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How do you do it. I’m currently on Week 3 of C25k having not run properly since 2006.
But I’m hoping to get some Cycling in this year after a pathetic 48 miles total last year. I ended up walking more.
usually I get 3 to 4 days off per week mostly together
But sometimes it Can be Monday in work Tuesday off then Wednesday in and Thursday Friday off Saturday in. Work nights
cant run before nightshifts because I get home for 0830 gotta eat, take dogs out for 20 minutes shower and bed up at 1630 and set off for work 1730
Thinking maybe chuck my running gear in Car on my first day off after nights and do a quick 30 minutes
You must get a lunch break in your night shift ?
How many nights a week do you work ?
Well your problem seems to be primarily a time management issue, not so much how to combine running and cycling!
Why only 48 miles of cycling last year? Can you start using a bike more as a mode of transport? If motivation is an issue and you have some weekends free how about committing yourself to joining a cycling club?
I started jogging/running again recently after a long break and I started off doing a lot of short jogs to the local shops, leisure centre, train station, etc. If you need to go there anyway you might as well jog there. I'm now doing parkrun every week and one hour a week with a local running club.
take dogs out for 20 minutes
Can you run with them?
I combine the two, ride up to my start point, then a nice loop and a ride back home. Saves me running round the same old woods all the time from the house.
Yeah get a hours break at work. Work for NHS. Work three nights a week and four nights every six weeks. With the odd 1800-0200 thrown in.
Only managed to do 48 miles last year due to Car accident in January, neck and shoulder injury so that knackered me for 12 weeks. Then straight into Organising Wedding, helping my Mum out (post brain tumour removal) She’s fine and back to work now. And then Father in law unfortunately becoming ill, then holiday and just been given the all clear from Orthopaedics from a Wrist injury (fracture Scaphoid)
Unfortunately the dogs are plodders and and wouldn’t be suitable for running with.
Thinking commuting to finishing the C25K whilst the weathers shite and then on days off one day running maybe two,days cycling and alternating each week?
What do you mean by combining?
I read that as some riding and some running, rather than taking up duathlons?
Just adding it to exercise on my Days off. Eventually if I can’t be bothered going on the bike like it’s a complete slop fest even on the Canal round me it’s a mud fest after heavy rain. But I’ll happily go for a walk in the rain.
Well there's your solution......throw the bike in the canal and go for a walk instead! 🙂
Is it possible to run-commute? (I realise you will undoubtedly have already thought of this if it was possible).
I used to run-commute back from my office (I could not really face running TO work) and it worked quite well.
Though I now have a laptop rather than office desktop which I am obliged to transport there and back every day so cba running with a laptop- though I understand it can be done if you really want to.
Unfortunately not it’s a 25 mile Commute. Takes about 40 minutes to 1 hour 20 if the M6 is ****ed. 19 miles via Country lanes 55 minutes to 1 hour 30.
20-25 miles is too much, move house or job.
You can thank me later.
All I can add is that the combination is a good one in terms of cycle fitness.
Before lockdown I used to commute 25 miles into Edinburgh, I wouldn't beat your 'good' time of 40mins but it was quicker than your 'slow' time of 1hr20. Door to door it was always quicker for me to ride than by o drive. (Fastest was drive as far as Dalkeith, then ride the final third from there)
Anyway, try riding it, you might find that you save time, so a 'free' ride. Even if it takes you twenty minutes longer you've the effectively fitted an hour and three quarters of riding into twenty minutes off your day, win win.
There was a topic on this a couple of weeks back, but if time is the primary issue then running is perfect. Easy to squeeze in 30 mins on a lunch break or after work.
The question of combining the two is really a question of intensity. Running is quite punishing, and cycling is great for low intensity endurance. My methodology is just to keep most of the riding quite easy, maybe with one harder ride for the week. Use the running to work the lungs and keep it to 2 or 3 times a week at varying intensity.
You can mix it up however you want, as long as you limit the real high intensity stuff to 2 or 3 days a week. If you give yourself plenty of time for recovery with lots of Z2 you'll be fine. You can easily run and ride in the same day. Smash it every day and you'll burn yourself out or pick up an injury.
I can feel your pain, and trying to fit in so much around family and everything, I am "lucky" in that i rode over 5000 miles last year, but embarrassingly 3000 miles + of that was on turbo trainer in the garage.
I have to exercise, in that i am t2 diabetic and control it with exercise and diet, but also 3 day a week i have a 12 hour working day with a 35 mile commute each day, thankfully work from home 2 days a week.
I only started running as a way to raise money for diabetes charity knowing no-one would sponsor me cycling in December with C25K also
My current week looks like this:
- Monday night - slow run with 10 mins warm up and 10 mins warm down
- Tuesday rest day
- Wednesday - "progression run" (using Runna app) so usually 5 miles or thereabouts with 8 x 400m faster intervals in) and warm and cool down
- Thursday - WFH home day - So 45 mins strength mobility work at lunchtime + turbo trainer session after work
- Friday - WFH home day - 45 mins mobility work at lunchtime + zone 2 longer turbo session or ride with friends outdoors
- Saturday - longer slow run
- Sunday - longer zone 2 ride outdoors.
on the three days i go into office, i rarely get to sit down until about 9.30 at night, but its the only way to fit everything in really
I then make sure that every fourth week is an easier one where i back off
I can only recommend getting a decent turbo trainer if you're time crunched and wanting to get more pedalling in
I have switched to more of a focus on running for my "general weekday training / exercise" these days. I used to do endless laps of Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh on the bike, or Turbo training. But I realised than I was a) ferociously bad at running and b) getting sick of the endless faff that comes with getting the bike out for an hour of an evening.
What I do now is run during the week, usually 3 times at a steady pace (I am still only an improver!) in the evenings. I don't do any kind of intervals or speed work, just focusing on smoother pace and increasing distance to get the legs in shape. I save doing efforts for on the bike to complement this and raise my cardio fitness. Running seems to help this too in return - particularly my general endurance.