Re: RC: Conditioning for 100 milers

[Tivers@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/31/00 8:30:26 PM Pacific Daylight Time, DebiG54@aol.com 
writes:

<< Sarah and Tom:
 
 My prescription for success has never included extremely long distance 
 training.  My longest training rides will rarely go over 25 miles.  On my 
 very fit horses being prepared to win, that distance will be covered in two 
 hours on hilly, somewhat rocky terrain.  I feel better doing at least one 50 
 mile race at top, winning speed before asking a horse to do the same in a 
one 
 hundred miler as the season begins.  However, I've started the season with a 
 hundred miler, felt like the horse was slightly undertrained and had great 
 success. >

Success is a relative thing. The exercise protocol that won today's race will 
not win next year. Again, if all you can do is what you've always done, then 
all you can be is what you are right now. Others will move forward--if you're 
going to be competitive, you must move forward as well. Never say never. 
 
 >I personally believe extreme training distances (such as 100 miles in a 24 
 hour period) are overkill.>

You might ask the French if that is true before adopting that belief too 
religiously. 


 > I can't imagine that type of training being 
 carried out for many years in a row.  Bodies can only stand so much.>

Judiciously progressively-loaded exercise results in a tougher athlete. My TB 
people can't imagine more than 2 miles of gallop in a day for the same reason 
you just cited. You and I can tell them that they're complete fools, can't 
we? 

>  To give 
 an example...CBS Redman lasted 10 years at the top, placing first or second 
 in nearly every race he ran.  His training always included intense work at 
 whatever distance my time would allow.  (I was raising 3 kids--never had an 
 actual training schedule).  And as a horse starts to age and suffer the 
 inevitable wear and tear, extreme distance would be even more risky, not to 
 mention unnecessary.>

You certainly cannot make a square peg fit in a round hole. You certainly 
can't put a semi-cripple through much in the way of aggressive exercise. My 
TB guys als cite "wear and tear"--as reasons their perfectly sound youngsters 
can't gallop more than two miles, as well as their toughened aged horses. 
They have a 2 mile religion.
 
 >Once a horse has good base training behind it, training rides should be 
 intense and include intervals, hills, and speed.  I agree with Tom about 
 training at an intensity that will equal or surpass your competition pace. >

A year ago, I would have agreed with you 100%. But I've had to be taught some 
things in the interim. Force-fed. Re-taught what I had already learned, and 
fogotten. That "base" is money in the bank. And base means what the athlete 
can safely deliver, on any given day, in terms of mileage alone. From base, 
you can taper and start to squeeze the juice from the lemon--take money from 
the bank and trade it for performance--sustained speed. 

What I found when I began looking at endurance was that most were afraid of 
intense exercise--of all things, they were concerned about lactic acid. I was 
able to drastically improve some horses over the short term by simply 
training them at higher heartrates, higher speeds, using intervals. But with 
a shallow base, that can only take you so far, There's not enough substance, 
not enough juice, to squeeze for very long. A shallow base limits the volume 
of the faster workouts--go too far and you achieve lameness, or staleness, 
or, whatever--the system falls apart. What appears to be safe is interval 
workouts that add up to about 1/2 of the horse's base single-day mileage 
capability. 

In the years to come, if you are going to remain competitive, you're going to 
have to increase the overall volume, not only of the specific race 
preparation, but of the base that is its foundation. The French are already 
doing it. Some Americans are already doing it, and another dozen athletes 
from around the world are already doing it. And they'll be doing more next 
year. And more the year after.   

 
 >Of course, intensity should be increased gradually and carefully.  
Obviously, 
 it's ideal to mimic whatever conditions you'll face in competition during 
 your training, whether it's mountains, sand, humidity, high altitude, or 
 whatever.  Reality being what it is, you do the best you can. >

Agreed. Exceed competitive conditions when it's safe to do so.   
 
> And Sarah, the Old Dominion is certainly not a speed course.  If you 
finished 
 it at any speed, you KNOW what an accomplishment it is to cross that finish 
 line.  Now, if you want to finish the Old Dominion before dark (Redman did 
it 
 3 times--shameless brag, I know) you'll have to plan, train, and pray for 
 moderate weather.
 
 Debi Gordon >

Never say never.

ti
  >>