In the last entry I described, in some detail, what the runs of the Don Bowers were like- the mechanics.

But in reality, the race has another side to it- emotions.

This is, maybe, the most important factor in the dogs performance!

Yes, you must have properly trained them. Yes, they must receive the correct nutrition. Yes, to too many other things to list- but the emotions of the musher deeply effect the dogs.

The saying is “you can't push a rope” and it is so true. The dogs have to want to run for us. And they do! With all their heart! Just watch them in training when you pull out the sled and lines- they go crazy wanting to go for a run. It's in their genetic code as deeply as any lab's desire to chase a ball or retrieve a stick.

It's all fun for them- until it's not.

And I think the fun goes away the second I stop having fun. The second I start treating the race as anything but an extended training run. So that's why it's worth describing my emotions on the race. It's just totally interesting how much they effect the dogs.

The race started out mentally slow and relaxed for me. I had a nice, achievable race plan and no pressure to perform relative to the other teams around me. We ran into our first rest smooth and on track with the slight exception that I got a little frustrated that they slowed down a bit at the end. Actually they slowed enough so that at mile 40 a few teams started to pass us, where as prior to that we were all running in a bit of a bubble at the same speed just a few minutes apart from each other.

That frustration built a bit but I did a good job controlling it, understanding that they were a young team at the end of a hard run through hot temps. I never said anything to them as we slowed and then took our break a few miles early to limit the distance we spent traveling slowly.

My thought at the time was that a good rest would perk them back up, the setting sun would bring colder temps, and the trail would harden up some. All of which turned out to be true and once we got back on the trail we were ripping along again much faster than on our first run- making up the time we had spent going slow!

I was stoked! Emotionally totally pumped at their performance and the decisions I had made! All of which fed back on itself to produce a really great run!

In retrospect though, there might have been a few emotional cracks as I waited out their rest break. It was sunset and I always get down around then anyway but the doubt produced by their drooping performance at the end of the first run didn't help. I worked through it though, by building a small fire and keeping myself busy collecting wood while I waited. Then, when it was time to go, they got so excited they pulled the hook and took off before I was even ready- kind of a pain, but their energy got me excited and away we went!

Late into the second run, with about 10 miles to go- I got really sleepy! Immediately the dogs performance dropped off and we slowed down a fair amount. But then we heard a train whistle in the distance. We can hear that from the house and so it was kind of exciting to hear on the race. Plus, I knew it meant we were almost into the checkpoint. I got excited. The dogs got excited. And away we went... looping into the checkpoint looking like we just started out rather than wrapping up a hundred mile run!

And then came the 8 hr mandatory layover.

I couldn't sleep.

I got lonely.

I questioned everything I was doing.

When it was over we left with me having been awake for over 30 hours! Stupid!

The dogs looked like crap. My sled looked like crap. Even the crystal clear view of mt. Denali looked like crap!

I should have slept because in reality nothing was wrong. After about 5 miles of stop and go running where I was running up to fix every little tangle- something I NEVER do in training- we finally got going. I was frustrated and totally doubted we could even finish! Ahh... not again... my own worse enemy!

Anyway, despite me, the dogs took off and we had a GREAT run for about 35 miles. Or a total run of about 40, which is the exact distance they had trouble during each of the previous runs. It just seems to be a bit of either a physical or mental block for this team at this stage in their lives.

But at that point I was nearing 40 hours without sleep and didn't see it so rationally. I thought the world was crumbling and was certain if I shut the team down for a rest the would never get up. So I made the decision to break my race plan and try to run straight through to the finish.

I got excited at the idea of making such a bold move and- once again- the dogs picked up on it and away we went!

Right up to the point where passed our camp from the trip up!

The pups went from 10.3mph to 0.3mph in about 10 feet!

I then struggled for THREE hours to cover less than a mile! Frustration doesn't even begin to describe my emotions!

