RR: My Legs Hurt

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<BZmdnXIjI-e_pd7dRVn-
[email hidden]>... <snip>

Quoted message said:

I now know I will need to up my daily spinning to 24 miles at a high resistance. I also need to
pace myself a little better. There's no need to be in the front on a social ride. I am doing
Kokopelli's trail in May. It's going to be some hard work from this day on.

Interesting. Mountain biking to many is supposed to be fun, not "hard work". As far as upping your
daily spinning, why don't you try riding your bicycle? Spinning is not mountain biking. If twenty
miles in the Pine Barrens at sea level is tough to you, you're really going to have fun climbing up
out of Dewey Bridge.

JD

JD said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<BZmdnXIjI-e_pd7dRVn-
[email hidden]>... <snip>

Quoted message said:

I now know I will need to up my daily spinning to 24 miles at a high resistance. I also need to
pace myself a little better. There's no need to be in the front on a social ride. I am doing
Kokopelli's trail in May. It's going to be some hard work from this day on.

Interesting. Mountain biking to many is supposed to be fun, not "hard work". As far as upping your
daily spinning, why don't you try riding your bicycle? Spinning is not mountain biking. If twenty
miles in the Pine Barrens at sea level is tough to you, you're really going to have fun climbing
up out of Dewey Bridge.

JD

If my job and family didn't take most of my time, I would be out riding. Yes, it is fun but still
hard work getting in shape. As for Dewey Bridge, I'll just have to try my best. There's nothing
wrong with that. I'm not in a race and I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone other than myself.

Ride-A-Lot said:

I was informed by email (glad I check it first thing in the AM) that the scheduled club ride at
Fair Hills was cancelled. It seemed that the trail bunnies in MD didn't think the trails were
suitable for riding. They should tell that to the equestrians as well. So, we opted for the
alternate ride at Lebanon State Forest in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was 50 degrees and climbing. The first truly spring
weather in our region. The trail was fast this morning. So fast, I could actually keep up with the
'A' group, until I was blind-sided (I'll explain later). The spring smell was incredible and you
can see the first new sprouts of the year coming up from the pine needle covered floor. You could
also here the A-10 warthogs at Fort Dix practicing in the background. The machine gun fire almost
gave us a rhythm to pedal by.

Lebanon State Forest is a huge park (by New Jersey standards). It crosses several highways and
stretches almost from Philadelphia to the New Jersey Shore. It is flat, with Mt. Misery making up
the highest elevation at about 300'. There are miles of trails which are mostly single-track. I
had thought that we would be doing the pink trail. An 8 mile in and 8 mile out single-track. So, I
was giving it all I had to keep up with the leaders, and I was having a blast. When we hit the 8
mile mark it was decided that we'd hit the white trail since it was 60+ degrees and absolutely
beautiful. The little loop added 11 miles to the single-track bliss. This was way past what my
longest distance is. I was good until mile 20. Then I hit the wall. Cramps in my legs and a
burning that could of set the forest on fire. My energy was gone. I had wasted all of it on what I
thought would be a 16 mile ride. Needless to say, the last 7 miles over Mt. Misery were truly a
misery. But I refused to give up and although was crawling, I never got off the bike.

I now know I will need to up my daily spinning to 24 miles at a high resistance. I also need to
pace myself a little better. There's no need to be in the front on a social ride. I am doing
Kokopelli's trail in May. It's going to be some hard work from this day on.

Thanks for reading!=

Sounds like a good ol' fashioned bonk. It is not cured by spinning, fortunately. It is prevented by
restoring energy to your body as you go. Fast carbs. Sugar, honey. Sportsdrink, bananas, Gels
whatever you got. You gotta eat before you bonk though.

The way to train yourself to burn more fat instead of carbs on medium hard rides and above is just
to ride long distances. That's why a lot of the MTB racers are seen doing maybe 50-100 mile rides on
asphalt, just to get their endurance up.At a *low* resistance and an easy pace. The MTB racers I
know do this on their off days. They call it active recovery and rest 😉

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

Per Elmsäter said:

Ride-A-Lot said:

I was informed by email (glad I check it first thing in the AM) that the scheduled club ride at
Fair Hills was cancelled. It seemed that the trail bunnies in MD didn't think the trails were
suitable for riding. They should tell that to the equestrians as well. So, we opted for the
alternate ride at Lebanon State Forest in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was 50 degrees and climbing. The first truly spring
weather in our region. The trail was fast this morning. So fast, I could actually keep up with
the 'A' group, until I was blind-sided (I'll explain later). The spring smell was incredible and
you can see the first new sprouts of the year coming up from the pine needle covered floor. You
could also here the A-10 warthogs at Fort Dix practicing in the background. The machine gun fire
almost gave us a rhythm to pedal by.

