Back on Track

I've been pretty bad about updating this blog, but I've been even worse about getting the dogs out for runs. To pick up where we left off -- the dogs and I attended our first race of the season. We didn't make it out for Jersey Sand's first race, but we did get down there for the Pine Barrens Dryland Run.

I wasn't expecting too much from this race. I was treating it like a normal run down in the pines, since this was only our second time at Mt. Misery this season. Also, it was around 50 degrees when we ran, and I didn't want to push the dogs too hard.

Despite the conditions and lack of training, we came away with second place -- only a few seconds behind the first place team. We had some opportunities to overtake the other team, but I held the brakes. I knew my guys would lose steam as soon as we passed, so I tried to stay on their tail for the majority of the run. Given the minute starts, we could still grab first if we came in close enough after the first team out. That plan almost worked, except everybody slowed down during the final leg of the race.

But that's alright. They still did great. I'm especially proud of Knox. His line was tight the entire time. Denali got a little distracted, which is entirely unlike her. Dexter did well, but I could tell it was tough on him.

Speaking of Dexter, we had a little scare with him just over a week ago. I had all the dogs in for their wellness exams, and his blood work came back a little off. It seemed as though he was fighting an infection, though he had antibodies pretty much finishing it off. The vet was worried about Lyme, so I had to bring in a urine sample to make sure his kidneys were working properly.

Luckily, everything came back fine. I need to keep an eye on him for any stiffness and get his urine tested at least once a year. I feel pretty guilty for making him run the last race, seeing as he likely didn't feel great at the time. But he sure didn't show it.

Now, as I mentioned, our runs have been infrequent. We had a freakish warm spell for a few days, followed by what seemed like a week of rain. Followed by me getting sick and the holidays. Hopefully, now that I'm feeling better and the chaos of Christmas has passed, we can get back into the swing of things.

2012-2013 Mileage to Date: 43.87

Dog Food and Other Things

Distance	Moving Time	Average Speed	Maximum Speed
3.96 miles	0:25.52	9.18 mph	19.31 mph

It seems like every time I speculate a run will be our last of the season, we're able to sneak another in. I went out to the Pine Barrens last Saturday with the gang and had my favorite run so far. Knox has been handling our short one to two mile runs without any problem, so I decided to try the longer trail. After all, if this was going to be our last run of the season, I wanted to make the most of it.

I was the first to arrive and set up on Saturday. Luckily, I had my new quick release (thanks to Roy of Adirondack Kennel), so I didn't need anyone to hold the dogs while I hooked them up. Denali has an impeccable line-out for a yearling, so that helped too.

It was about 38 degrees with very low humidity, so the dogs ran very well. I stopped them twice for water breaks and to let Knox rest, since this was his longest run yet. Overall it was a very smooth run. The sand was loose in some spots, so they had to work a bit to pull through. We saw some deer right as the trail split in one area, which made Denali want to haw instead of gee. I stopped and waited for her to cool off, and surprisingly, she didn't take long to regain her composure and gee over. Glad I was on the rig and not my bike, though, or it may have been a different story.

Other than our run on Saturday, we haven't been doing too much. I've been slacking on the daily walks, but the dogs don't seem to mind as long as they get to hang outside. Denali and Knox chase each other around the yard in the morning and evening. They are a good match for tiring each other out.

It doesn't look like we'll be getting a Pine Barrens trip in this weekend, as temperatures aren't falling below 50. I will be more vigilant about getting some loose leash walks in, though, before they forget all the progress we've made so far.

In other-dog related news, I've started transitioning my pack away from Canidae and on to Annamaet. I've stuck with Canidae for a long time because it's affordable, available locally, and most importantly, decent quality. However, I always felt like the dogs could be doing a little better.

I've been interested in Annamaet for awhile, but couldn't get it anywhere close by. Shipping it wasn't really worthwhile because it added on almost $15 to the price. However, I recently realized that with my auto-ship discount from PetFoodDirect, I can get almost $8 off a 40-pound bag, which basically cuts the shipping in half. I did the math, and I'll be paying about $0.20 more per pound for the 40-pound adult formula Annamaet versus the 35-pound all-life-stages formula Canidae. It's a small price jump, so I'm willing to give it a shot.

I started the dogs off by mixing an 8-pound bag of Annamaet in with their old kibble, and they really liked it. They even began picking out the Annamaet and leaving the Canidae behind. I plan to stick to the Adult 23% formula for the time being, and then blend in the Ultra 32% when mushing season picks up again.

Annamaet supports a lot of the mushing and husky rescue events I participate in, so it's nice to return the favor and feed their food. I'm planning a blog post about my experiences with different dog foods (dry, canned, and raw)... this is just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned!

2011-2012 Mileage to Date: 133.66

Broken Down

Distance	Moving Time	Average Speed	Maximum Speed
3.8 miles	Unrecorded	Unrecorded	Unrecorded

The past few days have been fun, but destructive. On Friday, my bike's brakes gave out entirely. The duct tape job on the front brake lost its effect and all the brake pads have worn down.

I realized I had no brakes about halfway through our run, right before the dogs spotted a cat -- in the middle of the trail. The cat took off running and the dogs followed behind. She eventually went off the trail and the dogs lost sight of her, giving me just enough time to fully stop the bike after a scary few seconds. They must have saw her again, because they did a 180 on the trail and tried to pull off into the woods. I had to dismount and drag them away... they were far too excited for "leave it" to work.

