New to cycling... can I run too? my 1st post!

[GraceKeaux]

Hello there! First off, I LOVE this forum! Reading all of your helpful, humorous, and honest posts really keeps me going and doing my best. Thanks to all of you who contribute!

I've been cycling for a little over a month (and am hooked beyond belief). I was not a regular exerciser (or good eater) before this. Currently I am riding an avg. of 2 hrs per ride. 5 days a week. one or two long rides each week between 30-40 miles/3-3.5 hrs. (*my BF is a cyclist and I try to ride with him. Yikes.) I would like to incorporate running into my week, just twice a week (for an hour). Is this a good idea since I am a beginner? Will I be overtraining? Will it help with my cycling?

I tried to do weight training every other day but the day after I did my first legs circuit, ouch(!) did it suck on the bike. Actually, it hurt on the bike for 3 days... and well, I never did that again. I only workout my upper half now.

P.S. Sorry, totally off point but something I've really been thinking about. I currently ride a men's Specialized Crosstrail Limited. It's a little big for me (and from what I hear from fellow cyclists on the road, "quite a haul" for petite me. My BF tries to keep me motivated by saying that I will go a lot faster once I get my road bike (hopefully Bianchi Dama Bianca) and that I will really feel the difference on climbs. Is this true?

Thank you in advance for your help!

[Kano]

Run? Oh no way!

Running is _MY_ least favorite thing, so it's not likely that _I_ will ever take that up, but of course you can run along with biking! Some folks swim too.

It sounds like you're new to all exercise, not just the biking, and as I got started, I found that pretty much ALL of it overwhelmed my body. For what it's worth, I found that biking was enough stuff to get started with and adjust to. In fact, it was actually a couple of years before I started weight training and such.

The weight training thing -- I started last fall, and yeah, when you're starting a weight training program, after a leg day, the biking can be difficult for a while. Heck, some days, standing up is a problem when you're starting a weight training program! On those days, biking "gently" can be one of the nicest things you can do for yourself, IMO. Keeping the gearing "light," is something I've found really helpful to loosen myself up again.

I'm not much for winter riding, but since starting up again this spring, I'm REALLY glad I've been doing the weight training! It's made a noticeable difference for me -- I feel like I've got so much more power this year, so don't give up on the weights for your legs!

I hope you enjoy the new life style as much as I've learned to! (the biking was easy to learn to love, the rest of it has been a bit more of a challenge!)

Karen in Boise

[OakLeaf]

Cross-training with different sports and weights is good, because no sport works every muscle equally. Cross-training helps balance out your muscles and avoid injuries, plus it strengthens your "weak link" in your primary sport and makes you stronger in that too.

The important thing with any training (whether multi-sport or single) is that every day can't be a hard, all-out day. Don't expect to ride your hardest the day after your leg strength day. Take at least one day a week of active rest (walking, EASY cycling, Pilates, yoga without a lot of strenuous standing poses, etc.) - depending on your condition and age, you may need more than one day. Remember that working out stimulates your muscles to get stronger, but it's during your recovery time that you're actually becoming stronger.

An hour a day of running is pretty ambitious for someone who's only been working out for a month. Start with a mile. If that feels good and you don't have an excessive amount of delayed onset muscle soreness the next day, then increase your distance in small increments until you feel like you're challenging yourself.

Any time you have delayed onset muscle soreness for more than a couple of days, IMO it means you overdid it (I know some people would disagree with me, that's just my opinion). That's okay for a big event, not so much as part of your regular training routine. It doesn't mean don't train, it means take the intensity or duration down a notch until you find a level that challenges you some without making you so sore that it interferes with your progress. Once you've been strength training for a while, that won't happen, but it's easy to do early on (and any time you add a new sport).

Join in the weekly running thread for inspiration. It's a nice group of runners at an enormous range of levels.

And... welcome to TE!

[GraceKeaux]

Thank you, Kano and Oakleaf, for your replies!

"Active rest" is a phrase I've been hearing a lot. Does this mean that I would ride seven days a week but two of those seven would be easy spins/walking/pilates/etc?

Before this forum, I'd read Chris Carmichael's (according to my BF, he's the best coach ever) book, The Lance Armstrong Performance Program. Now, I don't plan on being Lance, but I thought the book had lots of great tips. So in the strength training chapter he says, "Strength training and cycling don't mix well when done concurrently. The best time to do strength training is during the late autumn and through winter-- when most cyclist cut back on their riding because of the weather." Would you say that this would be for gnarly pro riders who are putting in tons of miles?

Kano, running is my least favorite thing too. I wish that weren't the case. But a friend (who is a trainer) told me that running keeps your muscles long and lean while cycling... well, is going to give me man thighs. I'm already short and have thick thighs so I'm willing to try anything that'll lean 'em out. Hope it works! And Oakleaf, starting with a mile is such a better idea. thank you!

[Kano]

Start with a mile indeed -- Pfft! How about the end of the driveway and back?

I don't know about man-thighs. I don't have 'em. I do have sturdy thighs, that those scrawny-cut lady jeans don't fit, but that's not the muscle doing that. I honestly can say that four years of biking (and skiing in winter) have NOT bulked up my legs any. They're much stronger than they were, but I'm always going to be bottom heavy!

