So, I have to be honest. I haven't been training for this cross country ride. This is mostly because there just isn't enough time to commit to riding. As it is I'll be riding for 2+ months straight, so it's hard to justify taking off work or slacking on school to get a few miles in beforehand. That's not to say I haven't been riding at all. I've taken a few good rides in the past month, the last of which I finally loaded up my bike with 36lbs of gear to simulate what it will be like carrying everything. It may seem like common sense but it's not a good idea to go from riding with no extra weight to riding with almost 40lbs of gear and going full throttle on a very demanding and hilly 60 mile ride. Common sense is over-rated :P In retrospect I realize I should have gone easier, and I'll definitely be more cautious from here on out. I had a very bad pain in my left knee that hurt terribly for the last 20 miles home. The next 2 days the knee was very tight and stairs were my worst enemy. It feels fine now, I'll just have to keep an eye on it.
