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[RC] John Henry the Wonder Horse con't - Bruce Weary DCBarbara and I had a lovely pre-ride on Friday morning, just to get the kinks out and get a look at the firststretch of the trail. John Henry is a very good downhill horse, and he also needs about four miles to get his "machinery" warmed up, and to let his heart rate settle in at aerobic levels. The Tevis trail offers the perfect start for him, as it is downhill for a little over six miles down to the Truckee River. Though Crickett and John Henry were very attached to each other as they rested at camp, they have no separation issues once the ride begins. Barbara headed toward the starting line, while I took John Henry off in the opposite direction, to let him warm up. We planned to not ride together, as Crickett's pace would be undoubtedly faster, and I wanted to keep JH at a pace that worked for him. The trail was in very good condition, and had been widened in many places, so there was really no risk of getting trapped behind other riders. Michele Roush had carefully worked out a time schedule for us, which I tried to adhere to as closely as possible. John Henry was good about both passing other horses, and being passed without a fuss, as we made our way down to the river and up the other side toward High Camp. However, I had to stop to pee once, and he did circles around me while he watched other horses passing us by. I hate that, and it's why I never wear my good shoes. :) I kept a close eye on his heart rate as he powered up the service road through Squaw Valley, and I think we beat our time schedule to High Camp by a few minutes. One thing Michele grilled me on was to stay focused when I arrived at any stop. I would look for the water, feed, PR people, the vets, and then track my time so as not to squander time needlessly. This was crucial to getting through the day without running overtime, or feeling like I had to ride faster to make up for wasted time. We had practiced our electrolyte protocols, as John Henry would need them replenished throughout the day if he was to continue feeling good and wanting to work. It worked like a charm, in fact, he basically became a freight train in the last third of the ride, at times running along in dark, with his pulse around 118-120. He drank deeply all day and night, and had excellent hydration scores throughout the ride. Thank you, Michele! We led a group of riders through the Granite Chief Wilderness, aka "the bogs" and his big walk and sure-footedness really came in handy in getting us through there in a timely fashion. We watered at Lyon Ridge, then made our way mostly alone to Cougar Rock (we went around, as I wasn't risking a fall that could end our day) and Elephant Trunk, on the way to Red Star. Things can get clogged up at Red Star, but this time the vets were working diligently to get people vetted and out quickly. We got in, pulsed down, ate for a couple of minutes, got vetted and out, all in nine minutes! Onward to Robinson, I was reminded that this section of the trail is *not* all downhill. I counted at least five climbing sections, and John Henry showed some signs of fatigue here. We were alone, and he wanted to walk the uphills. We finally skated into Robinson around 11:20, about 20 minutes behind schedule. Robinson Flat is always a bustling blur to get through, due to the amount of people, horses and vet lines, which were pretty long this year. We waited to be vetted for about 15 minutes, and John Henry had a 52/52 CRI here. He ate a smorgasboard of feed, took a nap (which always makes Julie happy) and we headed out on time toward the canyons that lie between Last Chance and Foresthill. We had trained hard for these canyons, which have been a source of concern for me ever since I first attempted Tevis in 1994. If you don't know what to expect, or you or your horse aren't fit, they can be overwhelming. We were blessed with cooler weather this year, but those canyons can be very warm and are always muggy, so, long ago I decided that I would be fit enough to tail him out in order to save more horse for later on. I hiked steep hills for several months and used a home video workout program called "P90X," to get in shape. (When I first used it, I thought it stood for "Puke 90 Times") :) These strategies worked, as I was able to tail him out of both canyons, and felt good afterward. My GPS and heart monitor showed that John Henry pulled me out of those canyons at 4 mph, with his heart rate not going over 120. Dick Dawson told me when he saw us at Deadwood, that John Henry had that "look" that told him we would finish. Perfect time to hear that. Many people have asked me at what point during the ride did I begin to feel like we were going to finish. My best answer is "at Foresthill." Pulse criteria at Foresthill is 64, and after climbing out of Volcano Canyon and up Bath Road, John Henry presented at 56. I sought out one of my favorite vets, Jim Baldwin, to do our vet check, as he is very fair, and extremely fast at evaluating a horse. Michele offered to trot him out for me so I could watch along with Dr Baldwin. He looked great, and Jim told me, "Let him rest and get some chow, and he should take you home. You have a lot of horse here." There was a crowd watching his vet check, and as the message rippled through that we would be going on, there was cheering and applause that gave me an adrenaline rush, and, I suspect John Henry, too. Michele saved my bacon again, as during the hour hold she found that JH had sprung a shoe, and she took him to the farrier to have it removed, straightened and put back on while I was eating and taking care of me. There were tears and lumps in throats as my wife Dayna, Julie Suhr, my daughter Elysse, and my crew all realized for the first time that unless I fell off, we were very likely to see Auburn before dawn. To be continued............. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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