Energy for miles: Cycling vs Running

I keep saying I'm going to blog about cycling vs. running. Well, I'm finally going to do it! After weeks and weeks of running, I did the Daffodil Classic yesterday. 63 miles with VK Sista' and husband. I had hours on my bike to think about what I like about it, and what I don't like about it. But first... let me update you on my bruises... It's looking slightly better...

I skipped the gym and my runs all week because I'm beat up and sore from my crash last weekend. My neck and shoulder are still outta whack and my low back still feels tweaked. I didn't have time to go to the chiropractor last week because work has been kinda crazy. I need to go this week! I did the Adventure Run with cousin last Thursday. I was going to just jog and take it easy. Cousin went with the 11 min pacers and I decided that just wasn't happening for me so I walked to all of our stops with her boyfriend. I only went 1.2 miles. Oh well, walking is better than sitting around on the couch. I still got plenty of raffle tickets... not as many as she did though! :)

Okay, so you're all caught up now. Back to the whole point of this blog entry. So, remember when I said I did the STP (Seattle to Portland) in one day? Yeah, that day made every other run or ride I do seem like nothing. Really. Besides hours in labor and pushing two kids out my hoohaw (one with no drugs), and having gallstones, the one day STP was right up there with the most brutal thing I've ever put my body through. We started at 4:30am and finished around 11pm. I think it was 13 hours of actual ride time on our bikes. It got up to 103 degrees and it took every bit of physical and mental strength I had.  We just kept going, and going and going. I'm pretty sure we all cried at least once or twice. (Yeah, even the guys.) We were hot, sore, exhausted, sweaty, and sick to our stomachs. It was like we had motion sickness every time we stopped. I've done 2 half marathons now and I think about it like they're no big deal. Yeah I was sore, my ankles, hips, and feet hurt... but it didn't take nearly the amount of mental strength that the STP did. They were both less than 3 hours of my day. 3 hours and I was done. I was so excited I completed my first half, I teared up slightly and put a 13.1 sticker on my car. I really think the Cascade Bicycle Club should make a "One Day Rider STP" sticker for your car. I got a patch but I don't really know what to do with it and it's just hanging with my other medals. I'm more proud of that then my half marathons, and when I do a full marathon I'll probably feel the same way. Let's see... 6 hours of my time running/walking in Hawaii? Piece of delicious sunny cake!

So here's some big differences I've found between cycling and running...

Running is much harder on your body. It hurts my joints... my hips and ankles especially. Hitting the pavement is a very literal term. It's really jarring and it hurts no matter what kind of shoes you have and how much Chi Running you practice. It helps that you can walk when you're really in pain, but starting to run again after you've been walking for a bit makes it even worse. It's better to slowly jog... just keep going even if it seems like you're standing still and you'll never make it to that next tree or that next stop sign. You really don't cover much ground when you run but you have to dig deep and nothing is going to get you there but your own two feet.  That is really empowering and I think that's the biggest reason I like to run. It's me, and me alone. Like I said, even a marathon will only last like 6 hours tops. Just get it done and have a beer.

Cycling is a nice fluid movement. You just keep spinning. It isn't jarring on your body but you start getting sore from sitting on your seat, and your shoulders and neck start getting sore from just holding yourself up. I know, you're supposed to use your abs and not your arms but you can't use your abs for hours and hours at a time. It's nice to switch around a little bit. Also, your legs burn. Especially on climbs. BUT the nice thing is as soon as you reach the top of a climb, you get to stop peddling and take a break to zoom down the other side. You don't get that kind of break with running. You have to get to the finish under your own power. On a bike, you get to just coast and let gravity take you for miles sometimes. So fun. Also, you can cover a lot more ground on a bike and you see a lot more scenery this way.

I think cycling is a lot more dangerous than running. You've seen my bruises! And my husband broke his thumb and needed surgery. Cycling fast is scary! I think my max speed is like 32 mph. My husband and VK Sista' hit close to 45 mph. (Eek!) You can fall off your bike and get seriously, seriously hurt (or dead). If you fall when running I think you'll most likely be ok. There's a lot of time spent riding on the side of busy highways and complete assholes driving as close to you as they can and not sharing the road. People die cycling all the time. They're either hit by a motorist or they're just going way too fast and/or do something stupid. Running is slow and steady, and I know runners have been hit by cars while not paying attention and wearing their headphones but I think it's less common. I'd have to look up the statistics to be sure. I think running is harder on your heart. Again I don't know for sure and I haven't looked up any statistics, but it takes a lot more out of you cardiovascular-wise. You always hear of seemingly healthy people dropping dead during a marathon.  You don't really hear about people randomly dropping dead while cycling.

So that brings me to the Daffodil Classic yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny day and about 72 degrees. It was a fully supported ride with food/water stops every 22 miles. And we got bib #'s this year! (We complained last year... those are important!) It was my first ride since my fall and I think I was suffering from PTSD or something! I was freaking out. My bike felt wobbly and I didn't trust it anymore. It was like starting all over again. Husband and VK Sista' were having a great time, goofing off, looking around, pointing out birds and deer. I held on to my handlebars as tight as I did my very first group ride. My shoulder, forearm, and wrist hurt (especially when I'd go over any bumps in the road), and my low back was killing me. It took me about half the ride before I even felt comfortable enough to grab my water bottle and drink while peddling. It was also about that point (3 hours in) that I started looking around, enjoying the scenery, and feeling more comfortable. The "oh yeah, this feels automatic" took over instead of the fear, and I actually started enjoying myself a little more (Except for all my pain. I made a chiropractor appointment tomorrow.)

I haven't been cycling much lately because I've been so focused on my running, so I really wanted to do the 63 mile distance because I did it last year at this time. It would be my benchmark for my cycling training for the STP this year. After my fall though, I really should have opted for the 40 mile distance. Especially since I haven't visited the chiropractor yet and I'm still really bruised up. I did it though! Terrified, sore, and slow... But I did it... and I'm proud of myself. I'm super proud of my husband too. He did a really brutal ride the day before and both of his other cycling friends wussed out and didn't do this ride. He kicks ass. Two 60 mile rides back to back. Go husband!

Here's some photos from the ride....