Arlington Loop

On Sunday I decided I wanted to bike the Arlington Loop. Kevin had talked about it before, and I always see the map on my way to work. It seemed like a fun ride. And while I knew it was longer than anything I'd done before, I was sure I was ready.

It turns out that 30 miles is significantly longer than 20 miles. Especially when it ends up being closer to 33 miles. But I did do it. I slowed down towards the end, and I had a hard time moving for the rest of the day. But I biked the entire loop.

The Arlington Loop itself is about 17 miles around the town of Arlington. It combines bits of the Custis Trail, the Mt Vernon Trail, Four Mile Run, and the end of the W&OD. I actually do about a mile of it on my commute to work, which is part of why I was interested in it. Of course that also means that the loop itself is about a 9 mile ride from my house. And, like every bike trail near our home, it's all downhill on the way out and all uphill on the way back.

I'm really glad I did it, though. The Custis Trail has a lot of ups and downs, but we did that on the front half so I had plenty of energy. It was like a roller coaster, and I built of some good speed on the downhill sections. Then there's a nice long stretch along the Potomac River. This part was a little crowded and a little close to the road, but biking by the river was still fun. And as we came around Gravelly Point, a plane came in for a landing right above us. It was really cool.

The ride home was rough, especially as we passed the 20 mile mark and still had most of the uphill section left. But once we got to the part of the trail I use for my commute things got a little easier. Mostly because I know that trail well enough to be able to mentally break it down into smaller sections. I know how long the flatter sections last, how much further to the big hill. And I ultimately made it home.


I was exhausted after the ride, and spent the afternoon sitting on the couch instead of the chores and errands I had planned. But I'm glad I did it. If nothing else, now I know I can do it. I'm getting stronger and faster (I actually did the section between home and work faster than ever, though work to home took significantly longer). It's great to know that I can survive such a long ride, and that even when I get tired I can keep going. I definitely have more endurance than I ever have before.