Lebanon State Forest is a huge park (by New Jersey standards). It crosses several highways and
stretches almost from Philadelphia to the New Jersey Shore. It is flat, with Mt. Misery making up
the highest elevation at about 300'. There are miles of trails which are mostly single-track. I
had thought that we would be doing the pink trail. An 8 mile in and 8 mile out single-track. So,
I was giving it all I had to keep up with the leaders, and I was having a blast. When we hit the
8 mile mark it was decided that we'd hit the white trail since it was 60+ degrees and absolutely
beautiful. The little loop added 11 miles to the single-track bliss. This was way past what my
longest distance is. I was good until mile 20. Then I hit the wall. Cramps in my legs and a
burning that could of set the forest on fire. My energy was gone. I had wasted all of it on what
I thought would be a 16 mile ride. Needless to say, the last 7 miles over Mt. Misery were truly a
misery. But I refused to give up and although was crawling, I never got off the bike.

I now know I will need to up my daily spinning to 24 miles at a high resistance. I also need to
pace myself a little better. There's no need to be in the front on a social ride. I am doing
Kokopelli's trail in May. It's going to be some hard work from this day on.

Thanks for reading!=

Sounds like a good ol' fashioned bonk. It is not cured by spinning, fortunately. It is prevented
by restoring energy to your body as you go. Fast carbs. Sugar, honey. Sportsdrink, bananas, Gels
whatever you got. You gotta eat before you bonk though.

The way to train yourself to burn more fat instead of carbs on medium hard rides and above is just
to ride long distances. That's why a lot of the MTB racers are seen doing maybe 50-100 mile rides
on asphalt, just to get their endurance up.At a *low* resistance and an easy pace. The MTB racers
I know do this on their off days. They call it active recovery and rest 😉

Thanks for the info. I was eating and doing Cliff Shots, but maybe I need to do it more frequently.
I also heard that an intake of Potassium, Magnisium, and good old Sodium are essential to
preventing the bonk.

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

JD said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<BZmdnXIjI-e_pd7dRVn-
[email hidden]>... <snip>

Quoted message said:

I now know I will need to up my daily spinning to 24 miles at a high resistance. I also need to
pace myself a little better. There's no need to be in the front on a social ride. I am doing
Kokopelli's trail in May. It's going to be some hard work from this day on.

Interesting. Mountain biking to many is supposed to be fun, not "hard work". As far as upping
your daily spinning, why don't you try riding your bicycle? Spinning is not mountain biking. If
twenty miles in the Pine Barrens at sea level is tough to you, you're really going to have fun
climbing up out of Dewey Bridge.

JD

If my job and family didn't take most of my time, I would be out riding.

So, sitting on a spinner is "quality time" with your family?

Quoted message said:

Yes, it is fun but still hard work getting in shape.

It may be for you.

Quoted message said:

As for Dewey Bridge, I'll just have to try my best.

Well, you are paying money and I'm sure there is a sag wagon to collect you up.

JD

JD said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<qbCdnWGMp8mnCN7dRVn-
[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

JD said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<BZmdnXIjI-e_pd7dRVn-
[email hidden]>... <snip>
> I now know I will need to up my daily spinning to 24 miles at a high resistance. I also need to
> pace myself a little better. There's no need to be in the front on a social ride. I am doing
> Kokopelli's trail in May. It's going to be some hard work from this day on.

Interesting. Mountain biking to many is supposed to be fun, not "hard work". As far as upping
your daily spinning, why don't you try riding your bicycle? Spinning is not mountain biking. If
twenty miles in the Pine Barrens at sea level is tough to you, you're really going to have fun
climbing up out of Dewey Bridge.

JD

If my job and family didn't take most of my time, I would be out riding.

