Two years ago I did the race with an older, but enormously strong, man and we completed the 200 mile event in 10 hours and 30 minutes.  That year I was in very good shape having had 1500 miles of training under my belt.  This year was a little different.  I had a new bike, a Madone 6.9, but I lacked a little in the training department. Having sat out last year with a broken leg, I made amends this year…

Preparations for the event started a few months ago with Sarah and I discussing whether either of us had what we like to call Big Girl Legs – legs big enough to take you up the largest of hills.  Sarah was a little unsure.  I was absolutely sure.  But, Sarah has this brute toughness, stemming from her Scottish upbringing, which looks at an obstacle and stares it down till it bows down pleading for mercy.

So, once we decided that we had what it takes to ride 200 miles as a 2-person relay team, we started riding every Sunday together, and apart we rode many times throughout the week.  I ride with two ladies groups during the week and the hardcore Goldstream Sports group on Saturday morning (though I do not count myself as hardcore).

Preparation began, we signed up for the race and called ourselves The British Empire Strikes Back.  I called around and found the very last room available in Valdez so we could have a warm bed and a shower.

On Friday morning we met at Goldstream Sports and packed all of our gear in Sarah’s Subaru.  The plan was to borrow roof racks to install and put our bikes on the roof, having the inside for food and clothes.  As it happened, our rood rack idea flopped as the bike racks were lashed onto the roof racks and they did not sit right making the bikes kind of flop and twist.  We left the racks in place, and pulled my prissy bike apart and lovingly packed it in the car and hung Sarah’s very nice on the rack hanging on the rear window.

Ben, Sarah’s 5 year old, joined us as our team coach and captain.  His role was to keep us focused on the race, make us eat and drink during our driving legs, and cheer for us while we were on our riding legs.

We drove to Sheep Mountain Lodge under a sky as blue as can be, and temps around 85 degrees.  There was no wind, and not a cloud in the sky.  This made for a very exciting pre-race evening. Upon arrving at Sheep Mountain Lodge we found a camp site on the air strip with the other racers.  We set up camp, met some neighbours, and went to find dinner.  They fed us extremely well with an all you can eat pasta and salad dinner with brownies to make you weep. After our fill we went back our tents to prepare for the early morning ride.

On arriving at the campsite again I noticed a lot of white fluff on the ground.  I kind of shrugged it off and started rifling through the food bags sorting out riding and driving foods.  We cracked a beer and laughed at our assortment of energy foods.  We had enough Shot Bloks to feed a Tour de France peleton, Red Bull for when we thought we might not make it, Ibuprofin for our pain, cheese sticks for protein, and energy drink for electrolyte replacement.

Sarah and I cracked a couple of beers and toasted each other good luck for the following day.  We overheard the closest neighbours and went to introduce ourselves.  Upon meeting them we noticed that the white fluffy stuff around the campsite was actually dismembered bunny feet.  Bunny feet everywhere!!!!  I still am not sure what that was about, but who ever decided that a rabbit’s food was good luck wasn’t thinking about the rabbit.

At 7am the 200 mile 2-person race started.  The first riders in each team started.  There were time trial bikes, mountain bikes, and even a Bike Friday – for those who have not seen one they are a folding bike that can be packed into a bag.  They have very small wheels, but they do ok.  I was kind of expecting bubbles and bubble noises to come out of the Bike Friday as it looked so comical and out of place at the race start.

At the start there were some racers who were hell bent on winning.  They charged out of the start, and I never saw them again.  I was mid-pack and my computer decided not work for the first leg so I had to keep an eye on the time and the mile markers and calculate my miles per hour and speed up accordingly.  I was really frustrated with my computer, and every time I looked at it mocked me with “–” flashing across the screen.  Without any idea of speed, distance or cadence I kind if felt blind.  So, I set my sights on the guy in front of me.  He was a ways up and I would gain on him on the hills, and he would pull away on the downhills and flats.  We played this game for around 10 or 15 miles until I finally caught him on the large hill coming into Eureka.  I told him that he was my target, he said well he is my target and pointed to the guy a long way ahead…  I took off and made the new guy my target and started to reel him in.

The clouds were blocking the sunshine but the temperatures were just about perfect – not too hot or cold.  I kept my knee warmers and elbow warmers on almost the whole race as it ensured limber limbs.  At about mile 15 Sarah and Ben drove past and jumped out at the next pullout and I yelled to them that I wold switch in 15 miles. Being Sarah’s first ride I knew she would appreciate a little more preparation time.

