Battle Armor(ry)

Panorama of the Armory track from the infield.

As I progressed through my track workout of the week, my mind was racing, trying to figure out which lane to use, how to not get run over and basically stay out of the way of the college runners dong their workouts.  I was fighting the usual mental battles, can I go harder, can I finish this workout, can my body take this training load at my age, day to day, week to week.  My thoughts also wandered across the street to the hospital room where my father-in-law was fighting a battle too, a much more difficult one, one that would end in the way we never anticipated, never imagined.

You see, Norman Smith's life was one lived in pursuit of big goals, with a passion and drive that drove him to the top of every mountain he decided he wanted to climb, to the end of every trail he decided to hike, to meet any challenge he wanted to take on.  He was a few months shy of 91, but we all expected him to meet this final battle head on, and win as he always did...see it through to the end.  His list of accomplishments is quite long, he climbed the high point of every state and of five continents, he scaled most of the major peaks in the US.  He hiked the Appalachian trail after the age of 60, and many other trails all across the world.  This man did not give up, if he didn't make the first time, he would go back to and get it the next time.  

Late January, he ended up in the emergency room of Orange Regional Medical Center, in Middletown NY, on the same morning he was scheduled for a cardiac procedure.  He was later transferred to New York Presbyterian at Columbia.  The Hospital is located in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River, George Washington Bridge and the Palisades. Anne and I braved the New Jersey Turnpike every weekend to be with him in the hospital.

The first weekend we visited him at Colombia, I noticed the Armory Track was immediately across the street from his hospital building.  I have been a distance runner since the 10th grade, so I have heard of the Milrose Games indoor meet and the legendary Armory track where it is held. 

It is amazing how they can fit everything in that small space.

During one of our trips to visit him, we stayed through the end of the day Tuesday, and I found I had enough time before our noon hotel checkout to do a ~45 min. run.  I checked the Armory website and found it was public use time at the track, wow, maybe I can actually run on this fabled track.  So, I arrived and paid the $20.00 single-day track fee, ouch, no breaks in NYC.  As I headed toward the track, i discovered it is located on the 3rd floor.

It was about 10:45 AM and the track was busy, jumpers working on approaches, sprinters working on starts and distance runners doing their variety of workouts.  Most of the athletes were college aged, predominantly from Columbia, there were also a few post college runners either in small groups or on their own doing a variety of workouts.  At first I was a little intimidated by the setting, and overwhelmed with all the things happening in that small space.  But I already paid the $, no backing out now.

Since I only had 45 minutes, I quickly came up with a modified version of the F&M Track club workout. After stripping off my outer layers (it was 20* and snowing outside), and doing a little stretching, I did a 10 min warm-up, then the workout of 3 by 5 minutes, with 3 minutes rest, followed by a 3 minute hard effort.  All the while, I was trying to figure out which lane to run in, by watching the others.  I did my warm-up in the outer lanes, but saw a few runners doing intervals in those lanes, so I moved more toward the middle.  I did my hard efforts in the inside lane, and recovered in lane 2 or 3.  There was a group of  about 10 Columbia middle distance runners doing fast 300s and 200s.  At one point I was about to move up the track for a recovery phase, and heard one of them yell as they were about to come over top of me.  I quickly stepped off the track on the inside to avoid a collision.  Yikes, that was close.

The track was lively and fast, and it was inspiring to run in this setting where so many great races have happened, and records have been set.  The workout went fast, and all too soon, I needed to wrap it up and get back to the hotel.

Throughout the workout, I imagined what it would be like to race on that track. This is a place where people came to test themselves, to compete for a dream.  Across the street, in a hospital bed was a man who also tested himself, overcame his doubts and fears, pushed through pain and discomfort to reach the summit or the end of a long trail.  I was inspired, I was challenged, I had experienced the Armory track.

At noon on February 16th, with his children by his side, Norm shed his mortal body, and left us on this earth to remember and grieve.  As we reflect, we will miss so many things, but we will also be inspired to take on extraordinary challenges, and believe with the right amount of preparation and planning, we can achieve great things.

Lake Placid Loppet

Trails at Mount Van Hoevenberg, Friday evening before the final grooming.  This place is awesome!

I chose to do the Lake Placid Loppet this year, because it is a seeding qualifier for the American Birkebeiner race held in Northern Wisconsin.  Completing the "Birkie" is a bucket-list item, and I would like to do that race next year if everything works out.

