The 100 miler bond – it’s real
| March 1, 2014 | Posted by Melinda under Uncategorized |
Something magical happens when you finish a 100 milers on a horse.
Farley looking good coming out of the winter.
We’ve talked about some complicated subjects, and I’ve been posting some long-winded posts that may or may not be interesting to any/some of my readers. And yes, there’s some more complicated and long winded posts coming up, because that’s how I think through stuff best – in writing. And there’s lots of stuff to think through when it comes to endurance.
So, it’s important to be reminded of the important things, because it’s easy to get lost in the words.
At the heart of the sport of endurance is a horse.
And her rider
Even 3 1/2 years after our last 100 mile finish, that special-ness between me and Farley is still there. A combination of trust and I don’t know what else. I was told when I started this sport that a 100 mile finish can create a bond like no other, and I remember thinking “I already have a special bond with my horse! We’ve done 50’s together! We’ve gone through situations that could have been life and death, we’ve gotten really close to a 100 mile finish even if we didn’t actually make it – I don’t understand how one ride can change everything”.
But it did.
Farley wants to know why I’m kneeling on the ground in front of her. Don’t I know that is an unsafe thing to do with horses?
At least two fellow bloggers (Funder, Jaya) finished their first 100 mile last weekend. If you haven’t already, please visit their blogs and congratulate them on a job well done.
Just in case you missed it.
Speaking of the heart of endurance, I wanted to put one last reminder in for your links. It’s quite possible (and understandable) that while skimming (LOL – skipping…) my long recovery page, you missed my note about the addition of a “featured” section/page to this blog.
I’m sure we can all think of a certain posts that are especially inspiring or informative. Maybe they broke down a complicated process, or they took the time to post a comprehensive “how to” related to endurance. Maybe it’s the best collection of advice you’ve ever seen on how to ride or train for a 100. Or maybe it was a gut wrenching honest account of where they went wrong – or maybe they perfectly capture the spirit of endurance riding.
If you have a link for one of these “best of the best” types of posts (even if it’s your own!) please submit the link! I won’t publish the whole thing – just a preview with a link so that people can go visit the original site. Don’t be shy – I know we all have posts that we are especially proud of. It doesn’t have to be a ride story – maybe it’s how to be the best crew ever? (or how to avoid making the worst crew mistakes). Maybe it’s a post or a website resource that you went back to over and over in your first couple of years as an endurance rider.
After I publish a new feature, I’ll put the previous feature information and link on the endurance section of my website, so that we always know where we can find the right endurance story if we need to be inspired, need a laugh, or need the perfect “how to”.
I’m not a great judge of what might be one of my “good” posts or not, but feel free to help yourself to anything that strikes your fancy on my blog and link to it.