Runner Moms - Do You Cycle?

I just did the MS150 here in Massachusetts (the Cape Cod Getaway). It was a great experience, but it reinforced my suspicions that I am not an endurance athlete LOL. I actually do enjoy riding, but it's not a great form of exercise for me right now because I'm too slow (avg. 12-14 mph on the road) to really knock myself out but when I kick up the speed, I literally can't ride long enough to log the miles I needed to log for training for an event like that. I also hate hills, and hate being the slowest in a group. I find that I get a much better workout when I combine kickboxing with jogging (and I'm very, very slow at that too). The triathlon run/bike/swim training is also great.

So...I like cycling for shorter distances (12-25 miles) but after that, it's just not fun for me. What really amazed me was that there were people on the MS150 who literally hadn't trained at all, or who only trained for a few weeks, who were much faster and better than I was, and I trained for 5 months. There was a girl on our team who had literally never ridden outdoors, was on a borrowed bike with a borrowed helmet and borrowed clothes, biking in running shoes. She did great! We taught her the basic rules of the road and I taught her how to shift gears and she was on her way, which is one of those things you can do when you're 25 and an athlete I guess. One of my childhood friends (so late 30s) didn't buy a bike until 6 weeks before the event and hadn't ridden since she was 10 or 11 and she did great too. I was happy for them but part of me was like "are you freaking kidding me?"

The other thing with training for a long event is that the training needs to be hours and hours and hours of time (like training for a marathon) and I just don't have that kind of time to give up weekend after weekend. I have found that with a 12-25 mile goal, I can go out for an hour or so, be done and move on with my day. When I'm just out riding and not training, it is nice to be out in nature and going distances that you just can't get to when you run.

I started cycling a few years ago when my husband bought a bike and actually used his bike for 2 years before investing in my own. His bike was the wrong size (it was too small for me) but it was ok for 10-20 miles and I did my first triathlon with his bike. I got my own bike last year and did another triathlon on that. This year, for the MS ride, I invested in having my bike properly fitted, finally bought bike shorts, and finally switched to the clip-in (clipless) bike shoes. These changes (esp the shorts) made riding much more comfortable.

So I cycle, and I like it, but I don't love it. The group I did the MS150 with are ridiculously into cycling. One of my friends rides 14 miles to work, then at the end of the day, while waiting for her husband (who cycles 50 miles round-trip to work), she bikes up a mountain once or twice, then rides 14 miles home. They do this 3-5 times a week in the summer. Crazy.

I do both, but I was an cycler for years before getting into running. It took me a year to get to the point where I really enjoyed running for any distance longer than a couple of miles.
It just takes time to get your muscles used to a new activity

With cycling you do have to learn to use the gears at the right time and hopefully have the right bike for the distance and terrain. If I haven't ridden in a while it does take me a few weeks to build up to the distance and speed I would like to be riding, even after training and being in good shape from running a half marathon.

Same as running training, you have incrementally up your distance and speed...don't try to go out and keep up with someone that has been out there every weekend riding for the past year.

I run and cannot stand cycling. My thighs start burning within minutes of getting on a bike, and I have strong, decent legs for my age (43). They're not big or small - just muscular.

I am only 5'3" so maybe it has something to do with my height.

I just cannot get into it!

I am not a "runner mom" (although I do almost everything except run), but my husband is a runner. At my insistence, he started cycling to cross train and because his legs cramp from running. I was also worried about his knees since he is almost 50. It took him a while, maybe as much as several years, to get into cycling, but now he enjoys it. He can't just ride around for fun though; he has to have a destination, a purpose or a specific route. He's been experimenting with routes and has come up with a few loops he really likes. He's also biked to work (15-20 miles one way?) on occasion. We've tried biking together, but he likes to go faster than I do and it got too frustrating for me.

Anyhow, it really helped for him to accessorize his bike--odometer, bag for his cell phone, etc., water bottle cage, rear view mirror.... My husband's main problem with cycling is that he feels he can have a more intense workout in a shorter time frame with the running. However, he has learned to enjoy cycling, it breaks up the training and it's easier on his knees (still cramping though, unfortunately).

He's done a few charity-type and special event rides and those can be a fun way to get into cycling. He has a friend who's an avid cyclist and let's him know about events. We also did one together with our oldest son and I told the two of them to just go ahead and I'd see them at the finish line.

My husband and I both enjoy running and cycling. It takes a good bike, fitted correctly to your body, and lots of practice to get into cycling. Start small and slowly up your distance...just like when you first started running. I love cross training. We also really enjoy mountain biking, rock climbing, and kayaking. Honestly, it's better for your body to be doing different types of sports that use different muscles. This will reduce your chances of getting injuries later down the road. Have fun with whatever you do!