Yes, all of us are unique individuals. I had a person tell me last week that surfing for however many hours equates to 25 miles of swimming which by effort on a mile to mile ratio is the same as running 100 miles. Ive never surfed an inch, I wouldnt know.
Ive also seen and heard, I don’t know how many times – the question asked, what’s harder, a century ride or an IronMan or a 50 Mile run etc.
Yo. Really. I don’t know. I suppose we’d all like to think whatever we’ve done is the hardest. Was your run assisted or unassisted etc? Its all debatable.
I know that I’d rather be sitting on a bicycle seat on a down-hill, with no more effort that the wind in my face than running down that sucker. And actually, I can run past people on bikes on the hills where I live. So, there’s that.
They say a mile is a mile. I get it. It is said to encourage the slower runner. I should’ve prefaced to say, I am one of those slower runners. And I can tell you – at least for me – a mile is not a mile. An 8 minute miles is a hell of a lot harder *for me* than a 12. I actually have been more worn out crushing a 5k than meandering a 50k. Depends on the day.
A flat mile is a lot easier than a steep incline. The road and the track and the trail are all very different. So no, a mile is not a mile in running. Going all out on a flat, lit, short loop for 24 hours might be just as ‘hard’ as holding back on a crazy technical mountain single track trail for 30 hours – I don’t know – I have yet to do either – I actually imagine that would be mentally horrific – but I know what Ive done and as much as I don’t mean to discourage anything that anyone else does –Im here to tell you – it is NOT the same.
But here is what IS the same. Doing and trying. Do it. Try. Or else all the pontificating in the world equates to a big fat zero. Get your butts out there, every day – and DO something.
Be well all my friends
Xo
~K~