So, sitting on a spinner is "quality time" with your family?

After they're asleep it doesn't really matter, does it?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yes, it is fun but still hard work getting in shape.

It may be for you.

When you haven't been in shape most of your life, it is hard work.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As for Dewey Bridge, I'll just have to try my best.

Well, you are paying money and I'm sure there is a sag wagon to collect you up.

Actually, in checking the itenerary, we are shuttled from Dewey Bridge to Hideout Canyon. What
worries me more is the 4000' climb up the Manti La Sal Mountains. If I have to bail half way up,
then so be it.

Quoted message said:

JD

"Ride-A-Lot" <mitchell@[nospam]schnauzers.ws> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Per Elmsäter wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Sounds like a good ol' fashioned bonk. It is not cured by spinning, fortunately. It is prevented
by restoring energy to your body as you go. Fast carbs. Sugar, honey. Sportsdrink, bananas, Gels
whatever you got. You gotta eat before you bonk though.

The way to train yourself to burn more fat instead of carbs on medium hard rides and above is
just to ride long distances. That's why a lot of the MTB racers are seen doing maybe 50-100 mile
rides on asphalt, just to get their endurance up.At a *low* resistance and an easy pace. The MTB
racers I know do this on their off days. They call it active recovery and rest 😉

Thanks for the info. I was eating and doing Cliff Shots, but maybe I need to do it more
frequently. I also heard that an intake of Potassium, Magnisium, and good old Sodium are essential
to preventing the bonk.

You heard correctly. As for Clifshot, I believe that includes very few simple sugars? If not, it
should. I would argue Per Elmsater's advice about sugar. Simple sugars do lead to bonking. I use
HammerGel exclusively and it greatly helps avoid bonking, but your other mentioned items are on
target too. I add sodium to my sports drink since I use Gatorade at about 2/3 strength, (yes,
that's simple sugars, but in my experience, as long as I am getting regular doses of complex
carbs, I have no bonking issues). Sodium, particularly during temps that bring on significant
sweating (anything above about 38-40 degrees F for me), is a necessary addition to most drinks,
I think. Finally, you ARE on target about needing to increase mileage but don't try to equal out
your distance to the longest expected ride. Maybe 2 days a week it should be as long or longer
than that expected distance, but the rest of the days should vary it and as Per suggested, you
need recovery days. Maybe you can do that on the spinner, but I would be going absolutely
bonkers on anything indoors for that long. But if you have the discipline, more power to you.
--
D N I E T S Off to R the M __, D H

Reply to group. (Detestible spammers!)

D H said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <mitchell@[nospam]schnauzers.ws> wrote in message news:hJqdnRXaH-ZqX97dRVn-
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Per Elmsäter wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Sounds like a good ol' fashioned bonk. It is not cured by spinning, fortunately. It is prevented
by restoring energy to your body as you go. Fast carbs. Sugar, honey. Sportsdrink, bananas, Gels
whatever you got. You gotta eat before you bonk though.

The way to train yourself to burn more fat instead of carbs on medium hard rides and above is
just to ride long distances. That's why a lot of the MTB racers are seen doing maybe 50-100 mile
rides on asphalt, just to get their endurance up.At a *low* resistance and an easy pace. The MTB
racers I know do this on their off days. They call it active recovery and rest 😉

Thanks for the info. I was eating and doing Cliff Shots, but maybe I need to do it more
frequently. I also heard that an intake of Potassium, Magnisium, and good old Sodium are
essential to preventing the bonk.

You heard correctly. As for Clifshot, I believe that includes very few simple sugars? If not,
it should. I would argue Per Elmsater's advice about sugar. Simple sugars do lead to bonking.
I use HammerGel exclusively and it greatly helps avoid bonking, but your other mentioned items
are on target too. I add sodium to my sports drink since I use Gatorade at about 2/3 strength,
(yes, that's simple sugars, but in my experience, as long as I am getting regular doses of
complex carbs, I have no bonking issues). Sodium, particularly during temps that bring on
significant sweating (anything above about 38-40 degrees F for me), is a necessary addition to
most drinks, I think. Finally, you ARE on target about needing to increase mileage but don't
try to equal out your distance to the longest expected ride. Maybe 2 days a week it should be
as long or longer than that expected distance, but the rest of the days should vary it and as
Per suggested, you need recovery days. Maybe you can do that on the spinner, but I would be
going absolutely bonkers on anything indoors for that long. But if you have the discipline,
more power to you.

