WMM {5:30 a.m. ride in Paris}

Sometimes there’s this weird need in me to just get outside, just move, just do something. I’ve been struggling with staying focused on eating right and treating my body right…. four days of the 30 Day Shred and then abandoned. Two weeks of Couch to 5K, abandoned. I really hated running. Or moving. But the real need to move popped up on Friday night, as I’m sitting on the couch watching some random movie drinking a glass of wine, my mouth salivating for a baguette which I know is in the kitchen.

“I need to do something,” I say to Papa.

“Like what? A shot?”

“Like go for a bike ride.”

“You should do it, just not right now.”

“Yeah, I think I will. I’ll get up and ride tomorrow.”

So I did. I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m., threw on some clothes, brushed my teeth and top knotted my hair. I rented a Velib, which is a lot like the up and coming Hubway in Boston, rent-able bikes by the day or hour.

And I rode my heart out. The first few minutes were a bit unsteady, my legs and my lack of coordination unsure about the sensation of riding….. it had been a long time since I last pedaled and steered a bicycle. As my confidence increased, I set off for Paris. I rode down Avenue Charles de Gaulle, stopping to snap photos of the Arc de Triomphe, continuing on the Champs Elysees.

There was an eerie quiet in the city, the homeless motionless in their deep slumber on mats made of cardboard, the whooshing of the street cleaners’ brooms as they hid the remains of a rough night in the city, the sun slowly peeking over the buildings.

I continued on to Place de Concorde, avoiding a rowdy group of three men kicking forgotten glass bottles and yelling at the runners who passed by. Entering into the Tuileries I was surprised how many Parisians hadn’t made it home yet, perched on metal chairs surrounding the fountains, taking long drags off their cigarettes and still managing to look tres chic sans any sleep.

Once I had reached the Louvre, I turned around and headed back home…. then I realized it was only 7:00 a.m. So I headed to Bois de Boulogne, daring to ride on the deserted streets in Neuilly, and then crossed over to Levallois-Peret. Riding around a town I’m not too familiar with was nerve-racking…. I got lost a few times but made it home by 9 a.m. stopping for some croissants and pan a chocolate for the boys.

I had ridden for three hours, and I felt good. Like really good. So good that if the weather permits I’m doing it again tomorrow. There might be a bicycle with a basket in my future.

What are you doing to “get moving” and stay on track? Any good stories from this weekend? And don’t forget, today is the last day to enter to win a signed copy of “Bringing Up Bebe.” Click here to read more.