Of course I put Yoohoo in my protein shake, don't you?

Remember when I said I don't get up at 5:30 a.m. on Friday mornings? Well, today I got up at 4:45 a.m. Yes, before the sun. Before the crows. Before...before anyone else in my house.

I got up at this ungracious hour to take Maria's spin class at the YMCA Indy Bike Hub. It was my first time to the facility and I was blown away.

This photo is from Yelp. I don't know who took it, but it's good.

Up until about a year ago (before I got really into running. I know, just a year ago I wasn't running much at all!), I was spinning at LA Fitness 5-6 days a week. I love it. I love racing against myself, feeling my heart beat in time with the music, and challenging my body in different postures on a bike. I loved walking into the studio anxious and walking out completely spent. When I started working on the north side of Indy, it became impossible to make 5:30 p.m. spin classes on time. With the 30 minute sign up lag and the limited space, I found myself consistently let down and at a want for a hard cardio work out (here comes running, kids). Fed up with the lack of access to the classes I want, adequate (and operable) equipment, and the overall environment, I decided a few months back to consider transferring my gym membership to the Y (if none of the same issues were prevalent).

Weekend Recap: Everyone Does it

So the weekend begins for me on Friday. I woke up Friday morning at 5:30 (the usual time my alarm goes off on Fridays - I certainly didn't get out of bed) expecting to see the sky lighting up for the day. Instead, I was greeted by darkness. The days are getting shorter, students are returning to school, the pool is becoming less enticing, and I'm craving pumpkin...everything. Fall is coming, but not just yet.

That being said, the cooler air was a welcome change from the typical morning heat wave and I was excited for a cool morning for my bike to work. A few months back, the city of Indianapolis and the non-profit group INDYCOG hosted "Bike to Work" day. I'm an "avid" cyclist, so I jumped at the opportunity to participate in the event, even if only as a solo rider. Strapping on my  helmet and lacing up my shoes, I took off for work on the Monon to be a bit disappointed by the lack of participants. Where were the dozens of group rides promising smiles, waves and high fives? Well, they were in bed. Turns out bike to work day was the next Friday. To make up for the error, I vowed to participate in the real bike to work day the next week. Since then I've been biking to work at least once a week.