tigat

Went for a trail run this morning with a couple of 40 somethings, one an ultra marathon trail runner and the other from a mountain town, who spends a lot of time on the trails. A little bit short of 9 miles, climbing 1850 ft. in the first 4. They indulged me we some walking sections on the way up, but still, it was truly an "I am old and can't keep up" experience. I had a similarly humbling day in the Spring skinning up a mountain with some young guys.

Funny thing is, biked with the same pair the day before and spent much time waiting at the top of climbs and leading the paceline in 20 mph headwinds. They burned out at 20 miles and I rode 40.

Lifetime runner, 10 year avid biker, but as I've migrated much more to cycling, I just assumed that the strength and aerobic capacity would translate to things I do less often. Apparently not so.

GlennR

You can't coast when you run

nomadmax 

Cycling technique can make up for differences in fitness. Running is just running. I can sometimes best younger riders because I know how, when & where to apply power and do it efficiently. But make no mistake, if they had the same skill set, they'd leave me for dead.

Mojo31

I saw something yesterday that gave me some new respect. While we were riding we saw a guy running while pulling a buggy with his young son in it. And he was wearing a weight vest. After the ride, he was packing his car next to ours. Said he ran 15 miles. Didn’t even look tired.

skidder

You use different muscles/muscle groups to run vs bicycling. Conditioning muscles by participating in one activity doesn't translate to the other. But both can give you the same aerobic benefits to you body's systems.

GlennR

I ride at times with my 30 year old son. He's been a triathlete since 15 and has way more saddle time than I do since when he was competitive, he's train 5 times a week doing over 250 miles per.

Yes, I see many young and older riders that don't know how to use gears at all let alone to their advantage. But it's hard to compete with someone half your age if they have a clue how to ride.

But then again I do take joy on group rides when i'm the oldest and the strongest. Maybe I should stop riding the "C" groups (j/k)

John E

I am blessed by being devoid of any natural athletic ability. I am in very good cardiovascular shape and physically fit, and that is what really counts. I compete only against myself. My wife started taking ballet lessons at age 18 (1968), about the same time I met her, and I keep telling her not to compare herself now to the 20-somethings in the class. We all do what we can.

Keep up your current exercise routine -- you are doing great!

Flip Flop Rider

what I'm getting from this is cycling > running

rsbob 

My finest day as a long distance runner was overtaking a woman on a bicycle during a one mile ascent. Granted she was a “ Sunday cyclist” but never in my dreams I would run past a bike and leave her far behind. At that point I was running 7 minute miles so you can imagine how slow she was.

After too many injuries as a runner, I slowly transitioned to cycling. It took years. I finally gave up running at 64. Until then it was cycle spring and summer and moderately run in fall and winter during the short, cold wetter days.

And yes, cyclists and runners use different muscle groups.

I dont miss running except back when I ran through the forest with my black lab.

JLDickmon

He was either shining you on, or all hepped up on the crank..

sloppy12

Well if he wasn't completely full of poop, his knees, back, elbows, and shoulders will be destroyed soon.

Carbonfiberboy 

My wife and I hike in the mountains and do strength training, plus I ski Alpine and Nordic. Cycling directly translates to skiing. Hiking makes me stronger on the bike and the tandem makes us stronger hikers. If one were only to do one sport yeah, one would not have fitness for the others, but there is synergism.

And running, working hard, etc., does not damage one. Research and experience say the opposite. "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." The 15 mile guy? Yeah, maybe so. There's a guy, used to come out on my group ride in winter, could outclimb us all while towing his German shepherd and we weren't slow riders. He's outgrown us though, or we've out-aged him. Came in 1st American in RAAM. Starting a backpack trip in the Cascades, we met a couple women that morning, laughing and talking as they descended, just finishing their 75 mile trail run. Folks like that are out there.

bruce19

Gearing helps.

Chuckles1

I can bike all day if I have to. Can't run a half mile to save my life. Different animals.