The Mushometer App

It’s going to become pretty redundant for me to write about each and every run we do. Many of our runs are pretty uneventful. So I’m going to make a point to write about various topics related to mushing. I want this blog to be a resource as well as a record of my team’s training.

Today I want to talk about the iPhone app I use to log my runs – Mushometer. It’s available to download for $4.99, which is a bit pricey for an app, but totally worth it in my opinion.

This app allows you to create a profile for each dog within your kennel and set up team combinations. You can log your trails and track all your runs. I used to use a generic running app to log our speed/time/distance, but this one does that and more.

The only downside I can think of is that you need service to use the tracking in this app. Obviously, for mushers who run in areas in poor or no service, this would be kind of useless.

But, if you’re just a recreational musher in central NJ, this app is pretty damn cool. Check it out in the iTunes app store!

Eager to Run

Well, this weekend played its usual tricks. Saturday and Sunday were both in the 70s and 80s.

However, I decided I wouldn’t let that stop us. It was a bit breezy and cloudy on Saturday afternoon, so I figured it would be safe for a quick bikejor.

Running with the bike is a lot less work for the dogs, since it’s lighter and I can pedal along. It doesn’t really build their muscles too much, but it definitely helps with their running and command training.

I only took Knox and Denali, since I can only safely bikejor with two at a time. Running all three dogs requires more weight to stop.

I ran them on my usual route, but we missed out on the quarter-mile wooded loop we normally do. For some reason, the gate to that area was locked up. I really hope that isn’t the case going forward, as I rely on that spot for day to day training.

I was really impressed – they ran flawlessly, which is amazing for their very first run. They didn’t get distracted by the kids soccer game or the busy parking lot we had to navigate through.

The most impressive part of the run was towards the end. We usually navigate through a small memorial park and run behind my town’s rescue squad. However, since it was the weekend, there was a tent set up and some men were selling potted plants. They were in the exact spot the dogs have been trained to run through – so they did just that. Somehow, they didn’t disturb a single plant pot. And somehow, my bike didn’t destroy anything as it followed behind them.

By the time we got back, the temperature was creeping up, so I didn’t want to risk running Denali again with Dexter. Instead, he got a hike around the local woods – mostly to see if those trails were safe to run. Right now, they’re full of sawgrass and downed trees, so that will have to wait until later in the fall.

Pre-season Anxiety

This happens every year – temperatures creep downwards, but for various reasons, I’m unable to get out and run the dogs.

This year, it’s my work schedule that interferes. It’s only cold enough to run in the early morning right now.

However, it’s still dark out when I wake up . By the time it’s bright enough to hit the trail, I have to start my shift.

I could technically run just before dawn, but I prefer not to. There are just too many critters out that will likely distract the dogs. Same goes for right around dusk – it’s cold enough, but that’s when animals start to come out. My guys are pretty good when encountering animals. That being said, I don’t like taking chances, especially when I’m running them alone.

In the mean time, I must wait for weekends to cool down. It seems like weekdays stay cold but then the weekends are warm and humid again. Before too long, I’ll be able to go out on my lunch break (around 11 am), but until then, I’ll have to suffer through all my Facebook friends posting their mushing photos.

I know I’ll have plenty of chances to get out and mush with my guys, but I think I’m more eager this season than ever before. I have so many new trails to try out thanks to my off-season hikes. Fingers crossed for a cold weekend!

Mushing Season is Coming

The temperatures are finally starting to cool down here in central NJ. Well, aside from today’s muggy hotness, but the forecast shows a crisp fall weekend ahead.

I tuned up my bike and re-attached my bikejor piece, so that’s ready to roll.

Now I just have the following things to take care of:

Air in the dog carts’ tires
Fix the tail light/wiring on the trailer
Renew the registration on the trailer
After that, we’ll really be all set! I’m hoping to get at least one local run in this week. Then, if all goes as planned, I’ll take the dogs to Six Mile Run this weekend. It’s a beautiful trail I found while hiking this spring/summer. It’s actually a trail meant for bikes, so it should be perfect for running the team.

I’d prefer to start out with my heavy training cart, but that requires my trailer to be ready – which I don’t think will happen by this weekend. So, I’ll most likely take them out with the small cart, which I can throw on my bike rack for easy transport.

