Cyclist switching to running - needs advice

I bike fairly regularly and consider myself in quite good shape. I'm getting bored with cycling, and the traffic where I live is worse and worse as time goes by, making it unappealing unless I want to drive 15 miles away and start there.

I tried running a few years ago, but my impatience did me in. Being in excellent cardio-vascular shape already, I found I could go running for 5 miles without tiring myself too much. However, soon enough, the punishment on my skeleton caught up with me. I abandoned my efforts.

I don't have aerobic exhaustion as a guide to when to stop. Pain in the shins doesn't come till after a few days, at which point it's too late. How much should a normal weight, healthy 34 year old male run given the above? How quickly can you ramp up the distances? What other advice do you folks have? My long term goal is to run a marathon - from what I gather, this will probably take 1.5 to 2 years of training and building up the tolerance.

Well, you obviously seem to understand the essential difference between running and cycling: running involves traumatic DAMAGE to muscles, tendons, etc, hence the volume of training cannot be anywhere near as high...

If you are already in good cardiovascular condition, why not start by running 2-3 miles 4-5 times per week, and increase training volume by 5-10% per week...

And get good shoes...

There is no such thing as normal. I find it hard to believe that there weren't some signs of physical fatigue before your injuries suddenly appeared. How did you know you weren't overdoing it when cycling? Anyway, here's my suggestion. Run how you feel every other day for a while, but force yourself either to quit early or to rest completely on the other days. Shinsplints can come up quickly. You just have to give yourself some really hard massages, ice, take ibuprofen, take a couple easy days, and avoid running on the pavement.

I hear no more than 10% a week. And even doing this it is wise to drop down a few every 3-4 weeks to give your body a chance to recuperate.

Read the FAQ.

It shouldn't take that long to just run one, but to do it somewhat comfortably and with less risk of injury that's about how long it will take.

Cycling was also my first serious sport that I took up in jr. high. I was riding about 150-350 miles/week my sophmore year in high school before I took up running the following summer.

I started ambitiously too, joining my high school summer running club with a goal of running 750 miles for the summer. I ran 7 miles my first day and then 9 mi/day for the rest of the summer. I know this is not the best idea for most other people, but it shows that you can have an advantage over people who have been sedentary and you have to find your limit yourself; everyone is different. Try to 'listen' more carefully to your body, you'll feel lots of different things... it is a trial and error learning process learning when to back off since everyone is different.

You will probably need to work on proper running form, it will help you avoid injuries and it make you more efficient. It was a year and a half before I felt I was running smoothly. You also need to get properly fitted running shoes. As a beginner you should buy from a running shop with a knowledgable saleperson who will watch you run, look at your old shoes and suggest some shoes that will work for you. Or get shoe help from a experienced runner or coach - some people can run in anything, but it doesn't sound as if you can. Run on soft surfaces if possible, grass or dirt.

Depends... Maybe 3-4 miles/day given that you've had trouble with 5 miles before.

Listen to your body. Most people say add 10% per week maximum, and that is a safe way (that said, I've never followed it, only injury in 16 years a sprained ankle). You may or may not be able to tolerate more, depending on how easily you were handling your current mileage total. Of course going from 0 mi/wk to anything above 0 mi/wk is an infinite percentage increase.

Be consistent. You'll likely be able to improve for many years after you start before you reach your limit if you want to get faster.