I had a goal this year to do my first 50 in September.
All summer I did exactly as someone just mentioned. I trained at home, with
friends, and rode some pleasure rides to get out in groups. some 400 miles of
pleasure rides-doing the loops twice or sometimes 3 times to get the mileage
up.
Saddle fit issues, rubs and personal aches and pains did not surface till 3
weeks before the ride when I did a campout weekend and rode 40 miles at a good
clip.
The 50 mile ride offered a 30 so I slipped down to that.
Ride day went well and I was glad I did 30 not 50 miles.
Now we are talking home field advantage, little travel time, flat terrain
and a summer of conditioning.
Traveling at ride speed and finding problems pop up, like tight glutes on
my horse makes me realize that I don't train "hard enough" and I don't like
using those words, but its true.
I never would have finished the 50 with the combination of my little
problems.
There are things you just don't realize at home till you get into competion
on ride day. And you cant mimic that at home.
A LD elevator ride? Sounds like a good idea who's time may have come.
If I had all my ducks in a row that day and still had a lot of horse under
me, I would have had plenty of time to bump up to the 50 and finish.
Wouldn't it be nice to have that option?
So if ctr 25's are for" beginner babies" and LD is not a "real" endurance
ride where are newbies to start?
I keep finding that I am not getting a very warm welcome into the endurance
world, wondering if others feel that same way. Since we "get in the way" and
shouldn't have LD divisions.
So would you rather I have documentable LD mileage under my belt when I
show up for that 50, or just my word that im conditioned and ready?
