10 Percent Down, 90 To Go

Gotta tell ya, it was tough. What with the winds last night and this sinus infection, I was in and out of sleep all night. And when I finally woke up to get up (which I usually do somewhere in between 5 and 5:30 a.m.)  the clock read a totally sprung-forward 6:21, which meant no two-plus laidback and prepatory hours to slurp some coffee and surf around the internest and psych myself up for the bike ride in to work, instead I had little more than an hour to gear up and get cleaned up, packed up, wash the dishes from last night, replinish the cat and dog food/water bowls, deplinish the cat litter box, make sure the bike was good to go and somehow forget not only about my blocked nasal passages, runny nose and the persistent little back o’ the throat cough that had developed but also the all around desire just to crawl back into bed next to my baby and sleep however fitfully for another four hours.

Smarter men would have bailed on biking to work today, but me being dumber I went ahead as planned even when immediately greeted by the gusty winds and warm temps that kept me and The Phoenix company most of the way in.

In looking toward the ride home this afternoon I’m strangely energized despite the predicted heat and probable headwinds. This stands in marked contrast to the absolute defeat and exhaustion that slumps me in my truck’s seat when I come upon the inevitable traffic crawl across the 105 and 110. The physical output required to drive so far at 20 mph or less may be substantially less than biking a great distance, but it takes a dreadfully far greater toll.

Instead of being trapped on the transition to the northbound Harbor Freeway, I’ll be free and independent of the traffic tie-ups that bind. And while the darker mornings are detestable, the lighter evenings will be an absolute delight.