Re: [RC] Encouraging more 100 mile starts - Dabney Finch
This post about 100s mental etc concerns and prep is the best
thing on this subject I've ever read (and trust me, I've read tons of endurance
stuff over the years).
I would say ditto to everything, including Never being certain your horse
is conditioned/talented enough to be able to finish a 100.
Also agree that you'll learn more about completing a 100 by entering one
and pulling than you ever will from years of completing 50s or even
multi-days.
The only way to learn 100 mile pacing (slow enough to finish in great shape
and fast enough to finish in time allotted) is to just try what you think will
work and ride your own ride.
You won't hurt your horse as long as you're ready to pull at the first sign
it's not your horse's day. And--don't worry about your d--n
completion percentage! Kim and I have both said our's is right about on
with the norm at 50% So what? That's perfectly okay, so long as you're
learning from it--and you keep trying.
Remember what Edison said when asked whether his failure to find a way to
make electricity work after trying 150 different ways had discouraged him:
"hell no, I've learned 150 ways it won't work, so I'm that much closer
to finding out what will!"
As for darkness riding, I tried it before my first 100 and was not thrilled
with the experience. It's So much easier to do when the dark comes on
gradually and you've been with your horse all day (& your horse isn't
"fresh"), so there I'd say just Do It!
Instead of focusing on changing the 100 mile
ride structure to accomodate de- elevators, mileage credit, and subsudizing
100 mile entries, we can address why some people aren't trying
100s. It seems that aside from the rider worrying about their own
capability to go 100 miles it seems that one of the number one concerns is
that many, many riders do not feel their horse is ready to do a 100 or that
they are worried that they may hurt their horse doing a 100.
It would be nice if riders who have
successfully completed 100 address these two concerns on ridecamp as well as
the others mentioned in this discussion. From my 100 mile experiences, I
will address these two concerns. Please realize that my 100 mile record
is only average (probably a little less then 50% completion) and I
feel that my ability is about that of the average rider. I have never
been blessed with a "one in a million horse" that I feel can just go out and
do it. I rate my horses average to above average. I have never
ridden or owned a horse that doesn't have a quirk or issues that I have to
work around.
1. Horse being ready for their first
100 - I have never been sure that any horse I started in their
first 100 was really ready to finish that distance. I will say it
again....I WAS NOT SURE THAT MY HORSE COULD FINISH A 100. None of
these horses had ever done a 75 before moving on to the 100 mile
distance. I have taken 4 horses through their first 100. All of
them were able to complete a 100 by their second ride season. All of
them had a successful first 100. They didn't need thousands of miles
before entering their first 100. I didn't have thousands of miles of
experience before entering my first 100.....less than 400. The most
miles one of my horses had before their first 100 was 410 the least number of
miles was 165. In my eyes, these were not perfect candidates for the 100
mile distance as they all had quirks or issues BUT they were still able to
finish 100 miles.
2. Hurting the Horse- This
seems to be be a real concern with many riders. But I want you to think
about this. How are you going to hurt your horse by entering the horse
in a 100? How is this any different then thinking that you may hurt your
horse if you move up from a 25 to a 50. If you ride to your horse's
ability, if you ride to finish and not place, if you pay attention to subtle
signs that something may be wrong, there is a very minimal chance that you are
going to hurt your horse by riding further and longer. Even if you
find you have to pull your horse after the 50 mile point because of lameness
or metabolics, it doesn't mean that you have hurt your horse any more then if
your horse is pulled in a 50 or a 25 mile ride or whatever distance you
normally compete at.
Here are a couple suggestions I have
for trying your first 100-
1. Pick a 100 mile ride that has terrain
you/your horse are comfortable riding on.
2. Do your last few training rides or last
couple 50s at what you imagine your horse's 100 mile pace should be. In
other words, practice riding a little slower especially if you have a horse
that is used to Top Tenning 50s. Chances are that horse won't be able to
maintain that pace in a 100. You the rider need to know what that pace
feels like before you are in the 100 so you don't make the mistake of going
too fast the first half of the ride and not ending up with enough horse at the
end. Better yet when training, don't worry about how far (meaning miles)
your training rides are but how many hours are spent in the
saddle.
3. If night riding is a concern that is
keeping you from riding a 100 get confident that your horse can travel in the
dark and YOU trust your horse in the dark . Plan a night ride near
home on safe trails, leave before dark so that you can ease into the
darkness. Out and backs work great for this because you have already
seen the trail in the light or dusk that day. Also, plan this ride with
a friend...better yet a friend who has ridden in the dark before.
4. Be mentally prepared to do 100 miles.
Everyone prepares in a different way. PRACTICE RIDING IN THE MOMENT.
One mind game that works for me is focusing only on small segments of
the ride at a time. If I am only at 15 miles I refuse to allow myself to
think about the 65 mile point or that I may still be out on the trail 15 hours
from now. That might bum out even the most hard core 100 miler
especially if ride conditions, like weather, aren't great. Ride vet
check to vet check.
5. JUST DO IT!! I know that there are
those reading this post that have no desire to ever do a 100 mile ride.
This is not for you. But for those of you that want to do one and are
planning on doing one remember not to let your planned schedules, elaborate
training programs for the 100 miler, etc. get in the way of actually DOING the
100. Even if you don't finish your first 100 or even your second 100 you
are learning things about your horse and yourself that you would not learn by
just staying at the 50 mile distance.