Heck, DH rode 3000 miles last year and HE didn't get man-thighs! (this is NOT to say they're weenie thighs, but his lycra got baggy, not tighter!)

Karen in Boise

[Grits]

Sounds like you are riding 6 or 7 days a week. Are you talking about replacing two of those cycling days with running, or having two days when you cycle your normal distance AND run?

[ny biker]

Before this forum, I'd read Chris Carmichael's (according to my BF, he's the best coach ever) book, The Lance Armstrong Performance Program. Now, I don't plan on being Lance, but I thought the book had lots of great tips. So in the strength training chapter he says, "Strength training and cycling don't mix well when done concurrently. The best time to do strength training is during the late autumn and through winter-- when most cyclist cut back on their riding because of the weather." Would you say that this would be for gnarly pro riders who are putting in tons of miles?

I do weight training 2x per week, all year round. During cycling season I ease up on the leg exercises, but I don't cut them out completely. Cycling is not a weight-bearing exercise, and it's important to do regular weight-bearing exercise to maintain bone density.

[Kano]

Sorry, totally off point but something I've really been thinking about. I currently ride a men's Specialized Crosstrail Limited. It's a little big for me (and from what I hear from fellow cyclists on the road, "quite a haul" for petite me. My BF tries to keep me motivated by saying that I will go a lot faster once I get my road bike (hopefully Bianchi Dama Bianca) and that I will really feel the difference on climbs. Is this true?

Hardly off point at all! (silly me, I missed this question last night!) I'm not certain, but looking at a picture of the Crosstrail, and thinking about the bikes I've got (an Expedition and a Roubaix), YES, you're going to notice a difference! Now, my poor Expedition sits unused in the basement, since DH raided parts from it for his bike, but it's not a bad bike, and neither is yours -- I do like my ancient Trek better for my upright bike, though. The Expedition has the shocks both on the front and seat post, and I found I didn't like that. I think my Expedition may be more "relaxed" than the Trek too. I just don't feel like it has any sort of get up and go, and besides that, it seems to suck the go out of me!

In comparison, on the Roubaix -- my road bike, I've got all kinds of get up and go, and climbing hills is obnoxiously better. Not that they're any more fun, but at least I CAN climb them on the Roubaix! As an aside, the Trek climbs hills too, even when the brakes are stuck!

Oh, that running thing -- I did some today. Kelly made me do it at the gym this morning. Can't say I enjoyed it, but I did it and didn't/don't hurt like I have hurt in the past. Still, I wanted a butt sports bra -- not fun to have that bouncing around back there! (wearing the not-so-good bike shorts this morning for the ride down and back -- only a couple of miles, don't need the good stuff! Now I feel like I don't need the not-so-good stuff either!)

[GraceKeaux]

In comparison, on the Roubaix -- my road bike, I've got all kinds of get up and go, and climbing hills is obnoxiously better. Not that they're any more fun, but at least I CAN climb them on the Roubaix!

That makes me feel SOOOO much better. You have no idea. Last week my BF and I went for a long (well, long for me) ride. After about 30 miles I was falling back pretty far. We started climbing a long hill and out of nowhere I started tearing up. He was zooming up the hill while I was crawling and I was so freaking frustrated that I actually started crying. How retarded... After I caught up to him I told him (in a calm, non-crying fashion) to go the rest of the ride without me because 1) if I were behind him, I would feel pressured to keep up and 2) if I were in front, I would feel pressured to ride faster and 3) I was not enjoying the ride. And for me, that's the whole point. Anyway, sorry to vent but thank you again. Hopefully I will be zooming up with (or past) my BF with my new bike!

"Butt Sports bra." That's awesome. Glad you got to run!

[Kano]

That makes me feel SOOOO much better. You have no idea. Last week my BF and I went for a long (well, long for me) ride. After about 30 miles I was falling back pretty far. We started climbing a long hill and out of nowhere I started tearing up. He was zooming up the hill while I was crawling and I was so freaking frustrated that I actually started crying. How retarded... After I caught up to him I told him (in a calm, non-crying fashion) to go the rest of the ride without me because 1) if I were behind him, I would feel pressured to keep up and 2) if I were in front, I would feel pressured to ride faster and 3) I was not enjoying the ride. And for me, that's the whole point. Anyway, sorry to vent but thank you again. Hopefully I will be zooming up with (or past) my BF with my new bike!

"Butt Sports bra." That's awesome. Glad you got to run!

Oh Grace, that SO used to be me!!!! And the WORST part of it is that DH was in at LEAST as rotten physical shape as me! We didn't even have to be on a hill!

For a while, I was doing an extra ride in the middle of the day to try to get myself going. That didn't work real well, but I enjoyed THOSE rides a whole lot more than the ones with him until I figured out that I needed to take the pressure off myself and enjoy the ride!

The run -- I did NOT enjoy it. Kelly's pretty good at NOT repeating herself, but she likes to run, so I don't think I can hope we don't do that again soon!

ON the UP side -- I was wearing my Shebeest Shindiggers this morning, and they're kind of wimpy. I love the knicker thing, though, and lucked into some Shebeest Pedal Pushers today at REI --- discounted!!! They're nicer than the Shindiggers, and might even do the "butt bra" thing for me!

Karen in Boise