Bike Trek---Pittsburg to DC

PITTSBURG TO DC

After months of training..the time has finally arrived for us to start our adventure.  

HISTORY: In January 2015, I was biking to and from work, about 3 miles round trip.  That was the EXTENT of my biking.  Mainly for exercise and as a means of eco-friendly transportation.  AND--any excuse to avoid the DC Metro rush out traffic.  It worked.  THEN, Larisa came up with this idea to do a bike trek.  It sounded wild and adventurous--and way out of our league.  It sounded good on paper--but to actually do it, was another thing.  Pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I committed to the trip and we began training.  

TRAINING: From January to March I trained at the gym, mainly due to weather.  Then things got real.  After our last snow storm, on March 10, we began to bike outside.  During the work week we would go on rides from our work to Reagan National Airport.  The trip was around 6 miles RT.  I felt accomplished, and tired, and sore. 6 miles was a big deal.  Then we went 10 miles, and 15, and 22, and 40+.   When you're only biking a few miles, 6 is a lot.  Then 10 is a lot.  It's really all in your perspective. It's all about setting goals and accomplishing them. Now we're going 300 miles!  

This has been a LEARNING PROCESS for both of us.   When I first started biking, I thought there was a problem with my bike.  I was biking much slower than Larisa, and putting in what appeared to be, double the physical effort.  We couldn't understand what was causing this.  We ended up figuring out that my seat was too low--therefore, causing me to use the wrong muscles.  I thought I needed a new bike! 

We've made ADJUSTMENTS since March.  Larisa purchased a new hybrid bike that fits her well.  I've outfitted my bike with more comfortable and practical items, such as thinner hybrid tire for increased speed, a gel seat--which is a live saver, and ergonomic handle grips--to reduce wrist pressure.  It all matters.  

OUTFITTING: The more you bike the more things you think you need.  So then we started getting the led lights, so we can bike after dusk, and the red flashes for the back, then the camel bak--my most highly recommended purchase, then the bike racks, then the back panniers (go waterproof!), and the front panniers.  

WATER IS NOT ENOUGH! We learned after biking 40 miles in 85F with high humidity--that water is not enough to keep us hydrated.  ELECTROLYTES supplements are a must. So, then a new world of Hammer Nutrition was born.  I have come to appreciate the Hammer Gels--http://www.hammernutrition.com/products/hammer-gel-reg-.hg.html .  They give you an extra boost after a few hours of exercising. 

Trips do not just happen.  We had to PREPARE. A great resource we used was: http://www.atatrail.org/trailbook.cfm .  So many people have gone before us, to create really great guides, and references.  We were able to work off of other routes, to customize our own journey.  We made a list of the all the towns we would be passing, and broke down each day by mileage.  Then we started searching for places to stay overnight along the trails.  One by one, we solidified a schedule and reserved places to stay.



















PICTURES FROM THE TRAINING DAYS: 

After months of biking all over Virginia, Maryland, and DC---we're finally putting everything to the test. 

Starting tomorrow!  

We'll share update of the journey as we can.