Back in the Saddle, First Ride of 2011

Wow!!!  I cannot believe that it has been since my birthday in the middle of November since Diego and I have been out!  As things happen, we had a bunch of winter weather come in for the end of November and most of December.  Then with all the holidays, shopping, being out of town, etc. time just flew by!  I didn't think to move the trailer down from its regular parking spot next to the barn before the weather hit, so had to wait for most of the ice/snow to disappear, and the mud to freeze, before I could move it down onto the gravel portion of the driveway.  This means I now have to back it around the 90-degree curve from the street into the driveway, and up our funky S-shaped driveway, onto the ledge, avoiding my husband's work truck, whenever I get back from a ride - but it's worth it in order to get the trailer out in the winter without turning the concrete drive into a mud bog from all the mess up near the barn.

This Sunday, the Reno Blogging Buddies, Zach, Funder and I all got together and rode out from the Lemmon Valley arena.  Last weekend (1/2), I was having some personal clumsy spells, including falling while ice skating, and then falling while coming down the stairs in the garage, so I just took Diego over to a local arena to run around and stretch his legs on his own.  Knowing that I haven't ridden in.... um.... 7 WEEKS, I decided to get over to Lemmon Valley a bit early and let Diego run around over there before tacking up.  Instead, the arena was frozen and a bit slick, so Dig just kind of half-heartedly trotted around.  While I was tacking up, a bunch of kids came over and started playing basketball in the court, which is behind a screen of trees so Dig could hear but not really SEE them.  This lead to some additional excitement and I ended up hand-walking him for a bit when we all finally set off down the trail.

After walking for about a mile or so, I mounted up.  I'll give him a bit of the benefit here, since it had been a while, but he always acts like he's never been ridden before for the first few minutes.  All tense and tight.  Did some circles around in the sage and then I (begged) asked that we head up the nearest big hill.  The horses all settled in pretty well while working up the hill.  On the way down back to the valley, we saw a DEAD BODY!!!  Laying right next to the trail!  It was very disconcerting to ride up to a severed torso, arms splayed wide, with the legs dangling off into the trail.  We were all a bit freaked out, understandably, until it was discovered to be a scarecrow-alike "dummy" that some people had created and used for target practice.  Gah!  Talk about random exposure training.  Thankfully all the horses did quite well, other than giving the "body" a fairly wide berth.

Once back down onto the flats, all the horses rediscovered their "go" gear.  I ended up taking Dig off the side of the trail and trotting weaving in and out of the sagebrush while Zach and Funder stayed on the parallel trail.  It was great to help refocus his mind on ME while still giving him the chance to go forward without getting too crazy about it.  We had a couple small temper tantrums, which pretty much were just hopping and a bit of head flinging.  Once we looped back onto the more main roads, we had to alternate walking with trotting due to the mud and ice that was still in abundance.

Overall, we did about 9 miles in 2 hours or so.  A pretty slow ride but most of the walking was all necessary either due to being fresh or the footing.  It was a nice start to the year and hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can get back into the swing of things. 

Resolutions

Not really my thing, but I might as well put some ideas out there.  Perhaps by committing them to writing and the public Blogosphere, I'll be even more likely to stick with them!  Perhaps...  =)

1. Finish a 50 mile AERC ride on Diego.  Since I didn't meet any of those goals from last year (except managing Moonshine), I refuse to be specific as to which ride - although I have a few already in mind.  ;)  Heck, I already have an entire "ideal 2011 ride schedule" planned in my mind, but I'm refusing to commit THAT to writing lest the gremlins are reading this blog.... which I'm sure they must!
2. Eat "better."  Not too specific, since I don't like to feel guilty about my food.  I tried the whole primal thing, but was having way too much guilt every time I ate something "non-primal", that the entire thing was just making me depressed.  I have a family that I shop and cook for, neither of my boys, especially my 8 year old son, need nor WANT to eat primal - and personally I just love carbs too much to give them up entirely.  So rather than try to commit to an eating style which will bring me no joy when I "cheat" (and I can't do the whole 80/20 thing, mentally it's cheating and I have guilt), I shall resolve to just make better food choices.  Small steps.  Buy and consume more fresh produce, especially veggies, and watch my portions better.
3. Track my training miles better.  Thankfully I've been mostly riding with friends who have a GPS and post the stats on Garmin Connect, so I've been able to go back and find most of the 2010 rides and have started an Excel sheet.  I also bought a small two-year calendar with a waterproof cover to keep in the trailer.
4. Blog more.  This includes taking some time to finish the 20-something posts I have in draft status from last year.  My problem, I'm too wordy.  Start to do more short and to the point, or at least try.

And with that.... I'm done!  =)

Happy New Year!

