Weekend Wrap-Up: Maybe Getting Up Early Is Not Such A Bad Idea, After All

Half-asleep, one eye open, and climbing.

While I freely admit to not being the earliest of riser’s in the world, on occasion I do my part to ring in a new day before sunrise.  Saturday was one of those days.  Though my greatest love in the early morning hours is my pillow, I was ordered to be at my riding partner’s house at the crack of 0700.  Thus, at the screech of the alarm clock, I arose out of my warm, friendly bed at 0600 in a lame, half-hearted attempt to be somewhat coherent for a morning in the mountains.  In this case, it was Southern California’s Glendora Mountain Road (GMR).

Not that I am supremely susceptible to being ordered around, but when Carla said I was going up GMR at 0700, well, I kinda’ felt like I owed it to myself to jump out of my comfort zone and take that ride.  And, I am extremely glad that I did.  See, in addition to being quite the cyclist, she is also employed at my primary care physician’s office.  I guess you could call it a medical rehab program, as lately I have not been on the bike as much as I would have liked due to a nagging illness.  

                                                     My Drill-Instructor.

And the reward: The gorgeous view.

As demanding as she is fast, my partner literally dragged my tired, slightly out of shape behind up the hill.  And then it hit me:  It was totally quiet.  There were no cars, no blasting, high winds, not even any other cyclists.  So, this was why she was so adamant about riding at the crack of “Oh my God, it’s early!”  It was total freedom.

I guess there really is something good to this getting up early, after all.  I loved every minute of it.