A Pleasant Surprise

I'm going to break up the whole craziness with Mom with this post. At this point, Mom's situation is not well known. I would like to be able to have a final diagnosis/prognosis before I finish posting about her. So, on to a more endurance-related and fun post.

On a lark I decided to check out the points standings on the AERC website. It is my goal, some day, to take Hoss to win some high-mileage awards. It occurred to me we had done enough miles we might be in the standings.

I went to the AERC website and first pulled up the points standings for Pacific Southwest district. Imagine my surprise when I found Hoss and I are in third place in my division, and tied for first overall!

Another mileage award we would be eligible for is the Pioneer Award, for those riding and completing all days of a multi-day ride three days or longer. So I checked the Pioneer Award, and we are in fifth place, again in my weight division (middleweight). Every rider on the Pioneer Award list has the same number of miles, but because Hoss and I are rather pokey, the other riders have more points than we do. Points are based on where we finish in each day's ride. I only have a dim understanding of points, as I have little hope we'll ever be high-point winners, but rather will win through sheer mileage.

This caused me to investigate further, and I pulled up the National Mileage standings. My eyes just about popped out. We are currently in first place! Now, we're in first place by a mere 50 miles. The ride season is still young. These standings could change from week to week as ride results come in to the AERC office.

This leaves me with a challenge. I went through the ride calendar, and I have another 1035 miles of endurance I want to do this year. I know I said our goal is 750, but that doesn't mean we can't aspire to more. Besides, seeing our names at the top of the National Mileage standings felt good. I'd like to keep us there if we can.

There's a lot of time left in the ride year. Anything can happen. I am encouraged by Hoss's performance in his last 400 miles. I think so long as I am careful and manage him correctly, we have a real shot at winning or at the very least placing in National Mileage, if not in my weight division.

February 25 is our first chance at a 100 miler. It is the only opportunity we'll have this year. It's important to me that Hoss and I complete at least one, preferably two, 100 mile rides before we go to Tevis. We already have enough endurance miles to qualify to enter Tevis. I'd really like for both of us to have experienced riding all day and all night before we hit the Tevis trail.

So, of course there's a complication. Aside from my mother's health, I have taken a turn for the worse in the health department. On Thursday, while I was finishing the last horse of the day, I noticed I was beginning to feel a little off. By the time I was done loading the truck, I had developed a cough and a very mild sore throat.

Friday I was very definitely sick, but still confident I'd get over it in little time. Saturday came, and wow, I was still sick, but felt well enough to take the dogs for a walk. That was, however, all I could do. I spent the rest of the day camped out in my chair. I had hoped to get in a short trail ride, maybe give Hoss a bath, but it wasn't going to happen.

Sunday (today) I was not any better. Overnight I had a difficult time sleeping. I kept coughing and just felt miserable all night long. No medications seemed to be doing me much good.

I had to be at church early to ring in both services, along with my daughter who was standing in for her grandmother in bells. My voice was pretty much gone. Of course, everyone wanted to know how Mom was, so I didn't get much of a break for my vocal chords.

Between services I decided I was bad off enough to head out to the urgent care. My hope was to get some sterner meds into me so by Monday I'll be well enough to work. My daughter took me out to the urgent care. The doctor thought he heard a little pneumonia in one of my lungs, but decided not to go for an x-ray unless I get worse. He gave me prescriptions for antibiotics, steroids, and a rather stern cough medicine.

I've been home a few hours now and have taken the first dose of steroids and antibiotics and the cough medicine. Aside from the cough having quieted down, I don't feel appreciably better. Usually, with plain ol' bronchitis, I'm already feeling better within a few hours of the first dose of steroids. I'm afraid I may have pneumonia, and now I regret not going ahead with the chest x-rays. If it is pneumonia, it's the first time I've ever had it. Monday is a holiday, and I'm worried my doctor's office will be closed. I swear they take the least opportunity to take a day off.

If the doctor's office is closed, I'll have to go back to the urgent care or the hospital. The cough medicine wore off enough for me to start coughing again – it's supposed to last 4 hours, but seems to only be good for 3. My husband is threatening to take me to the ER tonight because the cough is so painful. I may go along, as the sooner I have a diagnosis, the sooner I get appropriate treatment and get over this thing!

The long and short of it is, I need to get better in a hurry. I'm pretty set on going to Twenty Mule Team this weekend and finishing 100 miles. Since it is our only chance to get in a 100 miler this year, it's not like I can toss it aside easily.