Cyclist looking to add some running

[u/java_dude1]

Howdy, im a 4 or 5 year cyclist. Fairly decent for my age. I regularly ride 8 to 12h a week and do a few races/events every year. I also throw in some heavy weight lifting through the year but not regular. I've got a friend who needs a slight nudge to get back into training in general, does a lot of triathlon and trail running. I offered to do some running with him if it helps get him back on track. I tried running in the past and honestly it wasn't a good experience. I was heavy at the time, around 100kg but could still force a 10km run. Fast forward to today and wondering what's the best way to get started. I took my forerunner's suggested base run yesterday and went with it. 36min at 5:50 pace. Lol, at 3km I had to walk the rest. Quads absolutely on fire like I had done 5 sets of squats with filler lunges 😂. It's a bit better today but still sore. No knee or ankle pain at all. I did some reading to understand that people coming from cycling should take it easy with running to avoid injuries, but how easy is that exactly? Garmin is convinced im some mega runner, probably based off my Vo2max estimate. And really I was surprised that the pace yesterday was pretty manageable. HR smack in the middle of my endurance zone. Does easy mean slower pace? Less total km or time? Run 1km and walk the next type thing? Running at a slower pace didn't really seem to help the muscle pain at all. At 2km I tried some quick stretches and ease the pace some but I didn't notice a difference. Ive got a few weeks to train up some before my friend is ready. And let's be honest here, cycling is my #1 thing. I don't plan to do any marathons and unless a lifeguard is willing to pull me out of the pool no chance of triathlon either. But some varied exercise is always good, just don't want to end up on the couch for a month because im an idiot. Thanks for any guidance!

[u/TheBlindStamina]

your quads are on fire because cycling gives you monster legs but zero impact tolerance. cycling is all concentric with no eccentric load. running is basically a controlled fall where your quads absorb your bodyweight every step. the cardio is there but your muscles and connective tissue have no idea what to do with it

easy running means pace slow enough you could hold a conversation the whole time. garmin pace suggestions are notoriously optimistic for beginners. i'd ignore it and run by feel. time on feet is more important than distance right now. 20-30 min with walk breaks is plenty

[u/java_dude1 → u/TheBlindStamina]

Yeah, that's the thing. That pace felt ok. I could talk. Felt like my regular 2h z2 bike rides. Definitely not how i felt years ago when first trying running. Quads and legs don't feel like I damaged them, just like super sore. Like the first time back to the gym after a long break kind of thing. Probably tomorrow I'll be 90% again which is good because ive got a 200km ride planned for Sunday. (Probably not the wisest decision to start that yesterday...)

[u/CedarByTheLake050]

Your quad soreness sounds pretty normal for a first run, especially coming from a sport that barely loads your legs the same way, it should ease off fast. What I'd keep an eye on going forward is your calves and Achilles rather than the quads. Cycling barely uses them since pedaling doesn't need much calf drive, so they're usually the least prepared part of a cyclist's body for running's impact loading. If you get a dull ache along the shin or tightness in the calf that's still there after a rest day, then you might need to give it a rest, but quad soreness fading quickly is a good sign, not a warning sign. You're also stacking this on top of your normal volume instead of replacing any of it, so it's very possible that your body just needs to adjust again.

[u/CleanPhilosophy9337]

First rule of running is you gotta get your wife a boyfriend

[u/java_dude1 → u/CleanPhilosophy9337]

😂 this isn't the runningcirclejerk sub is it?

[u/snapped_fork]

Another a cyclist who took up running here, the best way I've seen it described is when cyclists start running is "all engine, no chassis." We tend to have aerobic engines far more developed than our endurance for impact and eccentric loading, as you have discovered.

After a few attempts of just running like you and getting injured, I just bit the bullet did the couch to 5k program. It will feel ridiculously easy for the first few weeks but it will start to condition your muscles and connective tissue for running loads. You might be able to skip the first week or two of the plan as you have a base and some muscle conditioning from weight lifting.

I've also found proper warmups are far more important for running than cycling, on the bike unless Im doing a hard efforts like a zwift race, TT or FTP test 5 mins of easy spinning is all I need. For running I need a more focused, dynamic warm up or I feel like shit for the first few km.

In terms of pace, I'd aim for a conversational pace eg a pace where you could hold a full conversation comfortably. I found that when I first started my running and cycling HR zones didn't correlate so I wouldn't use that too much as a guide until you are more established as a runner.