Almost every year, it seems like training slows down in December. Between Thanksgiving and New Years, various factors come into play that make it harder to run. In more "normal" times, it was usually the hustle and bustle of decorating, shopping, and gathering with friends that kept me off the trail. There were parties at work, parties with friends, parties with family. Of course, this year is significantly lacking in all that.
Even though December marks the true start of winter, it often arrives with crummy conditions. It has snowed a bit here and there, but not enough to safely use the sled yet. Big storms, meltdowns, and freezes have been the norm for late fall in the North Country, but the big snow dumps have eluded us so far. The ground is partially frozen and there's no base to set a snow hook.
I've been running the dogs with the ATV, which works better on small amounts of snow than the non-motorized carts. However, I have to avoid the muddy spots, otherwise I’ll create deep ruts with the heavy machine. I also can’t use the ATV on most of the state forest trails, so I’m eager for snow.
Holidays and weather aside, there’s another reason I've been struggling to get back on track. If you're not following my social media, you may have missed that Blitz had a seizure a few weeks ago. I'll paste what I shared on Facebook below to recap:
We had a scary day on the trail. We were wrapping up another 10 mile run when Blitz’s tug went slack and he started dipping his head. I thought he was sniffing the spot where we had passed by a couple walking dogs, but then he yanked on his neckline and put on the brakes. I stopped the ATV to see what was wrong, and he immediately started seizing. I’ve never dealt with a seizure before and BOY are they terrifying.
My immediate thought was hyperthermia (overheating), even though it was in the mid-30s and I was keeping them at a pretty slow pace for the return leg. I had also watered them at the five mile mark, and he wasn’t showing any other signs of heat related stress. I poured some water on him just in case, and he eventually came out of the seizure (felt like an eternity but was probably more like 20-30 seconds).
He was very weak immediately after the episode so I pulled him onto the ATV and tried to get the team moving, but the other dogs wouldn’t line out and were curious/distressed. So, I started carrying him the remaining 300ish feet of trail back to the truck but quickly realized that wasn’t the best plan. (He’s a big dog.) I laid him down, ran back to the ATV and the dogs finally figured out we had to keep moving forward. I scooped him up and got everybody back into the truck and shot over to North Country Veterinary Services, who had vets waiting for us upon arrival. (I’ve never loaded dogs/gear/ATV so fast before... although I did leave behind several water bottles and gloves on the trail)
Blitz perked up on the ride over and was able to walk inside the vet’s office on his own, where they ran blood work to determine exactly what happened. Turns out, his blood sugar was very low. They gave him a sugar boost and he immediately perked up.
We’ve been doing longer runs and today we started about an hour later than normal. I feed the team after their runs (to avoid bloating) but I now realize it was too long a gap after his meal last night.
The plan now is to rest for at least a week. He goes back to the vet next Thursday for a followup. Assuming it was just exertional hypoglycemia, I will rework their feeding schedule to three small meals (instead of two) during mushing season and snack him before/during runs. I’ll also have emergency Karo syrup ready if he (or any of them) have this issue again.
I’m not sure what this means for his “career” as a sled dog. I’m hoping he can remain on the team and continue training towards 20-30 milers, but I won’t take any chances with my boy.
Since then, Blitz has been totally fine. He had his follow-up appointment and his blood sugar levels were right on target. I experimented with their food regimen a bit, but ultimately decided to continue feeding two meals (morning and evening) and shifting runs to midday instead of in the early morning (when none of them are very eager to eat). This has worked so far, but I've only had time for short runs on the home trail during my lunch breaks. I need to get them back to the state trails and running longer distances. I prefer to train before work, when fewer people (and dogs) are around, so hopefully I can convince them to eat a bit beforehand. I might be able to swing some extra long lunch breaks, but there will always be a portion of the season where we have to run early (especially when temperatures are warmer). Just another thing to work out.
The vet said Blitz would be fine to run 10 milers again (as long as he has food before/snacks midway), but it's been a challenge to resume training. It took a full week before I could even get the harnesses out of my truck, so it's safe to say there's some lingering PTSD. The fear of another seizure has snowballed into a mountain of anxiety about every possible thing that could go wrong during a run. (And trust me, there’s plenty.)
So, sometimes, we don't run at all. Then the guilt creeps in—the feeling that I'm failing these dogs. I look at our training schedule and get depressed as our numbers plummet. I'm always telling myself, "Next season will be our season." But dogs age fast; each season feels so precious and fleeting.
I know what you’re going to say and I am trying to cut myself some slack. Mushing has always been my release. I balanced it against work, travel, and friends. Now most of that equation is gone and I need to find joy instead of stress, whatever that looks like. The 2020-2021 race season isn't looking all that promising with the pandemic still raging. Races may still happen, but I'm unsure if I'll feel comfortable attending.
If there ever was a season to slow down and relax, this would be the one. Let’s hope I can figure out how.
