Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I think a lot of people misread Angie's post. She didn't say there is 
not speed - what she said was to get the speed training in a controlled 
low risk manner. Interval training is the mainstay of distance athletes. 
It allow progressing loading to develop the ability to handle speeds 
encountered in top 10 ing endurance rides by using faster speeds (or 
hills, sand, etc. and lower speeds which is always safer) to develop the 
ability to carry the speed necessary to top 10 for a longer period.

If you want to top 10 - by all means add speed (more speed than it will 
take to top 10) but over multiple short intervals. Use hills and sand to 
enhance the quality of the speed work. This requires a base before you 
start and the heart rate recovery is a good indication of your progress.

I'd sure agree with Angie - the worse thing you could do is 'let 'er 
rip" in a training ride on tricky footing. I'm not even sure I'd do that 
on race day - unless it was extremely important. Of course tricky 
footing is in the eye of the beholder. To me it's rock - which Angie has 
no issues with and to Angie it's probably deep sand which I have no 
issues with ;-) .

Of course Joe is correct if you are going to blast away down hill your 
horse better have the skill to do that. You only get the skill by doing it.

Truman

rides2far@xxxxxxxx wrote:
> > 'To top ten - you train at top ten speeds'
> >     
>
> I totally disagree. For my horses to top 10 I trained consistantly but
> conservatively most of the time, then added high heart rates on hills.
> I've never ridden with anyone who trained "top 10 speeds" consistantly.
> If I did it my horses would all be lame before I ever got to a ride. 
> I've had a win & BC on one horse, and a win/high vet score on another, on
> both I was very careful to find somewhere with good footing for our speed
> work and we did do some, but never headed out on a 12 mile trail with
> tricky footing and let it rip. That's a chance I'd only take on race day.
>
> Angie
>
>   


--

“He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a 
monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also 
into you.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil


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