The Fifty Miler -- Lesson Learned?

On Wednesday the boys biked 50 miles on the C&O canal trail that runs on the Maryland side of the Potomac.  Seth and I dropped them off near the Antietam battlefield, then spent the day goofing off and killing time.  I love cemeteries, but all my big kids complain if I suggest stopping at one when we're travelling.  But Seth had a great time playing in one, and if the spirits of the dead watch what's going on near their remains, I'm sure they enjoyed watching him play.  

The boys had a few mechanical issues with Luke's new bike, and this caused them to go SLOW... I had thought they could do the ride in 6 hours easily (they did 25 miles in 2 1/2), but it was almost 8 hours before they showed up at White's Ferry where I was waiting for them.  It was totally dark and I was majorly stressed -- though I'd exchanged a few texts with Quinn, who kept saying everything was fine, my mommy radar was flashing "alert."  Luke just about didn't make it, he was in so much pain that he was moaning when he got to the car.  They did all the prep rides before our vacation in August, and I told him he should do something to get back in shape before the 50, but he didn't believe me.  So it was tough, and if he'd have been able to bail, he may have.  But it was dark and there are few roads that go near the trail so it would have been tough to find each other anywhere but at the ferry.  

So all's well that ends well, and he MAY have learned a few lessons about preparation and enduring trials.  Pain shouldn't be for nothing, right?