All that needs to be said.  "If Today Was Your Last Day"  by Nickleback (one of my all time favorites)

My best friend gave me the best advice

He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day


Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you'll never live it twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life


If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce of memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day


If today was your last day

Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are

So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothin' stand in your way
Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?



Would you live each moment like your last?

Leave old pictures in the past

Donate every dime you have?

Would you call old friends you never see?

Reminisce of memories

Would you forgive your enemies?

Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?

Swear up and down to God above

That you finally fall in love

If today was your last day

You might be an Endurance Rider if...

Mel over at Boots and Saddles did a post on signs you might be an Endurance Rider that made me remember a similar topic on Ridecamp of the same thread several years ago. Complied here for your enjoyment:

You might be an Endurance Rider if...

Crysta Turnage
• You buy bottles at the store based upon if the empty will make a good scoop or not.
• You have a low maintenance hairstyle that allows you to go six months between $12 trims at Supercuts but you don't bat an eye when you have to spend $80 with the farrier every six weeks.
• You cringe to spend over $30 on a pair of your own shoes, but can't pass up one Easyboot at that price.
• Your spouse has stopped even trying to keep track of your horse related expenses, and now does their best to not notice them.
• Your horse has been to school/daycare because you were out riding until the very last minute before you had to pick your child up.
• The meals you make for your family at home in the crock-pot on "riding days" somewhat resemble the mash you feed your horse at a vet check, but both are just as eagerly eaten.
• You've gleefully left a path of mud, horse hair, and other assorted debris through a public setting.
• You've met someone from your "normal" life while wearing tights in public (Oops, I was just going to run in REAL quick!), and only been slightly embarrassed.
• You're reading this list, laughing, and nodding your head yes!

Cindy Stafford
• You can list 10 different colors to describe your horse's pee
• You know more about your horse's nutrition than your own
• You know your horse's resting and working heart rate, but dang it if you can think of the last time you had your blood pressure taken
• You think nothing of preparing a dozen different ingredients for your horse's mash, but a 3 course meal for you consists of a banana, a snack bar and a Gatorade.

Chrystal Woodhouse
• You ask for a GPS (yes you already have one but they have a NEW wristwatch model!!:-)) or heart rate monitor for Christmas

Jamie Ward
• Most your wardrobe consists of ride t-shirts.
• Your shoe's have holes in them but ALL you horses have a brand new pair

Heidi Larson
• When it's near Christmas and you're considering a new horse so you can have a back-up!!
• When the tack vendor has a sale and you "have" to get something new, just because your horse "must" be tired of his current colors!

Maryanne Gabbani
• Your "good" shoes are a clean pair of Ariats

Dawn Carrie
• You've driven to work with the horse trailer hooked up to your truck because you plan to take off work early to ride, and having the trailer already hooked up will save you 5 minutes once you get home.
• You walk into a restaurant for lunch or dinner after a training ride wearing your tights and grungy t-shirt and sporting "helmet hair" and don't think twice about it. And, your husband, who is with you, is wearing the same outfit.
• You've browsed the "hair accessories" section at Wal-Mart, looking for neat-colored hair elastics (for braiding your horse's mane) that will match your biothane tack.
• Your husband hangs up from a phone call with his parents and says, "They want to have a family get-together this spring. I said I'd get back to them with dates we can make it. What's the ride schedule?" And you immediately rattle off the ride names and dates for the next 6 months.

Carla Richardson
• You're so used to having the trailer hooked to your truck that when you're NOT pulling it, it feels strange and you keep glancing back expecting to see it there.
• You wake up early in the morning and the first thing you do is look out to see what the weather is doing, is it going to be a ride day or cleaning the tack day. (Notice I didn't say clean the house day!)

April
• When your husband is driving a full-sized truck, you repeatedly reprimand him for taking corners "too fast"; only to have him exasperatedly say (again), "We are not hauling horses!"

Pauline
• You go out of your way to this ONE supermarket, three times as far as your usual one, because they sell Ajax floor cleaner in bottles which are perfect for sloshing AND match your tack (orange in my case)
• The one time a year you dress normally, you get stopped by the police driving thru the woods on your way home, because they don't recognize you
• You quickly scan the racks of any tack shop or trade stand and if they don't have anything plastic in flashy colors you're not interested
• You spend long winter nights in front of the fire debating which color tack would suit your new horse best
• The garden shed is filled with crates, slosh bottles and various jerry cans, all clean and marked with your name, to the roof - the lawn mower and other expensive equipment are filthy, rusty and sleep outside
• When you meet other riders in the forest they gape at you and forget to say good morning
• The best discussions you have with friends involve electrolytes and HR monitors
• Before the vets comes you spend three hours scraping the mud off your horses
• You've perfected the art of buying the perfect polo shirt which is long enough to cover your diaper bum but not so wide as to get stuck on branches when travelling at speed thru forest
• When you get up at three in the morning and make the mistake of putting on the lights in the house you can hear the horses calling for breakfast, thinking they are going to a RIDE
• And of course, permanent helmet head, electrolyte stains on your shirts, flies on your teeth, and when out with normal friends you're the only one comfortable sitting on a rock because your bottom is so calloused ( or because you're wearing your tights)

