5:00 a.m. on New Year's Eve? Ya' Gotta Be Kiddin'!

Kim had promised that she would lead a spinning class at 6:00 a.m. on New Year's Eve, even though it was not on the schedule, she was going to show up so we could burn all those Christmas treat calories off.

Dutifully, I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning so I could get up and drive in to do my spinning. After all, it would count as my training for that day, and if Kim was going to go to the trouble of leading a class, I should be there. Us 6:00 a.m.'ers have a weird loyalty to our instructors. Don't know if that is true for classes during other parts of the day because I never go except in the early weekday mornings at 6:00 a.m. But, come hell or high water, I almost always make it to those classes. When I find an instructor I like, I go.

I had to be in Houston to get my allergy shots anyway, so I planned the day in my head. First, to spinning class. After class I would shower and dress, drop into Rice Epicurean for my breakfast (a diet peach Snapple and a Yoplait no-fat, no sugar yogurt) and say "hi" to Bea, the cashier who's worked there at least as long as I've being going in for breakfast (about 5 years); then off to the allergist's office for my shots; drop by Just Brakes to have my 4,000 mile check-up; and finally get my Honda's oil and filter changed at Mister Car Wash, along with a car wash. A pretty good plan, if I do say so myself (and I did)! I figured I could do all that and probably be home before many were even out of bed. That's the beauty of getting up at 5:00 a.m. to exercise, it starts your day off right.

My intention was not as good as my plan. Yes, the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m., and yes, I turned it off and rolled over back to sleep with no feelings of guilt. I was just too darn tired, and it's hard to get back in the swing of things when you've been sleeping late for days. When I got up, the "plan" was screwed. I still had to get my allergy shots so I wouldn't get two weeks behind, and still I needed to get my brakes checked before the 4,000 mile warranty was up. So I did those errands. By the time I got to Mister Car Wash around noon, there were too many SUVs already in line, so I gave up and went home.

I ended up grocery shopping that afternoon (HEB was packed to the gills), and not getting any training done. New Year's Eve was uneventful--we ended up watching TV, reading our books, and smooching as the clock struck midnight.

BUT, I did manage to get in 7.4 miles on New Year's Day! We slept late, and relaxed most of the day. I kept thinking "I need to get out on my bike, gotta train!" but the opportunity didn't arise until that afternoon. Then it started raining pretty hard, and I almost gave up on it. Luckily, the rain let up and I got out on my bike and had a great ride. My legs felt really powerful, and I was able to push into the 15-20 mph range some of the route. When I got back home, there was a streak of black dirt up my back from the water that had been tossed up by the tread. Biker's stripe! Kewl!

Alas, no training today. A friend drove down from Austin and we went to see the exhibit "The Heroic Century: The Museum of Modern Art Masterpieces, 200 Paintings and Sculptures" at the Houston Museum of Fine Art. It was great to see light rail running down the streets of Houston! When is Austin going to get light rail?

Happy New Year!
Dustin