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[RC] A Newbies Ramblings & A Heartfelt Thank You - Part III - LeslieMY FIRST LD - (Proper Undergarments) My first ride ever was Randy Eaton's cow tanks ride back in February. Now Kathy could not attend this ride but she tried mightily to cover all the bases for me. She did a pretty good job but there were a couple of things she either forgot to mention or I, being sooo smart, chose to ignore. So along with what to bring, what to feed, where to sponge, etc. etc. etc. she had a few tips on what to wear. Moisture wicking undies were on the list but then again her endurance checklist also has things like "dry socks" on it. Well that just doesn't make any sense so having ridden in nothing else but my tried and true cotton jockeys I didn't give it a second thought. Well in the end I have but one word of regret - OUUUCH!! My only other humble addition is a sports bra as again, I went with the usual. Having had the experience, let's just say that riding 25 miles with your bras straps around your shoulders does very little to enhance comfort or support. We did complete though, even after a very rocky start. As it was my first ride I opted to start alone 15 minutes after everyone else. I knew I would have my hands full with Merlin and all his pent up energy. Even so, he has a huge trot and we caught up with everyone pretty quick. At that point we simply were not able to pass in a controlled manner. So as to not be a complete disruption, I got off and we walked for a while. It took about 15 miles but we were finally able to pass other horses in a calm controlled manner. Not to say that starting with him is still not a huge challenge, and sometimes I still have to get off and walk before he simply comes unglued, but we are making progress. MY FIRST 50 - (Ride Till Ya Puke!) Hey lets take our horses, go camp in the desert, get absolutely no sleep, get up a nervous wreck at an ungodly hour, and go ride 50 miles! Whose idea was this anyway!! With an LD under my belt I was determined to make my first 50 before our impending move to Ohio. After all, Kathy would not be in Ohio! So in April of 2003 we were off to the Indian Springs Elevator CEI*** at the Binns Ranch once again - but this time I had a horse too! Finally I was going to do my first 50! I wish I could say I was excited but terrified would be a more apt description. Although my main goal was to complete, I really wanted to start with the group to avoid the stress added by our late start on the LD. I'd have never attempted this alone but Kathy and Blue were there and we'd practiced. So I bought a protective vest, really did not sleep a wink (made getting up fairly easy) and then in a complete state of exhaustion, managed to keep my breakfast down the next morning while I tacked up to ride. Our preparation did pay off. The start was a breeze as Merlin was very familiar with what it meant to "assume the position" and let Blue lead the way. So in sum, Blue was my speed brake and Kathy took care of the navigation. All I had to do was ride! Along the way, as if it was not completely obvious, Kathy kept enthusiastically telling everyone it was my first 50. In the end her enthusiasm finally got to me. Once I woke up and made it through the third loop alive, I actually started to enjoy myself! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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