First, some comments on the route: It was not flat! As I left Alexandria along Four Mile Run (about the 18 mile point), I climbed from sea level to 400 ft. The Washington and Old Dominion Trail does a lot of gradual ups and downs. The ride beside the Fairfax County Parkway seemed like an endless upgrade slog. High-speed cyclists normally don't notice these gradual climbs, but if you're trying an endurance event, conserving your energy, you really have to guard against early burn-out.
It's been a while since I've ridden the length of the W&OD. While the Park Authority has been able to remove many of the at-grade crossings, there are still several places where you lose significant momentum. There's a cross walk in Herndon that makes you wait an eternity for a green. And, Saturday traffic does not give you a break for a 'guerilla' crossing.
But, at many of the other at-grade crossings, an interesting sociological pattern has emerged. Even though bike riders are required to stop and cars have the official right-of-way, drivers are inclined to stop and wave the rider across. This is a new development! I remember waiting forever at the side of a busy road while traffic streamed past, oblivious. I'm guessing that enough drivers have found themselves on a bike waiting to cross, and this creates a change in the behavioral norm. Either that or I found the nicest six people in Northern Virginia yesterday.
The purpose of a dry run is to check out all the systems -- including the body -- before traveling to a century. I'm trying to see what hurts and what doesn't. It's nice to know that nothing really became the 'locus of pain' for this ride. At the age of 58.8, there are really a lot of things that can go wrong, so I take this as spectacularly good news. In fact, some of the things I was worrying about (my Achilles tendon, for example) bothered me so little that I didn't remember there was a question about them until the next day.
It took some major determination to actually jump on the bike Saturday morning. I had set a 7:30 AM start as my goal. It turned out to be a cool and soggy day. The rain showers continued until into the 6AM hour, and the roads were soaked. The overcast never cleared up all morning, and there were some un-forecasted lingering showers. I think if I did not have the motivation of century preparation, I would have bagged the ride. And, as the family gathers on Easter morning, I know I won't ride on Sunday so this would have been a lost weekend.
And, I would not be where I am now, feeling that great sense of achievement you get when you've pushed your own envelope. 75 miles is about ten miles longer than I've ridden in over six years. I allowed myself to break all the nutritional rules last night and have a strip steak and baked potato. It tasted great!
And, to the key question: am I ready for next Saturday's Century? At the 75-mile point, after 2500 feet of climbing (according to my altimeter watch), I felt tired but not 'burned out'. I think, given the fact that the century will be flat, I should be able (just) to roll through the last 25 miles. And, once you have the first one done, the rest just get easier!
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