Swapping runs for rides could get you to a coveted PR.
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For years, Allison Chambers, lead cycling instructor at Chelsea Piers Fitness in New York City, attempted to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Four races in, she still came up short. “I would hang with the BQ pacers until mile 17 (27 kms), and then the wall would get me,” Chambers tells Runner’s World. Between events, she’d amp up her training only to overdo it and end up sidelined with an injury, which would only set her further back.
In the months leading up to her fifth shot, a qualifying Philadelphia Marathon run, Chambers changed her programming in a way that seems counterintuitive: While a weekly long run and shorter medium-distance tempo runs remained in her plan, she started cycling three to four times a week. Her speed work, slow efforts, and active recovery were all on the bike.
In Philly, she shaved 10 minutes off her PR. “I became fast. I qualified for Boston,” Chambers says. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Of course, just spending time in the saddle won’t guarantee you a BQ time. But cross-training on the bike could help you avoid overuse injuries, improve your endurance, and develop more speed, all of which will get you closer to your running goals.
To make the most of your time in the saddle though, you need to know some key info. Here’s how to use bike workouts for runners to your advantage, plus three specific plans to follow.
Why Runners Should Cross-Train on the Bike
Cycling delivers minimal impact to the joints, connective tissues, and muscles, making it an excellent cross-training option for runners. “This is particularly important if you’re coming back from an injury and you want to increase stress on your heart and lungs, but reduce stress on the tendons and ligaments,” Todd Buckingham, Ph.D., exercise physiologist at PTSportsPRO in Grand Rapids, Michigan tells Runner’s World. “And it helps decrease the risk of overuse injuries from running,” he adds.
Both new and experienced runners benefit from incorporating cycling into their training plan. For new runners, cross-training on the bike develops their cardiorespiratory systems while the musculoskeletal system “catches up.”
“Muscle adapts relatively quickly [to exercise stimulus], but the tendons and ligaments take a lot longer because they don’t have the same blood flow that muscles do,” Buckingham explains. “So, if you try to progress with only running too quickly, you could end up injured, which makes cycling a great complement to new runners.”
More experienced runners can use cycling to help even out muscle imbalances and become a more well-rounded athlete. “Cycling strengthens different muscles. When you’re always running, you’re using the same muscles, you’re landing on your feet the same way,” Chambers says. “When you’re standing out of the saddle doing a hill on the bike, that is a completely different feeling than running up a hill. You’re using different muscles.”
If you’ve hit a plateau in terms of running pace, shifting your speed work to the bike could help you break through to the next level. “I can get my heart rate to my max much faster on the bike than I can running because I physically can’t sprint that fast,” Chambers says. “But on a bike, you can get your power up so fast.”
With the run/cycling combo approach to training, Chambers found she can push her limits in the saddle and still reduce the overall impact on her body.
Buckingham has also seen his training on the bike pay off on race day. “A couple of years ago, during the winter, I was doing hard cycling workouts, but I was really just doing easy runs. Come springtime, I hadn’t done any running-specific workouts, but I ended up running a 5K PR just off of hard cycling training,” he says.
What Runners Need to Know About Cycling
Just like running, cycling requires some sport-specific knowledge. Here’s what to know before you hop on and start spinning.
1. Make Sure Your Bike Fits You
Cycling on a bike that doesn’t fit you is akin to running in the wrong size shoes. You’re going to be uncomfortable and inefficient, and, worse, you could get injured. Before you head out, visit a bike shop to find a bike-fitting pro who will set you up for success.
2. Understand Time vs. Distance
An 8 kilometre run is not equal to a 8 kilometre ride because wheels travel faster than feet. When you swap cycling for running, measure your workouts in time not distance. If you run eight kilometres in 45 to 50 minutes, pedal for the same amount of time.
Alternatively, you can multiply your running distance by three to get a comparable cycling distance, Buckingham says.
3. Give Your Butt a Break
“This is probably the biggest complaint I hear when people come to my class: ‘Sitting in the saddle for 45 minutes is awful,’” Chambers says. You need to make sure you’re coming out of the saddle on hills to “give your butt and body a break,” she explains. If you’re unsure how to stand with proper form, check in with a trainer or cycling coach.
3 Bike Workouts for Runners
Each of the following workouts has a specific performance goal:
- Establish or strengthen your aerobic base
- Build endurance
- Gain speed
You can do these workouts on an outdoor bike or indoor bike. Runners, especially those new to cycling, may find it easier to follow programming on an indoor bike so they don’t have to contend with the elements, road conditions, traffic, and other cyclists.
For all three of these workouts, you will use the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale, with 1 equivalent to the effort of hanging on the couch and 10 being an all-out sprint.
1. Build-a-Base Bike Workout
Why it works: During this workout, you will gradually increase the intensity of your ride, while still keeping the majority of it around zone 2 or your endurance zone. If you do this ride once or twice a week for a month, it will start to feel easier, which means your heart is getting stronger, and you’re setting the aerobic foundation you need for harder work.
How to do it:
- 15-minute warmup. Start at an RPE 2 and gradually increase to 3-4. You should be able to carry on a conversation while pedaling.
- 25 minutes at RPE 4-6. At this intensity, you should be able to somewhat breathlessly hold a conversation.
- 5 minutes at RPE between 6-8. Gradually increase your effort to an intensity that is challenging but sustainable for the entire 5 minutes.
- Cool down with 10 minutes riding at RPE 2.
2. Workout to Improve Your Endurance
Why it works: Interval workouts build your cardio endurance by pushing your aerobic limit so, over time, your heart learns to work more efficiently at higher rates of exertion. This workout can also help you sustain harder effort levels for longer periods of time.
- 15-minute warmup. Start at an RPE 2 and gradually increase to 3-4. You should be able to carry on a conversation while pedaling.
- Begin a 22-minute progression:
- 2 minutes @ RPE 5
- 4 minutes @ RPE 7
- 5-minute recovery @ RPE 3
- 2 minutes @ RPE 5
- 4 minutes @ RPE 7
- 5-minute recovery @ RPE 3
- 10-minute cooldown, returning to RPE 2.
3. Bike Workout to Get Faster
Why it works: One goal of sprint workouts is to improve your VO2 max so that when you want to push during the end of a race, whether on your feet or a bike, you can make it through the most extreme edge of your cardio and strength ability. It also makes hard work feel easier.
How to do it:
- 15-minute warmup. Start at RPE 2 and gradually increase to 3-4. You should be able to easily carry on a conversation.
- 6 x 90-second sprints at RPE 9-10. Beginner cyclists may want to start at a slightly lower RPE and build toward an all-out effort.
- 3 minutes of easy pedaling at RPE 2 between intervals.
- 10-minute cool-down, gradually returning to RPE 2.
