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Bending and Counter-Bending October 31, 2007

Posted by kimayars Arena Work (Horse) Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Today was my lesson on Rasyn, and it was really cool. First of all, the temperature was in the high 30’s low 40’s and the ground was covered in a layer of frost.  At first I thought it was really cool. Then I realized that this meant slippery footing in the arena.  Luckily, half the arena is covered, so half of it wasn’t frosty.  That gave me about a 60′ by 60′ area to work in which is tight but doable.

Cindy (my instructor) suggested that we work on an exercise that she’s been using with her other students, especially on cold days when the horse is particularly stiff.  The idea is that you start off in counter-bend around a 20m circle.  It takes a little while to establish it, because a) Ray is still learning what the heck I’m talking about and b) it is a lot more challenging that being in a true bend, so a lot of horses will try and avoid it if possible.  Once we got a counter-bend consistently, and were able to get him to relax and reach more into the contact, we would switch between true bend and counter-bend, focusing on keeping the rhythm and tempo consistent.  And if that weren’t enough, we added in leg-yielding in and out of the circle.  The result was a beautiful, free, smooth, rhythmic trot that just made me grin from ear-to-ear.  It was a great lesson.

We have decided that Ray is a little bit of a princess.  While riding around a drip from the ceiling fell on his rump.  He very delicately kicked out as if to say, “Eeewww!  It’s runing my hair!”  Dork.

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Damn You, ForeRunner! October 30, 2007

Posted by kimayars Run Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , 2comments

I had a really fun night with the EZ8 Running group and was REALLY excited to se how far I went tonight.  After about 10 minutes in I looked down and my ForeRunner was blank.  Nooooooo!  Dead battery. Curses.

Tonight we met at the Snoqualmie Firestation and ran up the Parkway.  Kimbrough suggested I do fart licks.  Hmmm. Not sure I really wanted to do that. The Parkway is lined with street lamps evenly spaced all the way up the hill.  So I would run up four street lamps, and then turn around and run back one to the group.  Run up four, run back one. Run up four… until we reached the top of the hill which was 1.5 miles.

I was in the mood to socialize after that, so instead of doing the intervals on the way down I jogged with the rest of the group.

Ha. Fart licks. That’s a cruel joke. What was she thinking?

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Where’s My Whip? October 29, 2007

Posted by kimayars Arena Work (Horse) Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , 1 comment so far

I had a short and sweet ride on Rasyn today, and have come to the conclusion that I need to start carrying a dressage whip with him.  He’s cheating, and has learned that my leg isn’t nearly as threatening as it used to be.  I “test-drove” using a whip on Saturday (Sherene was there to call 911 if need be), and he didn’t seem overly concerned by it.  With Ray, a “tap” works much better than a ”smack”.  (I save those for Jeff.)

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The Stand-In Running Buddy October 28, 2007

Posted by kimayars Run, Las Vegas Half Marathon Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , 3comments

Today Jeff was my stand-in running buddy. Except that he didn’t run.  He biked.  Not that I’m complaining.  It was so much better having someone with you, especially for those last few miles.

We’re in Bremerton right now with my parents so it was a different run that was pretty in a different way than I’m used to.  My parents live just a stone’s throw from Dyes Inlet on the Kitsap penninsula so today we were treated to water views instead of the usual valley views of the foothills.  The highlight of my run was when we ran by my parents’ house. They plus the girls were waving and cheering as I went by (this was at mile 7).  It brought a smile to my face and put a spring in my step (albeit a small one).

I hit the wall about mile 8.  There were two hills in this run, and most of my runs have been flat.  The nice thing about having Jeff there was he carried my water and some Hammer Gel that I drank at mile 5.  Fueling during these long runs definitely make a difference. But those last two miles was pure willpower.  But my body just aches.  I did not walk, and I’m darn proud of it.  :-)

The funniest part of the run was at about mile 4, I jokingly asked Jeff if he was holding up okay (keep in mind he’s riding his bike).  He seriously answered me with a complete run down of how his body was holding up.  I kind of had to roll my eyes, but it was kind of cute. (But not that cute.)

So overall, a nice run.  I was super happy to have Jeff with me and how often can you have your own personal cheering section?

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The 1 Mile Yak. October 25, 2007

Posted by kimayars Walk Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , 3comments

When I wake up in the morning to run, I always feel kind of numb.  I mindlessly go through my routine and head out the door to go meet Beth on the corner.  Usually, about 10 minutes later I feel human and I can really start having a good time.

Today, not so much.  About 1/2 mile in I did my little “quirk”, but it escalated instead of settling back down.  I very nearly puked on the side of the road.  I walked for a bit and retched again.  This was not normal.

We walked back home and I promptly emptied my gut not once, but twice within 30 minutes.  Jeff was a sweetheart and took Veronica to the bus while I slept in just a little later. I definitely have a bug — I’m sluggish and have some lovely all-over body aches.  Luckily there are no big plans today.  I find myself worried about how this will effect my training for the LVHM, but I think I’ll just take it one step at a time.

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