If you are a cyclist, endurance will not be a problem
The problem comes when you try to use that endurance to run faster than usual.
Say… You run 10 miles at 8:30 minutes per mile. No problems your legs are sore but you survived… If you just do that, you will have a super hard time keeping, a 6:30 mpm pace for a few miles. Why? Because you are not engaging the muscles you need to engage for the activity…
Thats why making tempo runs and faster than race pace is important!
Your legs and body will get use to the pounding and fast movement of the legs…
I’m thinking that this is probably a relatively easy get by adding strides/ hill repeats a few times per week and then following your advice for one speed session to replace a hard cycling session per week.
Strides are great! If you can do a few miles and just 5 - 6 20s stride (40s easy) that will help you with the fast twitching muscles.
Hill repeats are also great…
BUT, watch out how steep and how many times you do them. You could hurt your Achilles if you over do it. This happened to me, for running repeats on a very steep hill few years ago. Just dont over do it and you will be fine! Also, try not to sprint down hill… just let gravity do its thing…
I think I have achilles tendinitis. I guess I should feel fortunate though, I haven’t had an injury since 2010 and I’ve average 2500-3200 miles per year every year. I ran my first ultra back in January coming off 95+ miles per week for over 6 weeks. I think my issue is that I have not kept up with stretching and mobility work. Best guess 4 weeks off with lots cycling, mobility and stretching than start off slowly and go from there.
I’m 51, riding 450+hr pa for a long time and was a keen runner up until about 15 years ago when I switched to cycling and totally dropped running. I ran several times a week but just slow distance and managed a 2hr half marathon at best - slow plodder would be the best description but it got me fit and I dropped a load of weight. I stopped partly as my knees started to hurt on anything over a few miles and even after lengthy periods of no running it always came back Fast forward and I’m thinking some impact activity a couple of times a week would be good for me as I age and to balance the 500-600hrs cycling pa I’m doing now…maybe even building to the occasional local Park Run?
Firstly - sound like a good idea or recipe for issues?
If it sounds worthwhile, then what tips would people give to get started as safely as possible? I have a short flat trail next to my house that is a mix of pavement and unsurfaced sections and am thinking getting off the hard surfaced sections would be good for injury prevention and building muscle and tendon strength that I dont get from cycling?
I think running a couple of times a week is a great idea, but you need to find out what this problem was otherwise it’s likely to return.
Stride length is a common one, but all your running form could be looked at.
Start with very short time on feet, eg 10mins walk/run, and increase gradually. Leave parkrun until you have at least a few weeks of running in your legs. Patience is likely to pay big dividends.
Try MAF running…this will ensure you do not start out too fast. When I started MAF running I had to incorporate frequent walk breaks to ensure my heart rate didn’t exceed my MAF target. You’re upper limit for heart rate will be 129 beats per minute (180-age). When you exceed that limit slow to a brisk walk and once it drops down to 124 start running slowly again. MAF running ensures you build your running base and don’t end up with injury. As your body gets conditioned to running your speed will increase at the MAF heart rate. MAF running also doesn’t destroy my legs so that it doesn’t hurt my cycling performance.
I think run/walk has a lot going for it when it comes to getting into running, particularly if you’re injury prone- it lets your tendons/joints adapt more gradually and can help moderate intensity if that’s an issue. Trails are a great idea as well- athletics tracks and treadmills can also be of help there.
Some other general things;
frequency > volume > intensity. When you’re building mileage I’d go for shorter and more often before length of individual runs. If you do decide to incorporate intensity, make sure you’re running that amount comfortably and without injury for a month or two beforehand.
If you haven’t done so already, get some really good shoes. Try on a million. Don’t skimp. Replace often, more so than you think.
Try to schedule it so you’re running when you’re relatively fresh- fatigue can impact form much more than in cycling.
