Thanks for the reply.
I have no doubt that I can physically do it. Im 26, in the Coast Guard, and they are forcing me to run 1.5 miles 3 days a week right now. Im not in perfect shape, but I bike 20 miles 3 times a week nearly effortlessly here in the Florida heat. The rain has been killing my riding this week though.
The person who had my bike before me is a LBS mechanic. However I do not like the people at the store he works for and plan on going somewhere else.
I personally belive the bike is in great condition. I have brand new tires (they wont be by October) and new breaks.
I have researched my bike before and I do know they were well reguarded. I love this bike, and for the price I got it for, I could not pass it up. Its hard to justify spending money on this sport to my wife, but she knows I love it and is willing to see where it goes. Like I said, I should have $200 available to me in the next few weeks for upgrades or accessories. The only reason I said saddle is because after about 10 miles my saddle starts to hurt. So far I can tollerate the pain, but I dont know what its going to be like 60, 70 etc miles down the road. I was thinking about getting a saddle that relieves pressure on the perineum area, but they are expensive and would eat half of my budget. So I wanted to ask to see if anyone else suggested something else before I get a "luxury" item like a saddle.