Training Individuals

SP Kennel is full of individuals. Dogs and mushers. Even though it would be easier if everyone fit the same mold… they don’t! Our conditioning and training program follows this same theory as well: every one is an individual.

The challenge at this time of the season – for any athlete on any team – is trying to be as fit, healthy and happy that they can possibly be. The most fit and healthy dogs will obviously be the most successful on any race. For the start of the Yukon Quest and the YQ300 we will need 26 race dogs in order to have full teams. We have 30 race dogs in training.

You might be someone who watches ESPN or Sports Stations or maybe just a one-time Super Bowl spectator. Or you might be an avid fan of a certain sports team – whether it be soccer, rugby, football, basketball – you might know the ins and outs of your team and the individual athletes. If you are into football you may have watched the Kansas City Chiefs sit out their All Star quarterback after a knee injury early in the season. But, Patrick Mahomes is back after taking several weeks off and his team is playing in the Super Bowl. Or you may follow the basketball superstar, Steph Curry, who is a three time NBA Champion, but fell on his hand in late October 2019 and is still sitting on the bench for the Golden State Warriors. Even the famous women’s soccer star, Megan Rapinoe, had a hamstring injury just before the Finals game. It’s a bummer that soreness and injuries happen in sports. But if we all sat around on the couch and didn’t ever exercise, we certainly wouldn’t make it up and over Eagle Summit (or to the Super Bowl or NBA Finals or World Cup Finals.) So, in saying all this, our SPK athletes are doing GREAT! We do have a couple of “benched” dogs, but most of the team is sassy and ready to roll. Just remember… every one of these pups are an individual. Even though we plan to work as a team, our canines and humans all have individual issues. We need to remember this and take that fact into account the last week before a big race. Whether it be a simple quirk with a dog’s gait, or a silly mental up & down, or poor eating habit, or hating booties (TAKE THEM OFF!), or disliking those smelly (crispy at -40) wind jackets, or running too slow (I WANNA GO FAST!)

As a team of individuals, we will endure the good with the bad and keep a positive outlook. For the next week, SPK dogs and mushers will continue to train, looking down the trail, towards the Yukon Quest 1000/300 start.

On race day, we will need to 26 canines and 2 mushers in order to fill out the two teams!

Here are our racers’ current status:

Allen. Feeling good and positive. As competitive as he has ever been. Fit and mentally prepared. As someone described him this fall “Allen is Teflon.” (Gez. I guess that means that he is able to withstand anything.)

Karolyn. Is ready with the perfect amount of nervous excitement. She will be racing on a conservative race plan that still includes enormous mountains to climb and frigid creeks to travel.

Many of the main racers are happy, kinda chubby and in ‘pretty good shape’. Dutch, Sparky, Rodney, Five, Bruno are solid, healthy and can be counted as Top Notch right now. None of these five dogs raced the Copper Basin with Aliy so they do not have those 300 race miles under their belt, but they are race veterans and know the Yukon Quest schedule. Rodney, Five and Bruno might be considered a bit pudgy. Sparky and Dutch are both almost ‘cocky’ right now. Commando, Violet, Amber and Junior are Quest veterans and also crossed the finish line on the Copper Basin two weeks ago. This recent 300 mile race might give them a leg up as far as their physical fitness, but a notch down as far as minor racing bumps and bruises (Violet has lost some fur on her fore arm,  Amber stepped in a hole, tweaking her wrist slightly during the last 50 miles of the CB. Junior is a little thin compared to her pre-race weight. Commando came thru with flying colors so, apparently, he is Teflon like his musher.) Chipper is really good and is her typical; happy-go-lucky hyper self. She really needs to go run at least 300 miles or she might drive us all crazy here at home. Jefe, Perky, Decaf and QT are incredibly talented and look fit. These dogs raced and finished the Copper Basin as well. They are ready to roll for the Yukon Quest. QT is the only dog who has a wrist issue and we think it is minor. (Paws crossed.) These four dogs would be rookies for the YQ 1,000 mile race. Cayenne is solid this season but hasn’t traveled much so she has done all of her training miles on the local trails around SP Kennel. It’s time for her to get out of Two Rivers and race with Karolyn. Iron has been doing the bigger mile training runs with Allen and the Questers. He will be a last minute decision as an alternate for the 1,000 mile team or a shoe-in for the 300. Clyde has been steady and so has Scooby. This father and son duo has been paired together on many training runs – an awesome combo to watch. Both dogs are a little chunky at this point. They will have a spot in either the 1,000 or the 300 teams. Sanka was tired on the second to last leg of the Copper Basin. She has since, rested up and run several times. She seems a little bummed still so we will run her on some short, fun runs this weekend and see how she feels. Gold and Bronze are nice solid three-year old dogs who will perform best on a 300 team before attempting a 1,000 mile race. Gold pulls very hard and sometimes wears himself out, so we’d like to see him succeed in a 300 mile race before attempting 1,000. This might be a stepping stone for him to accompany Aliy on the Iditarod. Bronze was in heat last month and missed just a couple training runs. She is up to speed now.

