85 miles down. 15 to go. 3 days to reach the 100 miles in 28 days goal. Almost there.
Today’s ride was Mission Bay, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. It's better to ride these paths and roads at sunrise than any other time because it’s less crowded. I started from Dana Landing at 6:17 am and WOW did the sun produce some goodness.
Went up over the bridge and dropped into Mission Beach. It was 10% full and glorious. The sun was rising to my left and the waves were crashing to my right. As I rode to South Mission Bay on the boardwalk it felt like the sun was winking at me with a knowing smile as I glanced at her glistening reflection on the ocean. I rode down to the jetty and made a u turn in the parking lot to ride the boardwalk back to Pacific Beach.
Normally when I do this ride I start at De Anza Cove parking lot and come from the other direction. That route, door to door is approximately 12 miles. It’s an easy flat ride with one bridge that has a slight hill. It's mostly path the rest of the way. I changed it up a bit today to get my fill of the ocean and take advantage of the time of day allowing low flow of people in my way.
Adding the Mission Beach Jetty to Law Street boardwalk 5 mile loop shaved a couple miles off but added three miles on the other way so I came out ahead in the end.
I was delighted to see that even at 6:46 am all but 3 of the 12 volleyball courts in south mission were hopping. People of all ages were on the sand, bump, set, & spiking.
By the shear number of tank tops and shorts on the boardwalk at 7:00 AM in 55 degree weather made me realize San Diego was still being invaded by vacationers or work from beach-ers. This is warm for cold weather dwellers who live in Chicago or Philadelphia. I was bundled up in an oversized Cleveland Browns sweatshirt, pants and comfy socks.
The sunrise was gorgeous at every turn.
As I rode across the bridge, there she was.
As I transitioned from bay to beach, there she was.
And then she provided some well deserved light on the crest of the waves for the surfers during their morning session.
The sun was chasing me at every turn in her omnipotent way as if to remind me of the new day and new opportunities ahead.
I turned around at my favorite patch of grass at Law Street and headed back down the boardwalk to Pacific Beach Drive. This little street is a good way to get to the bay from the beach as it’s marked with lights and signals. I ducked down Windemere alley to the bay and we were back in business. The bay is always so much calmer than the beach. This time of day was chock full of people having solo moments of yoga and meditation.
From there I made my way up the bridge down to Dana Landing and over to Sea World. I doubled back at Seaworld and back to Dana Landing area where I finished the ride.
I had never known about the cute seaside restaurants and docks behind Hyatt Mission Bay. I did some sprints from Hyatt to Marina Village to get to 15 miles and called it a day.
I have been so thankful for these morning rides and moments of gratitude on the bike. Discovering and rediscovering little nuggets of San Diego and little nuggets within myself have been so valuable. I've learned how important it is to have time alone or give yourself time to inspire creativity. I highly recommend taking this time for yourself. You don’t have to do a 15 miles sunrise bike ride. Even if you just take 2 minutes for yourself to take 3 deep breaths away from your life and away from your phone, it will serve you. The last 25 days on my bike have given me a revived perspective of San Diego. It’s also opened my mind to more creative thoughts and new ways to solve old problems. For me it’s been a form of meditation. Give it a try, you won't regret it. Who knows what taking a little time away from the grind can be for you.
For more Brain Trails by Mandi Graziano, click here. If you like what you see here, sign up for chapter releases for the upcoming book. Click RSS feed on front page of mandigraziano.com for alerts in real time.
#pacificbeach #visitsandiego #sandiegobeaches #californiabeaches #sunrisesandiego #sunrisebikerides #ladybikeriders #womenriders #missionbeach #missionbeachsandiego #southmissionbeach #thejetty #jettymissionbeach #beachtobay #baytobeach #danalanding #hyatthotels #hyattmissionbay #rideon
#cycling #cyclinglife #bike #cyclingphotos #bikelife #roadbike #ciclismo #cyclist #bicycle #instacycling #cyclingpics #fitness #cycle #strava #outsideisfree #bikeporn #ride #sport #bicicleta #bikes #fromwhereiride
Bình luận