Eating for endurance: What, when and why

Another good article, but I would caution against all the sugary and processed foods they seem to recommend. I've found I feel and perform much better consuming REAL FOOD instead of gels and sugary drinks. Some carbs are good, but you need proteins and fats in order to get through a full day out on the trail.

I find it a bit contradictory that they recommend "consuming sports drinks, gels, bananas, hard candies, peppermint patties and other carb-based foods during exercise" in one sentence, and then caution that "if you consume too much sugar (>250 calories/hour), the high dose might slow the rate at which fluids leave your stomach, causing sloshing, discomfort" just a few paragraphs later. Watch the sugar, especially fructose found in many sports drinks. It can be the perfect recipe to feeling very nauseaous later I've discovered. I always dilute any sports drinks and find I get less sick on those with a higher potassium to sodium ratio.


Eating for endurance: What, when and why Active.com


Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D.
For Active.com

Some athletes consider food their reward at the end of the day; they save up their appetite for a huge feast at dinnertime. Wiser athletes treat food as fuel; they knowledgeably fuel before, during and after exercise. They get more out of their workouts and prevent needless fatigue. If that is your goal, keep reading!

What to eat before you exercise

Contrary to popular belief, pre-exercise food does NOT simply sit in the stomach and hinder athletic performance. Rather, it enhances stamina and endurance. The following study confirms this point:

On two occasions, athletes exercised moderately hard until they were exhausted. In one trial, they ate a 400-calorie breakfast three hours before exercising. In the second trial, they simply had a dinner the night before. When they exercised "on empty," they biked for only 109 minutes, as compared to 136 minutes with the breakfast. That's almost half an hour longer! Exercising without fuel left them lagging. (Med Sci Sports Exerc 31(3):464, 1999)

Even if you eat five minutes before exercise, you'll digest the snack and burn it during exercise, assuming you will be exercising at a pace you can maintain for more than 30 minutes. This means, you can enjoy a granola bar and banana on the way to the gym to fuel your workout. Research suggests this pre-exercise snack can help you perform 10 percent harder in the last 10 minutes of a one-hour workout. Go for it!

Your goal is to target 0.5 grams carbohydrate per pound of body weight within the hour before you exercise. This means, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should target about 300 calories. This is far more than most athletes consume.

Obviously, the amount will depend on your stomach's tolerance to pre-exercise fuel. If you have a finicky stomach, liquids or semi-solids (Boost, yogurt, applesauce, pudding) might empty from the stomach quicker than oatmeal, bagels, bananas, animal crackers or graham crackers. The trick is to teach your intestinal track to tolerate the pre-exercise food so you can enjoy higher energy but avoid undesired pit stops.

Eating during exercise

If you are exercising longer than an hour, plan to consume carbs and fluids during exercise to maintain energy and prevent dehydration and needless fatigue. Depending on your body size, intensity of exercise and intestinal tolerance, you'll want to target about 100 to 250 calories of carbohydrates per hour after the first hour of a two- or three-hour event.

If necessary, set your watch to beep every 15 to 20 minutes as a reminder to consume eight ounces of a sports drink, a Tootsie Roll or part of an energy bar and water. If you are doing an Ironman or ultra-distance event, you'll need to consume even more (400 to 500 calories/hour).

During a moderate to hard endurance workout, carbohydrates in muscle glycogen and blood glucose supply about half of the energy. As you deplete muscle glycogen, you increasingly rely on glucose (sugar) in your blood for energy. By consuming sports drinks, gels, bananas, hard candies, peppermint patties and other carb-based foods during exercise, you will fuel your muscles, maintain normal blood sugar and prevent the dreaded bonk.

Your brain relies on the glucose in your blood for energy; keeping your brain fed helps you think clearly, concentrate well, remain focused -- and perform better. Do NOT "hold off" until after your workout to eat. Rather, fuel during workouts. For example, cyclists should eat while on the bike. Coaches should give teams a snack break during long (over two hours) practices.

Your body doesn't care if you ingest solid or liquid carbohydrates -- both are equally effective forms of fuel. You just have to learn which sports snacks settle best for your body -- gels, gummy bears, dried figs, sugar wafers, tea with honey, sports drinks, or perhaps defizzed cola. If you get your energy from concentrated calories, as opposed to sports drinks, be sure to drink additional fluids. That is, athletes who eat energy bars (or gels) during exercise can too easily under-hydrate.

