There are so many bike trails in and around DC. Every time I think I know all of them, I learn about another one. On Sunday, we went down to DC to ride the Capital Crescent Trail with Zach and Sarah. Adding in the Rock Creek Parkway makes this a 20 mile loop with a variety of terrain.
From what I can tell, the Capital Crescent Trail is still in the process of being developed. Like the W&OD, it's a converted railway line. There actually seems to be a sizable initiative to transform rail lines into biking/hiking trails around the area, which is pretty neat. This one starts in Silver Spring and runs in an arch to Georgetown, along the proposed purple line route. Not that the purple line will exist in my lifetime, but it's a cool bit of forward thinking to tie these together like the orange line is for the end (beginning?) of the W&OD trail.
The trail itself is more dirt than asphalt.This made for a harder ride, though it wasn't as bad as the Accotink Trail. The Rock Creek Parkway was bumpy enough that I lost my water bottle at one point, but the Crescent Creek trail was packed pretty well. It was more difficult than I'm used to, and I was definitely bringing up the rear of the group for most of the ride. Probably because I haven't actually been on my bike for a few weeks. Stupid summer sapping my energy and motivation (we've reached the part of the year where I come home from work and basically collapse on the couch).
Through Georgetown (maybe? I didn't have the clearest idea of where we were for most of the ride), the trail got very crowded. I got stuck behind a child who was wobbling all over the place on his bike because I couldn't figure out how to safely pass him. Once the crowd cleared up a bit, Kevin asked the kid's dad to let us by, and we were able to pick our speed back up, but it was frustrating for a while.
All in all, it wasn't my favorite trail ever. It's narrower and bumpier than the W&OD, which isn't really fair since it's still under construction and the W&OD is one of the best maintained trails out there. But I can see it getting easier with more rides. Who knows, it may even be the step I need to work up to the Accotink Trail (although something closer to a mountain bike will probably help more there).
Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts
Monday, August 31, 2015
Friday, August 14, 2015
W&OD Trail
This past weekend Kevin and I decided to ride the W&OD trail from end to end. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I was a little hesitant. I haven't been biking nearly as much as I wanted to in the past month, so I didn't feel as though I were in proper shape for a 45-mile ride. Then again, the weather was perfect and we had no other plans. Plus, the trail passes right by our house about 35 miles in. I know I can bike 35 miles, so in the worst case I'd just peel off and head home at that point.
I did end up biking the entire trail, but I also found my limit. By the end of the ride I was grumpy, hungry, and tired. This also started to happen about halfway through the ride. Both times we took a break and ate some food (Kevin came well prepared). If I go on any more longish rides, this is definitely something I'm going to have to pay attention to. Taking a break is a bit of a mental block for me. It feels like I'm cheating, even though I know that isn't true. Having Kevin around to insist certainly helps, but it's something I ought to get used to doing on my own.
At any rate, the ride was really nice. We had perfect weather. It was cloudy and breezy, and maybe a little humid, but not too bad. We started in Purcellville and ended in Shirlington, which means that the ride is basically downhill. You lose about 600 feet in elevation going that way. But it is by no means all downhill. There are two longish (~3 miles) uphill sections as you enter the towns of Herndon and Vienna. The first one I wasn't expecting and it came right before our snack break in Herndon. Going up that hill was rough, and probably the worst part of the ride. The second one was a stretch of the trail that I'm more familiar with, so it didn't seem as bad.
We decided to get lunch in Crystal City after the ride, which meant an additional couple of miles of biking. It was further than I thought, which did nothing to help my mood. Also by then the sun was out and my sunscreen was reaching the end of it's effectiveness. And after four hours on a bike my butt was killing me. But we made it to a sports bar and got some food and caffeine and I was feeling better.
Then it was time to get home and collect Kevin's car from the trail head, which ultimately took longer than the ride itself. It would have been fine, except that metro was closed between a couple of stations. Getting home meant taking the blue train to Roslyn, switching to the orange train, getting off the train and onto a bus for 5 miles, then getting back on the train for the last few miles. If we'd been feeling up to it, it probably would have been faster to bike home. But we'd already gone nearly 50 miles and another 10 or 15 was just out of the question for me. It took two hours to get home after lunch and then it was another 2 hour round trip to get Kevin's car. But it all worked out in the end.
I'm hoping I can do this ride once more this year. It really does take an entire day (we left our house at 7:45 AM and ultimately got home just before 6:00 PM), so it may be hard to schedule. But now that I have a better idea of what to expect, I think I'll be less grumpy next time. Half the battle for me is mental preparation, so knowing what I'm getting into makes everything easier.
