How much harder more effort does running take than biking? My coach says that biking is about 1/3 the effort of running, is this true? Also, is biking uphill harder than running uphill?
How much harder more effort does running take than biking? My coach says that biking is about 1/3 the effort of running, is this true? Also, is biking uphill harder than running uphill?
It has to do with level of effort. If your coach is comparing biking at the same speed as running, then that's not a good comparison.
Your coach needs to hop on a bike and ride at 20+ miles per hour as long as he can. 25 mph would be better. He'll end up with a completely different opinion when he realizes different muscles are used than for running, and he aerobically crashes.
About 3 times the effort.
Yes that is true.
Yes that is true.
Do you really think there is some cut and dry answer to this absurd question, like your dumbass coach suggests? If I go climb a 10% grade at 18 mph for 20 minutes, is that 1/3 the effort of you putzing through a flat 5k in the same amount of time? If my fat uncle rides at 16 mph over flat land for 2 hours is that 1/3 the effort of Geb running a marathon in approximately the same amount of time?
The real answer is that running or biking or playing freaking tiddly winks is only as hard as you make it. You can putz around at 50% max HR or you can hammer at 95% both on foot or in the saddle.
I recent Harvard study showed that running was 11.5 x harder than biking.
Harvard? You gotta be kidding. Use a reliable source, like the trolls on letsrun for your numbers.
Running = Hard
Biking = Hard
The above apply based on how hard YOU are willing to work.
It's all based on heart-rate minus 7 beats per minute because weight is supported on a bike.
a 20k tt and a 5k race are equally as hard
One needs to define "harder".
I find biking up a hill to be harder than running up the same hill. I think there are a few races (or have been) where runners and cyclists climb something like Mt Washington and the runner will win--having to haul the extra 8 or so kilograms on the bike does not help.
As someone pointed out if you ride all out for 20 minutes and run all out for 20 minutes, they are going to be comparable. However, the odds are that you can come back the next day and ride about the same time but I bet you would find running that 20 min much harder. I base this on the pounding. Thus you can ride something like the Tour but trying to run the same amount of time would be a pretty difficult task.
The comparisons are silly; you and your coach are wasting a lot of time discussing it. (As are we for posting on it, but what the heck nothing else to do right now).
What does your coach mean by hard?
Ask him to watch Chris Hoy ride the kilo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXeBiFh3484
"...taken to the hospital after his record attempt yesterday..."
Then ask him if that's 1/3 the effort of running