re:Poetry's Fantasy Flight

[Ruth Abair <rabair@dproti.dcrt.dla.mil>]

Dear Lynda and Ridecampers,

The "wanna-be" team - Classy and I - made it to Poetry for our first
LD/25 miler! I was very apprehensive due to my mentor not being able to
come on our "maiden" voyage - but shouldn't have worried - some of the
most wonderful people you would ever want to meet were there to help
me/us every step of the way. Thanks to all - so very much!

Well,,,,,,,,, the short of it goes like this. I  got to know my
partner/Classy a little bit better. I got to see/feel him under an
"enormous" amount of stress due to my not letting him go with the front
runners. He didn't like it - to say the least - but he didn't try to get
rid of me either. In retrospect, I believe he used a " lot" of energy he
would have had - for the second loop - if he hadn't been fighting for
his head for god knows how many miles during that first loop. Time wise,
we did really well "until" round #2. When he refused the bit, that's
when I knew he was tired and his heart wasn't in it. We ended up taking
a nice stroll instead. I may change strategy next time and let him go to
the "head of the pack" for a few miles - then maybe he'll settle down
and rate - what do you think? All in all; we didn't finish within the
allotted 6hrs., "but" we met criteria/PRs on time, vetted in with A's
and B's each time, got a completion and came home sound! What more could
"newbies" ask for the first time out?

Kudos to Erma Cook and all those wonderful volunteers who made this
possible! Come on Armadillo!

Ruth and Classy in NE Texas