Not Like Riding a Bike

I love having a riding buddy who can spend long Sundays exploring the state with me. Since we started riding together Sue and I have covered over 290 miles on the following trails:

Not only have we logged all of these miles, we have seen deer and trains, cool bridges and art, we have fallen and gotten lost, ridden further than we planned and shorter distances just to try a new trail, there have been dead animals and side trips for lunches and most importantly hearty laughter and even some tears. Cycling has basically allowed me to get exercise, see new parts of the state and spend some quality/peaceful time with my friend. And there are a hundreds of more miles in our future...

All of that is a great reminder that I have an awesome friend who I get to share awesome experiences with, but that isn't what I really wanted to process today...

I have been trying to figure out why it is so important for me to not quit running even though I have often been found saying that I hate it. I have also continued to declare that I am not going to quit while also actively despising it! I keep doing it because I refuse to lose my base so that when I decide my body is ready for another half marathon or full marathon, I don't have to start all over.

In life, when we want to explain the simplicity of starting something new, or restarting something we have done in the past, we often compare that experience to riding a bike. Here's the thing, there are plenty of things that really aren't like riding a bike. Take running for example, if ever you have been injured or quit running, you know that the return to running, if done properly, is fairly arduous. You have to slowly eek back into it by increasing your miles slowly to ensure you don't compound an injury or create a new one.

So why do I continue to show up for Tuesday/Thursday night and Saturday morning runs? Because I get to spend some time with my best friend AND because not everything is like riding a bike...

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