The brake-less bike foiled my plans for joring at the D&R Canal, so I ended up taking the dogs to Sandy Hook with my parents. I left the harnesses at home and attempted to make it just a "walk", but all three were pretty amped up and looking to run. Everybody got to dip their paws in the ocean and nose around in the sand, so it was a nice change of pace. It was windy and we were pelted with sand the whole time, but three tired dogs on the way home was well worth it.

Sunday, I went to the Pine Barrens with AJ and the pack. I brought the chambers rig, since the bike is still out of commission. About halfway through our 3.8 mile run, I noticed the front wheel seemed to be rubbing on something and making a weird noise. I stopped the dogs and tried to figure out what was causing the issue. As it turns out, the wheel was wobbling because one of the bearings had fallen into the center of the wheel. The inner part of the wheel was rubbing on the axle on one side, while the other side still had a bearing holding it in place.

We finished the remainder of the run, but it was a real workout for me and the dogs. I'm hoping I can replace the bearing without too much trouble. However, it seems anything involving these unusual sized wheels can be a hassle to find. If I can, I'll just replace all three wheels completely. Bike brake pads should be easier to come by, but I'm leaning towards buying the new bike sooner rather than later. It'll be a financial hit I was hoping to put off or offset, but it may be necessary.

2011-2012 Mileage to Date: 111.76

Rickety Rigs

Distance	Moving Time	Average Speed	Maximum Speed
3.99 miles	0:27.44	8.62 mph	14.16 mph

We got some nice training opportunities in this weekend. On Saturday I biked with Dexter and Denali around our usually trail. It was still VERY muddy but we managed. Afterwards, I walked Knox on his own -- man, that little puffball can pull!

This morning we were all packed up and ready to go to the Pine Barrens, but I couldn't find my damn keys. I finally found them -- in the first place I had checked, I just didn't look hard enough. We hit the road about 40 minutes later than I would have liked, but we made it down there.

Today was our first run with the dry land rig this season. They pulled hard and fast while they were chasing another team, but really pooped out towards the end. Overall not a bad run -- I just need for them to pace themselves a little better. It's definitely harder to pull the rig, since I'm not pedaling along the whole time. I do kick off the ground to help them out, but for the most part, they're on their own. They were eager to get back in the truck after their run, so I suppose they were satisfied!

Back at home, I took Knox out for some basic puppy training. Denali's x-back harness finally arrived, so I was able to pass on the adjustable puppy x-back to Knox. I hooked him up to the rig with one leader line and I held the other. At first he was determined to run back and sit on the driver's spot on the rig -- silly pup. I let him get acclimated with the big, metal contraption, so he wouldn't be nervous when it was barreling behind him.

Eventually, I got Knox out in front of the cart, pulling it slowly and following alongside me. The cart is super light, so it was barely any work for him. He didn't seem at all afraid of it as he toddled along. Good pup!

2011-2012 Mileage to Date: 83.34

Dogs at Sunset

Distance	Moving Time	Average Speed	Maximum Speed
1.42 miles	0:10.06	8.43 mph	12.3 mph

Our run today was short and sweet. Thanks to the recent cold snap, both dogs are looking better in harness. I took all three out for a canicross walk last night, right at sunset. It was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and Denali pulled harder than I've ever felt on a walk. All three did well, and I admit, I had trouble stopping them! It won't be long before I cannot take all three out at the same time -- at least, not in their x-backs.

I decided another sunset outing might be a good idea, only this time on the bike. It was a little warmer this evening at around 32 degrees, but the run still went quite well. Dexter was a little bit distracted, but he did break into his old run along the way, which I was happy to see. And as usual, our woods loop went well. There's some ice at the very end of the loop I have to be careful of, as both nearly lost their footing.

So it seems temperature effects Dexter's runs more than I had anticipated. He's got a short coat -- I used to bike with him in the late summer and early fall without issue. I guess he's just gotten picky.

We're supposed to see some rain this week, which is disappointing. I'm so eager to try out my new sled, but temperatures are not cooperating whenever precipitation is on its way.

I ordered a new four-dog gangline to use when Knox is ready to join the team. I could have easily purchased a two-dog team section and added it to my leader y-section, but I wanted something new and with a little bit of color. My new lines will be black and green, so they'll be a bit easier to untangle amid all my black lines.

I'm also awaiting Denali's custom made x-back harness, so that we can pass the adjustable puppy x-back on to Knox. I won't have him run until he's 6-months-old (March), but I'd still like to get him into the x-back for canicross walks.

As you can imagine, I've got a lot I'm looking forward to. I cannot wait to be behind a three dog team out on the snow. It may not happen this year, but it'll happen, for sure. Hell, I can't wait to be behind a four or six dog team, but that will have to wait awhile.

This weekend I'm going to the Pine Barrens to train, probably Saturday morning. I'm going to bring my rig, if all goes as planned, and run the big dogs with it. Denali has never pulled a rig before and I want to see how she does. Fingers crossed for really cold temperatures, as I'd like to do a real long run!

2011-2012 Mileage to Date: 68.6