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