As I was riding to meet Sarah fellow Fairbanksans drove past tooting their horn and shouting words of encouragement.  It really helps the psyche to know that you are not alone out there, and people know your name are watching and cheering for you.

When I reached Sarah she was ready and Ben was excited to see the first transfer.  Sarah rode off looking very strong and with a big smile on her face.  We tried to switch out where the next rider had a flat or downhill start to the ride.  This made it a lot easier and less tiring.  Sarah set out on her first 25 mile ride.  She had a white thermal layer that made her easy to see.

As Sarah rode, I quickly made myself a new drink for the next ride, and a large sandwich of turkey and cheese and ate string cheese sticks and Chewy bars.  It is kind of like an eating competition as much as a cycling race. You eat as much as you can in the time between rides. The front passenger foot well was starting to pile up with discarded food wrappers.

Sarah had a great leg with rolling hills and fun fast down hills.  But, there was a headwind starting to form.  It was ever present, and starting to get annoying.  But, you had to just ride against the wind.  One thing that kept me sane was the fact that everyone in the race had the same headwind and I was not singled out.

At this point some of the 4-person teams started to catch us.  They started 30 minutes behind us, and they were able to move faster with more people to ride more miles.  We also saw the first 400 miler return along the other side of the road.  The first guy, Bryce from Chicago looked as though he had ridden just around 20 miles.  He was spinning along, looking fresh and strong.  Around 30 minutes back we saw his closest challenger – this poor guy looked like he had ridden all of the 400 miles; he was slouched, pedaling slowly, and just trying to keep the bike going.

We switched again and the wind had started to pick up.  We were getting close to Glennallen and close to turning from the Glenn Highway to the Richardson Highway toward Valdez.  I started riding with a guy who introduced himself as a masters cyclist from Anchorage.  He was strong and and we rode side by side for a while yelling to each other against the loud headwind.  It was great to be riding with someone. We discussed our teams strategies.  His 4-person team was switching every 10 miles.  I thought that was too quick at the beginning, not allowing enough time to warm up, he agreed, but towards the end of the race 10 miles is a good distance. He stopped to switch out and I was once again left to ride alone.  I spotted a guy ahead of me so I reeled him in.

The new guy looked a little awkward on his bike.  I asked him how long he had been riding for and he said about 3 miles, and that he first got on a road bike the previous week.  I asked him how long his leg was and he looked down at his actual legs and said “um, really long”.

We turned on to the Richardson and I was blasted by a massive headwind, and the start of the swirling side winds.  The road was smoother, and the shoulder a little wider.  I was able to take advantage of a great downhill, but to my dismay I was pedaling as hard as I could against the very strong head wind.  I had to keep reducing my gear tension so I could spin more against the wind.  This would have been a good 30 mph downhill ride, but I got to 22 pedaling and staying as low as I could.

I put on aerobars before the race.  I knew I would want to use them on the long flat stretches, and in the headwinds they proved to be very helpful.  Dropping your body lower and bringing your arms in together in front of your body creates a much more aerodynamic position.  It was really amazing to see the difference in speed when dropping into the aero position.  Speed went up generally 2-10 mph.  The aero position also gives you a little more power in your legs on flat and slightly downhill terrains.

Doing the longer rides earlier on, I think, made the rest of the ride easier to fathom.  By the time we hit the start of the hills we were down to 10-15 mile rides.  The strong head wind was a little frustrating.  We could not draft off other people unless they were on our team, and with only 2 riders, and one was driving the support vehicle it made it impossible.  I did come up on some larger people, in particular 1 guy who was such a great wind block.  As I passed him I commented on how inviting it was to stay behind him, but alas I was faster and it would have potentially have had us eliminated from the race.

Sarah said that one time she commented to herself loudly and quite aggressively that the head wind just really sucked, and as she said it out loud she heard a guy passing her agree totally.  It really made it easier knowing that everyone had the same headwind.  It was the swirling, forceful sidewinds that really got to me.  They are scary.  You have to lean into the side wind and be ready at the second it abates to right yourself.  They can be scary enough to spook a fast rider.

