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Running for Cyclo-Cross:
How to train for the painful part of 'cross
Most of us are bike racers, not runners. And while some of us may have
a little more natural talent for it, or even a running or triathlon background,
running when you've spent a season racing road or mountain bikes just
plain hurts. It takes some specific work to first be able to incorporate
adaptive running into your training as the 'cross season approaches, and
then actually be able to do some structured training to improve your running
fitness. 'Cross is painful enough, but by focusing on running in your
training you can turn a weakness into a strength, or further your advantage
if that's where you're already strong.
The first step in your running program should be to determine when you
think you can begin to include it as part of your workouts. Ideally, you
don't want to begin until after your last important road or mountain bike
event of the year. A mountain bike racer might be able to handle it a
bit sooner, and may even include running as part of their plan already.
But for a road rider, nothing will kill your speed worse that running,
so wait as long as you can. If 'cross is your specialty and you're using
the road or mountain bike events only as training, then you can begin
running as soon as you start your base period for the season.
Once they begin, a mistake many riders make is to go for long, extended
runs. That's great if you're training for a 10K, but in 'cross you have
to be specific. Take a look at the length of time you're typically on
foot in a 'cross race. Normally it's for stretches where you're at maximum
intensity for about 15 seconds or so, and the longest a run should be
in a well-designed 'cross course is 80 meters. Sounds more like a short
sprint to me than a 10K… 'Cross races might be lost on the runs,
but they're rarely won. It's still mostly about who can pedal their bike
the fastest.
Even if you're emphasizing short bursts, you still need to do some adaptive
work to be able to handle the training. Start with short, 15-minute jogs
at a very low intensity one to two times a week, just to get your body
used to the movement. When you can finish 15 minutes of jogging with no
soreness the next day, you're ready to go. That might take only a week,
or as long as a month. Always wait until the soreness subsides before
you undertake another running workout.
When you're ready to introduce some real running work, there are a number
of different ways to do it. Again, because you should be emphasizing short
bursts, much of your running can take the form of a traditional Tuesday
sprint workout. Find a steep hill, ideally off-road, that takes you 10-15
seconds to sprint up. Structure the workout just as I've described here
previously for the road: 100% effort, from rest, with the sprints being
no closer than one every 2 minutes. How many you do will depend on how
many quality efforts you're able to complete. You should consider your
average 'cross race: how many laps is normal, and how many runs per lap?
If you have 2 decent runs in a race that will be about 10 laps, then you
should be prepared to build up to 20 solid sprinting efforts in your workout.
You can do this as its own workout without your bike, where you simply
jog at a light intensity to your sprinting spot and jog home. You can
also do it as part of a 'cross ride where you do your warm up on the bike,
and then include a dismount and mount as part of your sprinting effort.
If your technique is good and you want to isolate the specific fitness
aspect of the sprint, then chose the former approach. If you feel you
still need work on your skills and ability to run well with the bike on
your shoulder, choose the latter.
There are courses or regions where you'll find yourself dealing with longer,
extended runs, and the 15-second efforts aren't enough to prepare you
for all your races. This is where you might try to include more running
as part of your training on Wednesday. Wednesday should normally be the
day for a 'cross-specific workout on a local course or with a small group
session. Here you can try to incorporate a longer, up to a minute-long
run as part of your course. You might also decide to do a separate running
workout, ideally in the morning, where you designate some of your threshold
training work to be done on foot. Up to 15 -minute running intervals at
LT is a slightly less race-specific approach, but can be a good way to
improve on the longer runs.
Another angle on your running training for 'cross is to use it as a substitute
workout on those late fall days where you find yourself stuck at work
and getting out after dark. While again, long running days shouldn't be
your first choice, if the trainer's lost it's charm and your pressed for
time and daylight, converting your intervals for the day to a running
workout can help you solve two problems at once. Tuesday and Wednesday
are definitely the best days for this. Be sure to focus on the intensity
rather than the duration. Get the intervals done, but don't worry about
hitting the total time you might have done if you were out on the bike.
There are many different ways to approach running for 'cross. Your training
might vary from 3-5 days a week with at least a short jog, to the other
extreme of only running during a 'cross workout or race. What you decide
should be based on the time you have available to add a running workout,
if it's a strength or weakness you want to emphasize, or if the courses
you race on require that you improve your skills off the bike. You might
find that a little more focus on your running is a small investment that
returns big dividends, and turns a place you once suffered into a place
you can attack.
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