Re: [RC] Ways To Know You Are Ready for 100 Miler? - Barbara McCraryThis is a very interesting post and one that I am giving a lot of thought to. I just finished my "new" horse's first 50 miler. He did exceptionally well.....finished 18th out of maybe 50 starters in a total overall time of 6:15. It's not the finishing position that impressed me but his pulse recoveries, his attitude, his lack of fatigue, his energy level the next morning. I rode very conservatively to see how he handled the trail and the workload. I've never ridden a horse that had so much left over after a 50. He is just coming up 8 years old and I have spent nearly two years trail training, legging up, conditioning. It paid off on that ride and I was delightfully surprised. By Lew Hollander's suggestion, this horse could probably do a 100, but I'm not trying this yet. I want to ride a few more 50 milers to make sure that one wasn't a fluke :-)) My granddaughter wants to ride Swanton Pacific 75 and still needs a sponsor. Her mom wants me to be that sponsor, and I might just do it. The horse is not comfortable.....his trot is a bit big, but he has a lope to die for and a very fast walk, particularly uphill. If I can survive it, I feel confident the horse can. This particular horse makes me tempted to try a 100 again someday like no other horse I have ridden in MANY years. He has so much promise..... Why didn't he come into my life when I was younger???? Barbara McCrary ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Long" <jlong@xxxxxxxx> To: "Truman Prevatt" <tprevatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Cc: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, May 17, 2004 9:42 PM Subject: Re: [RC] Ways To Know You Are Ready for 100 Miler? On Mon, 17 May 2004 16:22:13 -0400, Truman Prevatt <tprevatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:Hollander suggest a 6 hour 50 as the key. When you think about it if they can do a 50 in 6 hours you won't want to do the first 50 of a 100 in that time. So say 7 hours. Since the horse has done a 50 already he won't do the second 50 in 7 hours so say 8 hours. Now depending on where you ride you will most likely end up in the dark and you will slow down. That adds an hour or two. Now your are looking at between 15 to 17 hours out. Add 3 hours hold time and your are looking at 18 to 20 hours. That leaves your with the necessary margin of time to get lost and still make it ;-). So a 6 to maybe 7 hour 50 seems to be a pretty good number to shoot for.I think that's about right. I would add that you and your horse need to be able to do 50 mile rides in seven hours or less AND not be exhausted at the end of the ride -- still feel able to go back out. If you're making 50 in seven hours but are completely hammered at the end, how are you going to do 50 more? I'm not saying "not feel tired." There is a different psychology in riding a 100 than a fifty. As you approach the 50-mile vet check you are thinking of it as only a vet check, not the end. Of course, you're also pacing for 100 miles (that is, riding more slowly). So you don't feel the same as you would if you were finishing a 50. It may sound strange, but that's how it works. In fact, that's something to keep in mind when deciding to try a 100. You will NOT feel as "used up" after 50 miles of a 100 as you may be feeling at the end of a fifty. Something about being focused on the miles to go makes a real difference. -- Joe Long jlong@xxxxxxxx http://www.rnbw.com ============================================================ You don't have to be a 100-mile rider or a multi-day rider to be an endurance rider, but if you want to experience the finest challenges our sport has to offer, you need to do both of those. ~ Joe Long ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================ ============================================================ One would think that logic would prevail. But then, if logic did prevail, men would ride sidesaddle. ~ Bob Morris ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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