Name: Fig

• (I’m still in that phase of trying not to directly tie my full name to my blog.  I figure more job hunting is going to be in my eventual future, and I’m not quite ready to be 100% open with everyone about everything I write here.  It’s not hard to connect the dots and figure out my name with the information here.  It’s just not searchable at this point.)

Age: 24
Where do you live: Bay Area, CA
Family Status: single, with a very tolerant boyfriend.  One pony.  One cat, who lives with my parents but still claims me as his person.

1. How long have you been riding? Endurance?
I started riding lessons at age 12 – wow, half a lifetime ago.  I went to several week-long riding camps in the years before that, so probably age 8 or 9?  I rode hunters with an occasional dressage lesson until I started with Confetti.
I did my first trail ride in May 2011 and my first endurance ride in September 2012.  That sounds totally ridiculous.  I had a lot of support! 

2. What does a normal training week look like for you?
4 rides, 25 miles total.  Often one fast or long ride with 1-2 medium speed/length rides and one pleasant hack-type ride, slower and/or shorter.  In theory I’d like to be doing one fast and one long per week, but I don’t think that happens more than a few times a year.
I’m trying to start running again (3 times a week) now that my foot seems mostly healed from my driveway-fall (back in February).  We’ll see how that holds up.

3. Any advice for endurance riding spouses?
Patience is a virtue.  I tend towards moderately obsessive and can talk for hours about theoretical training plans and goals and how well she did, or didn’t do, and what I could change, but maybe I shouldn’t… show some interest, but it’s okay to politely redirect the conversation sometimes.

4. Where will this sport be in 10 years?
I feel so very new to all this that it’s hard for me to make any sort of statement, even wildly guessing.
I think vets will be looking at more/different parameters. 
I think technology will be more common, but certainly not commonplace – or maybe just starting to be commonplace in 10 years.

5. What was your best race and why (AERC endurance – or if you are primary in another discipline, than your best ride in that sport).
Fireworks this year.  No contest.  No horse-human fighting.  No (horse-related) stress.  Casually trotting down the trail, in sync, relaxed and willing.  We’re finally starting to feel like actual endurance folk who might occasionally know what we’re doing… at least in-between blips of lameness, scrapes, and random bouts of hives.  On second thought, maybe that makes us feel more like actual endurance folks?

Bonus question: What’s your favorite beer?
I’ve never actually had beer.  For a while the medications I was taking didn’t mix well with alcohol; now it’s just a lack of opportunities (plus: very twisty highway heading home).  I’ve also never acquired a liking for carbonated drinks of any kind.  Suggestions appreciated on where I should start – I am running totally blind here, y’all.