 |
Re: [RC] Riding in the dark - a few more questions please - rides2farSLEEP & TRAVEL =What preparations, if any, do you take to deal with the lack of sleep on a 100-miler or the altered sleep pattern of a moon light ride? None. I usually just get 4 or 5 hours the night before the ride. And though I have gotten sleepy when we're going slow after dark (walking) I really haven't had much trouble getting up the next morning. It just isn't something I think that much about. You've got that adrenaline thing going. =What preparations, if any, do you take FOR YOUR HORSE to deal with the lack of sleep on a 100-miler or the altered sleep pattern of a moon light ride? Who says they're not *usually* up during the night? I believe they sleep a lot more on an average day than we do. I know that a 50 disturbs my horse's 10AM to whenever nap. =Do you have generally arrive a few days early or stay a few days late when you do rides that require you to ride at night? I get there Friday morning for a Saturday race. Might not leave quite as early Sunday if we finished late but if we finish by midnight or so we'll pull out around lunch Sunday. FOOD =Do you have any special food items or beverages (for yourself, not the horse) that help you pep up or stay alert? No, but I have learned to take food on the trail with me after dark. If you have to walk for a ways you suddenly notice you are hungry. Those will be the best peanutbutter crackers you'll ever eat! Take enough to share. They can hear the paper crackling when you're walking. :-) =Do you alter your horse's feeding strategy at all? Yeah, I let them eat everything...and everybody's stuff. If it's still on the ground in the vet check and he wants it, he gets to clean it up. :-) I have taken hay with me when leaving a vet check before...just had a flake under my arm. >g< Something you don't think about is that you can see grass during the day and can let them grab bites on the trail but once it gets dark you can't see it and can't offer it. I remember on my first 100 Joylynn Carlson was crewing for someone else and she put pans of mash on her tailgate and drove slowly up the road letting our horses eat as they walked. That was great. :-) SAFETY & TRAINING =It seems that the use of lights are a personal preference. What about reflective gear? Do you use any sort of tape, vests, leg wraps, etc so you can be seen by drivers/riders at night? If you do, where are the best places to purchase? I used to order my relfective tape from NASHBAR a bicycle catalog. They had little reflective stickers & strips that I could just peel off and stick to my stirrup or helmet. Don't even know if they exist any more. =Do you intentially ride at night in preparation for a competition? Not really. If you do, do you generally ride in a group or alone? I've never had anyone I could talk into doing stuff like that with me *intentionally*. However, several people have ridden in the dark with me when I took them on a longer ride than they expected, but then they'll never ride with me after that. :-( I took one kid out and his parents drove over to our house and told my husband, "I think your wife is out riding with our son" Bill said, "Yup". Then they said, "It's dark and they're not back" and Bill just said, "Yeah, she tends to do that". Last time that kid ever got to ride with me. Another husband of a friend called Bill and said, "Angie & Ruth went riding and they're not back. Do you think we should go looking for them?" And Bill said, "If she's not back by morning, we'll go looking for'em". Ruth's husband was just dumbfounded but Bill was serious. That's why I'm so darned careful. I know he wouldn't bother to come looking for a long time! =How much night training do you recommend before you compete in a ride that requires riding in the dark? I just don't think that much about it. If you've gotta ride in the dark, why not do it when they've got 80 miles or so under their belts and they're mellow? :-) =Is it common to hallucinate while riding in the dark? That's Jody's job. I'm the designated rider. :-) No hallucinations here...but remember I'm the one who eats more during a ride than at a family reunion. =Do you have any tips or techniques for dealing with scary situations (wild life or unusual noises) or trail obstacles in the dark? Company. If my out time is 10 minutes before 2 other people heading out in the dark, I'm going to wait on them. If theirs is 10 minutes before mine I will beg and plead and offer to finish behind them, etc. if they'll wait for me. Angie McGhee =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|