Thanks for your help. I have ordered some products that contain the above items. I'm not a big fan
of gatorade, but I think there are similar products that taste better. I will check out the
HammerGel. I have tried the Cliffshots, Powergel, and Cytomax gel (which has helped the best so
far). Sweating is an issue for me, even at 15 degrees.

I will take your advice on the distance regimin. Spinning inside doesn't bother me that much. I can
control the computer and TV with remotes while spinning and I don't even realize how long I have
been on half the time.

"Ride-A-Lot" <mitchell@[nospam]schnauzers.ws> wrote in message news:hJqdnRXaH-ZqX97dRVn-
[email hidden]... <snip>

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the info. I was eating and doing Cliff Shots, but maybe I need to do it more
frequently. I also heard that an intake of Potassium, Magnisium, and good old Sodium are essential
to preventing the bonk.

I'm a little sceptical about how technical you should get about this at you level of riding. OK,
admittedly I'm only a recreational rider myself and haven't needed to study nutrition in any great
detail, but try something simple taking a banana, a nut bar or two, some trail scroggin or some of
that sports replacement drink in your camelbak before getting into the gels and the really high tech
expensive nutrition stuff.

Good luck with that 4000' climb. How many miles is it? Four thousand will be OK if the gradient is
kind. I did one recently and it was not kind. :-) Still, I had no-one but myself to keep up with!
--
Westie

D H said:

I would argue Per Elmsater's advice about sugar. Simple sugars do lead to bonking.

I think you're confusing bonking and blood sugar levels. Bonking is running out of Glucogen no
more no less. We can store aboit 60 -90 minutes worth before we run out. This can be replenished
on the run with anything that has a high Glucogen Index, GI. Sugar has a high GI and so does
cornflakes, raisins, honey, white bread and a bunch of other sweet food. If this is eaten while
exercising or just prior it will not cause a crash of the blood sugar level, which is what I think
you're talking about. If you eat pure sugar while not exercising this will lead to a high level of
sugar in the blood which in turn will lead to a high insulin level. This in turn always leads to a
so called crash. Ie the bloodsugar level falls down to below where you started out. This is not so
when you are exercising. Eating sugar while exercising will not raise your insulin level and hence
you will not crash. There may be other reasons to not eat simple sugar but to avoid bonking is not
one of them. This is also where the so called "Glucogen Window" stems from. Anywhere up to 30-60
minutes after exercising your Glucogen Window is open. This means you can eat high GI products,
like sugar, without raising your insulin level. The sugar will be immediately transformed into
glucogen and stored in your muscles and liver. Of course I personally prefer honey to white sugar,
but I definitely don't try to avoid it after exercising. A Snickers bar is really good stuff 😉 I
like to mix my own sportsdrinks with just water and honey and I like to bake my own powerbars.
There is absolutely no need to get really technical about milligrams of this or that as a
recreaqtional rider.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

Westie said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <mitchell@[nospam]schnauzers.ws> wrote in message news:hJqdnRXaH-ZqX97dRVn-
[email hidden]... <snip>

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the info. I was eating and doing Cliff Shots, but maybe I need to do it more
frequently. I also heard that an intake of Potassium, Magnisium, and good old Sodium are
essential to preventing the bonk.

I'm a little sceptical about how technical you should get about this at you level of riding. OK,
admittedly I'm only a recreational rider myself and haven't needed to study nutrition in any great
detail, but try something simple taking a banana, a nut bar or two, some trail scroggin or some of
that sports replacement drink in your camelbak before getting into the gels and the really high
tech expensive nutrition stuff.

Good luck with that 4000' climb. How many miles is it? Four thousand will be OK if the gradient is
kind. I did one recently and it was not kind. :-) Still, I had no-one but myself to keep up with!

I have no intention of becoming a "professional" rider. I will do a 24 hour race in August, but
that's just to say I did it. I'm not looking to win it, just to complete it. I have a friend who is
a personal trainer and she has been helping me somewhat. She's not a rider, so her focus is on
weight training. I won't take the nutrition stuff to the extreme level, but it did scare me a bit on
the 27 mile ride the other day. I don't think I would have bonked so bad if I had not tried to keep
up with the lead group.