Getting into the hills it started to rain.  It was warm enough, so rain gear wasn’t overly necessary as the wet clothing kept you warm with your own body heat trapping in the warmth. It was the mixture of the strong headwinds and the constant incline that was tough.  Because we switched out riders in the relays, we often had people passing us, and soon after we would pass them as they stopped to exchange riders.  There was a camaraderie formed with a few teams even though we may have been competing in the same class.  We would often stop at the same pullouts and we would cheer for every rider who went past.  As the miles wore on my cheering became a dance as I needed to keep my body moving, and the exuberant cheering and dancing seemed to help the motivation of the passing cyclist.  Or, perhaps they were trying to ride fast away from my dance moves!

It was fun to ride up to a group of young ladies who would chant “You can do it, keep up your speed, You’re doing great!” It really made the event communal.  We were all in this together!  It was hard to ride with with someone as there were so many varying speeds, and riders switching at every pullout.  One thing I need to applaud the Fireweed organizers on was their information packet.  The terrain map was valuable, but more so was the very detailed pullout information.  This also had comments like “Start of Serious Ascent.” This was a good note and a little intimidating.

I tried to set Sarah up so she did not have to take too many of the really big hills.  I did this by trying to finish on the top of a hill, and having shorter rides towards the end.  We had decided that I was to be strongest of the two of us, and so I would take most of the hills.  This was until the start of the Thompson Pass climb.  As it happened my 10 mile leg finished a few miles shy of the steeper sections.  I felt so guilty, so Sarah and I decided to play it by ear and see how she went.  I promised to stop at every pullout and be ready to exchange if she was done.  At every pullout I got the thumbs-up sign and Sarah trucked on by.  I was sure by the 4th mile of climbing she would be done, but on she went.  Getting to the steepest part I yelled “You have 1.5 miles to go, you are a Goddess!!”  Sarah said that she would take the last 1.5 miles and reach the top of Thompson Pass.  I waited at the top and watched her plow through the rain and push against the headwind and incline.

When Sarah made to the top she offered to let me ride down the hill.  I absolutely refused and said that she deserved every bit of that descent.  Off she went flying down in the rain.  Big smile on her face!!!  I stopped a few times down the hill to make sure she was not cold, she temperature was not an issue but the “rain hurts at 40 mph”.

We passed a very tough hand cyclist who had made a long journey from the start the previous day.  He was close to the ground so I can only imagine the spray he must have been getting his face!  I exchanged with Sarah at the bottom of the descent and as I passed the handcyclist I told him how amazing he was.  And, he really was!

I had a 20 mile ride to the finish line.  I put on a rain jacket as the precipitation increased quite a lot.  I had taken my aero bars off in preparation for the hills to reduce weight.  I spent most of the ride on my drop bars trying to get out of the constant wind.  I could feel the dirt and grime building up on my clothes and the bike.  The cheering reduced as the support vehicles made a dash for the finish line.  I noticed a beautiful swan hanging out in a pond on the side of the road, and that last 5 mile stretch went on and on and on!  Closer to the finish the wind brought short bursts of cheering with it, and as I got closer I could  hear the constant cheering.  At the finish line there was a group of girls who were so loud and encouraging it made me dig in and ride faster.  I could hear in front of me someone cheering “you can get her, come on!”, as I passed the finish line I looked behind and saw a guy was right on my heels.  Haha!!  We finished the race in 12 hours, 42 minutes.  We won our 35-40 age group, beat the age group below us, and only got beat by a few girls under 19 years old!  As Sarah said, the girls who have not yet discovered beer!

My bike was a total mess.  I am sure it felt outdoorsy and rugged, but an ultralight carbon bike is not supposed to feel rugged and outdoorsy.  It was really dirty, just covered in mud, sand, road spit and what ever else we picked up!

Sarah and Ben were there to greet me at the finish line.  It felt so amazing to have finished the race!  It was an incredible accomplishment.  There was a spaghetti feed and drinks at the finish line, but we decided to head on to our Bed& Breakfast to take a shower and change into clean clothes. We went to Mike’s Palace for dinner, and we just about ordered everything on the menu.  We asked the server to keep it coming, and that she did!

All in all we had a blast.  We consumed 10 packets of shot bloks (margarita and strawberry), around 30 string cheese sticks, 5 bagels, a tub of coleslaw, 4 bananas, 15 Chewy bars, strawberries, 2 gallons of water, cytomax and GuBrew, Red Bull, and countless other snacks.

We plan to race again next year and will consult a few scientific minds on how the best way to split up the legs will be.

