LR 100 - story - long

["Tina Hicks" <hickst@nichols.com>]

Okay guys here it is - all the gory details of my first
100....

I have gone thru the same evolution many others I imagine
have - from not being able to fathom a 50, to moving up to
50s, then to fast 50s, then to thinking about 100s for a
year then to finally doing one. Just like when I moved up to
50s, I kept thinking I shoulda done this
sooner...So...there's been this combo of envy/awe/pity for
100 milers for the last year or so as I worked my way up to
actually <GULP> checking off 100 miles on the entry form and
sending it in.

Work has been so busy that the weeks leading up to the LR
100 left me no time to tizzy - for those that know me,
that's amazing :). The only extra item I had to have for
this ride were glowsticks - just putting them in the trailer
made me swallow hard :)

We arrived mid-afternoon Friday only to hear there was over
a 2 hour wait to vet in so we got set up first. The camp is
beautiful - right on a lake, in the trees, the weather was
**perfect** - cool, no bugs, clear skies. Tony came off the
trailer and immediately started eating and was very relaxed. 

At vet-in we passed the first big moment - getting *three*
digits for a ride number. We were now one of THEM - everyone
looking at us would know we were gonna try the 100 - there
was no hiding from it now. I had strangers coming over and
wishing me good luck by the evening - as they left the
trailer I'm sure they were muttering something about
mentally impaired :)

The start was cool and in the dark - YIKES was all I could
think - what's gonna happen when I'm riding  in the real
dark tonite? Smack - smack - smack...Lesson #1 - when riding
in the dark keep one arm up in branch defense position. The
first 5 miles or so was a controlled start down a sandy/dirt
road (the whole ride was that terrain). By the time we left
the road daylight was slowly arriving. They say that doing a
100 is as much mental as anything and I believe it - from
the beginning I knew were gonna be out there for a while and
must have conveyed that to Tony cuz at about 30 miles he
went into low gear for him - hitting about an 8 mph trot
that he kept most of the day. That's very odd for him - I've
never done a real slow 50 on him and certainly never had him
slow down that early in the ride - I swear he was in 100
miler mode as well. 

First check went fine - to the pen to wait out our hold and
off again. Early in the second loop he drank - I felt my
whole body relax - it was gonna be a good day :). Again odd
for him to drink that early....I was not od'ing him on
elect. - for some reason he does not do well when I pump him
full of elec. I think the elec. get ahead of his system and
he can't catch up - at least that's my uneducated opinion.
At any rate, he had some Friday nite and then 4 times during
the day combined with probiotics - he maintained an A on
guts all day which is a miracle for him.

Annnyyywwaayyy.....the first 50 miles were uneventful except
I kept explaining to Tony that we were new at this and we
had a long way to go and needed to go an even pace. My
biggest fear was "using" him up over 60 or 70 miles and then
having to drag him at a walk thru the last part of the ride.
As it turned out, that was not the case at all but, hey,
what did I know? :)

By the 65 mile point he was eating and drinking everything
in sight and I was beginning to think we may actually do
this thing. He went in his rope halter from 40 miles on -
that's pretty good for this horse - considering 3 years ago
his only gait was a jig.

While he was getting stronger each check I was starting to
feel the miles. From the 65 mile point on I let my mom take
him thru the vet line - it was nice to be able to watch your
horse trot too :). 

When we went out for the 65-80 mile loop I know it would
just be getting dark when we came back but the last few
miles were open dirt road so no light equipment needed. As I
was heading out at 5:30 or so there were several riders
heading to the dinner - sigh... I was just getting going
good :)

Most of the loop was uneventful until the last 5 or 6 miles.
We were in the woods when Tony stopped dead - every muscle
in his body alert - I couldn't see the HRM but I'm sure it
was off the chart as 2 *things* on 2 legs slowly melted from
the pre-dusk woods onto the trail. I yelled to Catherine
(other first timer I was riding with) What the H*&^ are
those??? My eyes as well as Tony's were big as saucers I'm
sure. Meanwhile, the things just slowly and calmly walked
across the trail and into the woods. Tony was frozen and I
was wondering if I was gonna need some Depends for the rest
of our night riding experience...Come to find out, those
were _turkeys_.....Coulda fooled us, right Tony? Well that
convinced Tony and I the woods were not where we wanted to
be right then so we put it in overdrive and took off at a
canter. Deer promptly bounded thru the woods - that DID it -
we were outta there!!!! We came screeching into camp at
about 100 mph talking about monsters and trolls and lions
and tigers :))