I did end up biking the entire trail, but I also found my limit. By the end of the ride I was grumpy, hungry, and tired. This also started to happen about halfway through the ride. Both times we took a break and ate some food (Kevin came well prepared). If I go on any more longish rides, this is definitely something I'm going to have to pay attention to. Taking a break is a bit of a mental block for me. It feels like I'm cheating, even though I know that isn't true. Having Kevin around to insist certainly helps, but it's something I ought to get used to doing on my own.
At any rate, the ride was really nice. We had perfect weather. It was cloudy and breezy, and maybe a little humid, but not too bad. We started in Purcellville and ended in Shirlington, which means that the ride is basically downhill. You lose about 600 feet in elevation going that way. But it is by no means all downhill. There are two longish (~3 miles) uphill sections as you enter the towns of Herndon and Vienna. The first one I wasn't expecting and it came right before our snack break in Herndon. Going up that hill was rough, and probably the worst part of the ride. The second one was a stretch of the trail that I'm more familiar with, so it didn't seem as bad.
We decided to get lunch in Crystal City after the ride, which meant an additional couple of miles of biking. It was further than I thought, which did nothing to help my mood. Also by then the sun was out and my sunscreen was reaching the end of it's effectiveness. And after four hours on a bike my butt was killing me. But we made it to a sports bar and got some food and caffeine and I was feeling better.
Then it was time to get home and collect Kevin's car from the trail head, which ultimately took longer than the ride itself. It would have been fine, except that metro was closed between a couple of stations. Getting home meant taking the blue train to Roslyn, switching to the orange train, getting off the train and onto a bus for 5 miles, then getting back on the train for the last few miles. If we'd been feeling up to it, it probably would have been faster to bike home. But we'd already gone nearly 50 miles and another 10 or 15 was just out of the question for me. It took two hours to get home after lunch and then it was another 2 hour round trip to get Kevin's car. But it all worked out in the end.
I'm hoping I can do this ride once more this year. It really does take an entire day (we left our house at 7:45 AM and ultimately got home just before 6:00 PM), so it may be hard to schedule. But now that I have a better idea of what to expect, I think I'll be less grumpy next time. Half the battle for me is mental preparation, so knowing what I'm getting into makes everything easier.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Motivating Myself...Again
It's amazing how quickly reasons become excuses. The weather got hot enough that I stopped riding my bike to work as often. Then Kevin was out of town for a few days. We were bust on the weekends. Before I knew it, I was barely getting in one bike ride a week, and I wasn't exercising at all outside of that.
I knew this was going to happen. There always comes a point in summer when the last thing I want to do is go outside. So biking to work as my only form of exercise wasn't going to be sustainable for long. This is why I started building up a home gym back in January. I have everything I need to work out down in the basement. The trick now is to actually do it consistently.
My plan is to start getting on the exercise bike for a half hour in the mornings again. That worked well last winter once I made it a habit, and I think I can do it again. Then I'll lift a few evenings a week and still go on long bike rides when I can on weekends.
The real trick here is going to be the evening work out. Somehow this wasn't really a problem when I was going to the gym, but I'm usually starving when I get home from work. The last thing I want to do is delay dinner 45 more minutes than I need to. Which is where snacks come in. I'm really not much of a snacker, but I bought some yogurts to have when I get home. Hopefully that will be enough to tide me over for a little while.
This should all work. I just need to stick with it. Wish me luck and motivation.
I knew this was going to happen. There always comes a point in summer when the last thing I want to do is go outside. So biking to work as my only form of exercise wasn't going to be sustainable for long. This is why I started building up a home gym back in January. I have everything I need to work out down in the basement. The trick now is to actually do it consistently.
My plan is to start getting on the exercise bike for a half hour in the mornings again. That worked well last winter once I made it a habit, and I think I can do it again. Then I'll lift a few evenings a week and still go on long bike rides when I can on weekends.
The real trick here is going to be the evening work out. Somehow this wasn't really a problem when I was going to the gym, but I'm usually starving when I get home from work. The last thing I want to do is delay dinner 45 more minutes than I need to. Which is where snacks come in. I'm really not much of a snacker, but I bought some yogurts to have when I get home. Hopefully that will be enough to tide me over for a little while.
This should all work. I just need to stick with it. Wish me luck and motivation.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Progress
Between the summertime weather (hot, humid days, punctuated by thunderstorms) and Kevin being out of town (leaving me responsible for both of Kina's daily walks and Kevin's mom's cat's food and medicine), I've had a hard time getting bike rides in. I went two whole weeks with only one 7-mile ride. So when we finally got a perfect day on Sunday, Kevin and I decided to take advantage of it and go for a nice, long ride.
The problem is that everyone else had the same idea.
