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[RC] A Newbies Ramblings & A Heartfelt Thank You - Part III - Leslie

MY FIRST LD - (Proper Undergarments)

My first ride ever was Randy Eaton's cow tanks ride back in February.  Now Kathy
could not attend this ride but she tried mightily to cover all the bases for me.
She did a pretty good job but there were a couple of things she either forgot to
mention or I, being sooo smart, chose to ignore.  So along with what to bring, 
what
to feed, where to sponge, etc. etc. etc. she had a few tips on what to wear.  
Moisture
wicking undies were on the list but then again her endurance checklist also has 
things like "dry socks" on it.  Well that just doesn't make any sense so having
ridden in nothing else but my tried and true cotton jockeys I didn't give it a
second thought.  Well in the end I have but one word of regret - OUUUCH!!  My 
only other humble addition is a sports bra as again, I went with the usual.  
Having
had the experience, let's just say that riding 25 miles with your bras straps 
around your shoulders does very little to enhance comfort or support. 

We did complete though, even after a very rocky start.  As it was my first ride 
I opted to start alone 15 minutes after everyone else.  I knew I would have my 
hands
full with Merlin and all his pent up energy.  Even so, he has a huge trot and we
caught up with everyone pretty quick.  At that point we simply were not able to 
pass in a controlled manner.  So as to not be a complete disruption, I got off 
and
we walked for a while.  It took about 15 miles but we were finally able to pass 
other horses in a calm controlled manner.  Not to say that starting with him is 
still not a huge challenge, and sometimes I still have to get off and walk 
before
he simply comes unglued, but we are making progress.  

MY FIRST 50 - (Ride Till Ya Puke!)

Hey lets take our horses, go camp in the desert, get absolutely no sleep, get up
a nervous wreck at an ungodly hour, and go ride 50 miles!  Whose idea was this 
anyway!!

With an LD under my belt I was determined to make my first 50 before our 
impending
move to Ohio.  After all, Kathy would not be in Ohio!  So in April of 2003 we 
were
off to the Indian Springs Elevator CEI*** at the Binns Ranch once again - but 
this
time I had a horse too!  Finally I was going to do my first 50!  I wish I could 
say I was excited but terrified would be a more apt description.  Although my 
main
goal was to complete, I really wanted to start with the group to avoid the 
stress
added by our late start on the LD.  I'd have never attempted this alone but 
Kathy
and Blue were there and we'd practiced.  So I bought a protective vest, really
did not sleep a wink (made getting up fairly easy) and then in a complete state 
of exhaustion, managed to keep my breakfast down the next morning while I tacked
up to ride.

Our preparation did pay off.  The start was a breeze as Merlin was very familiar
with what it meant to "assume the position" and let Blue lead the way.  So in
sum, Blue was my speed brake and Kathy took care of the navigation.  All I had 
to
do was ride!  Along the way, as if it was not completely obvious, Kathy kept 
enthusiastically
telling everyone it was my first 50.  In the end her enthusiasm finally got to 
me.
Once I woke up and made it through the third loop alive, I actually started to 
enjoy
myself!



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