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Well....now I know what it's like to crew for me as I spent the better part
of Sunday crewing for my mom at the <GREAT> Liberty Run Ride :-) That's not
the way it was supposed to be but a little Bad Luck intervened....
For the first time we drove over the night before the day before <g> instead
of arriving early afternoon before vet-in. The thinking was this would allow
us to be there and be set up with plenty of time to relax, etc....However, I
am not sure you can recover from arriving at 2 a.m. - not sure if we'll do
that again...
At any rate, the campsite is beautiful - there is a lake complete with geese
and ducks and large mouth bass (or so the sign said), restrooms, showers,
permanent picnic tables, a pavillionetc...Pine trees provided some shade and
there was plenty of room for everyone.
At vet-in Duane Barnett (head vet) thought he saw "something" in Tony's
front end - not sure what - an inconsistent, slightly off but not really
sure something or other....Hmmm, he gives us an A but makes a note on the
card so we can keep an eye on it. No one else could see anything but "no one
else" is not the vet and their opinion doesn't count I know <g>. Embers
vets in fine.
Side note: I have been thinking I was feeling a very slight something the
last couple of weeks but it was _so slight and so inconsistent_ that every
time I thought I felt it was gone. No one else could see it - not even my
vet, not even on a circle - so I began to think I was imagining things.
*Listen to what you feel boys and girls <g>* - I was not imagining things -
hindsight being what it is and all :-))
Sunday morning we start about 3 minutes after everyone as it is just so much
easier on both of us - we also know it is not hard to make up a few minutes
and we were planning on riding middle of the pack anyway. It had rained some
during the night so the air was so humid it was just short of being a fine
mist - ick!
So off we go down these great, wide, sandy but no deep sand, dirt roads on
the first 15 mile loop with pine trees, eucalyptus (sp), and lakes/marshy
areas all around. (Riders tell me the other loops were just as scenic and
the footing equally good) Tony is...well...Tony. Trying to go the speed of
light, spooking at dead tress and making faces at Embers. Mom and Embers
are doing their normal first 10 miles battle of the wills - goes something
like this:
Embers - run, run, run
Mom - no, no, no
Embers - okay, how about this? trot trot canter canter run run
Mom - no no no
Embers - okay what about this? trot canter trot canter trot canter
that continues until he relaxes and trots and my mom's arms are 3 inches
longer then they were at 6 a.m. :-)
We go along - me thinking maybe Duane was seeing things - Tony feels like
100% - this is gonna be a good day - we pass about 6 or 8 riders. Horses
have settled, you couldn't get lost on this trail if you tried, there is a
slight breeze.....life is good until........
BLAM!!! Tony is dead lame - that fast. We pull to a walk, confirm that no,
it's not something he's going to walk out of and decide I'll walk in and of
course pull (*6* miles to go, mind you <g>) and Mom will go on. Of course it
takes my mom about *2 seconds* to leave her first-born all alone on the
trail :-)) Off she goes with nary a backward glance <g> (she swears she
offered me food and I said no but it sounds better to say she just took off
with a rooster-tail of sand behind her <vbg>) and I dismount knowing it will
be a useless battle to expect Tony to walk quietly while his buddy trots off
down the trail.
So, we hoof it down the trail at a blazing 3mph walk - being passed by
everyone and his brother of course :-)) Everyone asked if we were okay,
offered sympathy etc but for some reason no one wanted to keep my company
and walk in with me <vbg> After 3 miles I was able to get back on and tested
him out at the trot just in case he was miraculously sound <g> but no such
luck.....By now Tony wants to walk (which never happens with him) so I know
he's lame for sure
When you are walking the deer flies and gnats can easily catch you :-(
So we come in, tell Duane he was right, we're pulling, lame RF, he agrees
and is glad to hear I had walked in from the time he went lame.....
It's not as bad as I thought it would be - my first lameness pull....I
didn't cry like a baby like I thought I might :-) and *I got to take a
shower before everyone else so there was hot water*!!!
BTW, we're thinking abcess - can find nothing in the way of soreness, heat,
swelling, etc anywhere on the leg.....
So....mom has already come in and gone back out on the 2nd loop. Samm comes
over to let me know my mom is less than 20 minutes out of top ten, if she
cares. She may not, I tell Samm, but I do.... he he he I begin formulating
my plan knowing I'll have to come across just right to pull this off. I know
Embers can do it but can I get my mom to? That is the question :-))
They come in from the 2nd loop in a decent amt of time. I become crew person
extraordaire <g>, we get Embers thru fine and I inform my mom that she is
within spittin' distance of top 10 - about 18 minutes out....She looks at me
with a blank stare....I say again - if you continue to keep a steady pace
you stand a good chance of being top 10.....She looks at me - how did that
happen? I don't even remember passing anyone....
Oh brother, I think, this is not gonna be easy :-)) I re-think my plan and
go for a more direct approach - since tempting her with "you might make top
ten" didn't work maybe just spelling it out will <g>
So I send them on their way with instructions to trot out of camp, be back
in 2 hours or less (15 mile loop) and don't let the hordes pass you. I then
head straight for the showers.....
She comes back in in good time, Embers is doing great - all A's, eating,
drinking, looking good, but her riding buddy gets pulled :-( and she wonders
how she is going to keep him going as Embers is of the opinion that 25 miles
is just right distance, thank-you-very-much - especially if you are
repeating loops - talk about no motivation if he doesn't have anyone to go
out with. I pull out my handy-dandy bat and say - *this* is how you are
going to keep him going and stay in 10th place - 11 is 10 minutes behind you
so you just need to maintain a good steady pace and I'll see you at the
finish line I tell her and oh yeah - trot out of camp....Off she goes
wondering how she came to be in top ten and me wondering if I can pull this
off and if she can keep him going :-)
I go over to the finish line to wait - this loop is 10 miles so I'm thinking
I should see her in the neighborhood of an hour give or take a few
minutes.....4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th come across....Okay, my heart
is pounding, I'm looking down the road - could she keep him going? Did she
let 11th pass her? Come on, come on, where is she?? Wait, what was she
wearing? What am I looking for anyway? It's been an hour - should be any
minute now....Gosh, sitting at the finish is so stressful <g>
Whew! Here she comes at an easy trot with a relieved look on her face that
this is not a mirage - it IS the finish line and she is indeed 10th out of
36 (I think) starters with a ride time of 6:05 (or close to that). I don't
know who was happier - me or Samm :-)) You'd think Samm still owned him the
way she acts when he does well <vbg>. I take over from there and take him
thru the completion check so it's final - she came in Top-Ten-on-a-Ride.
Something she thought she'd never do as she's not competitive - or so she
says :-)) I tell her she doesn't have to be - I'll be for her :-)
I knew they could do it.....She still wonders how it happened :-)
The rider's dinner was a great assortment of pasta salad, bean salad, fresh
bread, etc..YUM YUM :-))
even with the hot sticky weather there were very few pulls in the 50 -
*none* in the 25! The pulls for the 50 were for lameness I think - not
metabolics. The ride was well staffed, well-run, Vicky and Harry Parker are
great managers and......it's gonna happen again the in fall with the
addition of a 100 miler - this ride will make a fantastic 1st 100
miler...Hopefully we'll be there at the starting line this fall.
Stay tuned for more adventures....... <g>
Tina
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