Juliana Moves

A few weeks ago, we visited Elkins, WV. A town… without much going on, BUT surrounded by a ton of sweet, rustic rail trails. Perfect for a beautiful, fall bike ride or bikecamping trip. We rode a few miles on the West Fork Rail Trail and I loved it.

Also, it was hard and my butt hurt.

I’ve been scheming about a bikecamping trip on the Greenbrier River Trail for years but, despite the fact that I can gladly trail for ultramarathons, I haven’t been able to successfully train up for it. This is partially due to the fact that I love running and would rather spend my time and energy doing that, but I know I’d absolutely love a fun multi-day bike trip too. It’s less about the form of movement and more about just being out there for me.

Cycling is really hard for me. I’ve been on and off again riding (more off than on, but whateva) since college, and it never really got easier for me. It was only when I was riding a lot with Patrick (to make him fall in love with me and PLOT TWIST it worked) that I could comfortably ride for a few hours. One year, on the triathlon team in college, I religiously went to one of our spin classes and it made me decently quick, but I can confirm that that did not last LOL. Cycling usually hurts my muscles and my arms and my butt and my fingers go numb and bleh. I know some of the issue is bike fit-related. But also, cycling is hard work!

After our short jaunt on the rail trail in WV, I really started thinking about what it would take to commit to finding comfort on the bike. Both in the actual exercise and in physically being on a bike. After all, I really would love to ride and cross-train more anyway.

I have enough experience in running that I can pretty easily visualize a running training plan. Depending on my goal, I could estimate what weekly mileage works well for me and what my long runs what look like. Cycling? No clue. The logistics are tricker too! I’ll throw on a head lamp and run in the dark or in the rain, but riding? I need middle of the day sun and clear blue skies, please. 

Ultimately, what felt like a good start is to simply reestablish consistency. I made a goal to ride my bike at least once a week. No particular thresholds for time or distance, indoor or outdoor, but to just actually make an effort to ride. So far, so good, although I end up squeezing it in last minute.

Week 1: Rode 16 miles on rail trail in WV

Week 2: Rode a 5 mile loop to the community center to vote and then to the library

Week 3 (today!): Rode 10 miles, including a stop to watch our neighbor’s baseball game

After a few weeks of this, I’m hoping to ride a few more times each week (bike commuting, perhaps?!) and then slowly build endurance and mileage. Do I have an actual end goal in mind for this? No! Should I set one? Probably.

I’ll let you know how it goes! And, if you see me riding out there, please don’t run me over. ❤

Love,

JN