All day his heart rate had been falling faster each time -
true to form by the time I got him stopped and got off he
dropped to 85 - by the time we got the in timer he was at 54
- incredible! Now I was started to get butterflies - I mean
we were 20 miles out!! 20 little miles - we could do those
in our sleep right??? (Little did I know we almost did <g>).
Anyway, I ate left over dinner - which I had not qualms
about wading thru the entire ride dinner crowd to retrieve
and watched Tony go thru the check like he had been out for
an afternoon stroll. He looked better now than he did at 50
miles if you can believe that. These animals truly are
amazing.

For the last 20 miles I put on his easyboots as it was now
*dark* and there were two sections of chunky gravel that I
didn't want to risk a bruise on - Tony bruises if you look
at him wrong and I didn't want to take any chances. Just
putting on the glowsticks made me feel all grown up :)) How
many times I've watched 100 milers put those on and thought
- one day I'll get to do that. All day and especially now
folks going by the trailer wished me luck or offered
sympathy....they were clean, well fed and going to bed and I
was going back out for 20 more....

The last 20 miles was a 10 mile loop done twice - just like
earlier in the day. Only now you could watch from camp
across the lake and see the green dots heading out on their
last leg - each time camp would erupt in catcalls, cheers,
and clapping as another rider went around. I was not
exception - my cheering squad came thru loud and clear - I
called back and off we went.

Boy is it DARK out there - glowsticks schmo-sticks -  I
couldn't see squat. Not only that but those darn bullfrogs
jumping into the lake sound like a cannon being dropped in
the water. Geez, this is stressful :) Actually, it was
awesome - the night was clear, the only sound was the
muffled foot fall of the easy boots on the sand or him
stopping to eat bamboo. 

Magmt had dropped red glowsticks in the middle of the road
for us to follow - Tony looked at *each* one - *both* times
around :) I met up again with Cathering midway thru this
loop - her horse was a little tired so we stopped and let
the guys eat and take a breather. That seemed to help so off
we trotted/cantered - cantering broke the monotony of
trotting and got us there a little quicker :). Finally to
the beaver dam which meant only a couple of miles till the
first 10 of the last 20 are done. In we come, stop by the
water tank, he drinks and then Samm offers me some of Nina
G's famous tea - yum, yum :)

This is it - 90 miles down. I can't believe it - Tony is
easily trotting out of camp for the umpteenth time that day
(ha ha to those whose horses are smart enough to realize
they've already been on that trail once <g>) for our last
10.

100 miles almost down - if I weren't so tired I'd be
amazed...By now tho it's 10:30 or so and I'm exhausted - I
didn't eat enough during the day and I can really tell it.
We stop to let them graze and I almost fall over asleep in
the saddle. I decide we have to get going or I might just
curl up in the bamboo and snooze.

I ask Tony if he has any canter in him - of course he
responds and off we go. Canter, canter, gallop, gallop -
does anything compare to galloping the last 5 miles of a 100
in the dark just holding the end of the loop you've tied in
the reins on a horse who feels *that* good, has his ears up
and is willingly cruising?

I don't think so.....

At any rate that's how I came in - except we had to stop and
take a gander at my mom huddled by the finish line in Tony's
wool cooler (Thanks, Mom!) - I've always said the day he
stops looking at things is the day I get worried. I groan as
I get out of the saddle and hobble to the camp behind Mom
and horse. Tony is walking out, ears up like it's no big
deal....Again by the time we get to the vet he's waayyy
down. I go thru immediately as it's getting cold and he's
wanting to stiffen a little. I came in 10th and decide to go
ahead and stand - I knew my time was too far from the
winner's to have a chance at it but how cool to have a BC
sheet from my very first 100!!!

Does anything compare to a vet telling you your horse looks
awesome and will do very well in 100s as he trots two
perfectly sound, even circles for the BC check? Not much in
my book - except the cantering bit I mentioned earlier :)

Needless to say there's tons more I could say but Angie
might throw tomatoes at me <vbg> - suffice it to say it was
a great experience!

Long Leaf 100 bound....

PS - Catherine finished in fine shape about 30 minutes
behind me so both first timers made it.

Tina & Tony - who still shies at 90 miles...
SE region
hickst@nichols.com