My horse Bender and I just completed our first 50
miler! Kootenai Classic, near Libby, Montana. I am so proud of my
pony :-) I doubt if I would have completed the ride in time if a
new friend had not let me ride with her. It's amazing how much you have to
trot even to make the max time. Mary has done a number of 50's but is
bringing along a new horse this year. We got along well and so did our
horses, and took turns pulling each other along :-) She thinks it's
hysterical that I just laugh like a hyena every time my silly horse spooks
and I end up on his neck :-D She's used to seeing people cuss at and
beat on their horses for spooking. Heck I think my horse does it just
to check if I'm still awake up there. I came close to falling off three
times I think. She has a whopping bruise on one calf from a humungous
sideways leap her horse did, that she was barely able to hang on from!
Damn crazy Ay-rabs, gotta love 'em, wouldn't ride anything else!
There were only three loops -- 16, 24 (!) and then
10 miles with a 45 minute hold after the first loop and an hour after the
second. There were some stiff climbs but a lot of relatively flat areas
and gradual elevation changes too. A SlimFast shake made a nourishing
breakfast that didn't have to be gagged down. I didn't eat or drink enough
myself on the trail, I did suck down a quart of water and human electrolyte
drinks at the holds and on the last short loop I forced myself to drink a quart
as we went, so I was fairly well rehydrated by the time we were done. PBJ
sandwich at the first hold, a Clif Bar on the second loop and another SlimFast
on the second hold. It was damned hot, around 90. The horses
started drinking well on the second loop and kept well hydrated til the end, and
of course we e-lyted them at the holds as well as before and after the
ride. We tried to let them graze as much as possible on the second and
third loops. I got off and jogged on some of the steeper downhills.
Mary's coworker Chris came to crew and it was SO nice to have her, and
Mary's husband, graze and sponge the horses while we just rested on the
holds.
Bender was pretty tired on the last loop but still
going willingly. The vet commented favorably on his impulsion. He
hadn't eaten as much as he should and so didn't get good vet marks for
gut sounds, but everything else was all A's. He ate nonstop after the
ride, he is just a little nervous in camp and during the first half of the ride,
and has to learn to take care of himself better. He gets this week off to
recuperate, and is eating steadily out in the pasture.
We finished with only 20 minutes to spare, of
course we were the last ones in. Started at 6:30am, finished at
6:10pm. Some people act like you should come in way earlier than
the max time. If so, then why do they allow 12 hours to complete?
Our vet cards didn't even get to the manager so we weren't announced as
finishers until we stood up and said HEY!
At the potluck I made up for not eating much during
the day by snarfing down two plates of food :-D Mary made fun of me for
that, of course she's slim and eats like a bird! I even stayed up til
10:00pm, but then slept like the dead til morning :-)
I won't say it was easy, but it was not as hard as
I thought it would be. Funny, but I was more tired during the first half
of the ride... the second half, I felt much more energetic. Of course I
was tired and sore at the end, but I felt I could easily have ridden
more. I am only minorly stiff and sore today, I have hurt much worse than
this on shorter distances and/or doing other activities (for example, walking
the local full 26.2 mile marathon last year, and hiking to the summit
of the South Sister in Oregon). I did seem to overstress a tendon (??
I don't know anatomy very well) just below the back of one knee.
It felt like I was getting a cramp that never really materialized. It's
swollen back there but only painful if I press it. Also got a couple of
swollen bruises from where parts of the saddle were rubbing on one calf, I will
have to pad or otherwise fix that part. That really hurt the first loop
and I was wondering how I'd get through the day, but it didn't hurt as much when
we set out again.
I have no more AERC rides scheduled for us to do
this year -- I decided I will not be going to the multi-day in
southern Idaho, I have used up too many vacation days going to other
rides. There is one ride that falls on my long weekend in October, in
Washington, I may get to.
All in all a nice experience and I'm just thrilled
to have been able to complete :-)
