2Pointober: THE END IS NEAR! How Are You Faring?!

October 31st is drawing nigh, so how have you been doing with your 2point times?!

Data Queen Emma posted the stats the other day, but here they are again for anyone who missed them on her blog:

Rider	Blog	Baseline	Max Time	% Improved
Aimee	SprinklerBandits	2:13	2:13	0%
Alex	TheHorseDream	0:22	1:53	414%
Amanda	Bel Joeor	0:25	3:32	748%
Anxious Eventer	Anxious Eventer	2:36	2:36	0%
Bee Tea	Riding to B	3:00	3:00	0%
Beth	A Truby in Tucson	0:23	1:41	339%
Britt	A House on a Hill	5:04	5:04	0%
Chelsey	Horseback Writing	2:47	2:47	-1%
Emily Frank		5:38	6:15	11%
Fig	Topaz Dreams	0:07	0:31	343%
Holly	Marescara	2:02	3:48	87%
J. Alexander	It's Cosmic	2:00	8:37	331%
Kaity	The Repurposed Horse	4:07	4:07	0%
KateRose	Peace & Carrots	2:24	2:24	0%
KC	The Pilgrim Chronicles	2:37	5:02	92%
L Williams	Viva Carlos	5:25	12:04	123%
Laura Anne		1:11	2:05	76%
Maddy	CTR+Halt+DEL	1:15	3:15	160%
Mandy	The Everything Pony	3:00	5:40	89%
Megan	Phoebe the Freebie	0:20	4:03	1115%
Megan K	Go Big or Go Home	3:13	3:13	0%
Molly	One Bud Wiser	2:09	3:43	73%
Nadia	3day adventures with horses	4:40	6:15	34%
Niamh	Misadventures of a girl and her OTTB	2:43	3:17	21%
Nicole Sharp	Zen Baby	1:58	1:58	0%
Olivia	DIY Horse Ownership	1:17	1:17	0%
Sara	The Roaming Rider	0:32	1:22	156%
SarahO	Autonomous Dressage	2:05	2:05	0%
SarahW	My Red Mare	2:00	2:00	0%
Teresa	Journey with a Dancing Horse	1:44	7:40	342%
Tracy	Fly On Over	1:45	1:45	0%

The color coding indicates where you stand among the group in both categories. Deeper reds indicate longer times or greater degrees of improvement, and paler hues show where there's more work to be done.

A note on the percentages: An improvement score of 100% would mean that you have doubled your time (a 100% improvement on your baseline).

The contest for Longest Time is already starting to heat up. L Williams currently holds the lead, but J Alexander and Teresa are closing in, with Emily Frank and Nadia close by in the hunt.

Megan's currently got an edge in the Most Improved category - with Amanda vying for the reserve position. Alex, Fig and Teresa have all posted impressive gains however. And if we know anything from years past, it's that the Most Improved division is anyone's game until the very end!

WAY TO GO, Y'ALL! You ladies are killin' it this year! If you're looking to push past that painful, painful wall and get your best time ever, here are my end-of-month 2 point tips: 

• Be sure you're warmed up, but don't wait until the end of your ride to time yourself! Go for your longest time while you're still fresh. 
• To keep from getting bored, mix it up. Ride transitions and turns, listen to music, go over poles, make up an obstacle course for yourself, all in two point! 
• For extra challenge, do your two point with NO REINS and your arms out to the side like an airplaine! 
• RELAX. The more you try to aggressively hold your body in position, the more fatigued you'll be. Soften into your two point and settle in for the long haul to achieve maximum endurance. 

Best of luck to you all in this last home stretch!