General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Will increasing run fitness help my bike? Rss Feed  
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2015-04-06 9:52 AM

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Subject: Will increasing run fitness help my bike?
I am doing a coached run program- which is really helping my running. Only problem is my biking is slacking a little due to time constraints.

Will the fitness I'm picking up on running help offset my bike slacking at all?

Either way I'm really enjoying the running program- Just more curious than anything.


2015-04-06 9:55 AM
in reply to: Moonrocket


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Subject: RE: Will increasing run fitness help my bike?
I would say that increased bike fitness will help your run come race day. . . but the other way around, I think the generally accepted answer is no.

But that just means you'll get to run past more people when you do get to the run



2015-04-06 10:10 AM
in reply to: ziggie204

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Subject: RE: Will increasing run fitness help my bike?
Originally posted by ziggie204

I would say that increased bike fitness will help your run come race day. . . but the other way around, I think the generally accepted answer is no.

But that just means you'll get to run past more people when you do get to the run






Agreed, I don't run much because it really beats up my body but I cycle plenty. When I get out there I can still hold an 8:30 mile for a 10k and 9:30-10:00 for HM.. not fast but not slow..
2015-04-06 10:43 AM
in reply to: Moonrocket

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Subject: RE: Will increasing run fitness help my bike?

After the tri season in 2010 I focused on running for my 1st HM in early Feb. I had a great HM race and followed it up 2 weeks later for a 10k PR, then got to work on the bike again.  I found that I had no issue getting back into the bike workouts, wasn't strong at first but it came back to me in no time.  I did the BT cycling program and loved the 1st phase that was VO2 focused, had no issue pushing it as hard as my legs would go.  By the testing for the 2nd phase (4 weeks) I was in full stride leg wise, cardio wise was never an issue.

2015-04-06 2:56 PM
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Subject: RE: Will increasing run fitness help my bike?

NM...read the post wrong



Edited by Jason N 2015-04-06 2:57 PM
2015-04-06 3:07 PM
in reply to: Moonrocket


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Subject: RE: Will increasing run fitness help my bike?

Yes it absolutely will. Running has a big x-over to running for MOPers and below who aren't pushing the limits of their bike. Fast AGers and up though, need bike specificity to improve bike speed. 

 

There are no fast runners who are terribly slow cyclists. In contrast, there are definitely runners who are horrendously slow swimmers, and cyclists who are lousy runners. 

 

But still, the fastest way to get better at cycling, is to cycle. And if you're a fast AGer or pushing the envelope of your ability, no, it won't x-over as much. 

 



2015-04-06 4:35 PM
in reply to: yazmaster

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Subject: RE: Will increasing run fitness help my bike?

About 7 years ago I had some friends that were all doing a sprint Triathlon together and since I was a runner and had done some 5K and half marathons with them before they wanted me to join them.  

I didn't have access to a pool or any type of open water.  I wasn't much better situated in the bike department so I talked to my brother who was the cyclist in the family and who lived in the town 2 hours away where the race was being held.  He tracked me down a $5000 street bike from one of guys in his cycling group that I could pick up the night before the race.  So I went ahead and signed up for the race and decided to do a run focused training plan.  That was 98% running by volume, 2% cycling, and 0% swimming.  

My first time in the water in about 5 years was when I started my swim leg of the Triathlon.  My time was about 7-1/2 minutes per/100 for the swim (good thing it was a short swim).  I had a bike mechanical that ended up costing me about 10 minutes so my bike average was only about 16-1/2 MPH for the race, but my actually speed was about 21 mph excluding the mechanical with no training on a bike at all prior to the race.  That was 100% cross over from run fitness.  I also didn't know anything about pacing for a triathlon so I just rode the bike as hard as I possible could and was probably about 120% my lactate threshold. If the race had been anything longer than 12.5 miles I would have been in big trouble.  Coming off the bike I was in no way prepared for the transition.  I about fell flat on my face.  The rubber leg feeling never worked its way out over the 5K (or the next day or two) I was sure my run split would be nothing special and middle of the pack.  It was 12% over my open 5K time but when all the results came in I had the 2nd fastest run split of the over 300 participants at the event, so I was very happy with that stat even though my less than stellar performance on the swim and bike mechanical kept me out of the the top tier in my AG.  

So, there is defiantly cross over fitness from running to biking.  There isn't any way I could have done a 21 mph average cold turkey without the run training as my foundation.  

If I had owned the street bike that I raced on and done a 100% bike focused training rather than a 100% run training focus the results would have been very different on race day.  I really don't think that I would have been much faster on the bike because I wouldn't have kept my effort at about 90% of my lactate threshold.   My legs would have felt a whole lot better off the bike and I probably would have been closer to 5-8% over my open run time since I come from a strong proven running background.  Those are only guesses though.      

I think that someone from a cycling background would find no improvements to their bike time from running.  I think that a running focus would only hurt their bike time.  I think that improving their bike fitness however would improve their overall fitness leading to a faster run time.  I likewise think that someone from a strong run back ground could improve their bike time through a run focus because again it would improve their over all fitness. I have been running for 30 years and cycling for 3 months.  I feel there is no amount of cycling that I could do to increase my run fitness, but I think there is a fair amount of bike cross over fitness that I could gain from running since I am so weak in the area of cycling.  I will likely need to spend 3 or more years of dedicated training to get my bike fitness to a similar level as my run fitness.

So regardless of what all the coaches and pro's say about running and cycling cross over I am guessing they are all generalization and in practice vary based on your background.   

2015-04-06 4:56 PM
in reply to: Moonrocket

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Subject: RE: Will increasing run fitness help my bike?

Originally posted by Moonrocket I am doing a coached run program- which is really helping my running. Only problem is my biking is slacking a little due to time constraints. Will the fitness I'm picking up on running help offset my bike slacking at all? Either way I'm really enjoying the running program- Just more curious than anything.

 

yup.  Welcome to triathlon training.  there's only so much time, and working on one sport, leaves you fatigued or not enough time for the other.  Will your running help you cycling?- yes, as it will give you an aerobic base.  But not nearly as much as cycling will help your cycling.  and- vice versa.  

 

Sounds like you're enjoying the run training and progress.  Unless you plan on doing this professionally... I wouldn't change a thing.  Do what you enjoy.  Ultimately, the best tri times are achieved by spending a lot of time in the saddle.  But, if you prefer to run... hey, by all means... run!

2015-04-06 6:06 PM
in reply to: Moonrocket

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Subject: RE: Will increasing run fitness help my bike?
It may help in terms of your aerobic conditioning, but won't make you a better or stronger cyclist per se. You still need to put in the bike miles to get the discipline specific benefits. A couple of years back I did a 50 mile trail run. I had excellent running fitness. When I did a few longer rides, I didn't run out of gas, but I struggled not having the bike fitness to ride as well as I would have liked.
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