I don't do well with crowds. It's the reason I couldn't finish the 5K I attempted to run a few years ago. It's the reason I nearly had a meltdown in a Spanish train station. It's the reason I completely clam up at parties where I don't know many people. It's also, in a related way, the reason I used to fall nearly silent when I'd get high with more than 1 or 2 close friends. There's so much sensory input that my brain more or less shuts down any unnecessary functions (and then the necessary functions, like breathing). The difference is that pot also turned off the part of my brain that cared. I just let everything wash over me instead of stressing out about my inability to interact with the world.
Back to Sunday. We went for a bike ride, and there were a ton of people on the trail. It was difficult to pass anyone, both because people were going both ways and because there were large groups and families all riding together. West of Vienna there's a nice, long, downhill stretch of trail where I can typically maintain a speed of 17 mph for at least 2 or 3 miles. Getting to that speed, that feeling of flying through the world, is one of my favorite parts of riding my bike. But with so many people it was difficult to maintain any speed at all.
Anyway, this all culminated about 6 miles into the ride. There's a bump, and I usually enjoy flying down the back side of it. But there was a big family with a couple of kids who were wobbling all over the trail. And this had been going on the whole ride with no end in sight. And my heart rate was already elevated from going up the hill. And I was quickly losing sight of Kevin and getting dizzy and so I puled over and sat down.
It wasn't really a full blown panic attack. I caught it early enough and I knew what was happening and I was able to calm myself down. It also helped that I knew, in my blood knew, that Kevin would quickly realize what had happened and come back to find me. Which he did. I got my breathing under control and readjusted my mental frame. If we kept going, I'd have to go slower and accept that we'd be going slower, with all the people on the trail. The mismatch between expectations and reality is something else I don't always handle so well, and was another contributing factor to becoming completely overwhelmed.
We kept going and the trail cleared out as we hit less populous areas. We ended up doing a 23 mile loop, which isn't bad, though we maybe could have gone farther if I hadn't been scared of a repeat episode.
As scary as it was, it feels like progress. I recognized what was happening and forestalled it. I never felt like I couldn't breathe. I was able to keep going afterwards. As Kevin pointed out, I will get better at reading the trail, it just takes experience. And I'll become more familiar with that stretch of trail in particular. Both of those will help prevent this from happening again.
I've come a long way in the past four years. Keeping this blog has helped me see just how far, and it's provided the quick reference point I needed to help me see that quickly. Which also went towards making this feel like a more minor episode. So. It was scary, and I probably could have done a better job of recognizing the symptoms a little earlier. I still have some ways to go. But I'm counting this one a win.
The problem is that everyone else had the same idea.
I don't do well with crowds. It's the reason I couldn't finish the 5K I attempted to run a few years ago. It's the reason I nearly had a meltdown in a Spanish train station. It's the reason I completely clam up at parties where I don't know many people. It's also, in a related way, the reason I used to fall nearly silent when I'd get high with more than 1 or 2 close friends. There's so much sensory input that my brain more or less shuts down any unnecessary functions (and then the necessary functions, like breathing). The difference is that pot also turned off the part of my brain that cared. I just let everything wash over me instead of stressing out about my inability to interact with the world.
Back to Sunday. We went for a bike ride, and there were a ton of people on the trail. It was difficult to pass anyone, both because people were going both ways and because there were large groups and families all riding together. West of Vienna there's a nice, long, downhill stretch of trail where I can typically maintain a speed of 17 mph for at least 2 or 3 miles. Getting to that speed, that feeling of flying through the world, is one of my favorite parts of riding my bike. But with so many people it was difficult to maintain any speed at all.
Anyway, this all culminated about 6 miles into the ride. There's a bump, and I usually enjoy flying down the back side of it. But there was a big family with a couple of kids who were wobbling all over the trail. And this had been going on the whole ride with no end in sight. And my heart rate was already elevated from going up the hill. And I was quickly losing sight of Kevin and getting dizzy and so I puled over and sat down.
It wasn't really a full blown panic attack. I caught it early enough and I knew what was happening and I was able to calm myself down. It also helped that I knew, in my blood knew, that Kevin would quickly realize what had happened and come back to find me. Which he did. I got my breathing under control and readjusted my mental frame. If we kept going, I'd have to go slower and accept that we'd be going slower, with all the people on the trail. The mismatch between expectations and reality is something else I don't always handle so well, and was another contributing factor to becoming completely overwhelmed.
We kept going and the trail cleared out as we hit less populous areas. We ended up doing a 23 mile loop, which isn't bad, though we maybe could have gone farther if I hadn't been scared of a repeat episode.