I can’t wait to run ‘em, especially now that I have a bunch of new trails to try out from all my hiking trips. I think this is going to be a great season.

Dashing Through the Snow

If you follow more than one mushing blog, you’re probably reading the same thing over and over. This season has been pretty terrible. It seems like more races are being canceled than are actually taking place. We’ve been doing runs here and there, mostly on our local trail. Trips to the Pine Barrens have been tough, mostly due to not having a “handler” (AKA boyfriend) this season. 

My newly built trailer was about ready to haul my 90-pound rig down to the Pines this past weekend, but – of course – I didn’t need it. We finally got some snow! Something like seven inches.

This was the first time I’ve had all three dogs pull the sled (last season Knox was still too little). They did great! They had no problem pulling me, but they got a workout while breaking trail and when I added a passenger to the sled. Our runs were brief with long breaks in between to avoid injury, and they were ready to run each time we hooked them back up.

I did some experimenting on the second day of sled runs. I had them run through an open baseball field to test Denali’s commands. She wasn’t really on her game, but I attribute that to her being tired and the snow being extra deep. After we broke a trail through the field, she ran it again with no trouble.

On our very last run, I bumped Knox up next to Denali. She was starting to lose focus, and having him next to her seems to spark her competitive nature and keep her sharp. Dexter still needs a running mate, though, so I don’t think I’d do this permanently. Really, what I need is a fourth dog. One day!

2012-2013 Mileage to Date: 64.35

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

Nature's Fury

This season has been a crazy one so far, and it has nothing to do with the dogs. A few weeks ago we were blasted by Hurricane Sandy. We were left without power for several days. The streets and local trails were littered with downed trees and power lines. And with gas rationing and an empty tank, I couldn’t drive elsewhere to train.

A week later, we were hit by a Nor'easter. As much as we love snow, it wasn’t quite enough to do anything. It was a sloppy, slushy snow that began melting almost immediately – so there was no time to take the sled out. Plus, the power went out again. Luckily, it was only for a few hours this time.

Right after the winter storm, a warm spell struck and I was out walking the dogs in shorts and short sleeves. Go figure.

Finally, it seems Mother Nature has calmed down for a bit. The temperatures are right where they should be for this time of year. I’ve managed to sneak in a few rig runs (between disasters), with the help of my mom or sister (whoever I could drag out with me).

The dogs are doing well, despite the gaps between runs. Denali’s prey drive has noticeably toned down. At the end of today’s run, my dad met us and ran alongside the team for the home stretch. Denali was digging down so hard and pulling with all her might – it was awesome to see.

We will finally be going down to the Pine Barrens this weekend, for the first time this season. Expect lots of photos and hopefully some video of our run next week!

2012-2013 Mileage to Date: 30.48

Trouble on the Trails

Denali is an incredible dog. She’s so awesome in harness, that on bad days (like today), I have to remind myself – she’s only a year and a half. This is only her second season in harness. She’s way ahead of the curve, so little slip-ups are to be expected.

We’ve only done a few runs thus far, but I’ve noticed her prey drive is way more intense than it was last year. She used to get excited by squirrels or ground hogs, and even try to chase after them – but I could always call her off. It took 15-30 seconds for her to regain her composure, and we were moving again.

This year, she’s way more focused on capturing whatever it is that darted into her line of vision. In fact, she seems to be going after imaginary animals, too. Or she’ll stop at places where we saw an animal during a previous run and try to find it.

This behavior throws Knox off and he joins in on the hunt. Dexter either joins in, or stands there pitifully while she yanks at his neckline. Today was pretty frustrating, in particular. I had to get off the bike several times to pull Denali out of the bushes and point her in the right direction.

I don’t like screaming my head off at the dogs (especially when I’m around the neighborhood, with the occasional bystander looking on in awe), but they go deaf to my commands when they’re chasing something. Sometimes, a stern enough shout breaks them out of it. Most of the time, though, I need to physically pull them away. And that’s not good.

Hopefully, with more runs, Denali will settle down and be the leader I know she is. And as the temperatures drop, all the little critters will hopefully be sleeping away in their dens.

