Posted: 7/29/2010 1:40:56 AM EDT
| I want to get my run time down but I hate running, especially anything over a few miles. I've never road a bike for a workout before, or really since I was a kid for that matter. About how many miles do you think I would have to ride on flat ground to equal the cardio of a 3 mile run at around a 7 or 8 minute mile pace? |
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Depends on how efficient your bike is (road/mountain, knobby tires, how aerodynamic your position is), how fast you're going (run effort increases in a linear fashion with speed, cycling effort (power required) increases cubically with speed), and the terrain on which you're riding. For me, when in decent running shape, a 1-hour run at my maximal pace requires 10% more calories than a 1-hour ride at my 1-hour max power.
As a rough guide, put in 10%-20% more time at an equivalent perceived exertion on the bike, but that means no coasting or stopping. Depending on terrain, you may need to add more time/distance. |
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Quoted: maybe mntn biking would get your heartrate up closer to running, but i wouldnt think biking is anything close to running for cardio Well, it's usually the bikers with the resting HRs in the 40s and 50s. Spinning up a mountain hill in my easiest gear is more work than running up it. |
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Quoted:
maybe mntn biking would get your heartrate up closer to running, but i wouldnt think biking is anything close to running for cardio Depends on how hard you go and what your specialty is. A highly trained cyclist may not be able to achieve VO2max running and vice versa. |
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Quoted:
I want to get my run time down but I hate running, especially anything over a few miles. I've never road a bike for a workout before, or really since I was a kid for that matter. About how many miles do you think I would have to ride on flat ground to equal the cardio of a 3 mile run at around a 7 or 8 minute mile pace? Cardiovascular endurance isnt going to be the issue for you...but biking wont necessarily translate to running the way you want it to. You could be an elite endurance biker but that doesnt mean youll automatically be able to go run a marathon. Its mostly about training the specific muscles used in running. Biking will use some of those muscles, but a lot of them are different. The muscular adaptations that need to take place to be able to run certain distances will only occur while running. So if its running you plan on doing I would suggest just running. If you just want to increase overall cardiovascular endurance then either will suffice. |
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Quoted:
Its mostly about training the specific muscles used in running. Biking will use some of those muscles, but a lot of them are different. The muscular adaptations that need to take place to be able to run certain distances will only occur while running. So if its running you plan on doing I would suggest just running. If you just want to increase overall cardiovascular endurance then either will suffice. Also true. I was thinking about pace gains from weight loss more than muscular adaptations. Specificity, specificity, specificity. |
| I don't really want to be able to run marathon speeds by any means, I'd just like to get my 2 mile run time down to the 13:30-14:30 range again; right now I'm at around a 16:00 2 mile. I think my legs are conditioned enough from running, when I get done my legs arn't tired I'm just winded. |
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Quoted:
I don't really want to be able to run marathon speeds by any means, I'd just like to get my 2 mile run time down to the 13:30-14:30 range again; right now I'm at around a 16:00 2 mile. I think my legs are conditioned enough from running, when I get done my legs arn't tired I'm just winded. Its still going to be something that will only improve with running. Youre pushing yourself harder so your body is trying to produce more energy which requires more oxygen. To get technical, your muscles dont have enough mitochondria in order to produce the energy required, and thats the adaptation you need to occur. It usually happens in 2 weeks with training, but be careful it goes away very quickly without training. What youre running into now is called 02 debt. Everyone has it at first, but the more your body adapts to what you throw at it, the easier it becomes. Youll want to run intervals to increase your ability to run faster for longer timeframes, but also continue to run that 2 miles faster if thats the only distance you ever plan on running. |
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In my experience you can be a strong cyclist anda weak runner and vice versa...though i do think that a strong runner who cycles hard as a supplement makes for a stronger cyclist than the other way around.
I know that if i only cycle for a while, my running takes a hit. |