Greetings All -

I just bought a bike (Jamis Aurora) and started riding casually about a month ago.

I'm considering doing the MS 150 next April, a 2-day 180 mile ride from Houston to Austin.

I've ridden about 10 times, distances from 5-15 miles, average speed has been 11-15MPH. Although I REALLY enjoy riding, on the longest rides (13-15 miles), my upper back has been soar at the end, maybe some wrist pain, and I'm ready to get off the bike. I'm not fatigued otherwise, without the soreness in those two areas, I feel like I could go further. I'm in OK shape but not great.

So, to my questions:

1) Is this kind of pain/soreness typical for a new, unconditioned rider at distances of only 10-15 miles?

2) How realistic is it to consider the MS 150 in about 8 months? I realize this is a ways away, but sign up (aka commitment) is in October, not so far away. Would I need to aggressively train for this, or is riding 1-3 times/week sufficient?

Thanks in advance, hopefully these aren't repetitive questions.

Amy