So aside from the 5k I did yesterday, I’ve been a mega-blob the past few days.
Why? I have horrible pain in the side of my neck, to the point where I can’t sleep and I’ve been taking pain meds every few hours in an attempt to dull the pain. I even spent most of today sleeping.
Go see a doctor, you say!
I agree, I respond!
I got laid off in May, and instead of going with “first born child” expensive COBRA, I signed up with Blue Cross CA. I called them today to find out what the hell the status is with my freakin’ insurance and it’s being held up by the doctor that performed surgery on me in April. His office is closed today, but I’m going to his office tomorrow at 10 am and getting this straightened out.
Don't worry, I can't always touch my toes either
So the only thing I can attribute the neck pain to is maybe my new uptick in jogging for triathlon training. A close friend of mine did the 5k with me yesterday and now is complaining of leg soreness – turns out he didn’t stretch after the 5k, and doesn’t know WHAT type of stretches to do!
Therefore, this post is dedicated to informing ya’ll on some stretches for jogging and/or cycling.
As there is a ton of information on the interwebz, I won’t regurgitate the content on my post but link to it for you to click through on.
- You stretch AFTER exercise, when your muscles are warm, not before!
- If cycling long distances, you can do some stretches on your bike, or hop off while at a stop and stretch.
- TotalBike.com has a great page, complete with pictures of all the stretches you should do as a cyclist.
- The pictures are goobery, but here are some basic stretches for runners
Any stretches/advice on how to prevent/reduce sports related injuries?]
Even saw the lights of the Goodyear Blimp
And it read Sparky’s a pimp
Stomach’s like hell but no throwing up
Half way to finish and my GPS is blowing up
Today I ran a 5k
I got to say it was a good day.
-Modified Ice Cube lyrics
bitches, watch where yer goin'
So as the lyrics state, today I ran my first 5k. My time? 39 minutes. Yup. That’s right. 12.5 minutes a mile. Laugh all you want, but I freakin’ jogged the whole thing. And was passed by numerous women and children. Repeatedly. But hey, as my friend said, you can only get better, right?
So while jogging in the merciless sun, in my new overpriced Nike dri-fit visor, I was envisioning why cycling is so incredibly superior to jogging (or running, if you are fast, unlike me).
Here is my top ten list as to why cycling is better than jogging:
- The bike holds the water bottles, not you
- Less impact on poor feet and knees
- The thrill of being the motor of a machine!
- More changes of scenery (farther, faster)
- Generate more of a breeze when doing 15 MPH vs. 5 MPH
- Cooler gear – cycling shoes just look SO much techier than running shoes
- Various body positions available while cycling
- Requires more thought and attention
- Can get up to 50 MPH on a bike
- JUST CUZ
Did I miss anything? What else should I add?
As a counterpoint, here are some reasons why jogging MIGHT be better than cycling:
- Cheaper entry barrier
- Don’t have to clean chain/maintain bike
- Accidents while cleated onto a bike really suck
- Bike thieves
- What do you think makes jogging better than cycling?
