I have been running for years and over the last couple of years I've taken up cycling (after doing some small triathlons). I would like to reduce my running to maybe one day a week and cycle more.

Question: I still need to be in pretty good running shape because I lead physical training at a police academy. Will my cycling still help my running, even though I only plan on running one time a week?

Running is more demanding then cycling....so your running may be compromised by your switching to more cycling. Cycling uses different muscles and is lower in impact...it's a smart move, but again...less overall running my have it's affect on you.

Best thing to do is...cycle & run as you will for a month or so, then try your running and see if it's declined in performance. No other way to tell until you do that....and you probably knew this all along.

Can I bum a 'get out of jail free' card off ya?

Cycling can maintain your cardiovascular fitness (that is why Lance Armstrong was able to run a sub 3:00 minute marathon on his first try), but the bigger question is can you maintain your running muscles on one day a week?

I guess what I would do if I were you is try it for a few weeks and see what your times are on your running days. If you don't lose any speed or endurance with 1 day / week, then you're golden.

It sounds like you enjoy cycling more than running, which is true with me.

Quote by g8r80 - (that is why Lance Armstrong was able to run a sub 3:00 minute marathon on his first try),

Damn, that's fast, a 3 minute marathon.

Hey g8r, lay off those pain meds, hehehe, just kidding. Long ride scheduled for tomorrow! Take care, Greg

Ha ha ha! Yep, I'm busted!

and the fact that he has a heart almost twice the size of a normal person, and he only weighs yada yada, and his legs hhahahaha


Go on a century ride and check the body types.
Century riders- 6-8 hours of cardio can be hefty.

I have had very heavy men, and women, blow by me on a bike. on a bike you are not carrying your body weight and defying gravity nearly like a run.

I have never had an "obese" runner go passing strong.

I will also say this- as a runner- the BIKE KICKS MY TAIL! I sweat and work like a sucker to ride, even as poorly as I do.

FOR THE OP - careful with your knees. A good set of running knees, needs to be run or they get loose, and then you have that cardio conditioning from cycling, and WAMO!!! knee troubles...

If you want to keep "the run," I recommend two shorter runs per week for joint perposes, hips too.

one run a week, when you are in shape, is trouble in he making.

IMHO

but I'm right! LOL
FF

Thanks for the help. Regarding injuries, I do work out with weights maybe 4-5 days a week with quite a bit of leg work. Also, I do a little bit of running with the police academy, but pretty slow.

I'm not sure if I have time to squeeze in another run.

I'll try this for awhile and see what happens.

FF...I'm almost shocked to read that!!!!

When I take runner's biking, they always do VERY well, but riders often don't run very well. My take on it is that running is just that much more demanding & tough; it burns more calories and you have to carry your own weight. So runner's generally make kick-butt cyclist, but cyclist may not make good runners. Hard to believe the bike kicks your butt, but come to think of it, it's hard to imagine ANYTHING kicks your butt!

I've heard so many times that biking preserves running muscles (if they're already there!) but running doesn't help biking. My Runners World magazine even promotes substituting a long RIDE for a long RUN if you can't get out there on a particular day.

In my experience I have found this to be true. I was out the greater part of last year with shin splints so I started spinning. Not only did I pick that up with ease but it DID help me keep my running intact for the day I actually needed it to race.

The key is, you have to be biking hard. It is true that running is more demanding. If you spin or ride do it with gusto. Every ride should be an opportunity to get stronger.

When you DO run, and if you can only do it once a week, you need to do HIIT-like sessions. You already plan on doing more biking and this will keep and increase your cardio. The HIIT will keep your running intact and the speed there.

Keep your diet on target

Then you'll be fine.

I guess that makes sense....

Myself, I'm a "Clydesdale" and built more like a Strong-Man competitor...when I run, I can feel all my chest-weight pounding down on my legs. Yeah; I can bike all day long, but when I try running: OUCH.....just not my thing! The impact, carrying my entire body weight...I'm out of breath and feeling pain in no time...and if you look at the calorie-charts, running is way higher in calorie-burning then most anything else!

Still, good info to have....

Sparrow: Thanks for the response. I'll try that. I frequently do interval type training on my runs, I'll just do the same with my cycling.

Yes, the biking is excellent, but if you are hoping to keep up your running endurance, not sure that will suffice. I switch up running and biking for the sheer enjoyment, but they are totally different..You might just want to reassess your goals...perhaps the fulfillment will be more beneficial than running your head off all of the time...something very relaxing about biking...probably didn't help at all : - ) Best Wishes!

Not so much endurance, but I would like to keep up a pretty good pace over about 4 miles.

Cycling allows you to build endurance which is beneficial when running long. I'm sure there are some benefits, but for a distance of 4 miles, they aren't much. Sorry to say it, but you need to run more than one day a week.