The Early Morning Ride

By Scott Riecke

Scott Riecke is a USAT Level I Certified Triathlon Coach and helps train runners and triathletes of all skill levels reach their athletic goals and beyond. If interested in a free consultation, email him at coachscott@teamordinary.com.

With a toddler in the house now approaching 2 years old, my summer training schedule had been, let’s say, “in flux.”  I would carve out time to workout during her nap, and then she wouldn’t nap.  Stefany might suddenly have to work late one night and instead of compiling miles on the bike or the treadmill, I would find myself on baby-duty.  As a Dad, it’s all good – that comes with the territory.  As an athlete, it can throw your training into a world of uncertainty, inconsistency, and perhaps even failure.

It was beginning to become a problem desperate for a solution.  There was only one that I could think of… the early morning workout. It seemed to be the only way I could get some time to myself without distraction.

During an initial trial period, I would set my alarm early (maybe 5:30) and with no real plan I would just expect to get up and run or ride – whatever I felt like doing.  The alarm rang, I turned it off, went back to sleep and the whole project was a big FAIL.

I had the DESIRE to get up early, but I didn’t have DISCIPLINE to follow through.  I needed to tweak the plan, but maybe the first step should be… to find one.

Zwift (the virtual bike platform a lot of us use) is loaded with different training plans to help you improve power and performance.  I did some research and chose one – the 6-week Beginner FTP Builder.  I decided one additional way to hold myself accountable was to livestream my rides.  Who knows… maybe people would want to watch a 46-year old wake up early and struggle through and hour of sweat and tears on a daily basis. 

Another thought came to mind – if it helped one other person struggling through the same early morning discipline issues I was having, then it was worth it.  (I feel like that’s a little cliché, but having experienced the struggle, it certainly applied).

The first day of riding I set my alarm for 5:30AM and found myself cruising Watopia (the Zwift world) just 15 minutes later.  One workout down, 29 more to go.  But then a funny thing happened.

My friend Ron noticed I was riding early and offered, “Hey… if you want to ride at 5AM instead of 5:45, I’d get up and ride with you.”

I’m not sure if he really thought I might say “yes.”  I, myself, had never thought of asking someone to join me.  Imagining that someone else might WANT to come along this early never entered my mind.  In a strange way I felt honored he would ask – and the 45 extra minutes of sleep hardly weighed on my decision-making process at all.  If there was someone out there who wanted to ride with me at this God-forsaken hour, then what difference was 45 minutes?

“Let’s do it,” I said.

On Week 1, Day 2, I had company on my ride.  Although it takes some time to get these 46-year old muscles warmed-up, it felt great to check that “workout” box off so early in the morning.  I got something done… and anything else I could do during the day was just gravy.  I felt so good about it that I posted about it on social media.  And wouldn’t you know… we discovered two more takers.

Todd Seiden from Florida now joins us every day and Mike Romans from North Dakota even makes it from time-to-time.  (The kicker, of course, is that North Dakota is a time-zone over, so Mike is setting the alarm for THREE THIRTY in the morning to make it.  We give him a pass when he misses days.)  We have now almost finished Week 6, the final week of the training plan.

These rides have been a blessing for me in many more ways than I ever thought possible.  My schedule is no longer in flux.  Every day I have a workout planned; every day I get a workout complete.  The discipline has been locked-in and consistent.  Though I’d love to say that my initial plan of riding alone would have carried on throughout the full six weeks, riding with others has added an accountability system that sometimes goes through my head at 4:30 when that alarm rings.  The conversation goes like this:

“You have to get up now.”

“But I’m tired.”

“You said this was your thing… you need to do the training plan.”

“Meh… I can do the workout later today.  It’s not going anywhere.”

“Yeah, but Todd and Ron are waiting, and today’s workout is supposed to be difficult.  You’ll look like a total wuss if you don’t show up.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going.”

These types of battles are fought often for an athlete in-training, but they aren’t only waged in the mornings.  This is where some of the benefits of riding early extend well beyond my initial thoughts.  Let me explain.

Stef and I were getting into a habit of opening bottles of wine at night.  And if we do that, we typically finish the bottle.  This means we’re going to be up later at night and I’m going to be in no condition to get up when that alarm rings.

In fact, it turns out that early morning rides are not compatible with a slew of bad habits I hardly even knew I had.

Now I can’t open that bottle of wine… gotta get up early and ride.

Now I can’t stay up late and watch ANOTHER episode of whatever Netflix series we’re binging… gotta get up early and ride.

Now I can’t order a second beer if we are out at dinner… gotta get up early and ride.

Now I can’t sit up for hours in bed surfing through nothingness on my cellphone… gotta get up early and ride.

These morning rides have been great for me for more reasons I could have ever imagined.  I’ve implemented new sleep patterns, new diet approaches, and new accountability structures.  It’s a discipline I hope to hold onto for the weeks, months and years to come.  We’re just about finished with our 6-week training plan, but I know there will be more productive morning workouts to come.

If you are on the Zwift platform and would like to join us on our morning rides, please let us know.  Follow my Zwift account – O. Rdinary Marathoner (Ordinary), and either let me know in-game you’d like to be added, or email me at coachscott@teamordinary.com