Sunday Ride

Today, around 12:00 at church, my Facebook Messenger dinged. I swear I have turned off notifications but I think every time it does an update, it reverts back. In this case it was helpful because it gave me a heads up that I might have missed.

A couple I have know for close to a decade who I don't see as often as in times past (we attend different churches and other variables) let me know that they were heading to my part of Lancaster County to ride their bikes on the rail-trail along the Susquehanna river.

"Heck, yeah," I thought, "I am in." It was a beautiful early Spring morning/afternoon. On the cool side, pristine, and sunny. A perfect combination on the WTO (Weather To Order) touchscreen. This couple is younger and fitter than I, but the rail-trail is is only at a slight grade incline on the way up. We did go off trail for 5-6 miles in search of the White Cliffs of Conoy only to find the road to it closed and blocked with signage stating that trespassing was prohibited. So, we tried to find a ride-around but just couldn't get there considering the time that the couple had to be back for an occasion tonight. That was the rough part of the ride and pretty taxing.

It was the second time I had tried to get to the White Cliffs, so it is turning into something that I have to do before I die and I go the land of my fathers.

We rode 25 miles and I feel unusually chipper now which probably means that I won't be able to walk tomorrow. I always find riding the bike exhilarating and today the rail-trail was crammed which created an exciting video-game vibe of dodging dueling dogs, strollers, slow-pokes, etc. I stopped by for a beer and three glasses of iced water at Columbia Kettleworks after the ride and then headed home. Now, I have that post-ride famishment and the jalapeno dip is not long for this world.

The ride was interesting in that the incline/decline grade is not huge on the rail-trail. It is just enough on the way back to Columbia from Marietta where, with just some decent effort in peddling, we really booked. The wind was also to our backs on the return trip and I don't know if that wind direction is a characteristic of the trail or not.

As usual, I reflected on the principle of imperceptible grade.  Until we got moving, I didn't notice it by sight yet engaging it created this massive momentum. A series of accumulating motion over space and time. It is always much nicer to have the return leg be easier which I learned also from kayaking. Go up river first while full of energy and then let the current help you on the way back. It comes down to not being able to accurately calculate how much energy is going to be required paddling up stream and the time it is going to take to do it. More than once, I have reached the launch area with the sun setting after furiously paddling ahead of its descent. Not good to be on the water in the dark.

I suppose with experience that becomes easier to ascertain but if I save the hard part for the second half I almost always regret it. Things are usually harder than I expect.

Momentum is an interesting force of nature and super-nature. It is typically not the result of a massive amount of effort but rather a sequence of small decisions, like pedaling revolutions, that add up to a big positive difference over time and space. One less beer, an extra five reps with the weights, a five- minute devotional in the morning, a ten-minute prayer on the way to work, 30 minutes of more sleep, reading a book rather than turning the TV on, and the like.

We all swing for the fences rather than get the singles in life that add up to runs rather than strike-out. Set attainable goals and then accomplish them. You will be surprised at your speed down the trail.