Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I got sick - sea sickI guess - on my first 100. It was a night of a full 
moon, but it was cloudy and drizzling rain so it was dark almost pitch 
black. Most of the ride was in the deep woods so dark. The areas in the 
open was across scrubby white sand prairie so what little light there 
was made the patterns of light that seemed to move. That didn't help.  
The horse was black so no visual reference of the horse's head. It was 
like I was moving in space in a blindfold with these spashes of light 
moving around me. Yep makes one think of some of the parties I went to 
in grad school in the early 70's.

That part of the trail was flat so not ups and downs to help. By 90 
miles I was really sick. We tied a glo stick to the back of my saddle so 
I would at least have some visual point of reference. That seem to help 
some. So next 100 I did the tie glo sticks n the brest collar.  I 
normally don't use a brest collar but I needed someplace the tie the glo 
sticks. It got dark and a broke turned the puppies on. A patch of light 
moved back and forth on the ground in front of the horse. Back and 
forth, back and forth. The was no way I could keep from seeing this 
light moving back and forth. Within 30 minutes I was sick - ripped the 
damn glo sticks off, stuck them in my pocket and that cured it.

From then on I just kept a small flashlights on me - actually I carry a 
couple small flashlights on a 100 - and would turn them on a look around 
every once in awhile for a few seconds to get persepctive. I've actually 
got one with a red lense. Red light a night doesn't screw up your night 
vision.

I really haven't had any dizziness or sickness problems from 
disorientation since my second 100.  But it can be a problem and if it 
is it can really makes you feel bad.

Truman

Cindy Collins wrote:

> Great advice from all the pros.  I would like to add (OK, all you friends,
> stop laughing!) that quite a few people have some degree of dizziness,
> nausea or vomiting during the night portion of 100s, especially if the
> terrain is downhill.  
>
>  


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The only thing worse than crewing for a female Endurance rider is crewing
for a wet, tired female Endurance Rider! A good crew person has patience, a
sense of humor, and knows that sometimes it's best to say nothing at all!
~  Jim Holland

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