I decided to do the 50 Kilometer Classic Race, which consists of 2 laps of a 25 K course at Mount Van Hoevenberg.  The course is a slightly modified version of the course used for the 50 K race in the 1980 Winter Olympics.  The trail system at "Van Ho" is very hilly, especially at the east end.  The terrain takes the 50 K Loppet skiers up 3680' of total climbing during the length of the race.  I have heard from a number of sources that this course is one of the hardest for anywhere based on it's profile.

The only other time I did this race was in 1992, when I skied the 50 K Skate race to finish my first event of that length.  That was so long ago, the difficulty of the course had faded in my memory.  I was much younger, in better shape, and a lot dumber than I am now.  This year chose to ski in the classic technique, since I have recently completed a number 50K  events in that style, and it is also the easiest style for me to train in.  I also plan to ski the classic event at the Birkie.

Race morning started out in the high teens, but it was about 20 at the 9:00 AM start time with a stiff  north westerly wind.  I was prepared for much colder conditions, so this was a relief.  My glide wax was Swix LF4 and for my kick wax I had a base of Swix Polar, with a couple layers of Swix Green topped off with Swix VR 30.  While warming up, I talked with a few other skiers who went with sligthly warmer kick waxes, more in the blue range.

The stadium, before final grooming.  No stands, just the timing booth on one side and a ski lodge on the other.  This was where the 1980 Olympic races started and finished, so that is why it is called a stadium.

For the classic technique races, the 25 K and 50K skiers started together.  The stadium has plenty of width, and the early trails are wide enough to accommodate that type of start.  It was a little chaotic as everyone found their pace and place in the first 2 K, but everyone got in line as we skied toward Porter Mountain, where we tackle the hardest climbs on the course.  As I was evaluating my skis at this early stage of the race, my kick was as good as, if not better than the skiers around me.  As usual, my glide, was not on par with the other skiers.

As we started hitting the series of hills just after 5K, I was hanging well with large group I was skiing with.  When you look at the map, the trails actually skirt the lower slopes of Porter Mountain and produce a long climb which steps between shallow striding stretches and much steeper sections which require the herringbone technique.  By the third or 4th steep grade, I recognized that staying with this group was causing me to go too anaerobic, especially on the steeper portions.  At first I told myself I was OK, and could recover on the downhills.  However, the climb kept going and just when I thought we were at the top, there would be another steeper section around the bend.  I started intentionally backing off the pace, and slowly fading back through the group as it stretched and thinned out.  I couple times as I rounded a bend and saw a another steeper and longer uphill staring back at me, I started struggling with doubt...it was getting bad.

On the way back to the stadium, the course climbs another mountain on another trail loop where you are close enough to hear the stadium announcer, but then ski away in the wrong direction and up a another long climb.  At one point you can see the remaining 400 meters of the climb and where the skiers ahead of you are topping out...I hoped.  I started really doubting my ability to finish this race, especially at this pace, so I backed off the accelerator again and measured my pace especially on the steepest parts.

The course descends sharply, and does another inner loop where you again ski away from the sounds of the stadium and go up a smaller hill, which was really playing with my mind.  Finally I made it around that loop and back to the stadium, passing to pass 15 K mark.  On the opening eastern loop we were protected from the wind, but now we had to ski into the teeth of the strong wind and drifting snow in the wide open stadium.  I took a feed and headed toward the 10 K western loop.

View from race course on western loop, with the bobsled run in the background on the flanks of Mount Van Hoevenberg.

The western loop is also wooded and protected form the wind, and trails are constantly rolling with some nice flat sections and many short and steep hills.  I started realizing the pace was taking a toll on me, especially when I hit a couple steep little climbs on the return to the stadium to end the first lap.  I was still skiing in a small group, and they all began picking up the pace, so I knew some of them would be finishing.  As we went through, everyone in the group went left and into the 25 K finish, as I skied right and out to my second lap.  I lapped through at 1:59, which I was really pleased with, but knew it was too fast and I would pay for my efforts on the second lap.

Now I was out on the trails, mostly by myself, headed toward the crushing hills on the Porter Mountain loop.  This is when self-doubt, the ultimate mental enemy, reached it's peak.  I had to stave it off by remembering all the hard training I did and how I have been this state before and always have been able to finish.  I concentrated on getting all the GU gels and warm Powerade energy drinks to make sure I had the calories to get through this second lap.  At the 30 K feed I took a gel and a drink, and said to the volunteer, and myself, "Here comes the hard part"...profound.

