It’s hard for me to believe, but there was a time before running in which I bicycled exclusively. I commuted the streets of Boston, from my Somerville apartment to Beacon Street, to help build Virb with some extremely talented individuals (may it very soon rest in peace ☠️). Each day I dangerously, yet exhilaratingly, weaved through standstill traffic in Somerville and Cambridge to then ride along the Charles River, absorbing the views and eventually carrying my bike up three flights of stairs to the Beacon Street office. Bicycling was my obsession.

I was so obsessed with bicycling, and also the internet, that I built out a social network and tracking site called Out For a Ride (may it rest in peace ☠️). There was no Strava, the iPhone had only recently received GPS abilities and I had designs for an app to be built. But as quickly as I became obsessed with bicycles, I quickly stopped being obsessed. My app developer fell through, I moved away from Boston, I was working from home and had no reason to ride. My bicycle sat alone and neglected in the garage.

Not riding and quickly getting out of shape I started running. As I look back, my logic makes zero sense. I didn’t bicycle because I had nowhere to go, but I started running with nowhere to go and had no history of running 🤷‍♂️. I knew nothing about running other than you put one foot in front of the other faster than if you were walking. Having no clue what kind of shoes I needed, I took a trip to Payless Shoes and bought a $50 pair of ASICS. The only thing I remember about my new pair of shoes is that they were in my price range.

With my feet laced up in a pair of ASICS, I ran. I was extremely inconsistent, but I ran. I sucked at running, but I still ran. It has been 9 years since my first ever recorded run and I never stopped moving. There came a time in which it felt more unnatural to not run than to run. Eventually, I felt like I needed to run and a part of me was missing when I didn’t. A basic desire to be fit turned into a full blown obsession with a sport.

Recently, a heel injury sidelined most of my running. I had the dreaded running injury called Plantar Fasciitis. As with any of my past injuries I started bicycling to keep my fitness up. One might expect that being back on a bicycle might reignite my love for it, but I couldn’t get into bicycling as much as running. There was something missing that seemed to only come from running.

It wasn’t until I could transition back into running that I realized why I loved running more than bicycling. Don’t get me wrong, I still love bicycling, but if I had to choose one or the other, running would win. Here’s why.

Worry vs. Release

Maybe the biggest reason that I don’t like bicycling as much as running is the feeling I get of possible death by distracted and careless drivers. This feeling is especially amplified when I’m riding on back roads with no shoulders, lots of hills and blind turns. All it takes is one person looking at their phone to not see me. Because I’m constantly worried about getting hit, I am distracted while riding. Being distracted while riding removes the release that my mind can have while exercising. Running generally gives me the ability to release my mind, to think clearly and not have to worry about whether I’m going to be the next person represented by a ghost bicycle.

Complex vs. Simple

Another reason I’d take running over bicycling any day is the amount, cost and maintenance of gear required for bicycling. While I love maintaining and fixing bicycles, there’s a level of effort that doesn’t come with running. When I first starting running I bought a $50 pair of shoes, grabbed whatever shirt and shorts I had and that’s all I really needed. Bicycling requires an investment in a bicycle, special shorts and much more depending on how crazy you want to get. If I had a choice, I’d take simplicity any day.

Natural vs. Awkward

Let’s face it, bicycling is awkward. Sitting on a bicycle involves leaning over, tilting the head up, sitting on a very small seat and pedaling on the balls of the feet. It almost sounds like an embarrassing doctor visit 🥴 Not only is the position strange, it lends to many body part problems if the equipment isn’t adjusted correctly. Butt soreness is obviously a big one, but in addition to that, I tend to lose feeling in my feet, butt and hands if I’m on bicycle long enough. Running is an extremely natural movement and as such doesn’t have a lot of the inherent problems of bicycling.

There are a lot of other reasons why I’d chose running over bicycling, but I guess the overarching theme is that it fits my personality and my body much better than bicycling. How about you? Which do you prefer and why? Slap your thoughts in the comments below 🏃‍♀️❓🚵‍♀️👇💬.