When I got back I put my bike int the store till morning.  When I arrived for work Tyson had removed my cranks and started to clean my bike for me.  He said he felt guilty as it is such a pleasure to clean your own bike after such a dirty ride!  And, it was!  I spent hours on the cleaning job, and learning how to pull out my bearings from inside my frame, and how to install my cranks, chain, and get the grit and grime from deep within the crevasses of the bike.

We need to thank Ben for being incredibly patient and supportive.  It was tough for a 5 year old to stay seated for 12.5 hours.  Our dog carers, the boy at Goldstream Sports for getting our bikes in tip top shape, and our legs, our Big Girl Legs for carrying us over the terrain.  Also, the organization of the Fireweed event is impeccable.  If you have any thoughts about doing the Fireweed, DO IT!!!!  It is fun, well organized and a great social event!

Most puppy litters in the sled dog world are named to a theme.  The theme of these little guys is Audrey Hepburn.  Now, you may wonder what Audrey Hepburn has to do with puppies.  Well, Audrey was my very most favorite actress, she was elegant and stylish.  She wore black, and wore it in style.  These little puppies are also very stylish in their coats of black and white.

Meet the newest babies of Byrd Dog Kennel and Piledriver kennel. Their names are Holly (Golightly, or is it Gofastly), Sabrina, Eliza (Doolittle), (Princess) Anya and the single lucky boy – Linus.  The funny thing about this litter, I remember as I write this, is the similarity between these puppies and her mum’s litter.  Jolene’s litter was born at Pile Driver Kennel.  Jolene had 4 girls and one boy in her litter.  Out of those 5 pups, 3 of them are incredible super stars.  The one boy (Rupert) was a slow maturer but he made the team last year and raced the entire season.  I have a really good feeling about this litter.

More photos will come in the coming days, and as the little tykes open their eyes and start to view the world, I will follow them as they grow into beautiful, strong babies.

I need to thank Mara and Amy, the incredible women who work tirelessly at Piledriver Kennel and have been on hand to make sure that Jolene and her little precious gems.  Also, Arleigh – a constant source of information and advice.

See photos from day 2 checkpoints at Creamers in and out.

Standing at the Creamers Out checkpoint was fun!  What a great place to view the action.  I knew we would see some passing, and that we did!  Arleigh had a seemingly clean pass with Heather.  There were some other passes out there.  Results are available at sleddog.org.

Here are some photos From he first day!

Heather Hardy prepares as Arleigh Reynolds plans to pass her at the Creamers Field Outbound

Jeff Conn Crosses Creamers Field with a nicely strung out team.

Heather Hardy looks back as Arleigh Reynolds plans to pass her at the Creamers Field Outbound

Heather Hardy looks back as Arleigh Reynolds plans to pass her at the Creamers Field Outbound

Heather Hardy prepares as Arleigh Reynolds plans to pass her at the Creamers Field Outbound

Arleigh Reynolds returning through Creamers Field heading home

Heather Hardy returning through Creamers Field heading home

On friday my team was feeling pretty good.  The leaders were strong, the wheel dogs were feeling confident, and the team dogs were going to keep everything in line.  But, being a three day race, we need to keep everything together for the whole 3 days.  A two day race is simply holding on for two days (well, it is more than that, but in perspective it is that).  A three day race, this is a whole other ball game.  This is a game of management, strategizing and, above all, dog care.  The rule says “The race is won by the dogs you leave behind”.  This makes me laugh.  All of my competitors have 20+ racing dogs.  I have 8.  So, I am pooling my entire racing contingent and pitting them against much stronger kennels (in terms of numbers anyway).  This means my dog care must be up to scratch, my nutrition and general health must be top notch.  Let’s just say that the only skimping that goes on in this kennel is on the musher.

With all of the dog care that I can possibly provide, we entered this race in the best shape we could.  I am a conservative musher.  No replacements, and the desire to keep my dogs for life and not just a season or two.  I race to be competitive, but also being realistic – I am single with one income and no help!  Everyone says they have it hard, everything is relative.

My race this weekend went well.  My goal was to be in the top 5.  Hopefully 4th or higher, but 5th would suffice.  I have been 5th the past two years.  But, with this competition I am happy to be that again!