On the first lap I was doing the herringbone up the steepest sections at running speed and passing skiers.  Now I was reduced to walk and on the verge of cramping on the steepest section.  It was about managing my pace so I had enough muscle strength to steer the skis on the fast downhills and then being able finish the final 10 K western loop.  The second time  through, all the hills were physically harder than the first lap, but mentally a little easier, because I knew what to expect the second time up.  All the places where I was mentally defeated on the first lap, I was prepared to coach myself through them the second time.  Somewhere in the middle of the lap 2 skiers passed me, mostly due to their fast skis on the downhills.

When you are doing event of this length, there is a lot time to think.  Most of that time is spent reacting to what the race throws at  you.  The weather, course, snow conditions, other skiers, hydration and nutrition; all those things take a lot of concentration to make sure you are putting yourself in the position to both compete and finish.  Now on the second lap it was less about competing and more about finishing.  I was thinking about Anne, and how she has supported me in all my strange obsessions with odd types of endurance sports, I wanted to honor that with my best effort.  I was thinking about my children, who I've enjoyed cheering on as they took on similar challenges, and I wanted to be a good example by not giving in to fear and self-doubt.  I was thinking about everyone I trained with now and in the past, and how I have learned how to train, push myself and have some fun along the way.  I wanted to match their commitment to the craft of preparation and execution on race-day.  I was thinking about the high school runners I coach, and how they inspire me with their youthful enthusiasm for competition and self-improvement, I wanted to rekindle that love for life and sport.  I had a lot of reasons to finish this race.  All those thoughts got me through those hard climbs and back into the stadium to pass the 40K mark.

I made it through the hills, and now knew I could finish, but last 10K loop was about survival.  The 25 and 50K skaters started at 10:30, and they started passing me.  I knew it would happen, and it was happening, as I feared on some narrower trails.  I would need room to herringbone at crawling pace up these last hill, and they would need room to skate past me, which takes even more trail width.  Fortunately we did not get into any situations where I impeded any of them, at least that I was aware of.  At one point, as I was physically and mentally struggling through a climb, a skater drew even with me and stopped to recover on the steepest section, we exchanged words of encouragement.  He then continued on, never to be seen again.

I made it through the last loop, especially prepared for the last steep little climb before the finish.  Into the stadium, tried to muster a little double pole sprint, but the body was not having it.  I crossed the finish line in my usual stupor, and mumbled my thanks to the volunteers handing out the finish swag.  I made, but was really too tired to register anything close to pride, or even satisfaction.  I was just happy to be alive, upright and able to get off the course on my own strength.  Other more profound thoughts would arrive later, when self-reflection would temper the raw emotions you experience during the event.  I did what I could, and have to be happy with that.

My time of 04:20:15.8 placed me 12th out of 23 skiers and 6th in the 50-59 Age Group.

What did I learn?
The biggest mistake I made was not spending more time looking at the course map and preparing for the difficulties of the course.  I also needed to have a better handle on where the kilometer markers where on the course.  Also, looking at the registration lists and knowing there were a lot more 25 K skiers than 50K, would have been been good idea.  If I would have had more of that information, I would have made better decisions about pacing and been more patient on the first lap.

My ski-specific training was not very focused this winter, especially preparing the muscles used in the herringbone technique on the steepest hills.  I need to do more squats, leg presses, stair climbing, and skate roller skiing.  As always, I need to do more work on the double pole muscle groups, such as long double pole sessions on the roller skis, pull-ups, sit-ups and other strength training on core muscle groups.

As always, getting the wax right is something I will need to continue to work on.  If I ever invest in the high fluoro-carbonted waxes, it will probably help, but I would like to find a way to get better glide using the low-fluoro waxes. I need to get a better handle on where my wax pocket is on my race skis.  I think I am making my kick zone too big and getting drag from my kick wax at either end from my kick wax.  In the end, I need to accept reality: poor physical and mental preparations cost me a whole lot more time than poor waxing.

I love skiing, but I am not able to compete on the level I do in other sports where I can train and race more specifically and frequently.  I have always known this, but accept it more with each event I complete.  Many times, especially when disappointed with results, I question my choice, mostly due to where I live, and lack of time I have to train and race on snow.  However, in the end, what I enjoy about the sport overcomes those thoughts.

Frozen Mirror Lake in the foreground and setting sun illuminating the mountains in the background.

Day Two: Ashville to Linville Falls

Morning sun as we climbed toward Craggy Garden

100th  mile on the Parkway

Again we had to sneak out of the campground in darkness, trying to be quiet and not wake up our neighbors. We stopped for Breakfast at the Waffle House, and had a decent meal for a reasonable price, and the waitress was friendly too.

