To those who can’t run, ride!

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Hello Mizfit-ers. Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys today. I’m Morgan and I blog at Life After Bagels.

I write about everything health related – food, fitness, I do some recipes, I chat about meal planning, budgeting … oh and studying. I’m a mature student.

One of my favourite “healthy” things to do is cycling. I’m new to it, but man I love it. This will be my third summer with my bike. I call him Jason Bourne. (Yeah I seriously named my bike. Serious. And for the record my boyfriend has the same bike as me and has named it Ted Dibiase) … moving along …

Have you ever read a blog and fell victim to workout envy? When I first started blogging I thought that I was supposed to run. Everyone was running it, so I did it too. But my knees suck. They weren’t made for pounding the pavement. I kept having dreams of running a marathon but couldn’t get my mileage up to even run a 5k. I top out at about 2k before my knees just give up.

I used to get upset. Why was everyone else running and training and racing?

And then I found cycling.

Hallelujah!!!

Cycling is way easier on the body and it gives you a major workout.

I use my bike for exercising, commuting, running errands, and for fun! My bike is a hybrid which means it’s tires are “in between.” They’re skinnier than mountain bike tires but fatter than road bike tires. It’s perfect for going to between our pothole ridden roads and gravel or dirt paths. Last summer I challenged myself to find new paths to ride on around my city. Toronto is a HUGE bike city. More than half of Torontonians are cyclists.

This year I get to join the most famous ride in our city. I’m so excited to be participating in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Ride for Heart fundraiser. On June 3rd I’ll be riding 75 km in the name of fighting heart disease and stroke. My fundraising goal is $1000. It’s a biggie! If heart health is important to you I would be so very appreciative of a donation towards my big ride 😉

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Thanks for letting me invade your internet today. I hope you’ll check me out over at Life After Bagels or visit me on Facebook or Twitter.

 

 

So … holla if you’re a cyclist! What do you use your bike for? Anyone getting a bike for the first time this summer?

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Comments

  1. ok I have to chime in here first in that Ive not had a bike for a while (a decade?) and Im getting one this weekend. NOTHING FANCY. All so I can ride with the Tornado 🙂 but you never know!!

  2. Heyyyyyyyy! Yup I have a road bike! This will be my third season riding it! I love riding my bike through the amazing bike paths we have around me and in the Gatineau Park (gorgeous!). I love going fast too! I hit 50km/h (for like 5 seconds) on the flat recently. Felt awesome! Thanks for sharing your story and good luck with your 75km ride 🙂

  5. Yay!! Another cyclist! Seems like everyone else runs. I love, love to bike. We’ve had our bikes (hybrids) out for the season since the middle of March already. We ride all over the place on weekends and I slip out during the week as often as I can.

  6. I’ve been contemplating buying a bike for a couple of years now, but just haven’t done it yet. I would love to have one. Like you, I read a lot of blogs and the majority of them are runners. Hopefully this summer will be when I get the bike finally purchased!

  8. Hi Morgan….yes, I’m definitely LOVING THE BIKE. It’s so nice that you’ve taken up cycling and good to hear that it’s allowing you to keep getting your fitness on.

    Naming your bike is totally cool and something that many cyclists do. My road bike is named “Bob Marley” and my hybrid bike is “Tina Turner”.

    I hope you and “Jason” have a great summer of riding.

    Darryl

  9. I love your post! After I lost my weight I got my first bicycle in almost 30 years and I love riding so much. I’m not as serious of a bike rider as you are. I even have a little basket on the back and my puppy comes along with me for rides and I love it! 🙂

  10. I have ridden a bike since high school back in the 70s-commuted to school and college and then work-got my first custom in the early 80s and have ridden many centuries since then. Started mountain biking at age 50 and incorporated that into Xterra triathlons for a few years. Currently training for a 6 day/500 mile Tour of Colorado in June. I LOVE my bikes-but never have named them. Many triathletes do however. P.S. Riding has made my running stronger! Keeps those knee muscles in line!