The trail was as best as could be made under the circumstances.  I ran the dogs accordingly – slowing at the rough spots and being extra cautious.  On day 1 we had a pass right at the end.  It was a great pass which only slowed us a little.  Every pass for us is a training opportunity.  With Clara only being in lead for the past few races, we need all the training we can get.

Day two showed us no passes, but a very clean run.  The run felt way faster, but was in fact slower.  So goes it for a 3 day race – day 2 is where the wheels start to fall off.  My plan was to keep the spirits high.  We raced home after our event and I fed the dogs and then let them run around a bit to loosen up.  Frankie knows that if he throws his weights hard enough against my door that it will open.  Open it did!  Sparky found a ball inside and brought it out to play.  I ceased the opportunity to have some low stress fun with the dogs.  We went to the back dog yard and the dogs chased the tennis ball for about 40 minutes.  This was more for a muscle stretching, and mind relaxing exercise. After playing ball I hooked the dogs up, checked feet and heated up the dog barn.  These hard working doggies were going to sleep in total comfort, allowing their muscles to be relaxed.

Sunday morning – it was like herding cats getting the dogs to the truck!  They were full of sass and spunk.  Exactly how a team should look before a race!  This made me feel good.  The distance was increased by 2  miles – an advantage for my team who does better over a longer distance.

The race started and I consciously slowed the team to 21 mph for the first down hill.  I kept putting my foot down harder on the mat until my GPS registered 20.9.  We needed the extra umph at the end.  The team traveled along the trail without fault.  At the 10 mile turn I asked for a HAW! so the team would take the 12 mile trail instead.  Perfectly executed, and well received!  Being on a new trail is exciting, and though we have been around this 12 mile trail many times, this was the first time this year for the dogs.  I felt like the team went on to turbo charge!

We continued on turbo charge for the next few miles, we had our usual rest mile at the usual place.  The dogs drop to 18.9 mph, I let them, knowing that they are recharging their batteries for the charge home.

On the final 2 miles  home the dogs surged again.  I rounded a corner and saw a team shut down. This broke my heart.  My thoughts are if you are going to beat someone, let it be under good circumstances – like everyone having a great run and my dogs being just a little bit faster.  To see Trisha hooked down and loading a dog was not my idea of a fun win.  I felt terrible for her.  Though, being a race I asked my dogs to go straight past and they did.  After-all, it is racing!

We placed 5th overall.  With just 9 seconds to 4th place.  As I said – seconds count! I am very proud of my little dogs.  They are sweet, lovable, and totally honest.  We trust each other, and we make it around safe and sound – most of the time.  I missed Daria terribly today.  But, Nickie, and Miriam (The subarctic Kangaroo) did a fine job in point.

Thanks to John Schauer for taking awesome photos of my team today!  There are more than what is here, so I will make sure to post a few more updates!

Thanks also to Malinda Holmes for being my number one handler.  My doggies really love her.  I do too!  And to Ami Gjestson – who incidentally won her 6-dog class this weekend.  I am VERY pleased for her and her team.  They did an amazing job!

Thanks also to Goldstream Sports for being a great employer, and also a place for expert waxing advice.  AND to Regency Fairbanks Hotel for continued support!

Pre-race smiles

Miriam (aka Subarctic Kangaroo) giving me a love bite

The team led by Clara and the amazing Jolene

Spring Time Rocking Garb

Finishing strong with passed team in the background

Good Boy Rupert!

Post-race delicious goodness!

Day one started with all of my sound racing dogs – 8 of the 9 racing dogs in the kennel.  Daria is resting comfortably at home and is the model patient.  She is, however, an important team member and this is my very first race where she has not been on the team.  It leaves me feeling a little naked.  Nickie has filled her spot in point.  Nickie is good, but she is no Daria.

This time of year is tough on most kennels.  Dogs become injured over the season with trail conditions, random and unexpected incidents, and illness.  I know I am not alone in my attrition.  I probably have the lowest number of racing dogs in my class.  8 racing dogs, and I am luck it is an 8-dog race!

Day one went quite well.  The trail conditions were terribly disappointing.  After running on them on Sunday and seeing a great, smooth trail, today was like racing on a churned up mess.  I am really hoping that the trail is groomed properly tonight for tomorrow.

The doggies ran very well. Clara is really starting to mature as a leader.  She has only raced 4 races in lead previous to this and her confidence is growing.  I am proud of my little girl.  We had an uphill pass 1/2  a mile from the finish line, and Clara ran on by without missing a beat.