Derek and Kelly dropped us off at the intersection of Route 70 and the Parkway.  It was a cool but comfortable morning since we were starting at the modest elevation of Asheville.  The climbing started right out of the box, like the day before.  Despite the filling breakfast, I started getting hungry within the first half hour.  I noticed that I had to be eating pretty regularly for the first 3 hours or so in the mornings.

On the way up we had some nice views of mountain homes, and even someone sleeing in the open bed of a pickup at one of the first overlooks.  As we climbed upward we passed mile marker 369, which meant we had completed our 100th mile on the Parkway.

As we continued, we saw a number of local riders out for an early Sunday morning ride.  We passed 2 riders at one overlook, and they caught up to us as we were finishing a food and water break.  Our timing lead to us riding with them.  They were locals who would often ride to Craggy Garden on a Sunday morning and had also ridden to the top of Mount Mitchell once.  They asked about our ride, and gave us enough information about the Climb to Mount Mitchell, for us to feel that we could accomplish it.  We arrived at Craggy Garden a few minutes after they did.

Mount Mitchell, this was a popular sign

View from Mount Mitchell

The road to Mount Mitchell is bit steeper than the regular grades of the Parkway, but it is also extra detour from the Parkway itself.  When Dale was planning the itinerary for this trip, he allowed time to make take the side trip if we thought our legs were up to it, if we were on schedule for that day and the weather/visibility would make it worthwhile.  Since we made it to Craggy Gardens pretty much on schedule, we decided to make a go for it.  The road was also a bit straighter, which made it easier for cars to pass us, We had the gears and the time and put it in the long grind mode.  Near the top another local rider caught us, and I rode with him for a mile or so.  He was checking out the climb to prepare for a ride in October with his cycling friends from his former home in Ohio, to celebrate his 60th birthday.  Near the top a dear dashed across the road in front of us.  Due to my heavier bike and bags, I couldn't keep pace.

Near the top, there is a visitor's center, parking area and a trail to a observation deck on the actual peak.  There was a gentle breeze and the temps were comfortably cool.  We had to stand in line to get a picture at the sign.  While we were hanging out at the top, eating our lunch, I offered to take a sign picture for a young family.  the  a noticed my Penn State socks and said he was a fan.  He (Dean) was actually from the Boston area and wrestled at Edinboro.  He and his family had lived in Chester Springs PA before moving to Charlotte, NC.  They were on a day-trip to visit the peak.

Later in the afternoon, looking back toward the Black Mountains

So all that climbing paid off with a nice descent, back onto the Parkway with even more downhills.  the afternoon destination was Little Switzerland.  The road continued to curve up and down, and we had nice views of the Black Mountains as we headed east.  As we were struggling up one of the many climbs that afternoon, Dale asked me what % of the Parkway so far was flat, and my response was something like "less than 1 %, and that is rounding up".  In other words, the terrain was making it tough on us mentally and physically.  After the nice cool breezes in the higher elevations, it was getting hot at the lower elevations, especially in the few open spots.  We limped into the Little Switzerland General Store for a much needed food and water break.  It was crowded, and there was a line at the cash register but we endured.

Dale had a very good handle on the terrain to come and warned us there was one last 3 mile climb to our evening campground at Linville Falls.  Even knowing we were close and the climb was pretty hard, and it seemed to stretch on forever.  Just when you think the top is around the next bend, it keeps going up.  As we were struggling slowly up a steeper part of the climb, a van passed us and the passenger yelled out "Go, you can do it!"  after a string of cars passed, someone encouraged us again from another van with "Go, you can do it!".  After they were up the road a bit, Dale said "they must be related",

Post Office in Linville Falls

The climb finally did end, and the few miles to the campground were mostly downhill.  The campground was really nice,

We had a great dinner at Spears BBQ in Linville Falls, a very rural North Carolina Village.

Cateye 

77.79 Totals miles
7:35:07 Riding time
42.1 Maximum speed
10.2 Average speed

Day One: Cherokee to Asheville

Morning dawns over the Smoky Mountains, during the early miles of the Parkway

Three things that you need to know; 1) the Blue Ridge Parkway was designed by someone who had no interest in finding the shortest distance between point A and B, and 2) was infatuated with his/her french curve, and 3) was oblivious to how the terrain would affect people touring by bike.  With that knowledge, as a cyclist you are less like to curse the intentions of this well meaning person.

