Toughest Sport

Right then, after four months of cycling and swimming I can now 'officially' tell you which is the tougher sport out of running, cycling and swimming? I have gone for the simple formula of marking all three sports out of 10 with 6 categories, maybe before we set out on finding the tougher sport you should know I went in to this with an open mind and don't blame me if you're sport wasn't tougher!

Over the four months I found certain things about all three disciplines, like for example swimming is basically floating, cycling is from what I can see just sitting down and running is in a word 'geeky'. Lets be honest most peoples idea of running is old guys running around in old bad looking Ronhill vests and tights and wear their race t-shirts out to dinner (this is the view of friends and I take no responsibility for the former view).

Danger

Cycling 9/10

Running 6/10

Swimming 2/10

Cycling wins easy, you will be cycling along and all you need is someone to open a car door, a rubbish driver not to see you or hit a stone on the downhill and you're in serious trouble!

Mental

Cycling 8/10

Running 7/10

Swimming 5/10

Cycling just takes it, running for say 2 ½ hours on your own when your legs are not the best can really take some mental strength to get you through it but thought of riding for 7 hours at a time...well I won't be doing that. Swimming well it's the boredom that will get you really.

Lactic Burn

Cycling 8/10

Running 7/10

Swimming 3/10

Again running can really get in the legs after some 200m reps but doing a long climb on the bike seems to open the floodgates to lactic and you can feel it a week later! Swimming.....never had lactic while swimming!

Aches

Cycling 6/10

Running 9/10

Swimming 6/10

Running runs away with it (pardon the pun), there is always something that is not right when you run, in fact I cant remember going for a run without something aching or in the knees, ankles, thighs etc, Swimming and cycling do hurt certain areas but not on the same level.

Tiredness

Cycling 4/10

Running 6/10

Swimming 9/10

This is a weird one, I went for how tired you feel after a tough session at either sports. I don't know what it is (maybe chlorine) but I could sleep for a week after swimming. Even an 8xmile run session doesn't get me the same sleepy eyes.

Winning

Cycling 7/10

Running 9/10

Swimming 3/10

Right lets set these other sports straight. To go and win a major title in running you have to beat pretty much every country in the world, some people run barefoot so it's not excluding a lot of people as a sport. Cycling, well it's only really Italy, Spain, France, Germany, UK, Australia and USA but you have to race people on drugs! Swimming, come on you don't see a lot of Africans swimming do you and last time I watched events it was just Australia and USA.

Cycling 42/60

Running 44/60 - Winner

Swimming 28/60

Well we can all see what the winner is and I would say it's a fair test. That said I do prefer cycling to watch and it's a much 'sexier' sport than running and swimming. Swimming is by far the easier, if you master the old breathing in and out bit then it's a piece of cake. Last night I left the pool and the swim club were doing 1x400m, 4x100m, 5x25m, so all in all not even a mile! Piece of cake.

simx