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[RC] Our first 100...kind of, and yes you can do it! Part 1 of 2/LONG - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Skyla slstewart@xxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== Our first 100, kind of? The OWYHEE 100 MILE RIDE After almost 2 decades I was ready to try another 100-mile ride. I came close a couple of times, but something in my gut was just ?not ready?, it seemed to be more then just the normal doubt. Tempo and I had trained extremely hard all winter, with the hopes of starting the year on a slow 75, followed by a slow 100. We came into the 75 in fantastic shape, only one little problem?.I had backed WAY off on the intensity of his training rides about 5-6 weeks before the ride, while at the same time tripling his feed, then to top off the ?making of a tie up? I only did two walking, marking trail rides in the 10 days before the ride. Wellllll, yuppers that did it for sure, he gained almost 50 pounds, which he did not NEED, and even though we walked most of the first mile out of camp, I caused him to tie-up. Caught it early, got treatment and a trailer ride back (all of 1.5 miles to camp), and just followed the vets advice. Tempo looked and felt %100 normal Tuesday after the tie-up, and had seen the vet with a good report. Wednesday, I started to ride him. The 100 miler that I had such hopes for trying was only 10 days away, it now was no longer on our personal calendar. I just wanted Tempo to be OK and be back to his old self. I rode him, cut his feed back 2/3rds, and gradually increased the speed and distance, added some hills each day. One week after tie up, I needed to give him a good exercise challenge over the weekend, to determine if I felt he might be OK to go do the 60 at the up coming ride. He did SO super, after talking it over with two vets, they both said ?if he is going to tie up again, it won?t matter what mileage you are doing?, with a hearty ?go for it? from the vet that had first treated Tempo, I decided I would sign up for the 100. The week before the 100 I kept in touch with friends that were of a VERY positive mindset, and were of great support of us doing our first 100. I worked on MY attitude, did not expose myself to any negative or doubtful feedback from anyone, and just concentrated on what I needed. I have found that many times ?I? am not very pleasant company for myself, and I had NO intention of inviting that part of me to this ride! Instead of the bad things that I knew would be, I concentrated on the good that comes with going at a turtles pace and getting the ride done. I worked on preparing myself to ?accept? the pain, the fatigue, the dementia, and other not so pleasant things, to accept them and to let them flow over me and become part of the experience, and NOT to rule the experience. I worked up my ?happy? side and used it to my full advantage, and trust me, I can be a very ?happy? weird person given half a chance. I packed up, and headed off for what was to be Tempo?s first 100-mile ride, and what just as well be my first, I had done only one and that was almost 20 years ago. That was when it was ?only another distance to be ridden?. :oP Sometimes being naïve has it?s advantages. End of part one.... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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