Our starting point at
milepost 469.1

Elk disappearing
into the woods

We left the campground in darkness and had a very filling and tasty breakfast at Peter's Pancakes and Waffles in Cherokee, NC.  We were on the road at milepost 469.1 by 7:40, as daylight expanded.  We encountered our first tunnel and passed Big Witch Overlook.  On the descent to Soco Gap, we encountered an elk standing calmly in a little grassy spot along the road.  As a few cars stopped, it was not immediately spooked.  However, by the time I got my phone out and unlocked, I took a quick pic as it headed into the surrounding woods.  Passerby's said there was a pair of elk just down the road, but we did not see them.  Within a half mile or so, Dale experienced a flat in his rear tire.  A few miles later we passed a single wild turkey along the road.

The road was pretty quiet for the first hour, but as we climbed toward Waterrock Knob, groups of motorcycles started passing us.  The Harley-types could be heard approaching well in advance, and after they passed could be heard many miles in the distance as the wound along exposed sections of the parkway.  Since a motorcycle can pass a bicycle rider within the same lane, our presence on the road did not seem to slow them down very much.  A group of 3 or 4 guys on moto GP style bikes came flying by us and as they entered the next turn their knees were just above the grass as they leaned into the turn...those are the guys we have to watch out for.

View from Waterrock Knob

During the quiet moments we could hear elk bugling and turkeys clucking in the distance.  The air was cool and comfortable and sun was shining, it seemed like conditions could not be better.

View from Richland Balsam Overlook

Since the morning was spent mostly climbing, it was appropriate that our lunch stop goal was Richland Balsam overlook, which at 6053 feet is the highes point on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We pulled in and were cooled by a nice breeze and cool air.  we enjoyed a beautiful view as we ate our lunch.  A few people wandered over to ask where we had started or where we were going.  One couple must hove thought we looked in such sorry shape that they gave us a sleeve of crackers and a bottled water to each.  The kind gestures from strangers we encountered along the way were uplifting.

Sign at Richland Balsam

From the high point, of course there was a lot of descending to do, but really we were either going up or down.  As the day wore on we entered Pisgah National Forest and came closer to the City of Asheville motorcycle and car traffic really began to pick up.  The cycles could easily pass us, but since the Parkway is narrow and has no shoulder cars would have cross into the opposing lane to pass.   As we slogged up a climb we could hear the cars queuing up behind us and then gunning to pass us when they had an opening.  Since the road is always curving, many times cars trying to pass  had little sight distance to safely pass.  Somewhere near Pisgah Knob a large pickup, got impatient and tried to pass, when they were even with us, another pickup was coming the opposite direction and had to go off the road to avoid a front-end collision, it was a very close call.

This Saturday of Labor Day weekend, and there were a lot destinations along this portion of the Parkway that locals were visiting for one last summer weekend.  There were a couple of places where parking areas were overflowing and people were parking on the grass shoulders of the roadway.  the constant flow of traffic with lines of cars passing us at higher rates of speed, caused many stressful situations for us.  On one of the descents a local rider out for a Saturday afternoon ride passed us.  We exchanged a few words of encouragement, and then we tried to follow him on the long downhill.  After about 20 minutes he was out of site.

As we continued to descend we could see that we were getting close to the level of the valley floor.  At a couple view points, we could see the Biltmore mansion in the distance, perched prominently on a hill within the estate.  We continued to desend past the southern perimeter of the  North Carolina Arboretum.  As we crossed the French Broad River, we knew we were at a low point on the Parkway.

From there we had a few miles of rolling hills till we arrived at route 70 where we exited the Parkway.  We finally hit 70 and still had 6-7 miles of riding to our spot at the KOA campground.  For some reason I was struggling with both mental and physical fatigue at that point, and it was probably the hardest part of the trip.  It seemed like such a short distance, but it was on a 4 lane road with traffic lights and intersections.  After the somewhat controlled environment of the Parkway, it was a tough stretch, and the roadways expansion joints added to the annoying aspects of this ride.  When we finally arrived it was quite a relief.

Cateye Computer
93.63 Miles
8:23:47 Total riding time
Avs 11.1  Average speed
MX 41.2 Maximum Speed

Polar

NPS Map - Interactive Map of Blue Ridge Parkway.

Mileposts - Text list of mileposts for important points of interest along Parkway.

Winter 2013/2014

Snow cover in  back yard and...perfect crust skiing, especially in the early AM

Remnants of a snow cave carved by Jacob and Nick.

