For various reasons - time constraints and work travel I’m wanting to add in running to my fitness regime.
I did run occasionally until February this year when I upped the frequency a bit too much and managed to give myself plantar faciitus, which I think I’m recovered from now.
For this reason I want to start running and keep it regular, 1 to 2x a week so I don’t injure myself again.
I’m travelling at the moment for the next 2 weeks so adding in treadmill running to see if this results in any foot issues.
Any thoughts on how to add in running into a fitness regime? Assume I should focus on slower runs to start to minimise injury?
Any thoughts from the more experienced will be welcome.
You don’t need to do a lot. Starting with a couple 20 min runs a weeks can help a lot. Coming back from injury I would recommend a conservative approach. Start with 1 min run, 1 min walk. Next week 2 min run, 1 min walk. Build up from there. This may seems painstakingly slow but running is a high impact activity and your body needs time to adjust.
I’ve made the mistake ramping up to quickly as an athlete and a coach. Coming in fit from cycling it is easy to over do it. Considering this is supplementary and not the main sport there’s really no need to rush it, the risk is not worth the reward.
As @ddetch and @Jolyzara said, yep, start out nice and slow! You can even do some on/offs running/walking as you get started if it’s been a while.
The priority starting out should be keeping it slow, easy, and short. It can be tempting to push the runs if you already have fitness from riding, but, as I’m sure you already know, the muscles and forces on your joints involved in running are much different than cycling.
Stretching and foam rolling can help out as well as you get back into some more running for injury prevention.
As you adjust to your runs, you’ll be able to add on more time/distance/intensity if you’d like.
As others have said stretch, stretch and stretch. You’re going to be tight. If I ran for 20 min, I would stretch for 10 min. 5 before and 5 after. As your body adapts you can run longer with the same amount of stretching.
And if you turn into a runner, trail running is like mtn biking. Ton o fun.
That is all you should do given your planned frequency. A couple of runs / week is not enough frequency to build up the muscles and connective tissues to withstand faster running.
Your cycling engine will allow you to run faster than your cycling body can withstand. Resist the temptation to run faster….you’ll be better off for it.
My additional advice would be to simply be careful with running. Before long, you might be cycling to help your running fitness if you are having too much fun.
But seriously, running is such a great exercise and builds new types of fitness that simply can’t be done on the bike, and you’ll be all the better for it, and stronger all around. Yes, it can be a bit more painful at times, but nothing else quite matches its purity and satisfaction when you’re cruising around and having those moments of weightless mammalian bliss.
Was a bit surprised to read this! Bearing this in mind, I’ll work off a couch to 5k plan, starting at week 4 or 5. A bit embarrassing to have to do this but I’m not 25 anymore.
How often should someone run per week to build up the run muscles and connective tissues? Would 3 days per week of running be enough with 2 days of riding added in?
This week I’ve had two days of running, Wednesday 3.3 miles and Saturday 7 miles, and three days of riding, Sunday 2 hours on trainer, Tuesday 1.5 hours on MTB singletrack and Thursday 2 hours on gravel. Mondays and Fridays are for upper body weights and core work.
I’m no expert but the couch to 5K works on 3 days a week with alternate days off. Thinking about when I previously ran a bit, I started very gentle, with 2km runs, increasing to 5km over a few weeks - which is not what I did when I injured myself.
When getting into running there is a lot of on/off style work as you ease into things. It might seem silly, especially for those who already have strong legs and a big aerobic base, but distance running is a whole different ballgame and if you aren’t already a runner, many of your needed muscles and tendons won’t be prepared for the demands of running.
Ease into it and don’t get overly confident! Be consistent and pay attention to how you’re feeling. There will almost certainly be little things along the way that you need to stop and address. A block of static stretching will probably help early on as well as you start to discover where you’re tight and need a little work.
Regardless of whether you meant to say “will” or “won’t” I’d like to say that any type of aerobic exercise is going to improve fitness.
Running is a great way to diversify your workload and utilize/strengthen muscles and tendons that are neglected when only cycling. I believe that you become an overall stronger (and more importantly, healthier) person by mixing some running into your routine.
On top of the musculoskeletal benefits, aerobic training is aerobic training. Your body doesn’t compartmentalize cycling stimulus away from running stimulus. It’s all the same.
It’s there in the road cycling section: “In other words, running will not enhance your threshold power, nor will it give you the sense of “feeling the crank” better.”
I am not citing any papers or suggesting articles, just sharing from my triathlon experience, I am not running now due to lack of interest and focusing on gravel racing.
I think if you ask any Triathlete (or Du) if running helps their cycling threshold they would all say no. I am a better cyclist when I focus just on cycling. Its that whole jack of all trades, master of none thing for multisport athletes, lacks specificity.
However does running help with overall fitness (body weight, core strength, cardio) I would argue yes. This is still good, it just comes down to how much free time you have, how well do you recover, and what are you goals.
I am in the camp that you have to run at least 3 times a week, 4 or 5 is better to become a “faster” runner.
If you wanted to run/jog/slog a 5K Turkey trot, running 2 times a week will get you through that. If you want to set PR’s in the 5K, running twice a week will let you down.
Luckily I’m a XC/Gravel cyclist so I don’t see a downside to adding maybe 2 run trainings per week to my routine. As a 56 year old hardtail racer/rider, the run training helps to keep my body and legs durable for the increased pounding it takes on XC courses. Where the full suspension crowd use their rear shock to soften the blows I use my legs to cushion the ride, which means keeping my butt off the saddle in the rough stuff. The run training keeps my legs strong for this activity.