As scary as it was, it feels like progress. I recognized what was happening and forestalled it. I never felt like I couldn't breathe. I was able to keep going afterwards. As Kevin pointed out, I will get better at reading the trail, it just takes experience. And I'll become more familiar with that stretch of trail in particular. Both of those will help prevent this from happening again.
I've come a long way in the past four years. Keeping this blog has helped me see just how far, and it's provided the quick reference point I needed to help me see that quickly. Which also went towards making this feel like a more minor episode. So. It was scary, and I probably could have done a better job of recognizing the symptoms a little earlier. I still have some ways to go. But I'm counting this one a win.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Keeping Up WIth Kevin
One of my more nebulous fitness goals has been a vague desire to keep up with Kevin. To be clear, this will probably never happen. Kevin has always had more strength and more stamina than me, and I doubt I'll ever actually catch up to him, fitness-wise. It's more that I want to be able to feel like I'm not slowing him down too much.
I've been getting better at this recently. We've gone on some longer bike rides together, and while I know he would go faster if I weren't with him, I don't make such a bad showing. At least I don't have to completely stop or forgo certain activities anymore. And if I average 11 mph on a bike ride that Kevin averages 13 mph on when he does it by himself, well 11 mph isn't exactly anything to be ashamed of.
This past weekend I did a pretty good job of matching Kevin. Certainly better than I would have done a year or two ago. Jen and Steve proposed a hike in Rock Creek Park, and Kevin almost immediately decided to bike down to meet them. I didn't want to drive in the city by myself, so I considered metroing down to meet them, but I ultimately decided that I could handle the bike ride and hike in the same day. And if I couldn't bike back, well the metro was always an option.
So on Saturday morning we woke up and biked the 18 miles to Steve's house. We went a bit out of our way so Kevin could show me the beginning of the C&O trail, which we may do part of at some point. It's packed dirt, not gravel, so we'd have to pick a day when it hasn't rained recently, but at least it wouldn't be as bumpy as the Accotink trail.
Jen made delicious bacon and pancakes for us when we arrived, and we hung out for a bit. Then we drove over to Rock Creek Park to find a trail. We decided on the Boulder Bridge trail, a 3.5 mile loop from nature center to creek and back. I fell a bit behind on the steeper uphill section, but it wasn't too bad. And we stopped partway through to drink some wine and play and excellent game called Infinite City (Kevin lost!).
After the hike I wasn't feeling up to biking all the way home, but neither was Kevin, so I felt better. We took a quick ride to Foggy Bottom, so we wouldn't have to haul our bikes through Metro Center, and took the train home. Granted, at the end of this I collapsed on the couch and Kevin went to umpire a baseball game, proving that I'm not actually as fit as he is. But I still feel pretty good about myself.
I've been getting better at this recently. We've gone on some longer bike rides together, and while I know he would go faster if I weren't with him, I don't make such a bad showing. At least I don't have to completely stop or forgo certain activities anymore. And if I average 11 mph on a bike ride that Kevin averages 13 mph on when he does it by himself, well 11 mph isn't exactly anything to be ashamed of.
This past weekend I did a pretty good job of matching Kevin. Certainly better than I would have done a year or two ago. Jen and Steve proposed a hike in Rock Creek Park, and Kevin almost immediately decided to bike down to meet them. I didn't want to drive in the city by myself, so I considered metroing down to meet them, but I ultimately decided that I could handle the bike ride and hike in the same day. And if I couldn't bike back, well the metro was always an option.
So on Saturday morning we woke up and biked the 18 miles to Steve's house. We went a bit out of our way so Kevin could show me the beginning of the C&O trail, which we may do part of at some point. It's packed dirt, not gravel, so we'd have to pick a day when it hasn't rained recently, but at least it wouldn't be as bumpy as the Accotink trail.
Jen made delicious bacon and pancakes for us when we arrived, and we hung out for a bit. Then we drove over to Rock Creek Park to find a trail. We decided on the Boulder Bridge trail, a 3.5 mile loop from nature center to creek and back. I fell a bit behind on the steeper uphill section, but it wasn't too bad. And we stopped partway through to drink some wine and play and excellent game called Infinite City (Kevin lost!).
After the hike I wasn't feeling up to biking all the way home, but neither was Kevin, so I felt better. We took a quick ride to Foggy Bottom, so we wouldn't have to haul our bikes through Metro Center, and took the train home. Granted, at the end of this I collapsed on the couch and Kevin went to umpire a baseball game, proving that I'm not actually as fit as he is. But I still feel pretty good about myself.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Mt Vernon Trail
Yesterday Zach and Sarah joined us for a ride on the Mt. Vernon trail, which is easily my favorite trail yet. It runs 17 miles from Roosevelt Island to Mt. Vernon. Most of that is along the river, which makes for a beautiful ride with a nice breeze. Except for the short section by the sewage treatment plant, but you can almost hold your breath the whole way past that.
