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[RC] Getting ready for a 50 - David LeBlanc

Chelsea asked: 

Okay, it's time for another question! What do I (personally) 
need to do to be ready for a fifty? If I'm sore after I ride 
does it mean I'm not in good enough shape? 

Most people get sore, especially early in the season. Once I've been doing
50's every couple of weeks, and 20+ miles or so on weekends off, I'm
generally not very sore.

Working out at the gym can help a lot - especially back and abs - you use
those a lot without thinking about it. Exercise bikes work a lot of the same
muscles as riding. All this depends on your fitness level to start with, and
what you do. I sit in front of a computer all day for work, so that doesn't
help.

What's more important than whether you're sore afterwards is how well you
hold up during the ride. If you're bushed and riding like a sack of potatoes
for the last 10-15 miles, you're not in shape for a 50.

Getting ready for a 50 is a lot more than just being physically ready. We
hear a lot of talk about how the horse won't need various things until more
than 25 miles out, and the same is true of you. I can go 25 miles without
drinking anything, or eating. I can't do that for 50 miles without getting
in trouble. Know what you can eat while exercising hard without upsetting
your system. For me, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are perfect - they
don't spoil, and everything digests nicely, even on hot days.

Know how to get in and out of the vet check on time. It won't hurt you to
miss your out time on a 25, but if you have a 50 with 3 middle checks, it
adds up. Have a bag of some sort and a bucket with a lid for beet pulp in
case you have an out check. Even if the checks are in camp, if it is a long
way from your trailer to the vet, you may want to set up your stuff near the
vet - you need to spend every minute with the horse eating if at all
possible. Don't forget electrolytes for the horse, and for you - Gatorade,
Vitamin Water, V8 - whatever - just get plenty of fluids in you.

If you can, see if you can manage to have a crew on your first 50. We had
that luxury our first year doing 50's, and it's so helpful to have someone
to take care of you at the vet checks, and who's not tired and is thinking
straight. These days, I'm usually crew-less (and often clueless), so you can
manage. If you have a friend who's doing the LD, you might have a crew for
the last stop and the finish.

Something that helps is if you have a good idea of how fast you're really
going. Pacing gets a lot more important the further you go. You can do 25's
without having a good idea of pacing, but it's a skill you need on a 50, and
if you go further, whether the same day or multiday, it's critical.

That's my list - I'm sure others have things to add that I've forgotten. And
what the horse needs to know is another topic.



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Replies
[RC] Me personally (or is it I?), Chelsea Marsh