The cold weather season is almost upon us and we’re contemplating a season of recovery and even the prospect of cycling indoors over the next few months.
As runners, we at times get caught up in our training programs and don’t really want to lose fitness in the off season. After all, it took months to get to this level of fitness. That said, our bodies absolutely need a period of recovery. So, is it true that indoor cycling can help with recovery, sustain your fitness and make you a better runner?
Recovery, such as a slow easy pedal on the wind trainer, is a great way to flush lactic acid and reduce stiffness. The increased blood flow will help repair muscle tissue and all the little micro tears from the crazy season of heavy training and racing.
The stress factor from the impact of running, especially long distance running like marathoning, can be enormous. Endurance mileage can put great stress on the muscles and joints of the body. Because of the awesome cardio involved in cycling you can replace some of those long days on the road with a good high intensity, non-impact wind trainer workout, and still get the cardio benefit of a long run.
Doing interval training on the wind trainer can also improve leg turnover. If you’re aiming for that optimum turnover of 180 strides per minute you can use a high cadence workout on the wind trainer to improve your speed. Leg turnover on the bike can transfer to the run.
While running and cycling mostly use the same muscles, they each require the muscles to work differently. Cycling engages, strengthens and builds your leg muscles making you a faster and stronger runner all round.
So throwing a little indoor spinning into your training mix in the off-season sounds like a pretty good idea, right? It’s an excellent cross-training tool and can rev you up mentally and physically. And hey, while you’re at it, there’s nothing to prevent you from dreaming about and planning your long runs on the wide open roads in the spring!
Drop by Peach City Runners and they’ll gladly recommend a local spin class for you. Happy recovery & off-season training!