We are currently in 5th position.  This made me laugh when I heard the results.  For some reason we have not been able to get over the 5th place hump.  One of these days we will place higher than 5th overall.  There are still two days, so cross y0ur fingers for us!  We are 25 seconds out of 4th place.  I saw where that was lost today, and with proper management we should be able to make that up tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

The results for day one are:

Yesterday during the race, Daria one one of my point/swing dogs tripped during the race.  She is also one of the most consistent, strong, fast and dependable dogs on the team.  She is the dog I call my invisible dog – never does anything wrong, and never brings attention to herself.

Daria

This morning I let her run around and she looked okay.  So, I decided to run her in the team.  We were hauling along today, passed Mayor Issacson at the trail block again., and went onto the dike.  The dogs were cruising at 20mph.  I pedaled along the dike helping the dogs and hoping to stay ahead of Dori who was just 15 or so seconds behind me.  We left the dike and dropped into the trees again.   This is when my race changed.  Little Daria, the dependable dog who never puts a foot wrong was neck-lining.  I stopped the team and ran up to the front.  I was going to load her, but she was banging her harness and trying and to get the team going again.  I decided to run back to the sled and see how she looked.  We started again and she was going like the banshees.  I thought it was fine and maybe something else was bothering her.  Then just a few hundred feet down the trail she started backing off again.  This was real.  I needed to bag this dog.

In all of my sled racing years, a whole 5 years, I have never had to load a dog.  I had opened my bag on the first stop just in case.  This time I stopped the team, unhooked the lines on Daria and hooked them onto  Miriam.  Lifted Daria and put her into the bag.  This was not as easy as it sounds.  Daria was not tired, she was injured.  So she was a little reluctant to go into the dark bag.  With a little extra coercion she was in.  I did up the bag and as I was zipping the bag Dori’s team went silently by my stopped team.  This means I lost a full 2 minutes!

I jumped back on my runners and started my team again.  This time we were 40 pounds heavier and the sled was sluggish to steer.  The dogs caught back up to Dori but I could not re-pass for another mile, so I hung back and it seemed pointless to pass her anyway.  This would have screwed up her race too.  So, we just stayed on her butt and followed her back into the finish.  I was disappointed that I had an injured dog. The place was not important.  There are plenty  more races.  I cannot replace my invisible dog.

Upon finishing I let Daria out of the bag and she was limping pretty good.  My poor baby.

What was really interesting though, was that with 2 minutes lost I still managed to only slide back one position!  We moved from 2nd to 3rd.  We got a trophy, a good sized check, and I was feeling pretty good.

I got home and let the doggies run around and loosen up.  We did it at the track as well, but after being cooped up in the truck for another hour it was nice to let them run and pee and run some more.

Daria went straight to the house and wanted in.  I let her in and she immediately fell into her “massage me” position.  I Put other doggies away, fed everyone a hearty meal and started to massage Daria.  My initial thought was that her injury was in her shoulder.  This is a very bad thing.  But, upon massaging I noticed her wrist swelling.  This, while still being an injury, makes me feel a lot better about her recovery.

Daria is now snuggled in one of my old bed comforters in a kennel by the heater.  She is very comfortable.

Other than than that, the team performed flawlessly.

The North Pole Mayor was on hand to present the trophies.

Thanks to Malinda and Ami for helping me all weekend.  Also thanks to Goldstream Sports and Regency Fairbanks Hotel for the continued support.

That’s it for now!

We also had the North Pole Patriots football team holding sleds for us!  Young strong boys – what else do you need?

I drew 12th last night and had a perfect draw.  The start of the race was easy and being in 12th it was fun because I was relaxed and could take my time.  The temperature was around 0F, perfect temperatures for a dog race!

I had the dogs in the same positions as the Gold Run, and they were very happy there.  We started out and I was holding back the team at the start, but we were still cruising at 22 mph.  The trail was incredible, and a completely different feel to last week.  The trail area were the silly man who drove his truck around the trail last week and put in foot-deep gouges into the trail for a mile was not to be seen.  Hard and fast was the whole trail.  I commend the Chena Lakes trail groomers for doing an incredible job with the trails out there.

I have nothing of interest to report on except my team felt powerful and it was just amazing to be on the runners of the sled.  They are looking very chirpy and ready for day two.   We placed 2nd today out of 13 teams, and I am thrilled with the position.  If the dogs are running well then the place is not the only important thing.  I always want to finish the races with very happy dogs.   We always seem to do best on day 2, so let’s hope we have another great run.

