Those who have followed me for any length of time would be familiar with my approach to cross training. Cycling has been a big part of my training diet since I got serious about running. Early on, it was more of a back up to keep my training volume up while I managed patella tracking issues and Achilles tendinitis. Now cycling is infused into every week with a more preventative, rather than reactive, approach. Here is a quick look into how I have managed to do reasonably well with only 4 or 5 runs per week.
Know Your History
I learned a lot from the past. I’ve been collecting my training data since the very beginning. Manually for the first few years, then automatically with a GPS which linked up to Garmin Connect and later Strava. My manual recording from back in the day was done on Attackpoint and revealed periods of minimal cycling and periods of almost all cycling as I battled injuries. After a very injured 2012 I settled down and approached training more patiently, adding in more cross training regardless of injury status. Aqua jogging and elliptical training were more convenient while at university, and I found a routine with 3 or 4 days run free every week. In 2014 hit new heights once I include these non-running sessions at all stages of training. It’s very interesting to look back on and I’m very grateful I decided to record it all so thoroughly.
I can also see the numbers behind recent successes. Like how I built up to running 5:11 at Kepler last year with almost half of my training, by duration, done on the bike.
Know Your Sessions
Not all sessions are alike. As the great Jack Daniels always said “What is the purposed of the workout?” I often include a wide variety of training types into my training plans and not all them are appropriate for cross training. The sharper sessions like reps and drills are there to improve mechanics and running economy. Technique is key. There is simply no way to train with proper running technique unless you are running. Different muscle activation patterns, different power demands, different soft tissue loading. There is no point in trying to cross train for these sessions.
Intervals to stress VO2max and thresholds to stress lactate threshold are partially convertible to cross training. Some of the physiological adaptations emphasised by these sessions occur in the muscle tissue, and since running and cycling use the same prime movers (quads, hamstrings and calves) there will be benefit towards the original purpose of the session, but it is not a perfect substitute. The ratios that these prime movers are used in will be different depending on the mode of training, and so they will not translate perfectly to running speed. Examples of this include cycling relying more on the quads than running and elliptical training relying more on the arms. Stabilising muscles, especially those stabilising the pelvis, are affected by the change in movement pattern even more and may be hardly utilised depending on the mode of cross training.
Easy training aims to improve heart and lung function, oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, capillary development in the muscles and mitochondria in the muscle cells. Long easy sessions additionally promote better utilisation of fat as a fuel. Whether running or cycling, I am training the same heart, same lungs and same red blood cells. I’m also training the same prime movers, just not in the same ratio as with running, leading to slightly skewed benefit to capillaries and mitochondria. Stabilising muscles unfortunately suffer the same fate as with interval and threshold training. Overall this gets me pretty good bang for my buck and all things equal (same intensity and same duration) easy sessions can be converted from running to cycling with minimal training benefit lost. Additionally, most of my training is at this easy intensity (yours should be too) so this gives me sufficient scope to introduce lots of cross training into my weekly routine with minimal effect on the longer progression.
An additional note for those who rely on volume for conditioning: if you have 4 weeks with minimal running, just remember that even lots of cross training may not be enough to retain soft tissue conditioning. This means that you might experience DOMS when you increase your running volume again. Just as if you hadn’t been training at all! You may even get an extra bad dose of DOMS because you are aerobically fit and capable of pushing your legs hard, well beyond what an unfit runner could do. Increase running slowly or keep a weekly fast session to retain soft tissue conditioning.
Here is some complimentary advice from the ever-pragmatic Jack Daniels on cross training.
Know Your Body
Swapping some running for cycling at the early signs of a looming problem is an ingrained reflex for me now. However, it’s important that I know what the problem actually is. The Achilles tendinitis that I’m intimately familiar with will disappear easily if I ditch the running shoes and jump on the bike. But, what about my equally recurrent hamstring tendinitis? The particular loading that cycling puts on my hamstring tendons, once slightly inflamed, is actually more problematic than the loading from running. Aqua jogging, with its strong hamstring demands, is much the same as cycling for me if I have this issue. I can however get away with a spin on the elliptical trainer and not aggravate my hamstring tendons. Lateral knee pain is another one that won’t get me rushing to the bike. Medial tibial pain or patella tendon inflammation? No problem with the bike there.
Injury Prevention
This topic is not complete without me mentioning direct injury intervention, though. Even better than cross training intelligently, is not having to cross train in the first place. Understanding the root cause of any injuries you come across will deliver recurring benefit. I have spent years learning how to address injuries quickly by neutralising the offenders further up the chain. It’s usually an overworked muscle and rather than allowing it to settle down in its own time, it’s far better to intervene as soon as possible.
That said, I don’t see myself ever fixing a number of my recurring injuries. I’m at the stage where I understand the chain of events to a degree, enough to intervene quickly, but not enough to prevent further recurrence in the long term. I do what I can. So cross training, especially cycling, is what allows me to still be a runner and I hope these ideas help provide a good starting point for you to manage your cross training more successfully too!