F = MA

clif bar.

edit: sorry this was supposed to go in the AM food thread, but because of the BF connection error stuff, it got put on here

dgasmd

I am seriously contemplating doing all of my weekday riding during the morning now. However, based on the hours I keep I guess all of you are a bunch of pus...ies for whining about 5AM. I am at work by 6:30AM and usually never get out before 5-7 PM. It is a pain in the butt to try to figure out when I am getting to ride and such. If I go after work, I never get to see my kids before they go to bed as I never ride less than 40 miles. Then, it would be time to go to bed. Today I was out the door by 3:30 AM to ride. I tried a couple of times before, but never found a strong reason to continue. I guess I do now. I will likely do this 3 times per week at least and do my long ride on sunday morning at 7am. I wasn't alone on the road either as I saw a few other riders. Now, I can go to bed shortly after the kids go to bed (8PM), get my ride in the morning, be at work, and not have to worry about what time I am getting out and whether I will ride or not. It is going to take some getting used to I am sure. And no, I am not a morning person, but I have been up by 5 Am for so many years that I wouldn't know how to waste the other 2 hours if I could get up at 7 AM instead.

king-tony

I do a lot of my training in the AM. Right when the time changes like this is a good time to start as your body is used to getting up a little earlier anyway. It is odd, I hate getting out of bed, but love early mornings and watching the sun rise.

jkizzle

after i get my exhibition opening im going to start doing 7am rides again. its nice to get out before the traffic, and then once you are tired, get some sprints in traffic on the way back, really helps the handling imo. then its off to class at 10 till 6 and then work till 10, so its basically the only time i can do it.

im not a morning person neccessarily, but i dont mind it once im in a routine.

Miguelangel

Is Becoming Am Person A Sign Of Aging**********

CharlieWoo

I tried getting up before noon once. It is an overrated experience.

BillyD

I don't bike early in the morning, certainly not before sunrise. By nature I'm just not an early morning person when it comes to physical exertion. It's just never been me.

Actually, research suggests that early morning may not be the optimum time for physical activity due to the characteristics of the sleep cycle. We typically get most of our Stage 2 sleep in the second half of the night, and Stage 2 sleep is important for motor tasks.

The implication is that that if you are preparing for a motor skill performance, it's better to stay up late than to get up really early. Sleep researcher Dr. Carlyle Smith says "Coaches that have athletes or other performers up at 5 o'clock in the morning . . . . that's just crazy".

from NYTimes, Science section, Oct. 23, 2007, p3.

daredevil

I ride around 4 AM every day and it is unbelieveable. No better way to start the day. The roads all to yourself. The only downside is the added expense of lighting.

Spartan112

At the gym at 5am, 2 hrs there and off to teach...I can take a quick nap after school if I need it but in season that's a great time to ride.

pharmboyrx

I would love to add a couple of super early rides. Maybe in a few months when I can afford a proper HID lighting system.

mezza

I do both.

I ride in the morning, do a days work, and ride home again. Usually 3 times a week.

With massive commitments like partner, kids, kids stuff, kids problems, kids hobbies, kids commitments and an idiot ex, commuting is perfect.

Kurt Erlenbach

Working out in the morning almost always results in me being sleepy by mid-afternoon. Exercising in the evening with lights is the way to go.

jbwilmoth

In season I ride at 5:15 M-F and at 6:30 on Sat.

Psydotek

Does a bike commute at 4AM count?

Garfield Cat

Its all about goals and how you view this thing called "training". First, I don't consider myself training. I'm not in training for anything, not for racing, and only seldom for an organized ride like a Century.

I view the early morning rides as a chance to get exercise which will help me throughout the day and will have long lasting benefits. With this in mind, its easier to get up to ride. Besides, riding is fun, like being a kid again. With nice equipment, its a joy to ride.

Coyote2

Around here it now gets dark around 5:15pm, and it's getting earlier all the time. I'm not a morning person, so riding in the am is out of the question.

I'm glad that my job allows me to come and go as I please, as it allows me to knock off at 3pm for a ride, if I wish to get one in before dark.

webist

I don't like riding in the dark. I prefer moorning rides as evening rides interfere with my sleep for some reason. When the day get short enough or cold enough, I can always ride the trainer. Not an ideal solution but I do have a TV in the garage.

dgasmd

That is correct under the assumption you go to bed without adjusting to the new schedule of early rising. You body has an internal clock set for about the length of a day, whether it sees lights, the sun, a clock/watch or none. If you are going to reset the time you call wake up, you also have to reset the time you call bed time.

Most people that say they are not a morning person do so because they have never had to adjust their internal clocks secondary to life's demands. They got up one day a couple of hours earlier, and rightfully so, they didn't like it. It takes weeks to adjust.

blonduathlongrl

yep.
9 for me, back up at 5:20

GeoLes

Thank you for the post.

I have gotten away from the bike. I do rise early to workout at the gym. I have recently rented a permanent locker and thanks to you, I will be biking to the gym in the morning to do my workout.

I hope you are happy, now that you have given me extra work to do.

(Do you feel guilty yet?)

ri_us

I ride from about 5:30-7:00. I do it because the traffic is pretty light (safer), evening is family time (saner), and I work during the day. I'm not really a morning or evening person. The trick is having the discipline to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. If we go out in the evening, I have to work late, or I just don't go to bed because that great movie is on, I can't get up.