Cloud and Peach would be rookies on a 1,000 mile race squad. These two pups have a small chance of making Allen’s 1,000 team. Cloud is one of the few thin dogs at the kennel. She has become a finicky eater. Peach is still having fun so she will run anywhere with a smile. Karolyn’s squad would benefit greatly from either of these youngsters.

Mismo is large (as in fat) and in charge (as in a main Lead Dog.) He has done everything in his 8 1/2 years of life. He will be a key player for leading one of the two teams. He trains hard and rests even harder.

We do have a few issues. (Who doesn’t?) Razz and Chevie both came off the Copper Basin with minor ailments. Razz ran in harness this week and although she looks great while trotting down the trail, her hind leg was stiff the morning after. Perhaps she is not ready yet to gallop 300 more miles. Chevie has not been in harness since the race. The Vet Crew at Copper Basin thought that she had strained her triceps, so we have given her a precautionary two weeks off. Chevie has enjoyed romping up and down the driveway with her sister, QT, and Ziptie. Driver tweaked his triceps muscle three weeks ago and the big lug still is sore. Poor boy is still the first dog to bark when we begin harnessing. He runs around a lot, but we can tell that he misses being in harness.

Champ didn’t appreciate the extreme cold temperatures during the Copper Basin (NOTE: neither did Aliy.) In order to protect his somewhat hairless underside privates, he is now running in a full body jacket or an enormous wolf ruff. If we can keep him protected from the breeze down under (so to speak) he will be on one of the teams.

Nomex was looking 100% solid earlier this week. Allen and the Questers went on a glorious 8 1/2 hour run in the mountains and he came home with a cramp. He has run around and loosened up but we will need to run him in harness to see if it has fully gone away before pencilling him in for either team.

In December, Kodiak was is serious contention for leading the Copper Basin 300. Then on December 30, after a fast training run, he came home with a sore hip. He had two weeks off and has been slowly coming back into training. He did several 30 minute and 45 minute stretch out runs. These were followed by slower, longer runs. Yesterday, Karolyn ran a 50 mile training run. Kodiak wasn’t quite up to 50 miles, so we put the inReach Tracker on Karolyn’s sled and watched as she and her team looped around Two Rivers trails. When we saw that she was nearing Wes & Wendy’s house, which is very close to the trail, we were able to drive him via car to their house, park and walk Kodiak out to meet her for the last few hours of her training run. This way we are cautiously bringing Kodiak back into training and not stressing him by overdoing it.

Here is a short clip from meeting Karolyn and her team on the trail with Kodiak. The team is: Mismo, Junior, Amber, Razz, Peach, Kodiak, Cloud, Champ, Bronze, Cayenne and Goldie!

As you can see, it takes effort to train every dog as an individual. But it is worth it!