I think that this has been a great discussion of 100s. I think that all the comments made have been positive and I hope have been helpful for anyone thinking of trying a 100 mile for the first time. From this discussion a whole new 100 mile yahoo group has been started. What a nice resource for all of us. My last comments on this subject really are not about my first 100 mile ride but about a realization I came to before the 100. In 1990, I sent my entry to the Tevis which was going to be my first 100 and my horse's first 100. In 1990, there was not a lot of resources to learn "how to" endurance ride like we have today. There were very few books, no internet, few articles, and the only nutritional information you could find was for race horses. When I first started in endurance I was fortunate enough to get to ride and train with experienced endurance riders who made Tevis their yearly goal. These riders really did their best to help me prepare. They warned me about the narrow drop offs, the told me about the heat in the canyons, they gave the stats about completion rates for first time riders so I would make every effort to ride a smart ride. I was so worried that I would not be able to handle the trails, the heat, the night riding, the river crossing, etc., so I tried to prepare the best I could. For example, when I drove my car, even in hot weather, I would turn on the heater so I could see how I would "handle the heat in the canyons". I am almost embarrassed to write this now, but at the time it was a way to get ready for the "unknown". As the Tevis grew closer, I missed one of the 50 mile rides I had planned so decided to drive up and ride the Western States 60 ride which covered the last half of the Tevis trail.
Coming to the river crossing during the Western States 60 (which is after the worst of the narrow trails with drop offs) I had a real epiphany. I realized that the Western States trail was really no different then what I was used to riding on at home, except there were trees and shade instead of chaparral. All of what my experienced endurance friends had told me was true BUT in my imagination I had made it far worse and far more difficult then it really was. I was my own worse enemy. After coming to this realization, it has been much easier to step up to the "unknowns" that any worthwhile endeavor offers.
So when you read about the challenges a 100 mile ride offers, remember that you have probably met most of those challenges through your training and through the endurance rides your have already ridden. Sometimes in the process of trying to be so well prepared and so ready we sabotage being able to get to even step up to attempt the challenge.