The 4000' climb is a 38 mile ride. So while the vertical is high it is spread out considerably. The
only obstical that I see is that there is no relief. It is a gradual steady climb the entire way.
When I ride some of the more mountainous trails in my area (Brandywine, Fair Hills, and even Jim
Thorpe), there's always some relief after a couple miles of climbing. So there is nothing here to
practice or train on that equals that climb. Needless to say, I want to do this and I will enjoy
trying at least.

Ride-A-Lot said:

My energy was gone.

There can be another explanation apart from bonking which on second thought i believe is more
plausible. Bonking usually takes a couple of hours to accomplish. This is going above your LT,
lactate treshhold, for too long too early in the ride. I've gotten dropped on the warmup portion of
a ride and those times I've never quite recovered. This is due to my muscles becoming lactic long
before they are warmed up and for some reason or other it seems to take a really long time to wash
them clean again. If I get a proper warmup ( 20-30 minutes) I can go all out on a hill or sprint and
build up lots of lactic acid without any problems. I just keep going at a lower gear and a higher
cadence to wash out the lactic acid. For some reason this seems to be really hard to do if my
buddies waste me early in the ride. The older I get the more sensitive I am to warming up properly.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

"Ride-A-Lot" <mitchell@[nospam]schnauzers.ws> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

JD said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<qbCdnWGMp8mnCN7dRVn-
[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

JD wrote:
> "Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<BZmdnXIjI-e_pd7dRVn-
> [email hidden]>... <snip>
>> I now know I will need to up my daily spinning to 24 miles at a high resistance. I also need
>> to pace myself a little better. There's no need to be in the front on a social ride. I am
>> doing Kokopelli's trail in May. It's going to be some hard work from this day on.
>
> Interesting. Mountain biking to many is supposed to be fun, not "hard work". As far as upping
> your daily spinning, why don't you try riding your bicycle? Spinning is not mountain biking.
> If twenty miles in the Pine Barrens at sea level is tough to you, you're really going to have
> fun climbing up out of Dewey Bridge.
>
> JD

If my job and family didn't take most of my time, I would be out riding.

So, sitting on a spinner is "quality time" with your family?

After they're asleep it doesn't really matter, does it?

Ever hear of night riding?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yes, it is fun but still hard work getting in shape.

It may be for you.

When you haven't been in shape most of your life, it is hard work.

Whose fault is that?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As for Dewey Bridge, I'll just have to try my best.

Well, you are paying money and I'm sure there is a sag wagon to collect you up.

Actually, in checking the itenerary, we are shuttled from Dewey Bridge to Hideout Canyon. What
worries me more is the 4000' climb up the Manti La Sal Mountains. If I have to bail half way up,
then so be it.

SHUTTLED up the Dewey climb? Please don't claim to have ridden the Kokopelli after your tour is all
said and done.

JD

JD said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <mitchell@[nospam]schnauzers.ws> wrote in message news:<Er2dnXRTI-qxdt7dRVn-
[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

JD said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<qbCdnWGMp8mnCN7dRVn-
[email hidden]>...
> JD wrote:
>> "Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<BZmdnXIjI-e_pd7dRVn-
>> [email hidden]>... <snip>
>>> I now know I will need to up my daily spinning to 24 miles at a high resistance. I also need
>>> to pace myself a little better. There's no need to be in the front on a social ride. I am
>>> doing Kokopelli's trail in May. It's going to be some hard work from this day on.
>>
>> Interesting. Mountain biking to many is supposed to be fun, not "hard work". As far as upping
>> your daily spinning, why don't you try riding your bicycle? Spinning is not mountain biking.
>> If twenty miles in the Pine Barrens at sea level is tough to you, you're really going to have
>> fun climbing up out of Dewey Bridge.
>>
>> JD
>
> If my job and family didn't take most of my time, I would be out riding.

So, sitting on a spinner is "quality time" with your family?

After they're asleep it doesn't really matter, does it?

Ever hear of night riding?

Yes, and I do it at least once a week.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Yes, it is fun but still hard work getting in shape.

It may be for you.

