Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

We continued on loop 1 at a good pace, only slowing down if there was a short boggy section.  But the footing was remarkably good.  Unlike last year, from what I heard.  It rained all day long - hard - and the trails were really bad.  But ride management and riders persevered, as endurance folks do, and pulled it off.  They were *really* tough last year.

 

We eventually caught up to Bruce Burton on his well-behaved pinto stallion.  He fell in behind us.  About 3/4 of the way through the loop, one of Bear's rear ankle boots slipped down, and I stopped to readjust it.  Lucy and Bruce stopped with me, and Mike and Vonita continued on.  After a quick adjustment, we were "on the road again."  The trails were a lot of fun.  Lots of single track, which I love, interspersed with a tiny bit of road here and there.  Almost before we knew it, we were coming into camp.  Lucy rode on ahead, while Bruce and I dismounted to walk our horses in the last few hundred yards.  Bear pulsed down right away, and vetted through with all As, B on guts.  Bear has great metabolics, and even in this oppressive humidity, he only took a couple of minutes to pulse down.

 

We headed back to the trailer for our hour hold.  Bear wasn't much interested in his beet pulp or hay, but ate carrots and grass.  I drank a yogurt smoothie, ate some trail mix, and drank water.  I'd been drinking Gookinade in my camelbak, but wanted to try and stay as hydrated as possible.  I wanted to slow down a bit on the second loop, so I deliberately went out a little late on my second loop, wanting to let Burce and Lucy go on ahead so that I didn't have to fight Bear to slow down.  I saw them head out, then moseyed over and checked out with timer extraordinaire Linda Parrish around 10:25 or so.  Bear was a little reluctant to head out (ummm...aren't we supposed to be with some others?), but once we hit the start of the trail, his ears went up and he immediately hit a good trot.  He likes to trot fast, and argues if I try to make him go slow.  So we compromised...I'd let him trot his preferred speed for a while, then we'd walk for a while.  He thinks he's "super hors e" and can fly the whole 50 miles.  He doesn't understand about tendons and ligaments and LSD and base and things like that.  Poor boy...he's destined to be a back of the pack or maybe mid-pack horse.  I just like doing the miles and having fun riding neat trails.  :)

 

Loop 2 (17.3 miles) was drier than the first 18.7 mile loop had been.  It, too, was mostly single track, and was a total blast to ride.  Ride management had really put a lot of work into clearing and trimming trail, marking washed out and hazardous places, etc.  One still had to watch the footing and keep an eye out for isolated holes and hazards, but management had done a phenomenal job.  Nice work!  Bear was moving out well, and drinking whenever he got the chance.  There were lots of dry stream crossings with steep banks that were fun to cross and which added even more variety to the trails.  Management had also put markers up every few miles on each loop, so that you could know how many miles you had come, and how many miles were left.  Also, the trails were marked really well.

 

Part way through this loop, my head started pounding, and I knew the heat was really getting to me.  At about the halfway point, I began getting severe abdominal cramps, and nausea.  Uh-oh.  I soon began throwing up.  I knew the signs...heat exhaustion.  I continued to get sick about every 10-15 minutes for the rest of the loop, about 8 miles.  Bear *really* didn't like me throwing up off him...so I had to try and keep him halfway still and get sick at the same time.  It was quite a rodeo.  <G>  I caught up to Bruce and Lucy maybe 4 (?) miles from the end, and followed them in, making my little stops now and then.  Bruce and I got off a few hundred yards before camp to walk in again.  As we were walking up the mowed pasture, I saw Ross waiting for me up by the P&R area.  Next thing I knew, I was getting sick again, right in front of everyone.  Uggh.  Ross ran down to get my horse and help me up the slope.  He vetted Bear through while I watche d.  We headed back to the trailer, with Ross saying that I was NOT going back out, and me saying yes I was.  We wisely tabled the discussion.

 

Ross had the A/C running in the trailer, so I sat inside while he cared for Bear during my 45 min. hold.  Afte cooling off, I felt much better and even ate a turkey sandwich.  I felt sure I'd see it again, but kept that sentiment to myself.  Bear still didn't want his beet pulp, but drank a ton of water and ate hay.  I found out that Rae had completed the LD, but that Ross had been pulled at the finish.  :(  He said it was the right front, and he asked me what a popped splint looked like.  I told him, and he said that might be it.

 

My out time was 2:30.  I mounted up and rode over to check out.  Ross walked over with me.  He'd given me his cell phone, after programming Rae's cell number into it, so that I could call should I get so sick I could not continue.  I put it in my camelbak.  I checked out and headed outfor the finall 14.6 miles.

 

<to be continued>