Winona Forest Tourathon 2014

I participated in the 34th Annual Winona Forest Tourathon for the second consecutive year, on February 22.  It is a 50 kilometer cross country ski race, skied in the classic technique.  It is held on a 12.5 km course in the Winona Forest, just east of Mannsville, NY.  This is in the Tug Hill region, which receives almost 300" of snow annually which mostly comes in the form of Lake Effect snow from Lake Ontario.

The drive from Stevens, Pa to the Tug Hill region can normally be completed in a little over 4 hours, but this was not going to be a normal trip.  After packing and waxing skis, I finally got on the road over an hour behind schedule.  It was a warm rainy day in Pa, and I was concerned about the trail conditions at the race course since the forecast called for below freezing temperatures overnight.  I emailed the race director about whether the trails would be too icy to race.  He kindly responded that the trails should be good, but high winds might be an issue.  I decided since I had taken the day off work, I probably should stick with the plan and head north.

As I drove north, I encountered a lot of fog and heavy rain.  My route was 222 to Reading, 61 to Port Clinton, 895 to New Ringold, 443 to Tamaqua and then 309 to 81 around Hazelton, and then 81 through Binghamton, NY to the Tug Hill region.  There was a detour in Tamaqua, due to a bridge project, and I either missed the signs or the detour was poorly marked, so I ended up wasting 20 min. finding my way.  When I stopped for lunch at a Subway in Hazelton, the rain was really dumping.  By the time I got to Binghamton, the rain had stopped and it was clearing.

As I drove north toward Syracuse, I noticed that the snowpack was actually thinner here in south central NY than it was in most of Pa.  Many of the February storms had tracked south of this area, and lake effect events don't contribute much in this corridor.  There were a lot of bare spots on south facing slopes, and water standing in low spots.  After passing through Syracuse, the snow-pack started to get deeper as I drove north and got closer to Lake Ontario.

Results

Harris Lodging

Bedroom at Harris Lodging

Kitchen and dining area

Lounge

CCC Camp building and icy parking lot.  Race registration and coordination operates out of this building.

Snowbanks along the road leading to the CCC camp and start area.

Winona Forest trailhead and race start area.  This is a dirt road when the snow melts.

Epilogue

Would you do it again?  Maybe.  Would you do it differently?  Probably.

As I told some of you, it was one of the hardest things I ever did.  I suffered in many ways that I expected, and in few that I didn't.  However, the trip was a great experience because of all the people we met along the way, strangers and friends alike.  There was great scenery, historic towns and monuments and even some wildlife in places.  The landscapes varied from old industrial towns, remote rural landscapes, small rural towns, historic and current transportation corridors, and event the nation's capital with all it's architectural grandeur. As the pain subsides (slowly in some places) and things heal, our selective memory tends to focus on the positive sides of the trip.  There were a lot of things that I wished had captured in photographs, but didn't do because of time, fatigue or both.  I tried to describe some of them, but I don't think I really did them justice.

So back to the questions.  I may do this trip again, but there are a lot of other places I would like to see and explore by bike, foot, skis or boat (canoe/kayak).  If I would do it again, I would take 4 or 5 days so I could enjoy some of the towns, sites and side trips along the way.  I would do it in opposite direction for the different perspective, and to have he smooth trail at the end of the trip.  I would either ride a road bike with a steel frame and longer wheelbase that would absorb more trail shock, or a hard-tail mountain bike with a front shock, and 650 c x 1.9 tires.  Incidentally, on the C&O canal trail over half of the through riders were on road bikes.  I would train more on rougher trails, do a couple more long rides in my training regimen and alter my position to be more upright on the bike.

During the trip, I made adjustments to raise my bars and lower my seat.  I adapted a tire lever to clean my brakes and tire clearance on the last 2 days when mud would cake up and cause drag.  I thought about letting air out of my tires to make the trail smoother, but decided I didn't want to add resistance...maybe a bad decision.

I suffered from saddle soreness, mostly just the pressure type.  I had a very stiff and sore neck at the end of the first day, but that area went numb the next 2 days, so that was that.  The soreness in the Achilles tendons ended up being the biggest unanticipated problem of the trip.  I have a few theories about what might have caused the pain; rough trail, seat too high, standing due to saddle sores, and accumulated time on the bike were all probably factors.

I have learned a lot from this trip, and if time permits I can apply this knowledge to a new challenge.  The purpose of this blog is so you can experience this trip through the words and pictures, and hopefully be inspired to do something big, adventurous and maybe worthy of your bucket list.

Glenn