My legs hurt

[[XAP]Bob]

given the choice ride out into the wind...

and uphill...

[DaveGos]

I am happy to do long rides ( have done PBP - 24 hr TTs 3 * 12 hrs TTs and most years manage about 8 rides over 100 miles) but I cant run 1 mile- though can sprint in Tennis and Squash. Its all different muscles

[NATURAL ANKLING]

I am happy to do long rides ( have done PBP - 24 hr TTs 3 * 12 hrs TTs and most years manage about 8 rides over 100 miles) but I cant run 1 mile- though can sprint in Tennis and Squash. Its all different muscles

Hi,
I used to think that cyclist could'nt run ( bow leged when you try ) Then I saw a club cyclist win a marathon
Then I took up running marathons, small amount of work to develop and tone the small muscles which keep legs straight.
You'd be glad you did, although you do also have to train at that sport to be good, the cycling fitness is probably the best background to come from.

[Mark1978]

I am happy to do long rides ( have done PBP - 24 hr TTs 3 * 12 hrs TTs and most years manage about 8 rides over 100 miles) but I cant run 1 mile- though can sprint in Tennis and Squash. Its all different muscles

Hi,
I used to think that cyclist could'nt run ( bow leged when you try ) Then I saw a club cyclist win a marathon
Then I took up running marathons, small amount of work to develop and tone the small muscles which keep legs straight.
You'd be glad you did, although you do also have to train at that sport to be good, the cycling fitness is probably the best background to come from.

I'd imagine because you've already got the CV fitness, so you 'just' need to develop the muscles to use it?

[theDaveB]

I f I can add one small point here, take into account which way the wind is blowing and how strong it is.
I frequently enjoy the tailwind I get when heading out for a ride but all too often I forget I then have to fight it when coming home. It really saps the strength.

On my second ride came up a hill and suddenly had a massive head wind. After about 5 mins I thought forget this and turned round to head in the other direction (thinking the wind would be behind me) and it wasn't there was no wind!

Dave

[NATURAL ANKLING]

I am happy to do long rides ( have done PBP - 24 hr TTs 3 * 12 hrs TTs and most years manage about 8 rides over 100 miles) but I cant run 1 mile- though can sprint in Tennis and Squash. Its all different muscles

Hi,
I used to think that cyclist could'nt run ( bow leged when you try ) Then I saw a club cyclist win a marathon
Then I took up running marathons, small amount of work to develop and tone the small muscles which keep legs straight.
You'd be glad you did, although you do also have to train at that sport to be good, the cycling fitness is probably the best background to come from.

I'd imagine because you've already got the CV fitness, so you 'just' need to develop the muscles to use it?

Hi,
Yes CV fitness is good in cycling, if not at top level then you would find it hard to better such at any other level
Having done Ten Tors, Pennine way, West Highland way, camping of course, Took up cycling with no money for motorised transport, then took up running when marathons came to town , later did one triathalon which I liked a lot. Running and cycling are similar due to the high work load and fast leg motion.
Walking is more fatiguing ( low cadence which will test leg resilience to the max ) as your weight is constantly on your legs for longer periods than you would normally run to cover a similar distance, three to four times in fact, add the rucksack too. Blisters are common, wet feet. I.M.O. Cycling helps with hill walking as the hamstrings and quadraceps are needed to go up hill and downhill respectivly.
I always found walking up and down hill easier than my team because I was the onlyone to / HAD to cycle to and from school.
Cycling to running or vise versa is the easiest transfer, none of the three disiplines need large calfs
Both walking and running follow with very similar leg and foot motion , cycling only differs with increased angle of knee bend whilst under high load.
Hence the hams and quads muscle building.
The foot / ankle motion is almost the same in cycling as walking and running, because of the way the hamstrings and calf muscles bridge two joints where the angle of foot track proportionately the angle of knee and hip joints.
Failing to allow this natural motion in cycling (which is natural in walking and running) leads to tendonitious and unexplained knee pain.

[Mark1978]

After about 5 mins I thought forget this and turned round to head in the other direction (thinking the wind would be behind me) and it wasn't there was no wind!

Dave

Hehe. That means the wind is behind you. There have been many times when I'm thinking that I'm strong today. Doing really well. Then turn around and get hit in the face by a gale. Ah that's why.

[Vantage]

I love how it hides behind hills. Just as I'm reaching the top of the hill and thinking "ah it's nearly over ", I get to the top and a hurricane hits me. Great stuff

[karlt]

Hi,
I used to think that cyclist could'nt run ( bow leged when you try ) Then I saw a club cyclist win a marathon
Then I took up running marathons, small amount of work to develop and tone the small muscles which keep legs straight.
You'd be glad you did, although you do also have to train at that sport to be good, the cycling fitness is probably the best background to come from.

I'd imagine because you've already got the CV fitness, so you 'just' need to develop the muscles to use it?

