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

Friday is my short work day, which means I don’t get a chance to run the dogs during my lunch break. My only opportunity would have been early this morning, but we were being pelted with freezing rain, hail, and a little tiny bit of snow (no, it did not stick at all). Not to mention some monster winds. I decided it was in our best interest to sleep in and avoid that mess.

Since I don’t have a run to write about, I figured now would be a good time to explain our kennel/team name. “Blue Eyes and Spitfire” is the second line in the Gaslight Anthem song, “Bring It On”. The song has nothing to do with dog racing. Whenever I heard anything referring to “Blue Eyes”, I automatically would think of Dexter.

When I started running Denali, nothing could really describe her better than my little Spitfire. OK, by definition she’s not a spitfire – she doesn’t have a “fiery temper” and she’s not “prone to outbursts”. I’ll use a more positive reinterpretation of the word. She has a fiery spirit and outbursts of pure energy. She’s ferociously motivated. Maybe she’s more like the British fighter plane.

There really isn’t anything else to it. Once I got to know Denali’s temperament, especially in harness, I knew the name “Blue Eyes and Spitfire” was meant to be.