does it stand to reason that if you add running to your repertoire it's likely to improve your climbing prowess? the old thigh burn well into a climb, especially early in the season is a bitch. yes it seems to answer itself, but i know there are some smart fitness dudes (and the odd dudess) on here who may have insights. should i just ride the bike more, add road miles to the equation, or expect a moderate but consistent running plan to make me a monster on the climbs.
running to improve riding
If you want to get better at climbing you should probably climb more.
Running worked for me , the breathing is where I felt the benefits the most.
Opposite for me. Bike cardio means that I am rarely breathing hard while trail running (I'm not a fast runer though.) Climbing fitness on the bike makes me a faster uphill runner relative to my speed on the flats.
I run for the weight bearing exercise benefits (bone density, etc.).
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it will help with your aerobic capacity but it won't really benefit your muscular endurance wrt climbing steeps on the bike. like tom says you'll be better off doing some relatively steep and extended climbs on the bike, even if it's road climbs. going all the way to the top of seymour of cypress will help, so would doing hill repeats of about 10-15min in length. sfu is perfect for this, going from the parking area at the bottom of nicole's to the first traffic light. when you do the repeats you should be pinning it.
We don't know what our limits are, so to start something with the idea of being limited actually ends up limiting us.
Ellen Langer
the year I was doing a lot of running, instead of riding up a hill I got really good at just carrying the bike up
I find running has zero carry-over to riding while riding carries over a ton. I would love to know why. But, I think the legs don't adapt the same way. Perhaps running up steep hills would cross over better.
Running is certainly easier winter cardio as far as just getting it done.
When I started running 3 days a week I certainly felt better, but didn't see any improvements in climbing.
Now when I started doing squats in the gym 3 days a week, that was a noticable improvement. Just didn't get fatigued as fast.
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I think one would benefit more from doing tire pulls , or cart pushing when it comes to riding .
#northsidetrailbuilders
I found that cross training really improved my climbing ability. The combo of trail running and long hard hikes made a huge difference.
In my experience, running carries over well into riding. All runners I know are strong (uphill) riders, even at times when they hardly ride and mostly run. To help you with hard climbs, I think you'd have to run uphill, though, or do some sprint/speed work. Just jogging along is good cardio and still helps your muscles, but not in the way you're looking for. Also, running seems to be more time-efficient (the same effect from shorter trainings) than riding. But still, steep climbs make you better at steep climbs, especially if you incorporate them at the end of a ride. Not sure if there's any scientific evidence, but works for me. To quote Greg LeMond: "It never gets any easier, you just get faster."
I find running has zero carry-over to riding while riding carries over a ton. I would love to know why. But, I think the legs don't adapt the same way. Perhaps running up steep hills would cross over better.
My guess is that the short bursts of high output efforts required when mountain biking aren't usually replicated by running, unless you deliberately do so. I bet running would help with feeling better spinning up a fire road or road riding, though.
I found ski touring [HTML_REMOVED] bike touring had huge crossover which is basicly moving a lot of weight with the feet
with running you got the cardio for sure but what you ain't doing is moving very much with your feet??
My guess is that the short bursts of high output efforts required when mountain biking aren't usually replicated by running, unless you deliberately do so. I bet running would help with feeling better spinning up a fire road or road riding, though.
Maybe with sprints added, or running up long sets of stairs, or combo'd with weight training
I do like the simplicity of running
I noticed that if I run regularly I do not have to catch my breath while riding. It seems that my body/lungs can more easily keep up a smooth breathing rhythm/pattern.
And rather smooth and long road climbs on my commuter seemed to be easier, not necessarily the climb on a trail ride. My legs would burn like hell but I was not out of breath.
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