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Swallowing My Pride September 12, 2007

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

I had another wonderful lesson on Rasyn, but there was a small hiccup that I’m having trouble letting go of.  Lately I’ve been having a little trouble with my position.  Ray is sensitive enough that shifts in balance or inconsistency in your aid set make him nervous. While it’s not catastrophic, it does make it more difficult to get to a place where you can teach him something new or perfect something already introduced.

Today my instructor suggested that I raise my stirrups. Erck!

In dressage, you strive for the infamous “long leg”.  A leg that is elastic, yet firm.  A leg that caresses the horse and delivers subtle aids through your calf yet not altering the influence of your seat.  Essentially, the longer you can let out your stirrups and still maintain all of the above listed, the better rider you are.  I feel like I’ve worked very hard to get to “hole 5″ on my stirrup webbers.  As of today, I’ve been demoted to ”hole 4″.  I’m feeling remedial.

I asked my friend Sherene if I was overracting.  She said no, it feels a lot like having to go back to diapers.  And she’s right.  After my lesson I found myself wanting to lobby hard for a second chance.  “Just let me try “hole 5″ again!  I know I can do better!”  *sniff!*

To be honest, even though I felt like a jockey with my knees in my nose, I did have a much more stable seat and a quieter leg.  It feels awkward because it’s new, but I’m willing to give it a shot.  In fact, we changed a LOT with my position today, and most of it feels like it’s the right thing to do.  What makes it easier to swallow my pride and accept the shorter stirrups is that I have really come to trust my instructor.  Just about everything she has asked me to do has worked extremely well for Ray and I.

And speaking of the brown, sweet, and chewy one, it was a tad cooler today so Ray wasn’t channeling his inner bovine.  Even though he wasn’t falling asleep, he was still MUCH more manageable than in the past.  Things are definitely heading in the right direction.  I am EXTREMELY pleased with his progress.

Tonight I have tasked myself with putting together a plan for LVHM training. Good heavens, I’m getting butterflies just thinking about it. 

I have also registered for the NW Trek Run Wild 5K. Since I couldn’t find a friend to run with me (slackers!), Jeff is going to bring the kids and they’re going to do the 5K walk.  It will be a fun family affair.

Workout:

I just did what?? September 11, 2007

Posted by kimayars Las Vegas Half Marathon, Ramblings Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , 5comments

Oh my, what have I done.  I saw the call for the Las Vegas Half Marathon and thought to myself, “Hey, that’s cool. I hope they all have fun.”  Then I looked at the training plan (beginner’s of course).  “Hmmm…,” I thought, “I could do this.”  Emphasis on *could*.  Not that I’d want to.  I keep telling myself that running is not my thing.  I do it because it’s an easy form of exercise. The path of least resistance.  I’m all about that.

So I told Jeff that the training plan looked interesting, and that I was thinking of following it.  “Why don’t you just sign up?” he says.  Naw, I can’t do it. Who will watch the kids? I can’t do something frivolous like that.  It’s not something a mom like me does.  I drive a mini-van for Christ’s sake.

Somehow, through the course of a long coversation I ended up committing to the LVHM.  Granted I haven’t registered for the LVHM and we don’t have the kids taken care of, but at a minimum I’m going to follow the training plan. Jeff says he’s going to take care of the logistics, so if I don’t go I can just blame him.  :-)

Argh…. What have I done?