The foam roller is your friend. Often the root cause of an injury/niggle is elsewhere- I’ve had tendons in my lower calves and ankles act up due to my perpetually tight hamstrings. Once you figure out your “weak points” it can be a lot easier to get on top of things before they become a problem.
Not so different to cycling, but I think it pays to be a fair bit more conservative in general when it comes to running, particularly until you’ve got a good idea of how your body responds to different stresses.
I’m sure you’ve read the thread above and my re-introduction to running after knee issues, I’m same age as you. Lots of good advice has been passed on to you and the main one I see and would shout out again is don’t rush things. My plan for monday to friday is walking 5km minimum everyday. Last week I did a lot of miles and now I need the legs to recover, rest, adapt and rebuild. So lots of low impact stuff this week, it will also include TR/Zwift workouts to keep fitness/heartrate up. Maybe by the weekend I’ll have another long run as reward for resting the impacts on the legs. Fast walking for building up the feet/legs is good and imo underrated… you can if you try get a good pace up, heart rate up, and have minimum impact on those joints. I’ve done a lot of that recently.
Last week I did several long runs, more than I’ve every done when I was running regularly and injury free. Started with a 11km on Tuesday, 8km on the Wednesday, did a 30km on the Friday and a steady zone2 17km with my other half yesterday all in my vibram five fingers. I’m really enjoying the trail runs again but know not to get carried away with this aging body. I’m averaging around 6-7minute kms, so in running terms fairly slow.
My aim is enjoyment and time on the trail. The 30km took 3.5 hours of country side gazing and the zone 2 yesterday over 2 hours chatting with the other half and finishing at the pub for breakfast!
As I’ve said before my route back has been the barefoot/running gait/strengthening feet side. This has IMO really protected my knees and fingers crossed I’ve had no issues with them at all. My N=1 study! What ever you do, don’t rush, listen to your body and above all enjoy it.
Thanks - I’m pretty sure I did something like that when I started last time - wasnt MAF but it was all about low HR and I often felt like I was walking rather than running. Coming for a very low fitness base it really worked well and built a pretty good aerobic base, albeit at a slow pace
Thanks - I like the idea of starting with walking and fast walking. Given I want to start this shortly, when I’m about to start a fairly high volume base period, it seems like a good way achieve what I want and strengthen the legs before getting the running started.
Thanks for the other tips as well. I don’t have any goals for running other than using it as a health booster in addition to cycling, but also know my Type A personality is not likely to take that lying down and if I’m not careful it might start to creep up the priority list. I hope that will help me take it easy with everything at least in the short term!
I’m in a similar bucket (ie a car crash in 2020 and a few crashes after that put me off the road bike) where I’ve switched to running. I’m now doing around 24 miles per week. My schedule is like this:
Monday: weights
Tuesday: some form of a tempo or threshold set. Usually 3-5 miles depending on feel.
Wednesday: 30 mins at endurance. Try to keep a flat route as best as I can.
Thursday: more tempo at 5-6 miles. I usually end w. anaerobic springs for .25 to .5 miles (making sure I bring the HR down by 30-40 bpm before sprinting)
Friday: weights
Saturday/Sunday: I just have fun with it depending on how I’m feeling. Some routes will be gravel so I switch shoes. Other times will be slow mileage to 7-8 miles.
Something else I try to do on runs is play with form, especially upper body. Still learning how all the motions of the arms work but a tighter, more compact arm swing feels good on longer miles. On tempo or threshold, I swing them more and in sprints, I really try to create a lot motion.
YouTube, Instagram creators have been awesome for these lessons.
Thanks for the reply, super useful! Unfortunately, while I was on holiday and fearing I would pack up some weight while my diet was suboptimal, I ran way too much and am now sidelined with a stress fracture in my third metatarsal… One day I’ll learn my lesson!
Fast forward and I’m thinking some impact activity a couple of times a week would be good for me as I age and to balance the 500-600hrs cycling pa I’m doing now…maybe even building to the occasional local Park Run?
