Why cycling is superior to running

I completed my first 5K run this morning since the Turkey Day Trot at Calvin on Thanksgiving. And, to be honest, this morning was the first time I've run in at least two months. I haven't run at all. Not even short little "stay loose" type jogging workouts. I have not even laced up my running shoes since March.

I finished in 27:30ish...a respectable time for me. Very slow for most people my age, weight, gender.

I had the privilege of running with my two children. Haley, who is 10, finished in 34:30. And, Davis, who is 7, finished in 42:30. I was exceptionally proud of both of them...especially Davis. This was his second attempt at a 5K. He got about the same time this time as he did last time...but, this was his first attempt to do it on his own. Without running with someone else. He struggled a bit...got some assistance from a volunteer at the race who ran with him for a while, got some assistance from me at the end. In the end, though, he finished. And, I think that is pretty cool.

On to the topic at hand...why cycling is superior to running.

1. People have a different look about them when they run. And, that look says, "don't talk to me. These are my dieing breaths and I don't want to waste them on you!". With the exception of a Time Trial race...you just don't really see cyclists have the same pained, end-of-the-world, I-just-sprained-something look on their face.

2. Gear. Let's face it...cycling gear is cooler in every possible way than running gear. There is more of it. It costs more. It's brighter, louder...slightly gayer (not that there is anything wrong with that!). And, buying cycling gear is just generally a cooler experience. No running shop has ever been as cool as any cycling shop.

3. Nipple chaffing. I've never once heard someone, after a long bike ride, hop off their bike and say "man, my nipples are on fire!". Yet...running...it happens with surprising frequency. Sad, really. I only ran for 25 minutes this morning and, yet, my nipples feel like I've been trying to sand them off for the last two days.

4. Distances...bigger is better. If I go out for a really nice 1 hour run (though, there is no such thing as a "nice" 1 hour run), I can cover 7ish miles. Maybe. If I really push myself. Where can I go if I want to cover 7 miles? Not far...just out of my neighborhood and back. I might be able to venture far enough to glimpse a pond or park for a couple hundred yards. But, in the end, I'll basically be running around in my own neighborhood for 80% of the time I'm out. On the other hand, if I go out for a nice 1 hour ride (and, 1 hour would be pretty short since it really is nice to be on a bike) I can typically cover 18-20 miles. Where can I go in 18-20 miles? Lots of places!! I can visit nearby towns (sometimes several), travel across major metropolitan areas, or venture so far in to farm land that cows stare at me as though I'm the first human they've seen in a decade.

5. Chatting with friends. How often do you see people out for a run that are having a nice chat? Not often. Every once in a while I'll see a couple of those long-legged, run-like-a-gazelle types doing a "group run". They run with such relative ease that they can have some stunted conversation as they trot along. Any of us "normal" people can't do that...talking and running are two things that exist in completely mutually exclusive universes. Not so, for cycling. Group rides are not only possible...but common. In fact, group riding is the one of the prized possessions of cycling...an ability to do a great cardiovascular workout and have some great conversation at the same time. Genius. Even a mediocre workout...so what! You're out for a beautiful ride with friends... see the scenery, enjoy the conversation, and feel good about the fact that your doing something great for your body!

6. Puking, or the absence thereof. I've been riding in a great variety of rides for the better part of a year now. Time Trials, long rides, short rides, solo rides, group rides, easy rides, hard rides, fast rides, and slow rides. I've never witnessed any person vomiting. Not a single time. Conversely, I've been running for about the same amount of time. In that time I've completed several 5K races, a triathlon, and done a bunch of solo running. I've run in the vicinity of other people doing solo runs and I've even run with friends or family once or twice. And, while not exactly "common", I've seen enough people toss their cookies as a direct result of running to create a strong correlation in my mind. By my estimation, your odds of doing the ol' technicolor-yawn on any given day greatly increase with the introduction of a running session.

Just some thoughts.