If you work at a job, in an office, you know the general refrain about Mondays being the worst days. And if you had an especially excellent weekend doing your favorite things, it is rarely easy to get back to work.
When you spend your weekend doing all of your favorite things, how long does it take for that glowy feeling to wear off once you sit down at your desk on Monday morning? I’m sure it depends on the Monday and your level of weekend stoke, but after you’ve re-lived it with your co-workers, as long as you are in an office, sitting at a desk, I’ll bet it all starts to fade by mid-morning. Traffic, email, meetings, florescent lights, spreadsheets… whatever you do that is work.
I want to share with you a little-known fact about Mondays. It is the very best day to go for a morning ride/run/hike on your local trail. Especially if you had a most excellent weekend.
After working hard at biking/running/fishing all weekend you might think you could use a rest day. I would argue that is what Tuesdays are for because even a short outing on Monday will make you a little happier, a little cheerier, a little more zen, and relaxed as you head into work. You might get lucky and watch the sunrise, maybe the balsam roots are in full bloom, and the evening primrose still open. Maybe a small herd of deer or a coyote will watch you roll by. Maybe you will clear that rock garden, or make that jump, or just watch the dirt pass under your feet. Time outside on Monday morning is a taste of sugar to take the edge off.
You will notice that the trails are empty. Trails in the early morning are never at full capacity, but Monday morning trail traffic is enough to make you forget you are in the city. Of course, this is not only true in the city. When we lived in tiny Moab, some of the most popular trails in the world were my own on Mondays. Yesterday, I rode for an hour before I saw anyone else, and that was a smiling dog walker who went 15 feet off the trail with her dogs as I went by.
It also seems to be true that the people you do see tend to be friendlier than those that you see on Tuesday. Maybe they are still happy from the weekend? Maybe because they are starting their week with a taste of the outdoors?
Bonus tip: that second cup of coffee tastes like the best-ever cup of coffee after a Monday morning outing. You rallied, you beat the crowds, you gave yourself an hour of outside before the week of inside begins.
