Hi,
I currently do a 12 mile each way bike commute 5 days a week, which is hilly (600m / day).

I have also signed up to run a marathon at the end of May, and am looking to start a training programme (I’ve been out for some ~5 mile runs already)

So, has anyone managed to train for a marathon while doing non negligible bike miles? It’s working out around 10 hours a week on the bike …

Cheers,

I did a three runs a week training plan for London 2012 with a bike-train-bike commute every day. Less distance and elevation than you but it didn’t hinder at all and because I was used to the commuting it help turn over tired legs etc.

I didn’t have a car at the time so all errands/jobs were bike based and I was probably coving 100-120km of errands on a fixed gear plus some ‘proper’ rides with friends etc.

So yes- It is all

Yes, its bound to interfere. 10hrs a week is already at the limits of what some people can tolerate whilst working full time and thats before you stack marathon training on top.

My commute is the same length as yours, although not quite as hilly, and the vast majority of my running training is to or from work. You might not want to run to work straight off, but it’s the most efficient way of getting miles in. Does take a bit of planning in terms of making sure you have clothes etc in the right place, and does also help if you have a shower at work too. I’m also lucky to have a variety of transport options available

My usual schedule is:

Monday AM run in PM train home
Tuesday AM cycle in PM run home (bike stays locked at work)
Wednesday cycle both ways (on bike #2)
Thursday AM run in PM cycle home
Friday AM train in PM run home

That gives me ~80km of running and the same of cycling during the week for a time cost over pure cycling of about 2 hours.

My schedule also means that I have 36 hours recovery between runs. I can add length to runs if I want/need, depending on training schedule, or can train part-distance.

Might be worth thinking about, I am lucky that my run is ~70% off-road and I have good facilities and options.

Cheers, Rich

+1 for the run/bike option. It’s the only way you’ll get the running miles in and the bike miles down a bit. You may be able to drive/bus part way of course. I did similar when commuting, though much less rigidly timetabled and I also did some days of double runs (the direct route being shorter than yours)

It was the same for me – when I was cycling 12 miles each way and signed up for the Man v Mountain Snowdon marathon I used the commute to run home or in, once a week early on then twice a week, mixing it up with the riding. I think it would have been a bit much doing on the riding with running on top, certainly once the distance gets big – as much as anything its the time it takes, obviously running takes a lot longer than riding!

Thanks for the replies. I was already considering the run home on a Friday, run to work on a Monday however I do have 2 commuter bikes which I hadn’t realised I could use to give midweek options … that’s a really great idea. I can also take the car on a Friday but no public transport unfortunately..

Thanks again everyone.

No reason why you can’t and use the bike to help in terms of your aerobic fitness – are you running to get round or for a specific time? Try and balance your efforts and maybe ease-back if you’re riding the day after a hard run? You might want to look at scheduling your long weekly run for a Saturday morning to give you maximum recovery time. Steady bike is a great way of easing out your legs after a hard run session.

Is there anyone you know that lives between work and home, allowing you to securely store a bike there, so you run part of the commute and cycle part of the commute (at least some days)?

Cut the intensity of the cycle and just try and stay in zone 1?Hard with the hills but keep it no higher than zone 2. Should help build your engine while not taking it out of you for running hopefully.