    • annnnnnd now I want to do Triathlons 😉 … I’m easily influenced

      Actually I have TOTALLY found that since I’ve been training on the stationary bikes all winter for my ride. My legs are so much stronger and it’s really reduced my joint pain.

  15. I started out with a Trek hybrid or fitness bike too. I’ve ridden more than 3,000 miles on her. Since then, we’ve bought road bikes and we love them. I turned to cycling for the same reason you’ve stated, knees that seem to have little or sometimes no cartilage!

    Today, we’re going for a ride — can’t wait.

  16. I love my bike so much and it has been INVALUABLE to me when my car isn’t working. When I lock it up, I feel like PeeWee Herman in his first movie when he’s pulling out miles of chain to secure his precious bicycle.

    My alternative to going fast, not running and not biking (I love cycling but it hurts my butt like no other) is scooting! I got a GoPed kick scooter and love it. It’s faster than walking (I love going fast) but compact and easy to use. It gets my heart rate up as well!
    Thanks for your awesome article about biking! I don’t know where I’d be without Silver!

  17. I want to get back into cycling so bad! I live in an area where I can’t just hop on my bike and ride somewhere… it would take me FOREVER! My block alone is probably 5 miles. Anyway thanks- I need to get my butt on a bike again 🙂

  18. Love bikes. Only difficulty is that riding in the heat wears me out so much, so i’m limited to mornings and evenings. Also, our town in NOT bike friendly in any way, shape, or form. It’s awful.

    If i can ever afford one, though, i will try it out again.

  20. I am not a bike reader but love this!!! I will ride IF I ever have joint issues – just not my thing UNLESS I am rich & can have a house in the mountains & then I would mountain bike! 🙂

    As you know, I love your name as a person that used to eat a bagel EVERY day. I don’t not ever eat them but I have switched to healthy bread & a bagel when I am close to my fave bagel place! 🙂

  21. I’m with you Morgan. I’ve had exercise envy. “Everyone seems to be running and training for some Fun Run or Marathon, so I should too!”

    But I hate running. Hate hate HATE running. Once I gave myself permission NOT to do it and just do exercise I enjoy it became so much easier (I like group gym classes – dance, pump etc).

    Last year though, when I was far less fit and got shin splints when I walked I started using an exercise bike. I did this 20min interval routine I’d read about (that’s supposed to increase fitness fast) and found it really worked. AND it was gentle on my shins, hips, knees etc when I was carrying an extra 45lbs!

    Deb

  22. I just got a bike this spring. I had the same “want to run because everyone else seems to,” but I have a not so great foot situation. I love my bike now. We take care of each other and I can go faster and further on my wonderful bike, all around Chicago! Best decision!

  23. Hi Morgan! Loved this post! I have been riding for some time now and can’t imagine not riding. I even rode in the MS150 one year (Houston to Austin) on a cheap mountain bike. I was the last rider, haha! Anyway, I’ve recently lost a lot of weight and riding is what helped keep me going. Losing the weight makes riding so much easier, too. I have a hybrid and love it. Now I just need to use it for errands!

    Great to meet you and I’ll be visiting your blog.

  24. Yes!! I used to be so mad that I can’t run due to my bad knees. And then I was mad I couldn’t ride a normal bike either (Still to much pressure on the knees). But I *can* ride a semi recumbent, indoors. Now if I could find an outdoor *real* semi recumbent I would be so thrilled!

  25. Thanks for sharing Morgan. I tried so hard to be a runner…I hate running and it hates me:) But I love, love, love my bike! Any suggestions for a ‘saddle?’ I’m in desperate need. The gel in my gel seat has seemed to have disappeared??

  26. yeah! this is really a cool idea to make your body fit. People all around the world love to do cycling because they find it as a best key for health. You must make cycling your habit

  27. Now I have exercise envy of all of you that ride!

    I can’t run right now due to shin / calf issues but one of my goals is to get a bike and start riding. I just started spin class to see if my butt can handle them! Is there any way to reduce the pain?

    Thanks for the wonderful talk up on riding ~ maybe I’ll get my ass in gear and get a bike! I only live 15 km from work but uphill both ways, that would be my eventual goal!

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