The ride was a lot of fun, and surprisingly easy. We went out to Mt Vernon and back again, for a total of 35 miles. The trail is mostly flat, which is a big reason I found the ride easier than the last 30+ mile ride I did. It also helps that this was my second 30+ mile ride. I'm getting in better shape all the time, and it's nice to see my own improvement on rides like this.
I did have a little trouble with passing etiquette on the Mt. Vernon trail. It's both slightly narrower and much windier than the W&OD. Because of this people are more wary when it comes to passing. I'm used to the fairly aggressive passing that happens on the W&OD, which most people treat as though it has 3 full lanes, with the middle reserved for passing. I've even seen it treated as a four-lane path once or twice. But that sort of thing isn't acceptable on the Mt. Vernon trail, which really does only have 2 lanes. I got one or two angry looks for passing when other people thought I shouldn't (I felt like I had enough room, though).
I'm looking forward to doing this trail again. It's a 3+ hour ride, which isn't always easy to fit into the schedule. And as the weather heats up I may not want to go for such a long ride. But this one, and how good I felt afterwards, has me confident that it won't be long before I can tackle the W&OD in its entirety.
The ride was a lot of fun, and surprisingly easy. We went out to Mt Vernon and back again, for a total of 35 miles. The trail is mostly flat, which is a big reason I found the ride easier than the last 30+ mile ride I did. It also helps that this was my second 30+ mile ride. I'm getting in better shape all the time, and it's nice to see my own improvement on rides like this.
I did have a little trouble with passing etiquette on the Mt. Vernon trail. It's both slightly narrower and much windier than the W&OD. Because of this people are more wary when it comes to passing. I'm used to the fairly aggressive passing that happens on the W&OD, which most people treat as though it has 3 full lanes, with the middle reserved for passing. I've even seen it treated as a four-lane path once or twice. But that sort of thing isn't acceptable on the Mt. Vernon trail, which really does only have 2 lanes. I got one or two angry looks for passing when other people thought I shouldn't (I felt like I had enough room, though).
I'm looking forward to doing this trail again. It's a 3+ hour ride, which isn't always easy to fit into the schedule. And as the weather heats up I may not want to go for such a long ride. But this one, and how good I felt afterwards, has me confident that it won't be long before I can tackle the W&OD in its entirety.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Bike to Work Day
Friday was the Official Bike to Work Day, which I got to participate in for the first time ever. I was worried about the crowds initially, and I almost decided not to do it. Crowds and I don't get along so well. But I know the route pretty well, and Kevin assured me it wouldn't be too bad. Sure enough, it wasn't significantly more crowded than a typical day. Things got a bit backed up at intersections and pit stops, especially the Gallows light, which takes four minutes to cycle through, but other than that it wasn't bad.
Well, that's not entire true. One of the pit stops was a bit of a disaster in the morning. They'd blocked off one of the small roads that the trail crosses, which I initially thought was nice. It removed a stop sign at the bottom of the hill that's usually more annoying than anything else. But as I got closer I saw the traffic cones they had set up. They had made a weird, zig-zagging course across the road that was only wide enough for one bike at a time. We had to take turns crossing from either side. If that wasn't bad enough they rang cowbells and blew kazoos at us while we were traversing the cones. They were probably trying to cheer us on, but it felt more like mocking.
Thankfully the other pit stop I passed held off on the cow bells and just offered water and snacks instead.
The ride home was better because Falls Church pit stop had removed the cones from the road. They still had the cow bells, but I was able to speed through the intersection. However, people seemed unusually angry in the afternoon. A lady leaned out of her car window to yell at a biker crossing the street. Another guy yelled at a guy for having a blinking headlight on his bike and then either stopped or turned around to pursue him, because he fell off the trail after that. Kevin says people get angry like that a lot. I guess I just saw more of it because there were more people around.
The whole thing was mostly fun, especially since the weather was perfect. I didn't get a t-shirt, because I would never wear a t-shirt, but I got to bike to work and pass a lot of people who don't normally bike to work. And now I'll keep biking until it gets too hot and/or humid to do so. Here's hoping summer holds off for a while yet.
Well, that's not entire true. One of the pit stops was a bit of a disaster in the morning. They'd blocked off one of the small roads that the trail crosses, which I initially thought was nice. It removed a stop sign at the bottom of the hill that's usually more annoying than anything else. But as I got closer I saw the traffic cones they had set up. They had made a weird, zig-zagging course across the road that was only wide enough for one bike at a time. We had to take turns crossing from either side. If that wasn't bad enough they rang cowbells and blew kazoos at us while we were traversing the cones. They were probably trying to cheer us on, but it felt more like mocking.
