I think I'm becoming a wuss. A few months ago, my coach told me not to do intervals when the temperature is below 40. During the week, I exclusively work out between the hours of 5:45 and 7:30am. Days where the temps have been above 40 at o'dark:30 have been few and far between.
Somehow, I mustered up the will power to resign myself to a few moons of trainervals. Excitement filled my lungs when, for the last 3 days, the temps have been in the high 40s at 5:40am. So, today I ventured outside for the first time in weeks.
I've become a morning wuss.
First of all, it was damn cold.
More significantly, though, I was scared!
Tired of my regular climbs (Spruce, Tunnel, and an occasional Claremont), I thought I'd head to the back roads, through Lake Temescal, and up Butters.
Good lord was it dark! And scary! And filled with nocturnal animals out to get me. I had a narrow miss with a skunk, planted in the middle of the road. But then, after leaving Lake Temescal, heading through the dark, dark tunnel, and briefly passing through Montclaire, I saw a plastic bag atop a parking meter and swore it was an owl.
Oh, and it has been so long since I've been out in the dark that I assumed it would be light by 6:15 and didn't bring a front light.
Did I mention it was dark? And scary? And that from now on I'm sticking to Spruce where there are streetlights? And that I missed my trainer?
Don't ever try to talk me into one of those 24 hours of adrenaline thingies. I'd be scared silly.
you and I could do 24 HOA in Alaska....in July....where the sun never sets.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big woosi these days. I used to commute to SF at 5:30am. I rarely get on the bike before 10:00 now, when the sun is warm and yellow!
I used to love the early commute through East O-
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna get a new set of lights soon and get back on the horse.
And the 24 hour team is gonna be rockin' this year, come on down!
i live right off of butters! you know where you pass the house with all the little sculptured heads? on the corner of brunell/butters? i live just a few houses up on brunell.
ReplyDeletei stopped riding in the morning since my riding partner became pregnant because i'm scared of dark mornings by myself.
and those skunks! aren't they weird? i see them a lot around here lately.
lauren: is it marissa who got pregnant? i remember her telling me about this time last year that she wanted another little one.
ReplyDeletei've never noticed the heads. or maybe i have, but i'm forgetting. what a beautiful way up the hills, so off the beaten track. i'm gonna look for your place next time (when the sun is out!)
wow
ReplyDeleteyou early birds are studs
i can't get myself up that early for training
and if i did i'd be useless all day
Count me in wuss group... I teach at ight and can usually ride when it warms up; or do 24 Cycle. Today, I drove to Pleasantown for WOT 'cause it was too cold at 8:25 to ride there. Wuss. Ok, my kids kind of played a role, but I thanked them.
ReplyDeletealicat: yeah, it's Marisa. she's due in march i think.
ReplyDeleteand our house isn't actually the "head" house, but we're up on the same street as the heads a little ways.
When I started cycling, right around the time we first met on that McGuire recruitment ride in like 2003, I rode in the mornings. Sarah Lightfoot and I would meet at the GG Bridge at like 5 a.m.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how or why.
Cold AND early AND two- and four-legged prowlers out and about?!
Sheesh.
Yeah, I am not into it. But you win serious hard-core points for doing your workouts on the trainer. I am SO not into that either.
I am the real wuss - I only work 25 hours a week, I get to ride in daylight, I get to take naps, and I still come up with complaints about the weather and how heavy my bike is and other relatively insignificant things! But no way could I go back to the 5 a.m. ride times.
p.s. i am such a moron. it took me months to realize that this was actually your and mike's blog, after you commented about my mtb i was like "who's that?" and then i figured it out and felt so silly!