It's all relative

Last Wednesday I rode my bike for 103 miles.  It took about 6.5 hours of riding and 7.5 hours of total time.  That's a lot of time.

After doing a ride like that, a 1-2 hour ride doesn't really seem like all that much, even if you are riding really hard for that 1-2 hours.  Thirty miles seems like a long ways until you remember the 103 mile ride.

By contrast, my typical run takes between 30-35 minutes.  By the 30 minute mark of a bike ride, I'm getting nicely warmed up.

Back in 2008-2009, when I transitioned to cycling from running, a 45-60 minute bike ride seemed like a really long ride.  Most of my runs were probably in the 30-35 minute range, at that point.

Before too long, that 45 minute bike ride didn't seem like a whole lot.  In fact, I started to feel like I needed to ride for at least 60 minutes for it to be even worth it.

It's all relative.

Three to four years later and I have done multiple century rides and many training rides in the 50-90 mile range, which will last 4-6 hours.  My perception of "a lot" of exercise has changed.  A 30 minute run feels good but it does not feel like an extreme exertion.  This morning I did a 34 minute/3.4 mile run before work.  Am I really tired?  No.  Am I really sore?  No.  Do I feel wasted for the day?  Not even close.

Cycling has been good for my running.  It has given me perspective.  I have seen "hard" and this is not it.

My hope is that the running will also be good for the cycling side of me.  Running is a good alternative if I am in a cycling rut.  Running challenges the body in a different way (any triathelete will tell you that).  It is something I can do when I don't have a lot of free time but I really need some physical exertion.  It is also a lot easier to pack for a weekend away with Michelle's family if all I will plan to do is a run (there is just plain-and-simple less stuff to bring).