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[RC] Surviving a 50 - David LeBlancCarrie said: Personally, I'm thrilled with LDs and the fact that they exist at all and I appreciate every inch of effort that goes into them. I probably won't be able to survive a 50, I don't know, I haven't gotten there yet. I remember my first LD - Liberty Run. I'd only been riding about 6 months, so if you need evidence I'm a little crazy, there it is. I'd been training on a 17 mile trail all summer with other endurance riders, and this one was a 15 followed by a 10. Boy that 15 miles sure seemed like a long way. I was on a 25 year old Palomino QH, one of the big stocky guys. I recall being about 3 miles from camp, and thinking it was a long loop. When we got into camp, Skipper was down immediately, with a fast, flat 10 miles to go. We picked it up a notch, started passing a bunch of folks, and some of them tried to catch us - we kicked it up a bit, didn't see them until camp. I was hooked. Came in with straight A's across the board both vet checks, which seemed to amuse the vets that a 25 YO QH could do that. Never been so proud to come in 42nd (which was middle of the pack - big ride). I was afraid to try a 50 until 2 seasons later, and when I did, it was a 60. We just took it _really_ slow, let the horses eat, had a good time. It was 15 miles out and back, done twice. I think we were an hour and a half behind the previous riders. The vet told us the horses were looking good, and could do another loop if we'd wanted, so my next long ride, I did a 75. It was a fairly easy 75, but that seemed tough. By the time I did a 50, it seemed short! Now if a loop is only 15 miles, I consider it short, having gone as far as 28 miles without a stop on one ride, and most 50's don't seem like a big deal. So many people make a big deal of how hard a 50 is - it isn't all that tough. Next 25, ask yourself - if I rested for an hour, could I get back on and ride another 2-3 hours? I bet you could. So far, you're turning in good ride times - not too fast, not too slow. Do a couple more, then see if you can find a fairly easy ride to do the first 50, and ideally find someone to tag along with who's one of those steady tail-end completers. There's a woman with about 17,000 miles up here, and I ride with her every chance I get - not only is she fun to ride with, but I learn a lot from her. Don't let it intimidate you - couple more rides, and you'll be ready. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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