I tell people I ride my horse. But, what I am really doing is training. Do I think it is fun? I think there are parts of it that are fun. It is work. Really hard work. Let me share what one day looks like and how I fit training sessions in.
Wednesdays...let me share what last Wednesday looked like and this is pretty much how my days go (except Sundays...now those consist of showing our rental house and finding the right new tenant, not complaining, it's just a priority and the way it is until that task is complete.) every, single, day. And, if I am not riding my horse, it's because I am making 3 trips (like today...I am using my time in between trips to taking kids to their classes to type this up) to the kid's school in a day, running errands after, and cleaning up for church group to show up at my house in the evening.
7am: Wake up. Get up, get the kids going...eating breakfast and getting out their school work. Wednesdays are my one day to sit for a moment and drink my coffee and read. I don't get to do this most days because I usually am out the door by 8:30am taking kids to class. Eat breakfast, do some laundry, house hold chores, help with home work and take a shower. Usually...put all the animal feeding and run around in this time section, no sitting and reading, I drink my coffee in the car.
9am: Get dressed, start taking care of animals, getting animal fed (goats, horses, dogs, cats and bunny) yes...kids help with the process. Soak my horses beet pulp and grain. Come in and prepare a crock pot meal so we will have dinner that night.
10am: Go clean the horses pasture.
10:45am: Take Heidi to math class
11:15am: Last week, I went to have coffee with a friend I haven't seen in a while. It was really nice, I enjoyed it. I do have to give up time away from home (while I leave my other kiddo at home) getting things done that I normally don't have time for. It's usually the time I use for weekly Costco/Albertson/Walgreens runs. I have been using these hours here and there to try and help people or spend time with those I haven't seen. I love it! But, because I have no down time it's throwing me into depression.
12:30pm: Go pick up Heidi from Math class.
1:15pm: Home now, eating lunch as fast as I can, changing clothes to go and ride.
1:30pm: Hooking the horse trailer up. You hope you get it in the first try, but since you are in a hurry it takes way longer...throw horse in the trailer. Take off to meet up with your riding partner.
1:50: Finally on the road.
2:15pm: Get to riding trails, get horse out of trailer, saddle. Stretch. Set GPS. Go ride.
Ok, here is where I am going to share what a conditioning ride looks like. It isn't like we laugh and gallop down the trail here and there, it is actually very hard work.
1st mile and a half. Walking/warm up.
Then we start trotting. You spend the first 45 min arguing with your horse about speed, begging them to have some brains. You are already exhausted from constantly slowing down your post to try and get your horse to match YOUR speed, and your shoulders and neck muscles are hot from handling a feisty horse. Finally an hour in, and probably 6 1/2 to 7 miles later you and your horse come to an agreement and then it is fun. You float along the trail. Posting in a comfortable rhythm as the miles clip by. No talking just the sound of your horse and your partner's horse's hooves on the gravelly logging roads. You're sweaty, your heart rate is up, your calves are burning, your shoulders ache, it's a good solid 2 hour + work out. Then, on the way home...you get to fight your horse again to calm down. You make it back to your horse trailer.
14 miles and 2 hrs and 10(ish) minutes later, you are proud of yourself for a good work out.
4:50pm: Put your horse in your trailer and head home.
5:15pm: Home now, park the trailer un hook the truck, put my horse in her pasture. Go get her soaked grain and put her in the separated area so the chunky gelding doesn't get the calories that she just burned off. Go feed and check on animals.
5:30/45pm: Come inside. Check on girl's homework. Tidy up the house and set the table to eat before Todd walks through the door.
6pm: Todd's home! Yay! We sit and talk about work, the day, the kids day...
6:30pm: We eat dinner. Last week I rushed through dinner and ran up to Gig Harbor to a free Equine Vet conference and didn't get home until late.
7pm: Kids clean up from dinner and do dishes, Todd and I retreat to the office
8pm: Todd and I veg on the couch with a show and some hot cider, then I go and put my horse back into the pasture with the other horse.
9pm: We go to bed.
I do rides 3 days a week. Mostly the same days I am running my kids back and forth from school stuff and youth activities, 4H etc. Then 2 days a week, I work. My work is split shift, so it chews up an entire day. I can do things after work, but because my work is physically demanding I am pretty exhausted after.
This is what training looks like. I am driven, motivated and also exhausted while trying to achieve some dreams of mine. My goal is Tevis. The grand daddy 100 mile, hardest endurance race in the WORLD. Not exaggerating. It's the truth! But, to get there I have to put in my time. I have to complete six 50 mile races before I can even apply to do Tevis. I'm probably going to lose friends. I know I have offended many while ignoring and not pursuing old friendships. It's not that I don't care. It's because I have one life to live. It's because I want my girls to see me reach for something big and achieve it.
Summer usually is easier for me to be a friend. I am not racing or conditioning. I won't be getting fencing put up around property, or prepping for any far away trips. I am a bit of a hermit/homebody. It is a warm sunny time to stay home and piddle around in a garden, lazy days with no commitments, time with friends at the beach or lake. Those times exist in the not far off future.
These school years will be what my world looks like for the next 3 years. I am now guarding my free time as I had a massive break down trying to make all of my individual friends happy. Won't you cheer me on? It's ok if you don't. I will root for your success at whatever it is you want to do. I wish everyone joy and fulfillment in their endeavors. Hope to see you around...at least in the summer!