Despite popular belief, sugar (as in sports drinks, jelly beans, licorice) can be a positive snack during exercise and is unlikely to cause you to "crash" (experience hypoglycemia). That's because sugar taken during exercise results in only small increases in both insulin and blood glucose. Yet, if you consume too much sugar (>250 calories/hour), the high dose might slow the rate at which fluids leave your stomach, causing sloshing, discomfort. (If you experience GI distress, slow down and work at an easier pace.)

Post-exercise food

If you will not be exercising again for a day or two, you need not worry about rapid refueling. But if you work out hard twice a day, you should consume post-exercise carbohydrates as soon as tolerable -- ideally 0.5 grams carbohydrate per pound body weight every hour, for four to five hours (300 calories per hour, if you weigh 150 pounds). Consuming some protein along with the carbs stimulates faster glycogen replacement and optimizes muscular repair and growth.

Some commercial recovery foods tout the benefits of whey protein. Current research indicates no advantage of whey over casein in terms of muscle growth. (Tipton, Med Sci Sports 36(12)2073, 2004) Yes, you can buy commercial recovery foods that contain protein, but you can just as effectively enjoy cereal with milk, a bagel with peanut butter or pasta with meat sauce. These foods offer carbs with an accompaniment of protein (a ratio of 40 gm carb, 10 gm pro).

If you prefer liquids for recovery foods, choose Instant Breakfast, chocolate milk, Boost, yogurt or fruit smoothies; they are tasty sources of carbs, fluids and a little protein. The trick is to plan ahead and have the right foods and fluids readily available.

Post-exercise fluids

Preventing dehydration during exercise is preferable to treating dehydration post-exercise. But if you failed to drink adequately (as indicated by scanty, dark urine), you may need 24 to 48 hours to totally replace this loss. Fruit juices, smoothies and watery fruits are better than plain water because they offer carbs, protein, vitamins and other nutrients that optimize recovery and invest in good health.

If beer is your preference, be sure to first quench your thirst with orange juice, soft drinks or sports drinks and eat some carbs (pretzels, thick-crust pizza) so you get carbo-loaded, not just "loaded!" Or think again. Would you be wiser to simply enjoy the natural high of exercise?

Copyright Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., Feb. 2005

Sports Nutritionist Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., counsels casual and competitive athletes at her private practice in Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill, MA (617-383-6100). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook ($23) and Food Guide for Marathoners ($20) offer abundant fueling tips. To order: send check to PO Box 650124, W. Newton MA 02465, or go to www.nancyclarkrd.com.

Best Laid Plans

What's that saying, "If you wanna hear God laugh, just tell Him your plans?"

Last Tuesday (9/21) I took Diego over to a local arena and let him run around and really stretch his legs. He loves to do this and I enjoy watching him clearly having a very good time. Even though it was dark (7:30 pm), I saddled him up when he was done and rode around for about 30 minutes or so. He did excellent and felt really good, very forward and wanting to go, but soft and listening. He did a few little boingities, but nothing much, which I was glad for since I've been riding in my Solstice (an english saddle) lately. Made firm plans to ride with Funder on Saturday (9/25) and do the 25 mile ride out in Red Rock, to check everything and make sure we were good to go for our first 50-miler at Comstock this coming Saturday, 10/2.

Well... so much for plans. Saturday I got Diego all booted up and ready to go, loaded into the trailer, picked up Funder and Dixie, and when we got to Red Rock, Diego came off the trailer lame. =( Pretty obvious consistent head bob on the left front, especially on a circle to the left. He felt good, and still wanted to "go", but I wasn't going to ride with him like that obviously, so instead he got to hang out in the convienently located cow corrals and I did P&R's. As it worked out, Dixie got a bit unmotivated as well, so Funder cut her ride short and didn't do the full 25. I have withdrawn my entry to Comstock.

While Diego looked better as the day wore on, and has continued to improve, I'm certainly not going to stress him with a long ride this weekend. As for now, I'm hand-walking him daily and will probably do a short ride on Thursday if he continues to look good. I'm thinking about maybe entering a ride later this month, but want to take him out for a ~20-miler at some point first in order to judge his continued soundness. We'll just take things easy for now and see how stuff develops. No more firm plans...

Riding or Racing

Adapted from a different source. Perhaps the most eloquent way to put it that I have seen:

There are many endurance RIDERS, but only a few endurance RACERS. Many of us do these things to test ourselves and our horses. We do it for the love of the sport. Our only competitors are ourselves, the course, and the conditions. There have been many times when I was "racing", and no one else was aware of it.