This morning I got up early to get in a long bike ride.

It totally reminded me of back when I was a runner and would get up early every Saturday for a long run. There’s just something so great about being out exercising at sunrise.

I was shooting for 20 miles, but I had plans later in the morning and had to be home by 9 a.m. regardless. My route kind of hugged the water most of the time.

At about four miles:

The weather was really nice this morning. It wasn’t cool, per se, but it was kind of overcast and early enough not to be blistering hot yet.

I headed out towards Weedon Island.

I went as far as you can go out that way, ending up at the canoe/kayak launch. Don’t you think that one sign would have been enough?

I actually had to snap that picture twice because the first time I got photo-bombed by another cyclist.

When the boys were little we used to come out here quite often for playdates and children’s’ programs at the Cultural and Natural History Center.

They have a very large boardwalk complex through the mangroves and there is an old Native American burial mound/site here. They also have a cool museum.

To add some miles after Weedon Island I continued on past the back side of Derby Lane (a greyhound racing track).

I had to tack on a few extra miles once I got back to my neighborhood, but it ended up being a perfect ride. I got my 20 miles in and got home right at 9 a.m.

I have to say that biking 20 miles in two hours is SO MUCH more fun than running 10 miles in two hours. I know it’s not as physically demanding, but it’s still great exercise as evidenced by my sweatiness.

That’s the tank top that we got from Reebok at Fitbloggin’ and I love it. The material is so stretchy and comfy and awesome.

I did have one minor mishap on the ride and as usual it happened when I was going zero miles per hour. When I was stopped to take those Derby Lane pictures I sort of forgot that I still had one foot clipped in and half-way tipped my bike, causing the pedal to hit me in the back of the leg.

Dang, those pedals are sharp! (edited to add: My friend Theresa of Active Eggplant said that looks like a chain ring scrape, and I think she’s right)

I was starving by the time I got home so I ate breakfast immediately. Chad commented that I must have been really hungry to eat in my sweaty clothes. Breakfast was more Fitbloggin’ swag:

After eating breakfast I quickly showered and got dressed because I had places to be. First I had to run by Target to buy a gift for the baby shower I was headed to.

Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I also had to buy socks for my team for an upcoming charity kickball tournament (that links to the same tournament last year).

I wrapped the gift in my car in the parking lot, then headed to the shower for my friend Callie, The Wannabe Athlete. We started with mimosas (virgin for the mom-to-be, duh).

They also had a great pink lemonade punch.

It was made with this wonderful sparkling pink lemonade from Trader Joe’s.

Our hosts had a lovely brunch displayed…

and a beautiful table set.

Callie with our gorgeous hostesses Jennifer and Katie.

My delicious plate:

After brunch it was time to open the gifts.

Since this is Callie’s second baby, she told me there were not many things she actually needed, so just to have fun with it. Since I have two boys, it is always fun to shop for little girl things. This is what I got for the Little Miss Athlete.

I thought this shirt was perfect for the future little blog star:

Callie got lots of adorable and soft baby things.

Her super crafty sister (who actually blogs at Super Crafty Sister) got her a baby monitor, but had to order it online and it was still being shipped, so she wrapped a low-tech representative of her gift. I love Callie’s mom (who also blogs at The Inspired Housewife).

We had so much fun. Gifts were followed by cake. It was from Wright’s in Tampa (famous for their cakes), and was so good.

It was great to see Callie again as I don’t get to see her as often since she moved from St. Pete to Venice. I got to hang out with my other Tampa Bay Lady Blogger friend Meghann (of Meals and Miles) again also.

The theme of the shower was “Sugar and Spice” and we got homemade sugar and spice body scrub as party favors.

Thank you so much Jennifer and Katie for hosting, and Callie for inviting me! It was a sweet and fun baby shower.

Now it’s time to get ready to head out for more fun with friends. Chad and I are going on a double date with some of our oldest and dearest friends. Fill you in on that tomorrow!