HIV Longevity Still Fighting…

Starting Out and Getting In Shape

We will be riding the C&O Canal from Washington D.C. to Cumberland, MD in the Fall of 2009. We'll be doing this over the course of three days on our bicycles

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I've started my training and I realized that even though I'm in excellent health and fit, I am not in bike shape! My aerobic capacity leave much to be desired, and my butt takes a brutal beating from long rides in the saddle!

I've only been riding for a week. One of those days was on the canal. I see a huge difference now between asphalt and canal towpath gravel and dirt... Ouch!!!

Today is going to be about a 40 mile day for me. And, my plan is to ride two short days (on the street, or on a recumbant bike) per week and one long day (on the canal) on the weekends.

The entire 3-day ride will cover about 160 miles, so we plan to do about 50-55 miles per day with two nights on the trail. Don;t get me wrong, we won;t be roughing it out there in the wilderness... The first night will be at my house, because I live in Brunswick, which is ~mile 57 on the canal. The second night will be in a B&B, motel or hotel.

Why am I doing this?, you ask... I like to have at least one fitness goal per year, that keeps me struggling to keep up throughout the year.

I'll try to keep you posted on my progress.

Wish me luck!