Four Months and Counting

Four months from today, August 3, 2008, I am planning to be starting out from Ansonia, PA, in the northern tier of the state, on a 60-mile bike hike. I plan to go about 30 miles or so the first day, finishing the second day, August 4. Which also happens to be my 60th birthday. The "hike" will be along the Pine Creek Rail Trail through the Pine Creek Gorge- one of the natural wonders of the east coast.

I have, in essence, training for this for over a year now. It hasn't been a straight-forward, always moving ahead kind of training. I tend to get lazy or sick or just don't feel like working out from time to time (like the past several weeks- more later on that.) I started very, very slowly at the end of January 2007. Just easy riding of the stationary (recumbent) bike at the fitness center. My cardio was poor, my strength level was poor, my leg strength was poor. So in order not to do something silly or stupid I went slow.

I have not pushed myself since then either. I have added some core and body strength training since then but have consistently worked on the cardio and peddling the bike. I have figured that being able to peddle for long periods of time at slow speeds will help me make the whole 60 miles without too much pain and agony. I am planning on some warm-up rides around home when the weather clears. We have several Rail Trails in the Rochester area that I am looking forward to riding some short distances on.

The only fly in the ointment, so to speak, continues to be my back. That's one of the reasons I have been a little off the past few weeks. I have a long history of lower back problems which over the past few years morphed into lower leg and foot numbness. It has recently had a "qualitative and quantitative" shift that has slowed me down. Some. Fortunately it is not painful. And it doesn't act up when I am sitting.

And since I am not walking the 60 miles, well, I just need to get back on the bike and get moving again. At this point my stubbornness does not allow me to say I'm not going to be able to do it. In fact, I am more convinced than ever that in the end it will be even better than imagined.

As I have said before I will keep you posted. After I get back to the fitness center.