Can cycling improve you running technique?

The last couple of days I've been getting some heel pain in my right foot, it feels like a bruise when I put weight on it.  I don't know how this came about - I've not been running for a few days prior to this flaring up, but I think it's linked to a very tight Achilles and calf, and am getting a massage tomorrow, so will post more on this then.

Until my heel is better, to try to keep my cardio up, I decided to cycle the 7 miles to and from work today.  It was my first bike ride in over a year, so was prepared to struggle, but was pleasantly surprised that it was quite easy - although my quads did feel it at times!

On my way in, I started to wonder if cycling could be used to improve technique.  When I run, I'm very aware I do something odd with my right leg - I kind of 'kick' my foot out.  I've been working hard to correct this (and maybe this is what's causing my heel pain?), but it's tough to see what you're doing without a mirror.  Cycling forces your legs to move in a constant circle, with no 'kick out' anywhere (unless you want your feet to fly off the pedals). So for me, this could be great cross training.  Yes I work in the gym and go to yoga regularly, and occasionally swim, but cycling does seem like it would tackle my particular problem.

Barefoot Ken Bob was an advocate of cycling in his book - I didn't pay too much heed to this at the time, but having come home from work considering this question I re-read the chapter.  Now of course Barefoot Ken Bob advocates cycling barefoot, but he has some good ideas about spinning your legs at a 90+ cadence, and believes that all runners should also cycle.

I started doing some online research, and there is a lot of evidence to suggest that cycling can indeed improve your running - one article in particular stood out:

"Leg turnover will increase like whoa.

Pedalling a bike requires consistent motion and a steady, smooth cadence. Sound familiar? That’s because the exact same thing is true for running. The world’s best marathoners have a leg turnover rate of about 180 steps per minute. ChiRunning, a form of run coaching with a focus on efficiency and injury prevention, suggests a cadence of 174-180 footfalls per minute.

Your cadence on the bike can transfer to running. Start by trying to achieve a 90 rpm (or revolutions of both pedals per minute) on the bike in an easier gear. Once you can hit this rate, move to your harder gears while maintaining the 90 rpm cadence."

 I'm a massive fan of increasing cadence, and it's been THE thing to improve my performance, so this makes sense to me.  Even whilst I was cycling back from work I thought about cadence and timed myself, and I came in at 88 RPM, so pretty close.  

My conclusion? You have to go with what feels right, and for me, right now, this feels right. I'm going to build in a weekly (or maybe bi-weekly) bike ride, and we'll see what happens!