If a cyclist had the completely arbitrary goal of running a sub 40 min 10km in 4 months, what would you suggest? I’m currently mountain biking 5 or 6 days per week and hoping to pepper in ~2 runs/week. XC racing or doing some intensity twice (max three) times a week right now.
Zero running experience, but went for a 10km run out of nowhere a couple years ago while my waiting for a bike part to arrive. That day went well, following days not so well. Went for a mellow 5km run with my girlfriend last week and did a 22 min 5km run yesterday. Figured it would be best to add some structure. Thanks!
Sounds like a fair amount of bike you’re doing, check out the tri plans for an idea of how to schedule your runs around your bikes, and the intensities they should be…
If you’re running 5k in 22, I’d do a 10k aiming for 45-46 and see where you’re at now.
Schedule in four runs per week; two easy, nose breathing pace, one intensity session with intervals, or a 20min 10k race pace in it, and one long run up to 90mins.
Okay, pulls up chair, pulls up another chair to rest leg on…(to misquote @mountainrunner )
I’ve picked up an injury on the run on Sunday (IMCH) thought it was just an ache at the time, lower front shin, but it started swelling yesterday and a bit of discolouration - it’s redder. Had to walk on it a fair amount yesterday and today, but it gets quite painful.
Get it looked at by a sports physio or somebody similar as soon as you can.
Coming from the perspective of somebody who has a recently diagnosed tibial stress fracture and is currently using crutches to minimise weight bearing it sounds very like the presentation I had. A singular point of pain rather than a generalised ache, doesn’t look like a serious injury but is excessively painful, came on 24-48 hours after a race. I hope I’m being overly dramatic in your case but it sounds remarkably similar
You obviously have a good deal of fitness. If you really want to give it a shot 4 months is just around the corner. I would suggest running 4-5 days per week with only one speed session, the others all easy. You need to minimize the risk of injury. Gradually build your easy runs to 4-6 miles with maybe one 8 miler. Start off with some fartleks, 8-10x for 30 seconds, move to 400m repeats and then with 1 - 1.5 months left move to 8-10x 800m repeats.
The heatwave in London meant that for the first time ever I’ve been seen quickly at the GP, X-ray dept and phlebology dept. No one can be bothered with going to the doc it seems
GP didn’t say much other than that the swelling going down after three days was a good sign.
X-ray looked hi res and very smooth to my untrained eye, but the operator said other than no breaks she was not allowed to discuss it with me.
Bloods were just a check up while I’m “doing nothing” as the doc put it.
So I’m still none the wiser as I suspected I would be. I guess I’ll go into the office tomorrow. Elevate it when I can and avoid walking.
I thought I would share my running / cycling weekly schedule, so in case anyone is interested how I work both into my week. I used SS Base Mid Vol I. I added in Tuesday and Thursday’s run off the bike because I am getting ready for a run up a mountain. I know only doing 1 mile at a steep grade is not really going to help, but it allowed my mind and legs to get used to running slowly up a steep grade.
Mon - easy 6 miles, did the easy Wed bike ride
Tue - TR workout, off the bike run 1 mile @12-14%
Wed - 10 miles - 400m repeats
Thu - easy 6 miles, TR workout, off the bike run 1 mile @12-14%
Fri - easy 10 miles
Sat - TR workout, easy 6 miles immediately after bike
Sun - TR workout outside with additional easy riding, total ride was around 3-3:30 hours
Running - 40 mpw
Cycling - around 7 hrs per week / 432 average TSS per week
Just finished this, only missed one cycling workout due to being out of town, but I ran 10 miles instead. First few weeks legs felt fine, but the last couple of weeks have been hard. After this mountain race I plan on taking a week or two of easy running / riding and then starting SS Mid Vol II.
I’m looking for some advice on a winter 8 week run block. What cycling should I be doing, any run specific programmes to follow? My running is significantly weaker than my biking and swimming when I look at those who finish around me, for example in a sprint the other week I had the 8th fastest swim the second fastest bike the 24th fastest run.
I’m not sure 8 weeks is enough to provide an adaptation, but if you only have 8 weeks then 1x swim and bike per week, both hard efforts. The rest of the time run. I would start with 400-1200m intervals and hill repeats each week, with one tempo run at HMP-10K pace (4x10 min, 2x15 min). The other days all easy.
Have you got any specific goals? General endurance? Speed over shorter distances?
Consistency over the longer term is what brings improvements that are more likely to stay with you. Whatever those specific goals are you could use the period with an increased running load as a springboard to a higher volume after it ends - when you cut the volume back after the 8 week period dial back to a level that is less than you were doing but more than you are currently doing and make that the new normal training load.
Nothing wrong with a run block, but your tri run times are significantly affected by your swim and bike efforts - almost everyone overbikes, which damages their run. I use my standalone 10k race time as an indicator of my run strength.
I would back off the intensity on the swim and bike, and slowly raise your run volume/intensity over the 8 weeks and line up a short race as a reward and measure for the effort.
Just got back from my longest run of the past 2 months, a whopping 13.5k
Possibly counterintuitively If you are after improving your HIM times for next year I wouldn’t focus on that over the winter (unless you are specifically gunning for a HM PB in a target race). If you look at half marathon type plans or workouts and then move into an HIM training plan you’ll end up repeating the same sort of stimuli during both periods which I’m not sure is the best way to go.
One approach I’ve used before is to target a shorter race, a 5 or 10k, which might work well if you have an 8 week period in mind. Pick a race, it doesn’t have to be anything special, a local Parkrun will do and train for that. There are lots of plans you can choose to follow, I’ve used Pfitzinger run plans recently and also Greg McMillan ones in the past (some of these are available via Strava if you’re a Premium member). Like most things it’s probably less important what that specific plan is, just that there is one and it’s progressive.
That way you’re introducing different training stimuli rather than just focussing on HM training for a long period of time.
I do think you can see improvements over that 8 week time period, we would ordinarily expect to see some improvements over a cycling block of a similar length, but as @Bioteknik says they can be transitory if you don’t back it up after that training block. So if I’m correct in the assumption that it’s your HIM times you want to improve I’d look at a block of training for a shorter race followed by a period of increased, but ‘maintenance’ training before you start to specifically look at your main race goals for next year.
I’ve listened to 14 minutes of them dancing around it and talking about statistics…could you help them spit it out - what are they accusing Kipchoge of?
Does anyone know why my running fitness falls off so much faster than my cycling? Is there any reason is it just perception? I am a better cyclist than runner so maybe its down to that.
They’re actually really complimentary about Kipchoge. They just stated that the sub 2 wouldn’t have happened without the shoe tech. It’s hard to argue with this.
In Jonathan Marcus’ words… “We have to treat it like a performance enhancing drug that’s street legal right now”.
Any elite not wearing Nike’s latest shoe are taking knives to a gun fight.
)
