Chris Swan

I think this is a pretty common thing I am consistently asked about as a
cycling coach every year when cross starts up. In general, you do not need
a ton of running training as it is more of a transition period in the race
than a large portion of time going into the running portion as if it were a
triathlon/biathlon or other event. It is good to have it in the tool box,
but your main area of fitness to address in the race is the bike by far.

I think in most cases the best way to go about running in training is to
work on incorporating running into your training as part of the workouts,
so you are able to smoothly move from riding to running and back to riding
again. I will often have my clients do workouts where they will begin the
effort, riding at the prescribed effort level for a minute or two, then
dismount and run for a segment before remounting again to finish the
drill. It is important to have the transitions smooth and I feel a large
aspect is just the mental side of being able to quickly shift mindsets so
you are able to hop off the bike and back on and keep on going. Working
running into your workouts where you get off, run a bit and get back on to
force yourself to keep on pushing a big gear is important. A lot of riders
seem to have difficulty finding a rhythm again after a running segment, so
doing this helps you quickly reestablish your pacing.

One good workout to work on this is to do a 10minute tempo effort, and
dismount and run for 30seconds on every even number spaced minute (2, 4,
6...) with a focus on quickly settling back into tempo when you remount. I
think it is often times as much about the mental engagement of training
yourself to keep going without a pause as it is a physical one when going
through the transitions in a cross race.

One other thing to consider when looking at your running is the efficiancy
of your running. You want to be sure your technique for dismounting,
remounting and running are all as smooth as possible. Work on making sure
you are on your bike as long as possible before dismounting to avoid
unnecessary running. While running, be sure you are pushing or holding
your bike in a manor that is smooth. Try to avoid unnecessarily throwing
your bike around wasting energy or increasing the likely hood of dropping
your chain by bringing in harsher or unneeded movements to the bike. If
shouldering bike, make sure your bike is properly secured and tucked in
close to your body so you are not unbalanced by its weight, or working
extra hard to control it. When remounting, concentrate on doing so
smoothly, without a skip step or other extra steps or movements that are
going to make you work extra hard and slow you down.

Thats my 2 cents on it, there are a lot of other good ideas out there and
skills training we can get into on the topic, many ways to skin a cat if
course, but I think these are the most effective ways to improve your
running in a cross race for most people out there. If you have any
questions let me know, I am happy to help out, or if you have interest in a
skills coaching session or training I am happy to help as is the rest of
the staff at Upper Echelon Fitness.

Cheers and happy cross racing!

Chris

--
Chris Swan
Upper Echelon Fitness Cycling Coach
Licensed Massage Therapist # 18718
Individual Coaching, Skills Clinics, Classes, Private Instruction, Massage
Therapy
www.upperechelonfitness.com
chris@chrisswan.com
(541)556-8815