Hi,
Yes CV fitness is good in cycling, if not at top level then you would find it hard to better such at any other level
Having done Ten Tors, Pennine way, West Highland way, camping of course, Took up cycling with no money for motorised transport, then took up running when marathons came to town , later did one triathalon which I liked a lot. Running and cycling are similar due to the high work load and fast leg motion.
Walking is more fatiguing ( low cadence which will test leg resilience to the max ) as your weight is constantly on your legs for longer periods than you would normally run to cover a similar distance, three to four times in fact, add the rucksack too. Blisters are common, wet feet. I.M.O. Cycling helps with hill walking as the hamstrings and quadraceps are needed to go up hill and downhill respectivly.
I always found walking up and down hill easier than my team because I was the onlyone to / HAD to cycle to and from school.
Cycling to running or vise versa is the easiest transfer, none of the three disiplines need large calfs
Both walking and running follow with very similar leg and foot motion , cycling only differs with increased angle of knee bend whilst under high load.
Hence the hams and quads muscle building.
The foot / ankle motion is almost the same in cycling as walking and running, because of the way the hamstrings and calf muscles bridge two joints where the angle of foot track proportionately the angle of knee and hip joints.
Failing to allow this natural motion in cycling (which is natural in walking and running) leads to tendonitious and unexplained knee pain.

Then why do I cycle tolerably well, walk quite well on hills, and can't run more than about 400m without collapsing in a heap?

[Mark1978]

Then why do I cycle tolerably well, walk quite well on hills, and can't run more than about 400m without collapsing in a heap?

Same

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Then why do I cycle tolerably well, walk quite well on hills, and can't run more than about 400m without collapsing in a heap?

Same

Hi,
What are you saying, you run out of breath or your legs ache If you only cycle and walk, there is a small amount of work to be done in running sucessfully. Its only about toning the small muscles which FLEX the femour outwards, conecting the femur to pelvis, these are not needed in cycling to the same extent as running otherwise it would not be a common complaint of cyclist running.
Are you trying to sprint on your toes Calf muscles hurt next day This will tell me about you technique.
Or when you run at not exceeding 6 to 8 MPH , thats 7.5 Min miles, do your legs buckle underneath you ?
I would say that if just cycling and walking, not playing football for hour and 1/2 once a week, your first outing would not be more than 1.5 to 2 miles
If you cant run for more than 400 Mtrs, you are running on your toes or simply too fast.
You would probably need to run 5 miles a week ( run and walk 2 miles ) for two weeks then 10 miles a week for another two weeks and then when your legs could tolerate a 4 mile continuous run, 3 - 4 months to tackle a half marathon.

[karlt]

Not aching legs. Utterly out of breath. And that's at a gentle job barely faster than walking pace. As soon as it turns into a run, I can't sustain it.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Not aching legs. Utterly out of breath. And that's at a gentle job barely faster than walking pace. As soon as it turns into a run, I can't sustain it.

Hi,
I will have to ask some questions
How old ?
What do you think of your weight ?
How much do you cycle a week ?
How far do you walk a week / or whats your max distance in the last year ? And whats your max life walk distance in one day?
If you could walk 15 miles in one day, and cycle 15 miles in one hour, I would say that theres no problem .
If you can tolerate cycling and walking then its only a mater of toning some leg muscles.
I would say that it would be unusual for a person riding a bike to have a foot gait narower ( distance between the mid foot to other mid foot ) than you walking natural gait.
This is why cycling does not tone the femur to pelvis sideways flexion muscles.
You say that your legs dont buckle, you run out of breath.
1ST running efficiently requires you to straighten leg in front of you whilst the foot is clear of the ground
And for a time both feet leave the floor, this requires some strength some muscle fitness, and will be demanding on the CV system.
Cycling and walking can be done at any rate within your comfort zone as your weight on bike is supported by saddle and walking your leg remains straight whilst in contact with ground.
So you see the diffence with running.
Unfortuately running slowly is terribly inefficent as with no speed in you legs your knees bend all of the time leading to cronic fatigue, like riding you bike with no saddle.
So how fit are you and whats your age and wieght condition
If you are over 35 and overweight by more than 15 to 20 % then I would not advise running at all.
I havent run since say mid 90's because of increased weight, and then it took me 14 weeks for my muscles to become supple enough to run comfortably. And my performance was 45 minutes slower than my previous 1ST half marathon in 85.
Running if over weight is uncomfortable and will lead to foot tendon damage ( correct shoes and correct style needed too ) I liken it to putting on a 30 Ib rucksac and running up 20 - 30 stairs Very dependant on age and exercise history and current fitness.
This all considering that you mainly train run on hard surfaces.

[Vorpal]

I think that it is mostly training and what one's body is used to. I played 5 seasons of women's league football, and only rode my bike sporadically, and mostly for leisure during that time. When I started riding longer distances again, the first time I rode more than 10 miles, it was immediately clear that I was no longer fit for it, even though I was capable of 90 minutes in midfield.

On the other hand, even when I got my 28 mile commute under two hours, after not playing football for a couple of years, I played in the park with some mates. A couple of times up and down the pitch and I was gasping for breath. I stuck with it, and did alright, but I was completely knackered at the end of it. The fitness required for it is different, not just in muscles. I think being fit, in general, helps quite alot from one sport to another, but different sports require us to use our bodies and fitness differently, and even CV fitness doesn't seem to be completely transferable from one to another.

Maybe some people can transfer fitness more successfully from one sport to another than I can, but for me, if I want to be able to run, I have to train for it.

[LollyKat]

Back in the day when we used to go youth hostelling, you could identify the (few) cyclists because they were the ones who could hardly climb the stairs at the end of the day .