← Blog/July 28, 2026 · 2 min read
The Commute That Got Recorded
I never record my commutes. Tuesday I did, because sometimes a mile and a quarter is worth saving.
The Commute That Got Recorded
I never record my commutes. They're too short, too slow, and honestly I just forget. But Tuesday I pulled out the phone and hit record before I even thought about it, because the day was just one of those days.
One mile. Nineteen minutes of sunlight. The kind of Bay Area morning that makes you feel stupid for ever being anywhere else.
The numbers
- Distance: 1.19 miles
- Moving time: 7 minutes
- Avg watts: 100W
- Elevation: 31 ft
Nothing worth analyzing. 100 watts is a Sunday stroll. The elevation barely registers. But I'm writing about it anyway, because this is a training journal and training journals tell the truth, and the truth is that Tuesday's commute was the most joyful thing I did on a bike this week.
Why this belongs in the log
People ask me how someone builds to 135 miles. I usually talk about long rides and FTP tests and training blocks. All of that matters. But here's the part I undersell: some weeks, the thing keeping you connected to the bike isn't a structured workout. It's a Tuesday morning commute so beautiful you stop and take two photos.
Fitness is built over months. Motivation has to survive weeks where the calendar is full and the body is tired and the actual rides are shorter than you planned. A 7-minute commute doesn't move the fitness needle. But it keeps the thread alive. You stay a person who rides. That matters more than it sounds.
August 29th is 32 days out. The hard training is mostly done or doing. What's left now is consistency, rest, and not losing the thread. A commute that makes you smile counts.
The photos
I took two. Both bad by any technical standard. Both worth having. That's the Bay on a July morning for you.
If you've been watching this journal and wondering whether you could build toward something like TheBayRide, this is actually a good week to look at. Not because I did anything impressive. Because I did something small, enjoyed it completely, and that's sometimes exactly what the training asks for.
More soon.
From the ride
Ride the Bay with us
The Bay Ride is a charity bike ride around the Bay Area. 135 miles all the way around, or a 35-mile option from SF to Oakland.
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