Training and Adventures - Weekend of 2/20/10

Hi readers! This past training weekend was far different from any other we have had so far. It was fun, and we got very dirty! Friday was usual training - Running, conditioning, stretching, freestyle, and compulsory work. We got Pally out to find that he was going to be the farthest thing from naughty, or stiff, or tired, or slow. He was SOOOOO good! Pally was light and floaty under saddle, and he gave us the greatest compulsory canter. I love vaulting on Pally, we just have one conflict - my height vs. his height/ the handles.... Blah..... I canter on the ground just barely enough to get a jump, and where I ideally want to reach is just out of range... I'm drinking lots of milk, maybe a half more inch will get me there! Ok now, back to this weekend.....


So as I said, Friday was normal training, good hard work, but we get to Saturday and it's a whole different story - we went on a team adventure, a real adventure. Due to the USEF High Performance Camp being at the Frankel's on Saturday, we couldn't be in our club house, or use the arena. Really, there was no where for us to train, so, we all piled into my mom's truck and drove to Hallmark Park for out first adventure - a 3 mile cross country run. Devon and Mary finished in 27 minuets, while Karly, Nicole, and I (Mari went on a bike ride while we ran because of her ankle.) finished in 29. For 3.1 miles, that's not bad! The whole time I was looking down at animal tracks, and grabbing twigs and tall grass along the way. I like to do funny things like that when I run :-P We saw some jack rabbits, but nothing else. It was a good run.


After the run we piled back into the truck and drove to the Santa Cruz mountains where we went on a hike to a "secret" cave entrance where Devon took us spelunking, or "cave diving," in Hell Hole (also called the Face's Cave). Let me tell you, it was very intense. We had to fit through little holes and spaces, up and down, and squeeze through the treacherous "birth canal." Ok, so it wasn't treacherous, but Devon admitted that he was a little scared and that his butt must have grown a little since college. Sorry Devon, I just had to say that! It was easier for me to go through all of the little spaces but I thought that I was going to die at one point when I couldn't reach any of the hand or foot holds climbing up a rock, and not just any rock, but the side of a wet, muddy rock, with 50 foot holes on either side and a little rope to hold onto.... I was sincerely scared! Without Devon and Nicole I would not have made it out. FINALLY, we emerged into the sunlight, caked with mud and sopping with wet, muddy sloshed clothing, after 2 hours in the cave and hiked back to the truck, drove to lunch, and drove back to Woodside.

The USEF Camp was over by the time we got back to the Frankel's so we stretch and did some compulsory work for a couple hours. Nicole and I drove the truck back to my house (over Hwy 17 for the 4th time in a day) and slept like rocks! We awoke Sunday morning and drove the truck over to a real day of practice in Woodside, though we had to endure hours of indoor compulsory work due to the rain. In the evening we were able to get the horse out, thank God the rain stopped! And after that, we concluded the clinic with freestyle run throughs. Few! Long weekend, as you can see!