Saturday, July 21, 2012

Wanting More

Yesterday was one of those mornings where I really had to pep talk myself to get out of bed and get out for my run.  I had not slept good at all the night before and was tired. Bed was feeling really good.

 I needed to get out the door before quarter to six for my planned workouts this morning.  I got up at 5:30 and briefly considered going back to bed.  I wondered if my plan of running down to my parents house 3.3 miles away and biking back was a good plan or not.  My foot hurt two miles into my run on Thursday and I really don't want to make it worse.

At 5:40 I got my butt out the door.  SO glad I did.  The sun was just about to come up.  My favorite time to be out running is before and during sunrise.  The clouds were pink in the sky and there was a rainbow of all things at 5:40 this morning.  It was really faint and hard to see in the pictures, but I took a few where it is pretty visible.

It looked like the rainbow ended on top of this hill and lit it up.  Really it was the sun coming up over the hills behind me lighting it up, but I thought it a neat photo.


I liked this picture just for the pink clouds in the sky.

3.3 miles of awesome yesterday morning.  I wanted to keep running. and running.  My legs are feeling so good, no foot pain and a beautiful morning.  I got to my parents house, Dad and I aired up the tires and I was off!  The biggest problem was that it is mostly uphill from their house to mine.  My quads were on fire!  I had to stop and walk it out a couple times.

This morning I rolled out of bed and was off on the bike again just before sunup to another breath taking sunrise. I biked 5 miles, then ran 1.2 just to see what it felt like to run after a bike ride.  Weird.  My legs felt all wonky.  Then I hopped back on the bike and did a total of  10 miles on the bike.

I felt good when I was done.  I didn't want to go to far my first longer ride on the bike.  It really isn't the same as running.  Do bikers get the same high that runners do?  I wasn't really feeling it.  I kind of wanted to go run after I got home, but I am resting my foot.  So I didn't.  Maybe tomorrow.

I did 5 to 5:30 minute miles on the bike all on gravel.  Not real sure where this is on the spectrum of things.  Sometimes I pushed hard and other times coasted along. 

I am hoping by next weekend my foot will be healed up and I can go for a nice long run.  I am kind of craving one. 

Do you crave long runs when you haven't done one for awhile?

Bike vs running.. does biking leave you wanting more?



25 comments:

  1. I hate biking! No "high" for me, and I always feel like I am working too hard or not working hard enough. And it hurts my back, my wrists, my butt... And I can't get used to the traffic coming up behind me.... I am a serious bike failure. I always just want to jump off, throw it in a ditch and run instead. :) I guess I am a one-trick pony. :)

    I LOVE that pic of the rainbow and mountain. Gorgeous!!!

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  2. Your sunrise photos are beautiful. And, yeah, biking doesn't do it for me either.

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  3. I started mountain biking a couple years ago while going through running burnout. We have a great trail near our home that really pushes me (HR often over 160) and the few times I've made it completely to the top have been awesome - definitely feeling the "high" then. Plus the downhill is fast and fun!

    I did a double this morning, too - rode then ran. My legs felt great when I went out to run. Give cycling a few more weeks, you may start to like it yet!

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  4. Those sunrise pics are awesome. I can see why you love being outside at that time. I always think biking is way easier then running. I never noticed a high after a ride, but I also do not exhaust myself as much or as easily on it compared to running either.

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  5. Biking is fun but it doesn't really compare to running at all! Hope your foot is back to normal soon too. What beautiful picks! I hate getting up at the crack of dawn but the sights are always amazing at that time of day.

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  6. That first photograph is absolutely stunning!

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  7. I had a morning like that on Friday too: didn't want to get out of bed, but was very glad I did.

    I've never gotten a high from biking....but I can't say I've tried very hard either. The cost and the maintenance....not interested....

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  8. Beautiful picture of a sunrise with a rainbow. I love running outside, you never know what you will see along the way.

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  9. That rainbow looks gorgeous in the photo. It must have been amazing in person! I think if I'm just coming off of a race I sometimes miss my long runs, but I also get lazy relatively quickly and enjoy sleeping in. :)

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  10. LOVE the pics. & you are doing a great job getting those runs in. I hope your foot heals. & yes, biking doesn't seems to fill my needs. I feel that I have to ride forever in order to feel like I got something out of it - but time doesn't always allow for that.

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  11. Oh, wow! The views that you had on your run were just stunning! I only bike as a means of transportation, so I don't really think about it in the context of training.

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  12. I'm right there with you....I bought a bike and rode it for a while when my knee was giving me fits, but I wasn't really sure what I was doing/how far or how fast of a pace was a "good" pace...I also tried running after biking and WOW...yes, I had those wobbly legs! Strangest feeling! Glad your foot has been feeling better and glad you had a good run Saturday! The pictures of the sunrise are amazing!! Absoultely beautiful! (That's my favorite time to run, too!)

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  13. Wow! I'd get out of bed any day to see that sunrise.

    Biking does not give me the same high as running at all. It's more like just a gym workout type accomplished feeling. But, I still bike in order to add in something different to my workout.

    Glad your foot is doing well.

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  14. Yay! I'm glad you had a good run! I love running when the sun is coming up too, it's the perfect time!

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  15. I like cycling because you can go so much farther! I love being able to see more of my surroundings in less time. However, I don't think I do get the "high" as much. Maybe you need to push yourself more? I don't know.

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  16. Glad your foot is feeling better:) NO, biking does not make me want more like running does. Beautiful pics:)

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  17. Love the pictures... I love to run and I love to bike... not comparable at all in my mind. No high fom biking but a different kind of elation which I enjoy a lot.

    It may take an attitude adjustment.. if you are biking when you really want to be running, it is never going to be as good. Enjoy biking for the sake of it, itself!

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  18. I am a runner. I do not get the same results or high from biking. I run, have since I was 12, 43 years. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

    What a beautiful rainbow and sunrise!

    Hope the foot fells better soon, I know it is hard, but resting it is the smart thing to do!

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  19. You know that I am a cyclist, through and through! And yes, once you hit about 20 miles, you get the same high- granted that you're hitting a good mph and decent grade changes. I feel AMAZING after my bikes! (Today was 32.5 miles with 1100 feet of climbing. It. Was. Crazy. Good!) A friend of mine says "If you ride hard, you know it." I can always feel when I've had a good ride. :)

    P.S. I LOVE that photo! It's gorgeous!

    Sarah
    www.thinfluenced.com

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  20. I can't get into biking. I never even really liked it when I was a kid.

    That run looks amazing!

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  21. Yeah, I totally crave a long run after not doing it for a while. I'd love to go out and run double digits again, but I'm going to have to wait a while haha.

    Glad you were able to get a short run done with no pain!

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  22. I do like biking as a break from running mentally. What BEAUTIFUL pictures you got! Well worth the wake up!!

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  23. Beautiful pictures absolutely amazing.
    You know I dig running and cycling but I do say it takes awhile before you can really get into cycling to get the high. You need to look at it in a different light. Switch your Garmin over to cycling and it will give you MPH. You can cover so much more ground and see so much more when you are cycling. Working your tail off to get to the top of a mountain has to rewards; the view and the sense of accomplishment. Keep up the awesome work and I hope your foot heals quickly so you can go long.

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  24. oh my goodness those pictures are amazing! love them!

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