Tips for an injured RUNNER | Cross training advice

[@donalanseo310]

If you're used to cycling you can really keep fit. Same format as a running week Mon - easy spin Tues - session 1. threshold efforts Wed - easy spin Thurs - session 2. Vo2 efforts Fri -- Rest - swim or row ? Sat - can make tempo / Moderate if good or 2hrs spin. Sun - long ride 3 to 4 hrs, hilly ride.

[@CatherineSui-Miller]

This video comes in the exact right time! I injured my ankle badly the day before my Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct 19. So devastated and lacking motivation to do anything during recovery. Glad to know we are kind of in the same boat and I need to do "something" before my fitness completely goes down the gutter!

[@rascalroy6745]

Hope you have a speedy recovery! I'm from GTA as well

[@honsten]

Great video. I hope you recover quickly. In 2023 I picked up a stress fracture in a marathon block that took me out for 3 months. Convinced my 20 mile each way bike commute helped me get fit again to PR in the marathon twice in 2024

[@henryedward1194]

Glad to see you seem to be in good spirits despite the injury.

[@GkongX]

tore my meniscus 2 weeks ago . completely understand this video .Take rest and when you feel the pain is like 20% take more rest , try to cycle .I really do miss running :-)

[@RealFrenchWill]

Good luck with rehab. Get it done. Well worth it (had 2 meniscus tears in 2021-22). Also talk to your physio if the knee doesn’t feel right. 1st op took a long time to heal and running didn’t feel safe. 2nd op 9 months later and I walked out of hospital a few hours later. Knee felt normal within days. Same knee. Same surgeon. Felt wildly different post op. All the best!

[@samuelcifuentessegura2322]

Calf muscle tear 7 days ago running on track 4 mile TH. I was in my better shape before starting the 16 specific Marathon weeks training. I was thinking to smash my 10k PR in a month. Dreams go off. Now thinking of came back to indoor cycling, meditation, staying healthy, and being able to enjoy the Marathon without thinking about a PR. Just trying to enjoy the processes.

[@luketopfer2980]

Love it, Scully. I've thrown myself over a dog in the park before, too. What a bummer. Hope you recover quick and stay in high spirits.

[@hughwatkin2779]

Best wishes for the recovery, cycling has helped the head space no end.... especially when i get out to discover new environments. Great vido.

[@jimmyjames7800]

I was on the comeback from a little injury, went for a run on the Friday night and felt good. With a positive mindset the following morning, I began to cycle a ten mile loop in preparation for another run. A loose dog ran out across the road, under my front tyre and i went over the handlebars. Notwithstanding a damaged bike (£155 to put back into repair) but I now have mild sciatica. Deferred two half marathon enteries and missing the XC season. Tapestry of life! Am going to use time off running to improve on my weaknesses....managed a one to one session with a rugby coach in the gym yesterday. Theres some invaluable advice in this vlog that I can relate too so yeah, shall not rush into my next run and to focus on utilising this enforced sabatical by doing alternative training for a longer term benefit.

[@MilanSmore]

Broke my ankle last summer… good luck with the recovery 🙏

[@realDougSheppard]

I'm not running right now due to injury and RED-S, but I have been using cycling (spinning on my road bike/trainer nowadays) for the better part of 35+ years as rehab, prehab and maintenance. The Zone 2 benefits are massive.

[@RunningAllTheTyne]

If someone has the time to commit to a long enough cycle each week or every few weeks, there’s massive benefits for running in that. Even if the cycle is at an easy pace for a few hours, the problem is finding the time!

[@idiotpilot13]

After an ankle injury, I replaced my long runs with brick training sessions (starting with a run, followed by two hours or more of Zone 2 cycling) to reduce the strain on my bones and joints. This approach was so beneficial for my fitness and overall system that I decided to continue this type of training even after recovering fully from the injury.

[@Tovashi]

Does cycling have a good carryover to running, or is the elliptical better?