Thankfully the other pit stop I passed held off on the cow bells and just offered water and snacks instead.
The ride home was better because Falls Church pit stop had removed the cones from the road. They still had the cow bells, but I was able to speed through the intersection. However, people seemed unusually angry in the afternoon. A lady leaned out of her car window to yell at a biker crossing the street. Another guy yelled at a guy for having a blinking headlight on his bike and then either stopped or turned around to pursue him, because he fell off the trail after that. Kevin says people get angry like that a lot. I guess I just saw more of it because there were more people around.
The whole thing was mostly fun, especially since the weather was perfect. I didn't get a t-shirt, because I would never wear a t-shirt, but I got to bike to work and pass a lot of people who don't normally bike to work. And now I'll keep biking until it gets too hot and/or humid to do so. Here's hoping summer holds off for a while yet.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Accotink Trail
One of Kevin's favorite local bike trails is the Accotink trail. There's a 4 mile loop around Lake Accotink, which is about 8 miles south of our house. The ride ends up being about 20 miles total. Kevin was waiting patiently to take me on this ride, and on Saturday I decided I was ready.
I ended up not being quite as ready as I had though. Kevin warned me that the trail is more packed dirt and gravel than asphalt. I looked up my bike's specs to make sure it would be alright. There were several reviews on the site where I'd bought it from people successfully taking it on the Accotink trail, so I knew the bike at least would be fine. And there's a short gravel path near my house, so I assumed I knew what I was getting in to.
Unfortunately the trail was much bumpier than I was prepared for. There was a section of really old asphalt during that caused enough bouncing around for my boobs to hurt. It's probably not entirely fair to call the trail poorly maintained, since it is maintained to the expected standards. But I got used to my nice asphalt trails, and the bumpy, jittery trail was a lot for me to handle.
That said, the trail itself was gorgeous. There's a small section that runs along the highway, but the rest is in the woods. Although it follows a stream down to a lake, the entire thing is surprisingly flat. It's just barely downhill on the way to the lake and just barely uphill on the way home. There were some hills around the lake, but only one of them really caused me problems. I had to get off my bike and walk it up the hill. Then I opted to walk it back down the other side instead of attempt the steep and narrow trail down.
I'm glad I did this ride. I just won't be doing it again any time soon. Though I could cut out the part that really gave me trouble. And now that I know what to expect in terms of bumpy trails it might be better in the future. Even the shoddy asphalt was easier to ride over on the way home than on the way out. Maybe once I get more advanced I can become more familiar with the trail. Knowing what to expect makes it easier. But in the meantime I'll be sticking to my well-maintained asphalt trails. There's certainly no shortage of them.
I ended up not being quite as ready as I had though. Kevin warned me that the trail is more packed dirt and gravel than asphalt. I looked up my bike's specs to make sure it would be alright. There were several reviews on the site where I'd bought it from people successfully taking it on the Accotink trail, so I knew the bike at least would be fine. And there's a short gravel path near my house, so I assumed I knew what I was getting in to.
Unfortunately the trail was much bumpier than I was prepared for. There was a section of really old asphalt during that caused enough bouncing around for my boobs to hurt. It's probably not entirely fair to call the trail poorly maintained, since it is maintained to the expected standards. But I got used to my nice asphalt trails, and the bumpy, jittery trail was a lot for me to handle.
That said, the trail itself was gorgeous. There's a small section that runs along the highway, but the rest is in the woods. Although it follows a stream down to a lake, the entire thing is surprisingly flat. It's just barely downhill on the way to the lake and just barely uphill on the way home. There were some hills around the lake, but only one of them really caused me problems. I had to get off my bike and walk it up the hill. Then I opted to walk it back down the other side instead of attempt the steep and narrow trail down.
I'm glad I did this ride. I just won't be doing it again any time soon. Though I could cut out the part that really gave me trouble. And now that I know what to expect in terms of bumpy trails it might be better in the future. Even the shoddy asphalt was easier to ride over on the way home than on the way out. Maybe once I get more advanced I can become more familiar with the trail. Knowing what to expect makes it easier. But in the meantime I'll be sticking to my well-maintained asphalt trails. There's certainly no shortage of them.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Pros and Cons of Biking to Work
I should perhaps open by saying that I love biking to work. I'm so glad I'm finally fit enough to do this. It is, by and large, a wonderful experience that is improving my life. But, as with everything, there are annoyances. And it's my blog, so I can vent if I want to.
