A painful experience...

[EdinburghFixed]

It was horrendously windy in Edinburgh last Wednesday. Now normally if I genuinely think it's too gnarly to ride, I would hop on the bus, which takes about 45 minutes door to door - but in a fit of madness, I decided to save myself £1.20 and jog to work instead. (To provide some perspective on this decision, the only running I do on a regular basis is to catch said bus!)

Anyway, it seemed like cycling fitness transferred quite nicely as I was able to run the four miles up into town and down to the shore in about the same time as it would have taken on the bus - without getting out of breath either... result!

Unfortunately, the following day I awoke with what can only be described as "beaten with a baseball bat" legs, sides, and even back (!!) - I could hardly negotiate stairs, and even walking felt like a verge-of-death experience! It took until today to feel even half capable again. Having done a little Googling it seems that most beginner training programmes boast they can get you to jog 30 minutes after only 10 weeks build-up... so not the first time then!

So, that's a bit annoying - looks like I'd better resign myself to sitting on the bus with the ill ones.

[Mick F]

Fitness isn't Fit for Purpose.

I can ride a bike easily, give me hills and I can climb them, give me flat or downhill and I can fly, but I don't reckon I could run half a mile any more. I used to run, but since my hard exercise has been exclusively cycling, my Running Motor System has gone! I could walk forever, or climb stairs too.

Put a jogger/marathon runner on a bike, and most couldn't do long distances.
Swimmers don't make good runners either.

This is why I admire Tri-athletes. They can be great at all three disciplines. That is Real Fitness.

[kwackers]

Wot Mick says.

I run and cycle, but if I don't do one of them for a bit then I struggle when I restart.

Discovering that being fit didn't mean you'd be fit to do anything was one of the most disappointing things I ever learned.

[Si]

cycling was probably part of the problem. If a 'couch potato' had tried the same then (s)he'd have probably expired at the end of the road, yet you have a fit respiratory system and stamina, even if you don't have runner's legs, and so you could push on for longer and rack up more pain points for the next day. Likewise a cyclists view of what is a reasonable distance to be able to cover under one's own power is somewhat inflated compared to most people's.

Same thing happened to me when I decided to stay fit over winter by jogging - the day after was always so painful that I gave up and bought some better lights and tyres.

Having said that, I spent all morning Cross Training, or as us older ones call it: digging over the allotment. Am expecting to feel similar pain tomorrow.

[patricktaylor]

... digging over the allotment ...

I've always thought that digging is an excellent form of exercise. I love it. Give me a pile of soil to shift any time you like! 5 tons, 20 tons, the bigger the better, but no weeds please.

This September we re-flagged around our house. 160 2-inch thick flags in all, plus mixing cement in the wheelbarrow. I felt good after each day, but weary. Weary all over, with neck ache, shoulder ache, arm ache, back ache, side ache, etc etc. I'm never weary after cycling.

[Si]

Yep, there's nothing like a good dig, in the autumn sunshine, a robin sat on the fence watching you, and steam rising from your compost heap. It's the weeds that do you in! All that constant bending down to pull them out.

A few years back I happened to be working on a very labour intensive site - lots of heavy digging, no budget for a machine, loads of work shy students. I decided to ride most of the way there and back, and found that rather than making me tireder still, the ride home actually acted as a big warm-down and left me feeling much less achy the next day!

[kwackers]

Where were you two when I replaced 20 tons of clay from my back garden with top soil?

I could have done with some help - I lost close to a stone digging that lot.

[Manx Cat]

Your post made me smile EF.

Cycling 60 miles... easy like... Climbing the stairs at work, I have to stop and catch my breath much to the merriment of those I work with, who dont believe I can cycle 60 mile at all.

My body has honed muscles to power pedals, and heave me out of hills, but not to 'carry me' anywhere!


Hope your feeling better soon, your poor back... I do sympathise.


Mary

[fatboy]

What the OP describes I have experienced many a time in running marathons, long distance training ride etc but have never had on the bike. When I last ran the london marathon I went to King's Cross station to buy a ticket and there was a small single step down to the counters but it might as well have been a 20 foot drop for the effort it required. It was so embarrassing! Mind you after the London Marathon the streets are awash with people who don't know where they are and can't walk.

Oh and BTW I've also experienced the same stiffness after doing 4 miles after a long lay-off! Not fun but it passes and next time will be easier!

[Kirst]

Put me on a bike, or in a swimming pool and left to my own pace, I can go all day. But I can't run. I've never been a runner. And like Manx Cat, my leg muscles have developed to propel me on a bike but really struggle to get me up the stairs!

On Saturday I did a free trial of http://www.britmilfit.com/ in the Meadows. I'm assured it was only an hour long but it felt like at least three weeks worth of running, interspersed with rolling in the mud. Literally rolling in the mud.

Yesterday it took me ten minutes to get out of bed, and I'm not much better today! Every single bit of me aches. Every joint, every muscle.

I'm going back next week...

[kwackers]

Put me on a bike, or in a swimming pool and left to my own pace, I can go all day. But I can't run. I've never been a runner. And like Manx Cat, my leg muscles have developed to propel me on a bike but really struggle to get me up the stairs!

On Saturday I did a free trial of http://www.britmilfit.com/ in the Meadows. I'm assured it was only an hour long but it felt like at least three weeks worth of running, interspersed with rolling in the mud. Literally rolling in the mud.

Yesterday it took me ten minutes to get out of bed, and I'm not much better today! Every single bit of me aches. Every joint, every muscle.

I'm going back next week...

Good on you!

The first time I ran a half marathon I had to crawl up the stairs, it was nearly a week before I could walk properly without pain.
Now I can run a half in the morning and after a cuppa and a biscuit feel spot on. If I don't cycle for a couple of weeks then despite all the running, I can cycle the same distance and feel distinctly out of sorts.

I'm 5'10 and weigh 13.5st. For years I assumed I was too heavy to run.
In the end it turned out there's no such a thing as 'not-a-runner' only people who don't run.

(Mind you I can't stick swimming, it's the most tedious exercise I've ever attempted...)

[Flinders]

Once had to shovel a ton of hardcore into buckets. Horrible- I gather there is a knack to it, but it's far harder than soil. I'ts like trying to stick the shovel into concrete after about half an hour.

[EdinburghFixed]

Well, I jogged in again yesterday (whoever heard of negative reinforcement!) but strangely, I feel fine. I even managed it a little faster (35 minutes for the 4 miles).

I'm waiting to see whether I get a massive delayed pain episode though...

[kwackers]

Well, I jogged in again yesterday (whoever heard of negative reinforcement!) but strangely, I feel fine. I even managed it a little faster (35 minutes for the 4 miles).

I'm waiting to see whether I get a massive delayed pain episode though...

Jogged or walked?

I find it can take up to two days for legs to whinge - unless you've completely thrashed them.
Whilst it's true you can't use one type of activity to infer fitness on another, it does help enormously. Next step is to have a long weekend run...

[mark a.]

When I went on a mountaineering course I wasn't particularly fit but I had been doing some hillwalking previously. We came across a few super-buff gym monsters who were obviously very fit and very strong, but we still whooped them up the mountain because we had the right kind of fitness and the right technique.

I don't know what the official line is, but I'd guess that fitness and technique are equally important.

As for recovery, it seems fairly random to me! Sometimes I'm ok, sometimes a little thing will leave me aching for days. Plus I often find that I'm fine the next day but the day after I'm screwed!