July Link Luv
| July 4, 2015 | Posted by Melinda under Uncategorized |
Today’s Link Luv comes with…..MerryLegs pictures!
Preride nibble = picture opportunity.
The light hasn’t been great and it’s so HARD to get pics of her because she is attached to my hip and unless you want endless giant noses with nostrils and whiskers, it takes effort. But I snapped a few with my phone at our last roundpen session before a bout of naughtiness forced me to focus on the task at hand.
Now onto Links!
Holding it together pretty good…..
The Western States Run veterans panel...it’s on my list to watch all of them, but here’s one to get you started.
Funder (also here) gave me this link and told me if this women had time to write, I had time to run. I’m not saying that I agree with everything she writes about in this article, but when she gets to the actual list of “how to”, they are right on, and I employed many of them when I was in vet school. My favorite? #2. Her article illustrates 2 other things I think are important. 1) Patience is key, but life rarely gets less hectic and busy, which is why waiting and NOT taking small steps as you can doesn’t work. 2) She writes in the beginning of the article: “Because my time was so limited and my responsibilities were so great, I learned to maximize my efforts by using whatever spare time I found to work. This took discipline. I didn’t watch television, I didn’t really even go out with girlfriends for coffee. My priorities were my family my writing, my work, and my workouts, and I made a decision to give the time I had to those things.” This is perhaps the hardest thing to explain people whose goals take a different direction then mine, and who think endurance sports are stupid, nevermind I insist on doing it with a family too. It’s why my blogger friends/family and people/family in endurance/running see more of me then family/friends that aren’t, for better or worse.
Ever since last year when I followed her run at Western States virtually, I’ve really enjoyed hearing Stephanie interviews, and reading her blog. She was the one I have a photo of in my previous post. She’s always so positive and upbeat and has a “real person-ness” about her style of writing and talking that inspires me. Here’s her race report (short and sweet) about Western States Run this year. ( I was wrong, finished third not second).
…but look at at that sky…perhaps this isn’t the best day to ride after all.
[prelude to pic: a buck, skip, and rear] Nah. Ride another day.
Didja see this? I KNEW it. Betcha horses do the same thing…
Interesting. Initially stronger and then weaker? I don’t wear heels often, just for special occasions – but they make me feel damn good when I do wear them so no plans to give up my once-in-a-while vice. Although the last time I wore heels was graduation and I had tingly weird nerve damage on the side of my left foot for a MONTH – probably a product of 20 more pounds then usual, so perhaps I’ll resist until I become un-pregnant….
Practicing her favorite trick – sidepassing next to objects to I can mount. Here I’m perched on top of roundpen panels.
This may be written for runners, but every 100 mile RIDE I’ve done I’ve struggled with the same Angel and Demon on my shoulders. About 2am, nauseous, tired, hurting, and hallucinating. Oh yea. I’ll be learning some mantras and comebacks to squish my fickle mind with on my next 100 mile race, whether it’s running OR riding.
I find what works best for me is the ability to slow down, speed up, or stop my treaddesk as necessary, depending on the task. Most tasks improve for me (studying, memorizing, reading comprehension) while in movement, but sometimes (editing a section of tricky writing) I need to stop for a few minutes so I can totally concentrate. However, even if the desk is stopped, I find that standing up>sitting down even if I’m standing still.
Proving that the once troublesome ears are still A-OK
Delaying that trip to the stable for a ride? Enemies of action. Ironically that very procrastination that is keeping you from doing something just needs to be applied to a different direction…..
It’s so hard to find good saddle bags. Anyone done something to this level with DYI saddle bags?
OMG it’s another running post, but I swear you HAVE to read this one. I dunno about you but I hear/see/do this with our endurance horses ALL the time. Just replace coach with rider, runner with horse, and voila! Endurance crap on facebook explained….
Important fact to understanding this abstract: Tartan = asphalt. I’m so grateful that 90% of my running mileage is on trails right now. True the study was done in competitive male runners (BWHAHAHAHAH I’m neither…) but I was just thinking today, while in the midst of dealing with some pretty painful hips that if my only option was roads and sidewalks, I might not be running still at this point in my pregnancy. And that feeling that trail marathons beat up my body a lot less then road marathons, even with the addition of significant hills on the trails? Probably something to that. Would love to see a similar study on shin splints since that’s a problem a lot of my endurance running and riding friends deal with.
It’s worth mentioning again, that a major source for my links is a daily link post from ultrarunnerpodcast.com, which is a very similar format to these monthly posts, but daily and more focused on running (shhhhhhhh…I know I screwed up this month and it’s like ALL running, but I swear it’s what has come across my plate recently).
Anyone have this riding shirt and love it? hate it? something in between? I’m intrigued – stylish yet functional I think.
Mugwumps can always be counted on to write a thoughtful and insightful post.
This is not the protocol that I exactly subscribe to, but Aarene has some excellent information here and it will serve as a good starting point if you are still trying to decide what to do with, and to use elytes in endurance riding.
Good article from Dr. Ramey. Not everything has to have a label or a diagnosis. Tests and medications aren’t always needed. As a vet, it’s my job to give you options and then explain the value of any particular diagnostic test, and whether the result will be useful. I’m always relieved when someone asks those questions because it means they are thinking. And if I think it really needs to be done, I’ll tell you. Otherwise there’s a middle ground. Ask me what will happen if we do nothing. That’s OK too.
I waffled back and forth on whether to include this article here (warning, this writer does use profanity). Which usually means it’s better for me to leave it out. But…..I really liked it. And I wish I was brave enough to post on facebook and tag individual people that I think need to read it based on their recent comments to me. But since it ’tis better not to engage sometimes, I’m not (which makes me a wimp or an ostrich, but hey it’s working!). I think that in *most* cases operating on gut instinct and common sense is a wise thing to do. Just want to put in a teensy little caveat. If your gut/common sense says “the horse needs to see the vet”, then perhaps it is best to CALL THE VET. Not satisfy that impulse with random internet advice, or questionable medical care, because likely if you can treat it yourself, your gut won’t be saying “NEED VET”. Just sayin’
Post session photo as the thunderstorm rolled in. WAIT! We aren’t done yet are we? Why do I have to go to my paddock? Can’t I come home with you?
Yeah, Merry Legs pictures. She is lovely, and looks just terrified of the lead rope…
I’ll catch up on the other links, but no thanks to you I just ordered that cute shirt from Riding Warehouse. That place is dangerous. I probably won’t ride in it, (too many branches around here I like to wear sleeves), but it was too hard to pass up. Thanks for enabling some shopping…
Oh, that shirt looks lovely! Hmmmmmmm.
If you gals end up liking the shirt let me know!!!!!! That blog has a lot of sponsored items and so I always take what she’s showing off with a grain of salt but it’s just so cute, even though I to prefer sleeves for riding and running. But if it looks cute Irl and does well I’m totally buying one!!!!
I just want you to know that these posts are evil! Do you know what happens to my productivity when you post them? Bad things happen… now I have to go read that one on procrastination again. 😉
Aren’t you glad they are only once a month!!!!!!?????? Bwahahahahahahaha 🙂