The Extra Lap: Benefits of running?

I have been busy with more of this academic stuff lately, but I have found some time to ride about 4 hours a day. Unfortunately, because Mother Nature has been coughing up the last little bits of winter, I had to haul out the winter cycling clothes again. By Wednesday I was getting sick of the cold, the rain and my bike, and not digging the prospect of slopping around in some mud pit on the weekend.

So check this: sometimes things actually workout. I was pretty pumped Friday night to see a Sunday forecast for sunny skies, and a high of ~12C. Sweet! I was up early and off to work Saturday morning, then out to enjoy some much needed ‘sun time’. Like others who chickened out of the Mothers Day Stage Race I went to Birch (but strangely I never saw a single person). Why Birch you say? Dude! MTB race season is back and it’s May! The buzz is in the air and people are getting pumped about the Brandon Hills Cup race and the Back 40 Enduro event – too dam good races.

The problem with these races is you have to actually train like a dog if you want to do well… especially if you are an old fart like me. Now I know what you are saying, but considers this… Even if there are only 6 other guys in my Cat they are all less then half my age, they are half my weight, and have double the energy and time. If I actually faced the facts, I would realize that I can’t actually MTB race worth beans. Good thing I am not in it for the beans!

As I have already mentioned I suck at running, and that’s a fact. However, I am not the kind of guy who lets his shortcomings (which are many) keep him from embarrassing himself (which I do on a regular basis). Since reality sucks I headed out to Birch for a break from the bike, and the first spring hill repeat session of ‘running’ on the super loop. The super loop consists of all the hills on the South Side (?) repeated one-after-another. It is a sick kinda torture that I really enjoy.

Obviously going up is hard, but descending is insanely difficult, and messes you up in short-order. After only 30 minutes testing myself again the super loop I was so sore I could barely stand, and after 60-minutes of this stupidness I was drunk with fatigue and weak-as-piss.

Awesome! I love days like that.

As I sat on the road shaking and feeling very sick, I realized that the good thing about running is it makes you appreciate your bike all the more.

That’s me.