1) My commute is into the sun. East in the morning, west in the evening. It's less of a problem in the evening, because the sun isn't as low when I'm headed home. In the morning, the sun is at exactly the right angle to cause some serious distress. Even wearing sunglasses, I'm often blinded at least once. The flickering caused by tree shadows is distracting. Each morning I've had to come to a complete stop at least once because I couldn't see where I was supposed to go. I was thinking this would get better as sunrise gets earlier, but we're fast approaching the longest day of the year. As soon as this problem goes away it will come back.
2) Capris are the ugliest, least comfortable garment ever designed. But damn they're functional. Yoga pants come with the constant hazard of getting caught in the gears. Shorts ride up and my thighs chafe on the seat. So capris make the most sense. I don't have to like it though.
3) The beginning of the ride home is always awful. My legs are tight from the morning ride. I've had to put my sweaty gear back on, because it makes no sense to pack fresh gear when I'm just going to sweat through it again then immediately take a shower. I always loosen up and adjust eventually. It's happening more quickly each time. But that first half mile is rough.
4) I'm completely dependent on the weather. Sure, I could bike in the rain. That sounds awful and uncomfortable though. Besides which I'd probably need to buy all sorts of additional gear to protect myself and my bike. Instead I just take the metro when there's rain in the forecast. I've gotten tripped up a couple of times, mostly when I wanted to bike, decided not to, and then it didn't rain at all. It'd be nice to be freer to set my own schedule around this.
5) This should change soon, but at the moment I'm mad. Far from losing weight, I've actually gained weight since I started biking to work. I now weigh more than I ever have, and I can't figure out why. Maybe it's just a transition period? Building muscle in my legs? Hopefully this will change soon. If I can stick with it and keep from getting discouraged.
Aside from these things, the commute is pretty great. I love how efficient it is. I'm able to get two hours of exercise in, and I get home less than an hour later than when I commute by train. It gives me longer evenings and more energy. I'm more awake in the morning at work and less stressed when I get home.
The trail is fantastic. Aside from being pretty and not too crowded and smelling nice, it's a perfect course. Both directions begin uphill and finish downhill (mostly), though there's a lot more downhill on the way to work. Not quite halfway through there's an enormous hill that's hell to get up but so much fun to fly down. It's its own reward. There are also stop lights at about the 3 and 7 mile marks that make perfect water stops.
Mostly I'm just hoping that the weather doesn't get too hot too fast. Yesterday it was 83 when I was biking home, and I don't think I can handle biking in temperatures much above 90. But maybe that will change as I get better. Or maybe we'll have a summer as mild as last years. I can hope.
1) My commute is into the sun. East in the morning, west in the evening. It's less of a problem in the evening, because the sun isn't as low when I'm headed home. In the morning, the sun is at exactly the right angle to cause some serious distress. Even wearing sunglasses, I'm often blinded at least once. The flickering caused by tree shadows is distracting. Each morning I've had to come to a complete stop at least once because I couldn't see where I was supposed to go. I was thinking this would get better as sunrise gets earlier, but we're fast approaching the longest day of the year. As soon as this problem goes away it will come back.
2) Capris are the ugliest, least comfortable garment ever designed. But damn they're functional. Yoga pants come with the constant hazard of getting caught in the gears. Shorts ride up and my thighs chafe on the seat. So capris make the most sense. I don't have to like it though.
3) The beginning of the ride home is always awful. My legs are tight from the morning ride. I've had to put my sweaty gear back on, because it makes no sense to pack fresh gear when I'm just going to sweat through it again then immediately take a shower. I always loosen up and adjust eventually. It's happening more quickly each time. But that first half mile is rough.
4) I'm completely dependent on the weather. Sure, I could bike in the rain. That sounds awful and uncomfortable though. Besides which I'd probably need to buy all sorts of additional gear to protect myself and my bike. Instead I just take the metro when there's rain in the forecast. I've gotten tripped up a couple of times, mostly when I wanted to bike, decided not to, and then it didn't rain at all. It'd be nice to be freer to set my own schedule around this.
5) This should change soon, but at the moment I'm mad. Far from losing weight, I've actually gained weight since I started biking to work. I now weigh more than I ever have, and I can't figure out why. Maybe it's just a transition period? Building muscle in my legs? Hopefully this will change soon. If I can stick with it and keep from getting discouraged.
Aside from these things, the commute is pretty great. I love how efficient it is. I'm able to get two hours of exercise in, and I get home less than an hour later than when I commute by train. It gives me longer evenings and more energy. I'm more awake in the morning at work and less stressed when I get home.
