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.
8 comments:
you and I could do 24 HOA in Alaska....in July....where the sun never sets.
I'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-
I'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.
i 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.
i'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
you 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.
alicat: yeah, it's Marisa. she's due in march i think.
and 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.
I 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!
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