Pictured above is the new Trek 2.3 road bike that I recently purchased from Revolution Cycles in Clarendon. Thankfully tax time brought me a bit of a refund and if I was going to do this race, I wanted to have a somewhat legitimate bike to ride. I went the full nine by getting clipless pedals. These are the kind that lock you into the bike providing much more efficient movements by allowing your legs to both push and pull as you pedal. I’ve been warned that very embarrassing 0 mph falls are inevitable as I get used to clipping in and out of the pedals at stop lights, road crossings, etc. I’m prepared to take my lumps.

This past weekend I took the new bike out on my first training run. My condo is located about a block from the W&OD trail which runs pretty flat from east to west. It makes for a good beginners course. I made it about 12.5 miles all the way out past the Reston Town Center before deciding to turn around and head home for a total of just over 25 miles for my first ride. Overall, not a bad start.

A few quick observations from training session #1:

• My legs felt fine during and after the ride. This is a great sign.
• My rear end is just now recovering. I need shorts with some padding as well as a softer seat.
• My lower back has been sore since. (One soccer and two softball games haven’t helped.) This worries me. I’ve had lower back pain on and off for the better part of 12 years. Regular chiropractor visits helped a bit but I haven’t been in a while since insurance no longer covers it. Not sure how to handle this yet.
• I hate going uphill. Hate it. Borderline depression while I’m riding uphill. I need to learn to enjoy the ride and push myself a bit as the Philly course is described as “challenging”.
• I need to take some food with me on rides. When I turned around in Reston I realized I was pretty hungry and could have used an energy boost.

This weekend I’m headed back out for training session #2 with 30 miles as the goal.

Session Miles: 25
Avg Session Speed: 15.7 mph
Total Miles: 25
0 mph Falls: 0