almost like real sled dogs.....

last weekend we had quite a bit of snowfall for a change. i was able to get them out for several four mile runs and one of almost eight miles. lost valley and castlewood were my trails of choice. i didn't have a three dog line so i left bailey off and she just ran out in front. there was about six inches of snow and i was the first one to cut through it. bailey out front worked out really well and found the trail effortlessly. she even made the right choices when i gave her gee and haw commands and the other two followed. the next day was back at lost valley. i only planned to up their mileage by about a mile, but i ended up getting lost. go figure, getting lost at lost valley. don't ask how i got lost out there, but i did. anyways, it took me through about two miles of the newer cut singletrack. i eventually wanted to take the dogs on the singletrack, but not this soon. they did really well on it. skates got spooked a couple times on the abrupt downhill sections so i had to get off the bike and walk down them slowly. oh well, we finally made it to the trailhead and they were all pretty pooped. i also had a nice crash that everyone got a kick out of at work when they saw the video. holding the handlebars with one hand and the camera in the other isn't cutting it so i'll have to buy a real action camera soon. the next couple rides were at castlewood on some singletrack and horsetrails. once again they did pretty good, but they (skates and teemu) still need more conditioning. anything over four miles and they start to get tired. playing out in the woods also got me sick, but it was just for a couple days and now i'm completely over it. they're really coming along, i even made my own gangline to get bailey tied into the action. it worked really well, but it was the wrong type of rope(polypropylene) so i ordered the polyethylene rope which should be in sometime today or tomorrow. the weather is warming up into the 40's so it looks like i'll be limited to the gravel trails to take the dogs on. it also means i may head out for some rides of my own this weekend. the race season starts in less then two months so i need to really start getting out on the road more. the trainer is getting really old!!! update: i did get out to lost valley today. i parked at the mound since the snow was propably going to be all melted and didn't want to ruin the trails. i was just going to take them for four miles, an out and back. they were a little tired and think they may need a couple days of rest. i was also able to get out on the bike for a little training of my own. i did 44 miles at a nice easy pace staying in zones 1-3. a little more biking in store for tomorrow.

productive day.....

i got a lot done today. it always happens that way when i get my riding done first thing in the morning, which usually isn't the norm. i was able to get two hours on the trainer and then i got the dogs out to lost valley for a little bikejoring. i didn't know what to expect once i got out there because of all the snow we've just gotten recently. i would've been just fine with the cold weather with no snow, but oh well. i'd have to deal with it. this is also the first time i hooked the tow line to the bike. i usually just hang on to it, but that's training a couple miles around the neighborhood. with 4-6" of snow i needed both hands to hang onto the handlebars. well, they graduated to the trails today, but a sled would've been in order. they did really well and bailey is understanding her commands better. hopefully one day i can get all three hooked up. we got about five miles in which is pretty good for these guys since they're still in the learning/training phase. tomorrow i may try to hit castlewood.



some new wheels in the works. i'm thinking about pulling the trigger on theses wheels, williams cycling system 58's. they're similar to the zipp 404's. i'm gonna be so fast!!!! i don't know much about williams wheels, but they get good reviews online. they're also about $1200 cheaper then zip 404's and i may be out of a job soon!!!



it's no wonder i'm having allergy problems. i got a new vacuum and after vacuuming for 10 minutes this is the resulting outcome. the canister was just about full. i guess that 12 year old vacuum wasn't cutting it.

Holidays over.....

well, the holidays are over and it's freakin' cold outside. the race season is about two months away and my training hasn't yet begun to get into full swing. my training has consisted of a few hours on the trainer a week and eating a bunch of skinny cow ice cream sandwhiches, my favorite food of choice lately. don't really know how those fit into my training, but they are good!!! i'm also looking at getting some new wheels for the upcoming season. i'm leaning towards some williamswheels racing system 58 carbon tubulars. they're not quite as light as zipp 404's, but their about half the price. i can actually get two sets for less then the price of one set of zipps. hopefully the weather starts warming up so i can get on the road. that's right, i'm not ironmanning it out in this frigid weather.

the sled dog training continues. they're coming right along. even with this cold weather i've been able to get them out there and work them a little bit. i got out to creve coeur park on christmas day and new years day to run them. christmas day was a mess, not too fun on rollerblades in 20* weather with patches of ice on the trails. i did have an inspirational run with bailey the other day, she made me proud. hooking up three dogs isn't an option right now, so i let her run in front of the two huskies, which were hooked up to me while on the mt. bike. she stayed about 15 ft. in front of the other two and listened perfectly to my commands. the other two followed her without skipping a beat. she's definetly picked up on the whole sled dog thing, moreso then the other two, so she's earned the right of being my lead dog. i suppose i'll give denny a plug for giving me such a smart lab. anyways, i'm excited to get them out this weekend. i think i may take them out to lost valley to actually get on some real trails for a change. i'm also close to pulling the trigger on a new scooter. i think it'll give it a better feel of what it's like to be on a real sled, at least that's what i've been told. they're not cheap so i'm just gonna see how it goes with the bikejoring for now.