[@idiotpilot13]

@@Tovashi I can’t say much about elliptical training since I have no experience with it. What I can say is that cycling has helped me a lot-not only in improving my fitness but also in staying injury-free. Of course, it would be better to complete 100% of my training through running, but there’s no point in that if injuries prevent you from ever making it to the starting line. Runners who want to incorporate cycling into their training just need to keep a few things in mind: 1. Maximum heart rate-and therefore heart rate zones-are usually about 10 beats lower on the bike compared to running. 2. You should aim to maintain a relatively high cadence (90-100 rpm) to stay as close as possible to an ideal running cadence. 3. At first, it might be a bit frustrating because the limiting factor isn’t your fitness but rather the specific leg muscles required for cycling.

[@RunningAllTheTyne]

@@Tovashi elliptical mimicked running in a better way, but cycling can build the fitness very efficiently and build up your leg muscles which will help running. Either one would benefit running just in different ways!

[@shaylorcyclingwahoo]

@@TovashiI ran an 18min 5k after 6 weeks of running coming back from 8 years of cycling (only) after a bad skiing injury. I don’t know if it works for everybody but for me cycling cross trains crazy well. Based on the running I keep seeing pro cyclists doing in the off season, I don’t think it’s just me.

[@mikeharding1016]

Great timing for this video, I have a lower calf issue for the first time and was out on the bike yesterday to stay out there. Find it tough to maintain even zone 2 on a bike my HR just doesn’t get up there like when I run but you are absolutely right about the psychology made me feel loads better to be out. Hope you are out running again soon!

[@idiotpilot13]

It is perfectly normal for your heart rate to be lower during cycling than during running. Your maximum heart rate, and consequently your heart rate zones, are usually 5-10 beats per minute lower on the bike. Try your (running) Z2 -10bpm. And try keeping the cadence between 90-100rpm.

[@mikeharding1016]

Thanks for the advice! I’ll keep that in mind on my next ride.

[@djblumenkohle3448]

I love your videos man. Keep it up!

[@RobertLombardi-r8o]

I tend to collide with dogs and push my weight lower and use my knee or shin to push them out of the way. Dog might get a little hurt, but that’s just how it goes for animals that walk into your path and aren’t paying attention and the owner doesn’t have full control.

[@davidporter2828]

Agree with everything Stephen. I'd just add that slightly too much work on the bike will generate some fatigue that might actually compromise the return to running. It's been a balancing act for me, but Zwift (and some good tunes in the buds) is a lot of fun and can be a great way to maintain aerobic fitness.

[@Dr1bbler]

I broke a toe swimming of all things, over the summer, and have found getting back into a simialr running patern ever since. Where I was running daily, the prospect of doing the same my legs just aren't playing ball and frequently getting DOMs post run. So now I find doubling up my activities (I also enjoy swimming) gets me where I need to be, so I'll run for an hour and then then swim for a similar duration, eg. VO2 max for the run and much more Z1 / 2 for the swim, and find this works both physically and psychologically.

[@shaylorcyclingwahoo]

Even without injury, below elite at least, I find my cycling hugely beneficial when I’m fit even, but not long easy because it steals too much time. I’m now 45 and it allows me to add an additional hard session that my body might not cope with running it. I often double with a Zwift race in the morning and a running session in the afternoon. I ran an 18min 5k within 6 weeks of coming off 8 YEARS of cycling (only) after a bad skiing injury.

[@pjos11]

Did I see you today running around Fortwilliam roundabout down to the Shore Road? I was going to shout out the window lol. I ran around duncrue yesterday my first 19KM but took a pain on the outside of my knee! Missed out on finishing a HM distance. Thanks for your videos!!

[@andyranaway]

i don't know if they have leash laws over there, but it's for everyone's protection. one of my pet peeves (pun intended?). hope the ankle heals up soon, Stephen!

[@MrHaggyy]

^^ i had to jump over a leash once or twice. The most important part is that the owner is aware of you and his surroundings. So the dog is in no stress when you run by. We have a lot of well trained dogs in a national park over here. They just say hi from a distance run with you a view dozen meters and than go back.

[@colindepetrescu7838]

Thank you so much !

[@Aditya-ne4lk]

hope you get back up. looking forward to a different variety of training videos. on a side note: dog walkers without leashes are dangerous. you can never predict how an animal would react. such an easily avoidable situation (on the dog walkers' part). i always tend to slow down when i feel like something is not in control, like squeezing past by-standers, walkers, etc. it's not worth the risk. sorry to hear about your injury

[@angrygary91298]

Scully is weird to see you clothed like that. I only seen you prepared to run :) and now you look like a tourist haha.I hope for fast recovery on your ankle.Good luck!

