doing 20 mile runs. Maybe just focus on running fast for shorter distances until you stop improving. Plus marathons suck and the training sucks more.
Not as well as running translates to cycling, especially if you are a large cyclist. There is a big difference with the bike supporting your weight versus landing and then pushing off. The range of motion while running is also greater.
Take it easy when starting and would recommend running on soft surfaces.
Hello Everyone,
I’m a 45 y/o Cat 2 roadie who recently caught the running bug. I’ve been racing for many years now cat 1/2/ masters and occasional TT’s. I’ve only done one sprint triathlon in my life. I would like to know if being a cyclist will help with the transition to running ? My goal is the Philadelphia Marathon in November if doesn’t get cancelled. I would greatly appreciate any advice from you guys/gals.
Thanks,
Jim
for how long have you ran?
If you just started running recently, one year may or may not be enough for a transition.
it took a friend of mine 1.5-two years to get to the stage to be able to absorb the pounding from fifty+ miles of running per week, and he had “priors” as a very good XC runner in high school. He did just ran a blazing time (right before everything shut down), but it took some long time commitment to running only to do this. Would you be okay with dropping most of cycling in order to accomplish this?
There’s also the fact that you might not be bio-mechanically efficient, which means your superior aerobic capabilities will not fully translate
But by the virtue of your aerobic capabilities, you have a much better chance than most to do well in a marathon, but it’s no guarantee that things will fully translate
eta: I contemplated this (started as a runner, became a road racer) a few years ago, when I was no longer interested in mass start racing. I got IT-band flare ups all the damn time (even when running slow) and I just pulled the plug. There’s also the fact that I needed to make significant changes to my diet, as there’s no way I could burn as many calories while doing 10-min miles for 2-3 miles. It got demoralizing, and I just went back to cycling. The diet thing is definitely something to watch out for, as you are coming from a place where burning 1000 kCal/day is nothing, whereas you’d be lucky to burn a third of that per day when you begin running
Hello,
I’ve just started running last week. I’ve run 3x times per week @ 7:15 per mile around 12 miles a week. I’ve definitely notice a little pain in my hip flexors but within a day it’s gone. After seeing the response from you guys that’s probably to fast for a beginner. I think my aerobic engine could lead to an injury because at that pace feels really easy. I’m 5ft 8in140lbs
I really appreciate all the advice whether good or bad 
. I’ve definitely notice a little pain in my hip flexors but within a day it’s gone.
Try this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiLsE4PCpOU
Tight hip flexors would prevent you from getting your torso erect. If you do this stretch about 3x/week, you will see dramatic changes.
I think the good news is that by all indications, you appear to have the bio-mechanical efficiency needed to make the transition with at least relative ease, no doubt helped by your low mass.
By no means do you need to do 10-min mile pace, but something a bit slower than 7:15 is probably a good start (how slow, I’ll defer to the running experts here). Lots of auxiliary muscles to be built up during the process. So exercises suggested above and dynamic stretches go a long way. If you haven’t done so, probably good to get a gait analysis performed as well. When I ran seriously, I didn’t know i was a pronator until 6 months in.
Best of wishes, and I hope you achieve your goal
As an aside, if you want to know what lack of bio-mechanical efficiency might look like, my own foray may be illustrative. I was probably at 4.7 w/kg at 174cm and 68 kg, which turned into ~4.2 w/kg at 70 kg when i started walk/jog a few weeks after peak cycling condition. The efforts at 9:30-mile or slower felt easy-ish, but they were still at my high-end Z3 cycling HR (i understand that running HR should be higher than cycling HR). Anything slower, I felt my form would start deviate too much from running form. Once or twice I ran faster than ~8:30-min pace, and it would literally bring on the hurt for two days to my left leg. In other words, I lacked the natural bio-mechanical efficiency and the discipline needed to transition smoothly.
Man that hurts! Definitely targets the hip flexors.
Thank you ðŸ™
I think my aerobic engine could lead to an injury…
Agree.
I transitioned to running full time from a cycling background similar to yours. Give your musculoskeletal system adequate time to catch up to your aerobic capacity. This means months and years to fully adapt. For instance, if you want to compete, you might choose shorter events for a while (5K, 10K) and gauge how your body responds to regular disciplined run training. If this goes well, with relatively few injuries, you might consider attempting a half marathon. Remember, being competitive at the longer race distances require much higher training volume, and this can take a toll on the body. So, IMO, ease into running and distances, and monitor yourself closely before committing to a goal (marathon) before you’re really ready. Doing so will prepare both mind and body for the challenges the marathon presents.
I think my aerobic engine could lead to an injury…
Agree.
I transitioned to running full time from a cycling background similar to yours. Give your musculoskeletal system adequate time to catch up to your aerobic capacity. This means months and years to fully adapt. For instance, if you want to compete, you might choose shorter events for a while (5K, 10K) and gauge how your body responds to regular disciplined run training. If this goes well, with relatively few injuries, you might consider attempting a half marathon. Remember, being competitive at the longer race distances require much higher training volume, and this can take a toll on the body. So, IMO, ease into running and distances, and monitor yourself closely before committing to a goal (marathon) before you’re really ready. Doing so will prepare both mind and body for the challenges the marathon presents.
I would add a standing desk to this guy’s equation if he does a non weight bearing sitting job. If you add 4-6 hrs per day of standing and also add in 30 min of walking per day, it will help big time for the weight bearing elements of the body to catch up.
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As a former runner turned cyclist, who still runs a little bit…
The aerobic fitness somewhat translates. But the adjusting to the impact/pounding and bio-mechanical efficiency take time to develop.
As a former runner turned cyclist, who still runs a little bit…
The aerobic fitness somewhat translates. But the adjusting to the impact/pounding and bio-mechanical efficiency take time to develop.
Agreed. I run to optimize aerobic fitness when schedule doesn’t allow a cycling stimulus that I want. I don’t expect my bike fitness to mean I can run 7min miles or better whatsoever.
My bike engine when running says I could break 20min for a 5k (yeah, yeah, hit it). My legs say “aww hell no”.
Do you do any leg exercises/weight training? Things like lunges, squats, one legged exercises can be really helpful for building running muscles without actually running.
Thank you ðŸ™
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