2012-2013 Mileage to Date: 18.2

Mushing Season is Here!

Hey everybody! Mushing season is back again, so I think it’s time I get back to posting on here. I’m taking a slightly different approach with our runs this season.

When Knox was little, I could manage bikejoring with all three. Not anymore! At least, not around my neighborhood. There are far too many distractions and I cannot stop all three dogs with my brakes. I actually have a pretty hard time stopping with just two. So yea, we bike carefully. Oh, I don’t think I mentioned it here yet, but I finally got a new bike! It’s a Trek 3700 mountain bike with disc brakes – a heck of a lot tougher than my previous bikes!

Into mid-October, I’m aiming to run the dogs every other day. There are still some random warm or overly humid days (like today) that I’ll skip. I don’t want to over-exert anybody after a long, low-key summer. For the most part, I run Denali and Knox first, then Denali and Dexter second. On some occasions, I’ll switch it up and run each dog separately.

Denali really is an amazing girl. She’s only a year and a half, but she’s teaching the boys more than I could ever do alone. Without her, Knox runs in sporadic bursts and doesn’t have a clean grasp of commands. Hook him up next to Denali, and she keeps him running steady and muscles him into turns.

Dexter runs well – in the Pine Barrens. At home, he still wants to sniff and mark. Denali doesn’t let him.

As it gets colder, I hope to be biking every day. I’ll also be heading down to the Pine Barrens with my new 90-pound rig as soon as the trails are cleared. I plan to eventually use one of my rigs for neighborhood runs, but I want to get the team used to it (safely on the trails) first. They’re a lot more difficult to maneuver than my bike, so I need to be very confident with the dogs’ abilities.

Oh, one last thing! I’m converting a spare bedroom in my house into a dog room. I’ll have photos of the renovation process posted once it’s completed.

2012-2013 Mileage to Date: 12.6

No News is Good News

It’s been just over a month since my last update, and unfortunately, our runs seem to have come to an end. An unusually dry March and April have given way to a humid and soggy May.

On sunny days, the dogs are content to lounge around the yard. Denali could sunbathe from dawn until dusk. Dexter doesn’t care where he is, as long as he’s near me. Knox can only stand the heat for so long. He takes frequent dips in his little wading pool and enjoys lying on the cold patio table. On some of the more humid days, he rather stay inside.

On rainy days, like today, only the huskies venture out. Dexter loathes the rain. He won’t walk on wet grass. Denali and Knox will chase each other if it’s cool enough, but they don’t settle down. After they get bored, they usually come back inside and nap. Dex is the most annoying on rainy days – he begs for walks, as if it’s only raining in the backyard.

Our loose-leash walking has not been as consistent as I would like, but it’s getting there. Everyone gets walked a couple times a week – just enough to keep them progressing.

As for our grand training plans (agility and CGC), they have been put on the back burner. Lately, I’ve been serving myself a hefty dose of reality. Dexter is not ready for a CGC course. He is very well-trained in my house, with only familiar distractions. I need to remind myself how he behaves when he’s somewhere unfamiliar and exciting. In pet stores, he’ll piss on any interesting scent. Outdoors, he’ll yank me about, attempting to suck up an odor or greet another dog. If I were to bring him into a Petco for CGC classes, which are reserved for dogs who have a grasp of basic obedience, it would probably be embarrassing. He is a good dog. I know he could eventually master it. He just needs a lot more work and experience out in the world. So that’s our summer plan for him.

Denali needs some work when it comes to being around other dogs. At her rabies clinic, she lurched and pulled to meet the other dogs. However, when she’s working in harness, no other dogs seem to exist. I think I could get her motivated enough to transfer this skill into agility. However, I don’t think agility classes are in her near future. Something very important that I had overlooked – her first heat cycle. She is due to come into heat within the next month or so. I can’t start a class and have her come into heat – most clubs would not allow her to train, especially as a complete newbie. Once her heat has completely passed, she will be spayed, so she’ll be on the ‘disabled list’ until fall training.

So, there you have it. I may still get Knox in some sort of class. Basic obedience probably wouldn’t hurt. I’ll be saving some money and just working with them myself, and hopefully by next summer, I’ll be able to get them some off-season hobbies.