Re: Endurance???

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

Thank you, Trish, for your excellent posts from the "other side"--from one who
has not yet become an endurance rider and who does not want the goal to be
cheapened before you reach it.  

I applaud all who start out with Limited Distance and strive to become
endurance riders.  You are doing the right thing, and certainly getting a good
taste of the sport.  For those of you who can and wish to become endurance
riders, I hope the support of those of us managing and vetting rides and
answering your questions as you ride LD's will help you to achieve your goal
to become endurance riders.  For those who are handicapped and cannot ride
further than an LD, you have my support and admiration for every LD you ride.
But that still does not make LD's endurance rides.

Like Trish stated about triathelons--I would like to be a marathon runner.  I
used to run, but physical problems keep me from running now.  I once completed
a few 10k's, but that is as far as I as able to get.  Renaming those and
calling them marathons is an insult to everyone who has ever run a marathon.
It doesn't matter how hard I trained or how badly I wanted to be a marathon
runner, I never got there.  I still got a nice taste of distance running doing
my 10k's, and my experience made me admire true marathon runners all the more.
Like Joe, I have a hard time grasping the big problem here.  Isn't it
wonderful that we have LD's as a training level so that people can more easily
get started?  Isn't it wonderful that the vets and ride managers go out of
their way to provide a forum for these riders?  I can assure you that it is
much easier to only put on the longer distances, and as a vet, more of my time
is spent proportionally with the LD riders than with those of other distances,
but I'm sure I am not unique in the fact that I willingly put in the time and
take the trouble because I like to see the newbies get a fair start toward
becoming endurance riders.  What is wrong with that???

Heidi