My friend Melissa was out there today with a camera so I will try to post some photos later of my team when I can wrestle them from her.

Tomorrow is another day!

Tomorrow is day 1 of the North Pole Championships.  Last year I won the event in a very tight finish.  This year the field is much larger and while last year’s competition was stiff, this year there are quadruple the number of teams and some very tough competition.  But, I drew the best draw out of the field.  I should not have to pass anyone, I hope.

Clara is doing very well in lead, and I am very proud of her.  Jolene has been an incredible teacher – patient, gentle and supportive.  Maybe I am reading too much emotion into my dogs, but they really do help each other out. Sparky, my big guy, he is doing super in wheel.  I purchased him as a ‘plug-in’ dog, which is basically taking a dog from a top competitive team and not having to do too much in order to have it perform.  Of course he gets the same attention and love as the other dogs, and he enjoys that, but he also really enjoys his job.

The team this week in training was spritley, eager and focused.  They felt comfortable and strong.  I am very pleased with my little guys and proud as punch with their performance this year.  We have had some setbacks, but the dogs have adjusted and bounced back as if nothing happened.

Katrina and Jolene in lead.

I will take some photos tomorrow, or have someone take some for me.  If you want to see some fun sled dog racing action come out to Chena Lakes at 11am to see the races start!

I will make a point of blogging tomorrow and Sunday.  Last weekend we had a great race but I was so exhausted that I just had not energy.  I also wanted to spend time with my very good friend Joe before he went in for heart surgery.

More to come from the races tomorrow.  Before I sign-off though I want to thank Goldstream Sports and Regency Fairbanks Hotel for their continued sponsorship.

I want to also thanks all of the amazing North Pole businesses who helped make our purse $5000!!!

Last weekend we raced in Anchorage in the Exxon.  The conditions were tough on the dogs, and we placed 6th.  Considering everything I am proud as punch of my dogs.  Especially Clara who stepped up to the plate this season to fill some very big booties.  So far she is doing very well.  I am thankful for Jolene, my steady and trustworthy leader who is showing Clara the ropes.

We have been training around Fairbanks in preparation for the Annamanet Gold Run.  Last year we placed 2nd in the race.  This year I would like to meet or beat that place.

The race is a 10-dog race, currently I have 9 racing dogs since Katrina became a couch potato.  The competition is usually very tough, so let’s see what this year brings.

Yesterday I went to take a bunch of dogs free running on the lakes behind my house.  I noticed a tiny spot of blood on the ground as the dogs ran through the snow.  This is normally nothing to concern me.  The older dogs are running around their pen, and they scratch themselves a little.  One spot is not something to worry about.  Then I noticed the next spot, and then a splash.  It was coming from Katrina, the recently retired dog.  I picked up her foot and noticed that she had cut her pad.  So much for free-running the doggies.  We now went into repair mode.  I am lucky to have a vet live next door, and I guess I was not the first friend to call her yesterday with an ‘emergency’.  We cleaned Katrina’s foot and now the couch potato has a pink and blue bootie on her foot.

Such is the glamorous life of a musher.  Just the other day I was realizing how unglamorous my life is.  I scoop poo.  I dish out meaty food, I tend to feet and fix lines soaked in slobber.  Late nights putting dogs into the barn, letting them out to pee.  Cleaning the truck, scooping poo.  Doling out anitbiotics and thyroid pills.  Re-strawing dog houses, washing the inside doggie blankets.  All this so I can race as fast as we can around a 10-12 mile course every other weekend.  But, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Sometimes I wish I had a handler, but most of the time I am veryhappy to do it all myself.  This ultimately strengthens the bond between the dogs and I.

I need to throw a few thanks here:

The Roberts family of Andy, Anna and Chloe – thanks for your sponsorship and I look forward to taking you for a run!

Goldstream Sports for their continued support and help with time off from work and use of the equipment at the store – and great wax recommendations.  Oh, and most recently fixing my bent snowhook!  Remember to check out the wax recommendations on their blog!

And a big thanks to Regency Fairbnnks Hotel for their continued support.  Remember, if you need a great place to stay that has a delicious restaurant and great bar, and has a huge area for dog truck – then The Regency Fairbanks Hotel is your place!