Bike Sessions to Running Sessions

by Kristen
(Elizabethtown, PA USA)

Bike sessions to running sessions :

"This is my first marathon experience and I picked the 5 hour training to follow for it. I have been going for about 8 weeks now but the marathon that I want to run is in November so I am just doubling and tripling up on the beginning weeks work outs. This means that I have started ride my bike for bike sessions which I have not done in a while due to a nagging knee pain when riding, but I figured I would give it a try again anyway.

The results where not good. With the high cadence work that E4 puts on my knee I ended up hurting myself enough that now I am glad that I have months before my marathon. I have had a profession set up done on my bike with nothing better coming out of it. In the end I feel like biking is not really an a cross training option that I can use. Running even on the sore knee does not bother me nearly as much as the bike, but running some of those biking sessions is quite hard on my calves and quads. Is there anything that I should be adjusting since I am trying to run these sessions or is it that they are just going to be that hard because of the lactic threshold that I am running in all the time as most of them are working in E4 range?"

Answer: Hi Kirsten and thanks for your question.

You have two options really :

1) Instead of the bike, try to use an elliptical machine / Nordic Trainer, if you have access to one.

OR

2) Use one of the "faster" plans in the 100 day plan (such as the 4 hour plan) that does not include any bike workouts and run it by heart rate or Effort (ignoring any reference to running times)

Both of these options would work really well - and you are very right : if the bike causes injury problems you want to stay away from it completely.

I wish you all the best,

kind regards,
Marius