On Your Bike – An Alternative For Distance Runners

by Wg Cdr Dave Cole

The secret to a reasonable level of running success and injury free status – don’t run.

This might seem alien to the vast majority of athletes and indeed cuts across all traditional training regimes, but increasingly cross training is seen as a very effective alternative method of training to supplement running.

First things first. You must do some running if you plan to compete and it only works at distance running for me. Cross training will keep you very fit, but you still need to push and pull those running muscles and experience that searing pain in your lungs. I remember being in Gibraltar some years ago and Simon Bell came and visited me for the day. Having completed an hour on my turbo-trainer in the morning I then went on it again while Simon and his wife Annette did the tourist thing. When they got back Simon talked me in to going running around the Rock (7 miles) with him. Well I had only just got off my bike and I hadn’t run for 4 months. However, despite (and anyone who has been running with Simon will know), his infamous surges, I kept up with him. It certainly wasn’t race pace, but 4 months of turbo-training had kept me fit enough to cope.

I came in to cycling ironically by virtue of a running injury – shin splints. I was at RAFC Cranwell in 1988 living in Lincoln and unable to run and took my 3 speed sit up and beg bike out every morning for a 30 min ride before driving to work. I soon got fed up with 3 speeds and got a 10 speed racing bike and carried on. At the time I kept in touch with John Fretwell (now a ret’d supplier) a former RAF runner and but for who I wouldn’t be the runnner I am now. He coaxed me in to running in the first instance and told me to ride from Lincoln to Cranwell (20 miles each way) every day rather than use the car. Well I quickly took on his advice and in the mean time began running again at lunchtime. I hadn’t raced for a long time when I was last 15th out of approximately 130 in the Lincolnshire Services Cross-Country League. The first race of the season was at Cranwell and I had no excuse not to run. Couldn’t believe the race I was up there running alongside Paul Gardiner and went on to beat him. I was amazed, where had it come from? Obviously training up to 3 times a day. To top it all Bill Taylor came up and invited me to run for the RAF.

The rest is history and basically I have continued to cycle and increasingly run less. On average around 12,000 miles per year cycling and 400 miles per year running. Yet, despite this year reaching the age of 44, I actually feel really good (no injuries, etc) and can still crank it out at a reasonable level. My cycling is completely limited to my turbo-trainer, which is located in my shed, with TV/Video and heater. The turbo-training I must thank Ted Hamilton. He once loaned me his when I was at Henlow and I was hooked. Safe. Secure, entertainment and intense heat. Why go out for an easy steady run and risk injury when you watch someone else run on a video. I do actually appreciate that some people enjoy the open air and countryside as part of their runs, I just find too much running causes the on-set of injuries and that speed work is too hard and painful. Which reminds me of when I was stationed at Halton and different runners would visit on courses and we would go out running at lunchtime. I was ok for the hard run, but when their programmes stipulated efforts…………. Rob Payne, Mark Flint and Steve Neill have all flogged me to death sometime.

So what does my training consist of:

Every morning and 4 afternoons at week on the turbo-trainer for one hour. Slowly building up throughout the hour until at about 55mins I have had enough.

3 afternoons a week, run as fast as I can for 7 miles. This will be tempered slightly by the fact that my legs will be tired from the morning.

Advantages: no injuries, still competing after all these years.
Disadvantages: if you do not undertake speed training you will loose some speed. Cycling will build your legs up more than pure running.

In summary. The traditionalists are right, to be a good runner follow the classic methods, train mon-fri every morning for 5 mile at steady pace, sun long run, mon, weds, fri – efforts, tues, thurs afternoon 7 mile steady, sat off. Keep this up for a year and you will be a brilliant runner.

However, personally I would breakdown on week 3, despite any lead-in. Therefore the compromise approach is my choice, it means I am off the front pace in the big races, but I can continue to be competitive at a reasonable standard year in year out.