Back in my younger days I ran quite a bit. I might have even enjoyed it once in awhile. During 8th grade and my freshmen year of high school I ran cross country. We had some fun during practices, but I can’t really say that I enjoyed the running aspect of the sport. I ran the distance events during my freshmen year of high school and just hated it. I was never a good long distance runner, which probably had something to do with it; I don’t like to lose.

At some point in every long distance (3+ miles) run I’ve ever made I’ve hit the wall. The wall is the point where you just can’t push your body any longer. Breathing would get hard and my legs would eventually give out. I’d either have to slow down or stop completely. As an athlete this was not fun. I don’t like to give up.

After my freshmen year of high school I no longer ran cross country and switched to the hurdle events in track. The shorter distances of the 110 meter high hurdles and 300 meter intermediate hurdles fit me much better. The events took some endurance, but also required athleticism to get over the hurdles in a fluid motion without losing speed. I’ve never looked at running the same since.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago when I bought a Trek mountain bike. Mo and I would ride 14 miles a couple of times a week. I fell in love with riding the bike. Last year I didn’t ride as much as I would have liked, but that’s all changed this year with my renewed focus on working out and eating right. I’m riding more often and making longer bike rides than I ever did the past two years.

When I’m riding my bike I never really hit the wall like I would if I were our running. If I start to feel a little fatigued, I’m able to step it up a notch and push the limits of my body to get past the pain. My legs just keep cranking out revolutions and it feels like I could ride for days. On a bike I actually enjoying punishing my body through mile after mile. Last night was the first time I had ridden in two weeks (because of my trip to Las Vegas) and I was able to go for 25.5 miles without too much of a problem.

If I hadn’t discovered how much I enjoy riding a bike I don’t know what I would do for exercise. I know I couldn’t handle running 3-4 times a week.