[@LexD-89]

Watching this video as I’m recovering from hip injury. Coming in with good fitness from cycling, I decided to join a marathon this March with 8 years of not running. I’m ending up pushing too much too soon as my engine can handle the load, yet my legs are failing me :(

[@jeremybockus7226]

Hey Stephen! Have a good day

[@ulfeliasson5413]

Meniscus here. And hip. Will try my first long run tomorrow in a long, long time.

[@stpOwner]

Before you know it, you will be entering a triathlon 😂

[@shanedorrian8192]

Trying to work out what’s worse, cycling around the Harbour Estate or running around it with all those bloody potholes everywhere, certainly not an injury free place to do either imho Stephen

[@AaronGuss884]

I literally did the same thing 3 weeks ago. Was in the fast section of a fartlek and was jumping up from the side of the road to the sidewalk and took a bad step and twisted my ankle bad and got a high ankle sprain.

[@K3MCL]

I’ve a question with a different slant. Im a cyclist. At a decent standard and I race. had a terrible year this year with below par fitness and have taken up running to get a break. Im running 45-55 miles a week. 8-9hrs. Mostly easy but two speed sessions per week. Any insights on this? Will this help me become a fitter faster cyclist?

[@nebeska_medja]

Same Same Situation with dogs happened to me where 2 owner doggs appeared 5:30am barely woke up running on a trail and all my attention went to the dogg obsticle and just snaped my ankle on the smallest rock...

[@timtrenholm3698]

Using the bike outside scares the crap out of me, just too many things can go wrong. But indoor with a simple power meter can provide a huge level of cross training to protect your fitness while unable to run. Throw in all the virtual biking software that's available to keep your brain engaged and able to perform structured workouts and you really can get enough stimulus to keep the fitness in check. Here's hoping you are able to get back to running soon and put the evil bike away!

[@paddycunningham6834]

Thanks Stephen, take care

[@MrHaggyy]

Cycling is really great to finetune aerobic load. With running you get a lot at once. Your VO2 max and breathing will translate to running, if you also keep the strength and mobility. The chill rides are also not only for psychology. Staying in bed is the worst thing you can do for recovery. Getting your heartrate elevated just a bit, some fresh air and sunshine will greatly improve the rate at which your body can recover. But you might need to pee more often, ... your body needs to get rid of the waste if he is working.

[@mandalguitar3284]

The pants you ride with here. Which model is it?

[@jjndz3782]

Eish sounds very painful. Speedy recovery to you Scully.

[@kitttenru]

Hi Stephen, I just bought master classes. how to get free 10k plan?

[@MR-wh5wp]

I'm 10 weeks into a femoral neck stressie. Been biking and swimming like mad everyday

[@terrycosgrove7433]

Top tip , wear cycling glasses and get a rear red flashing bike light and a front white flashing bike light , also a yellow back pack would be beneficial when your jacket is black and your leggings are gray , coming from a guy who has seen to many bike accidents

[@ApurbaAdhikari]

With a helmet on, you look like Zidane mate

[@wilsonmatt24]

I rolled my ankle last year on a magnolia pod, then a few weeks later rolled the same ankle dodging a spider web. Real epic manly stuff

[@runfree116]

Belfast is looking lovely 😍

[@johningham1880]

I generally find dogs are quite sensible and owners are oblivious. The interactions add the complexity. I particularly fear the unlocked retractable lead that neither dog nor walker considers.

[@buckyjennings8854]

My legs burn long before my lungs when on the bike, the opposite is true when I run

[@kudanujohn7966]

Good evening sir please I wants to chat with you one on one for some clarification

[@dbevan1989]

Don't get why owners call their dogs when a runner is passing. If they would let them be we would all pass no problem. 🙈

[@esb1874]

Scully triathlon era???

[@leafulchermasterunner]

Not sure cycling would be great choice for your injury. Surly it’s better for you to rest for a couple of weeks and just do upper body work. Think smart