When you haven't been in shape most of your life, it is hard work.

Whose fault is that?

That's a silly question. It's my own fault, but that's why I am doing something about it.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> As for Dewey Bridge, I'll just have to try my best.

Well, you are paying money and I'm sure there is a sag wagon to collect you up.

Actually, in checking the itenerary, we are shuttled from Dewey Bridge to Hideout Canyon. What
worries me more is the 4000' climb up the Manti La Sal Mountains. If I have to bail half way up,
then so be it.

SHUTTLED up the Dewey climb? Please don't claim to have ridden the Kokopelli after your tour is
all said and done.

Well, I will say I have ridden it. But, I will always mention the parts I didn't or couldn't do. I
think I will have done quite a bit of climbing by the time it is all over. More so, than we do here
in the mideast. The tallest mountain in my state is only 1300'.

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

JD said:

SHUTTLED up the Dewey climb? Please don't claim to have ridden the Kokopelli after your tour is
all said and done.

Well, I will say I have ridden it.

You'll only be kidding yourself. Cutting one of the most significant climbs out of a major route
like that is cheesy at best.

JD

JD said:

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<Gu6dndIqxO03W9jdRVn-
[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

JD said:

SHUTTLED up the Dewey climb? Please don't claim to have ridden the Kokopelli after your tour is
all said and done.

Well, I will say I have ridden it.

You'll only be kidding yourself. Cutting one of the most significant climbs out of a major route
like that is cheesy at best.

JD

If I were doing this outside of a tour, I would give it a try. So there is no choice in this, as
cheesy as it may be. I'll be back to CO in late July. I'll climb Vail mtn in the heat to make up
for it. 🙂

I do have to ask, and I hope you will be honest. Have you done the trail, including the Dewey climb?

Ride-A-Lot said:

I was informed by email (glad I check it first thing in the AM) that the scheduled club ride at
Fair Hills was cancelled. It seemed that the trail bunnies in MD didn't think the trails were
suitable for riding. They should tell that to the equestrians as well. So, we opted for the
alternate ride at Lebanon State Forest in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was 50 degrees and climbing. The first truly spring
weather in our region. The trail was fast this morning. So fast, I could actually keep up with the
'A' group, until I was blind-sided (I'll explain later). The spring smell was incredible and you
can see the first new sprouts of the year coming up from the pine needle covered floor. You could
also here the A-10 warthogs at Fort Dix practicing in the background. The machine gun fire almost
gave us a rhythm to pedal by.

Lebanon State Forest is a huge park (by New Jersey standards). It crosses several highways and
stretches almost from Philadelphia to the New Jersey Shore. It is flat, with Mt. Misery making up
the highest elevation at about 300'. There are miles of trails which are mostly single-track. I had
thought that we would be doing the pink trail. An 8 mile in and 8 mile out single-track. So, I was
giving it all I had to keep up with the leaders, and I was having a blast. When we hit the 8 mile
mark it was decided that we'd hit the white trail since it was 60+ degrees and absolutely
beautiful. The little loop added 11 miles to the single-track bliss. This was way past what my
longest distance is. I was good until mile 20. Then I hit the wall. Cramps in my legs and a burning
that could of set the forest on fire. My energy was gone. I had wasted all of it on what I thought
would be a 16 mile ride. Needless to say, the last 7 miles over Mt. Misery were truly a misery. But
I refused to give up and although was crawling, I never got off the bike.

I now know I will need to up my daily spinning to 24 miles at a high resistance. I also need to
pace myself a little better. There's no need to be in the front on a social ride. I am doing
Kokopelli's trail in May. It's going to be some hard work from this day on.

Thanks for reading!=

nice, Bill The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind
should give an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]

4000 feet in 38 miles? im sorry, im doing a Beech Mountain race next weekend - - no sympathies

"Ride-A-Lot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

If I were doing this outside of a tour, I would give it a try. So there is no choice in this, as
cheesy as it may be. I'll be back to CO in late July. I'll climb Vail mtn in the heat to make up
for it. 🙂

Vail doesn't get hot, it's too high.

Quoted message said:

I do have to ask, and I hope you will be honest. Have you done the trail, including the
Dewey climb?

Several times, which is why I referred to it in the first place.

JD