The Sunrise Run and Croissant Loop

Naturally we think of doing group activities in the evenings, after work, or over the weekend, when we’re free for the entire day. Some people take the opposite approach. They wake up early to go for a morning sunrise run or a croissant loop bike ride.

The concept is simple. Instead of waking up for work, you wake up early, and you do an hour of sport between 0700-0800. In so doing you get your bike ride or run, before your day of work. It then includes a café, a croissant, possibly breakfast, and then to work we go.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because you’re working, that you have to wake up and head straight to work. Plenty of people fall into the trap of thinking, I need to get up at this time to drive one hour to work.

Another option, which I often enjoyed daily is to wake early enough to walk half an hour to the train station to catch the train to Geneva, and when I got to Geneva to walk another 20 minutes or more to get to the office. In so doing I got my daily walk in the form of a commute, if I didn’t also take a lunch break walk.

The beauty of public transport is that enables you to commute on foot, by foot scooter, or even by bike. One of the routes that I often cycled two or more years ago was between Nyon and Geneva, with one goal in mind. If and when I got a contract in Geneva for work, in a place where I could store my bike safely, then I could commute, to, and from work, by bike, rather than by car or by train.

The rational is that by commuting by foot, public transport, or by bike, you’re in effect, enjoying a weekend activity every week day, so you’re not trapped waiting impatiently for the weekend, because you’re doing the same thing on a work day.

The sun rose at 06:44 yesterday, so by 07:00 riding was in day light. The same is true of the sunrise runs. As the temperatures rise from 4°c upwards these rides, and runs will become more pleasant, especially ahead of the summer heatwaves.

I was thinking that these rides, and runs, paired with coworking where we stop for coffees, and croissants, could provide a full experience for freelancers, and people working remotely rather than from an office. You have a team building ride and run, and then you collaborate on projects where skills and knowledge overlap constructively.

And Finally

Waking early is not for everyone. Neither is getting ready for a bike ride that only lasts for an hour. It’s also worth noting that the pace is tailored to more motivated cyclists.

The runs push me. I’m used to running at my own pace, and for shorter distances than those we cover. Running nine kilometres is still a pinnacle run for me. I’d be more comfortable with a shorter distance. Having said that, being pushed by the speed of the bike ride, and the consistency of the runs is good for my fitness.

I plan to continue doing both. The biggest challenge is not being kept awake by noisy neighbours the night before.