Question:
I finished my first 'sprint' triathlon today and have 10 weeks left
until running first marathon. I started running about 18 months ago and
currently run 20 miles per week plus 200+ miles of cycling. My question
is how I can fit that cycling in marathon training. Which runs can be
substituted by cycling? My furthest run was about 14 miles.
My idea is something like this:
Monday: cycling (easy)
Tuesday: running (speedwork/hills)
Wednesday: cycling (hard)
Thursday: running (easy)
Friday: off
Saturday: long run
Sunday: long ride
Will this work out? Do I need all those long runs or can I do some long
bike rides on Saturday too?
Answer:The conventional wisdom, with which I agree wholeheartedly, is that
cross-training can be a substitute for easy days. Whatever is the hard
part of your upcoming event must be trained for in a sport-specific
manner. That means, e.g., you can get away with substituting cycling
for a long run if you're training for a 5k like me, but you can't get
away with it training for anything much longer than that. You might get
away substituting hard cycling for speedwork in preparation for a
marathon but even that's an iffy proposition.
I swim, cycle, and run, and I've resolved myself to the fact that all my
hard workouts have to be runs if I want to run faster. Now that I'm
doing this, I do see some improvements in my swim and cycle times but
they aren't the point, the running is. If you put in hard days at,
e.g., cycling, you'll get some benefits in your running, but nothing
compared to what you'll get by putting the effort into running itself.
The only thing I'll allow myself now is to put in a hard run and then,
if I've got some energy left over, put in some intervals on the bike or
in the pool later the same day. But the rest days are either completely
off or easy at either running or whatever sport I happen to be doing.
Offhand, I'd say you want to cut way back on the cycling - 50-80 miles a
week on the bike spread over two rides each week will keep you plenty
cycling fit, and you're going to want to double or triple your running
mileage if your body can handle it. Keep the bike rides to two hours or
less each (30-40 miles per ride for most people).
Then again, 10 weeks isn't much, and it's important not to injure
yourself trying to do too much running too quickly, so be careful out
there! I'd say increase your running mileage 10% each week for the next
7 weeks if you can and see where that gets you, working up to long runs
of 20 miles.
When you get up into high mileage marathon training, cycling once a
week is an excellent way to give your legs and lower back a break from
the impact of running. I bike to work and back once a week (about 25
mi. roundtrip). I find that to be a good substitute for the short (5
mi. or so) training run I would normally do that day.
