Smart Marathon Training (Running)

[Cayenne]

Hello CTing Ergers

I recently picked up the subject book by Jeff Horowitz. He advocates "smart" (running) marathon training on limited mileage, by focusing on quality miles and cross training. He recommends bicycling as a preferable supplement for numerous reasons, an important one being cadence training/reinforcement.

Bicycling (for reasons that are beside the point for the purposes of this post,) does not work for me right now. Have any of you fine folks done this or a similar program using the C2 as your "primary secondary" mode of training? If so, your thoughts, experiences & suggestions for consideration will all be most greatly appreciated !

TIA

[johnlvs2run]

My feeling is the best training for running, is running.
Training is quite specific. The best training for any activity is to practice doing that same activity.

I personally feel that running is good for rowing, as the movement is much greater and thus the cardiovasular development is more productive. It's a great background and preparation for rowing.

However I feel the opposite is not the case. Rowing tends to put heavy muscles on the quads and other parts of the body, that are detrimental to running. Moreso, the double leg action is totally contrary to the free flowing movements in running. I found that after rowing for years, my cadence in running had greatly decreased, which I'm still working at constantly to improve. Bicycling can be a good supplement for running. For example it is easy to practice a faster cadence on a bike. However the foot rotation is much less, only 1/2 to 1/3 when cycling compared to when running. Previously I have transitioned very easily from running to cycling, but switching back to running again was a shock, as my stride was very constricted. Fortunately that was soon rectified. Also, I had been focusing totally on cycling for awhile. It is probably better, with running intentions, to mix them together or, again, just focus on running.

[hjs]

Any movement is specific, a good cyclist is often not a good runner. And vice versa, so a runner should run as much as possible. If you have trouble, injuree, weather etc you could do crosswork. It will help you lungs and heart but not your running muscle.

[klmoir]

Hi Cayenne,

I consider myself a runner first and rower/erger second. Over the last couple years, I've consistently used erging as my primary method for cross training -- my running workouts generally follow the Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes book by Bobby McGee. I use erging to supplement many of the shorter runs, as recovery workouts after long-distance runs, or when I just don't feel like running. I haven't noticed any negative effects from using erging for cross training, in fact, quite the opposite with improved running race times. I feel my erging has helped to develop additional strength and endurance that you can't get from running alone.

[Cayenne]

Thank you for the feedback gentlemen ! KLMoir, I found your post particularly inspiring. Thanks again !