Last Thursday before I came home for Christmas the weather was in the 60's in D.C. and I thought it was the perfect day to take my bike out for a second ride.

I'm still really nervous riding my bike on the busy roads in D.C., but luckily the D.C.-area has several well-maintained trails perfect for biking and running.

On Thursday, I decided to explore the Capital Crescent Trail for the first time. This is a great trail that runs from Georgetown in D.C. all the way into Montgomery County, Maryland.


Seven miles of trail from Georgetown to Bethesda are nicely paved, while the rest of the trail is crushed stone.


I took my bike to the paved part of the trail and set out on my ride.

I was a little shaky at first. There were a lot of people out running and biking, and I was worried I'd crash into someone.

But after I was going for a few minutes, I was getting a pretty good feel for shifting and braking.

I started feeling more and more comfortable picking up the pace a little bit.

In total, I did a 14 mile ride in just under an hour and ten minutes. According to Garmin, that works out to something close to a 12 mph pace.

I'm hoping we get some more mild days in D.C. this winter so I can take my bike out for some more rides. My bike confidence is definitely building with each ride.