The trail is fantastic. Aside from being pretty and not too crowded and smelling nice, it's a perfect course. Both directions begin uphill and finish downhill (mostly), though there's a lot more downhill on the way to work. Not quite halfway through there's an enormous hill that's hell to get up but so much fun to fly down. It's its own reward. There are also stop lights at about the 3 and 7 mile marks that make perfect water stops.
Mostly I'm just hoping that the weather doesn't get too hot too fast. Yesterday it was 83 when I was biking home, and I don't think I can handle biking in temperatures much above 90. But maybe that will change as I get better. Or maybe we'll have a summer as mild as last years. I can hope.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Biking
The thing I miss most abut living in Boulder is how easy it was to bike everywhere. Boulder isn't a big city, and it's one of the more bike-friendly places in the country. It was pretty easy for me to get in the habit of running many of my errands on bike, biking to work, and just going out for quick rides on the weekends.
That all changed when I moved to Virginia. For one, the suburbs are a lot more spread out. Instead of being a mile away, my bank was now closer to three miles away. There are a lot more cars, too, and the whole experience is scarier. The heat and humidity, which I wasn't yet used to, didn't help. It wasn't long before I feel out of the habit completely, and my attempts to pick it back up were cut short by how horrifically out of shape I got.
I'm changing that now.
The ten mile ride to work is a lot more than the two mile ride I had back in Boulder. But I'm in much better shape than I was, even then. It adds to my commute, but it's a more efficient way to exercise overall and leaves me with more time free in the evenings. And if it cuts into my reading time, well, reading less was one of my goals for this year.
I'm hoping to be able to ride to work twice a week, weather permitting. As I get stronger, I may even up that. Although I'm currently pretty tired and sore from doing the ride yesterday. It didn't help that I picked a miserable day for my first bike to work. It was cold enough in the morning to make my hands go numb and windy enough in the evening to add twenty minutes to what is usually an hour-long ride. But I did it, and I can do it again, and I will keep improving.
On top of this, I'm trying to bike for smaller errands. I can easily bike three miles to the pet store or bike store when I need something small. Ditto the grocery store, which is only 1.5 miles away. Although I have to be careful how much I buy when I do that. I can only carry so many groceries. But if I make more, smaller trips, well that's just more excuses to ride the bike.
The key here is incorporating the bike into my daily life. To choose it over the car whenever it makes sense. Staying on the bike makes me want to get on the bike more. And biking constantly will make it easier to go on longer rides when I can. One of these days I may actually be able to keep up with Kevin on a thirty or forty (or fifty?) mile ride.
When I first moved here, one of Kevin's goals was to ride the entire W&OD trail, 45 miles from Purcellville to Shirlington. I dropped him off at the high end and picked him up several hours later at the low end. Maybe next year I'll get him to do the same for me. Or maybe we can find someone else to drive and ride it together.
That all changed when I moved to Virginia. For one, the suburbs are a lot more spread out. Instead of being a mile away, my bank was now closer to three miles away. There are a lot more cars, too, and the whole experience is scarier. The heat and humidity, which I wasn't yet used to, didn't help. It wasn't long before I feel out of the habit completely, and my attempts to pick it back up were cut short by how horrifically out of shape I got.
I'm changing that now.
The ten mile ride to work is a lot more than the two mile ride I had back in Boulder. But I'm in much better shape than I was, even then. It adds to my commute, but it's a more efficient way to exercise overall and leaves me with more time free in the evenings. And if it cuts into my reading time, well, reading less was one of my goals for this year.
I'm hoping to be able to ride to work twice a week, weather permitting. As I get stronger, I may even up that. Although I'm currently pretty tired and sore from doing the ride yesterday. It didn't help that I picked a miserable day for my first bike to work. It was cold enough in the morning to make my hands go numb and windy enough in the evening to add twenty minutes to what is usually an hour-long ride. But I did it, and I can do it again, and I will keep improving.
On top of this, I'm trying to bike for smaller errands. I can easily bike three miles to the pet store or bike store when I need something small. Ditto the grocery store, which is only 1.5 miles away. Although I have to be careful how much I buy when I do that. I can only carry so many groceries. But if I make more, smaller trips, well that's just more excuses to ride the bike.
The key here is incorporating the bike into my daily life. To choose it over the car whenever it makes sense. Staying on the bike makes me want to get on the bike more. And biking constantly will make it easier to go on longer rides when I can. One of these days I may actually be able to keep up with Kevin on a thirty or forty (or fifty?) mile ride.
When I first moved here, one of Kevin's goals was to ride the entire W&OD trail, 45 miles from Purcellville to Shirlington. I dropped him off at the high end and picked him up several hours later at the low end. Maybe next year I'll get him to do the same for me. Or maybe we can find someone else to drive and ride it together.
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