In my mind everything I had spent the last 2 years working for was crumbling around me! I was certain I would never race again. Considered getting out of dogs all together. Was thinking everything I was was a big joke!

Finally I gave in, camped the dogs, built a fire, dried my gear, pulled out my sleeping bag and slept!

I woke up freezing, ran up and down the trail to warm up, woke up the dogs and took off......

Whooooooosh!

Away we went. I was refreshed from nap, excited to be under a full moon with my dogs and totally stoked to be on the move again!

We ran the last 40 miles in just a hair over 4hrs. Nearly 2mph faster than we train for and at the end of 200 miles... the longest run of the pups lives!

It was a GREAT finish- 6 hrs later than planned- but still, with a strong dog team that I had trouble stopping at the truck!

And now, nearly a week removed the race, it's clear that all the trouble I have ever had on races is from my own head! The result of getting negative.

And isn't that just the truth of life!

Stay positive!

Oh... and the picture at the top?  It's symbolic because in the middle of a sleep deprived race everything is hyper-contrasted... positive/negative... and now I know what's the next thing I need to work on to someday be the kind of dog driver i want to be1

Top of yoder during fall training come a long ways since this photo... just checking the if the photoupload feature was fixed on the blog

The Don Bowers 200 was my first distance race since scratching from Iditarod in 2007!

A lot has changed in my life since that particular failure!

And then some things haven't really changed at all.

What should be understood about sled dogs is that they are life consuming! They take over and it is hard to find balance while in the midst of training, planning, and dreaming about racing them.

I feel that a lack of balance contributed greatly to my failure in Iditarod.

So, after 07' I took a hard look at everything about myself. Came to some hard conclusions and began to make changes. Some slow and some fast.

The fast easy ones had to do with the dogs. A new breeding program. A new training program. New housing system, kennel surface, feeding methods! From the ground up I restructured things! The easy part.

Personal changes were harder and are still on going.

But the Don Bowers was a jumping back in point.

I entered the race with 12 dogs- 2 adults and 10 eighteen month old puppies. We have had a fantastic training year and I expected to have nothing but a fun, easy run. We started with a simple plan. The puppies have speed to burn but one of the adults- the one I really need as a leader- surely doesn't. And the pups also have no deep muscle endurance memory yet. So the plan was to average 8mph and stop after the first 50 miles for a 4 hour rest, continue on to the halfway point, where we would take our mandatory 8 hr rest then run home the same way, 50 miles, 4 hour rest, 50 miles.

It was a great plan- if only I had stuck to it!

We made the first hundred miles a little faster than planed in 15hr 37min- had predicted 16 hours. PERFECT!

Took our 8hr rest- where I never slept! And headed home.

And that's where things went wrong!

Leaving the 8hr rest the dogs were stiff and grumpy. In the first 6 miles I was stopped 20 minutes untangling lines from dogs goofing off and not being serious. During that stretch, even when we were moving we were just barely crawling along. It took over an hour to do it!

I started to loose my temper and really had to focus in on being patien but it wasn't easy because I was so sleep deprived and felt I was looking at the same kind of dog behavior that forced my Iditarod scratches.

Of course I had been up for nearly 30 hours straight at that point so I surely wasn't making good decisions, nor clearly identifying what the real issues were in the team.  But in anycase, at mile 6 they kicked it into gear and zoom zoom away we went.

There is a check point 30ish miles out from the halfway point and we made it there in exactly the same time as on our way up- despite all the early issues so I knew we were really rolling!

It turns out- though I didn't know it at the time- that short of those first 6 miles we would have likely had the fastest time of the race through that section! In any case, I totally miss read the strength of the team and decided that because the were running so well once they were warmed up we should skip stopping on the way back and just run straight through.  My thought was that this would avoid another start like we hadwhen leaving the halfway point.

Many teams were doing this so I felt okay with it. Of course my team had never run that far and was 90% puppy!

Some cracks started to show up after about 35 miles but we worked through them, took a small water break and kept moving- flying actually, as they really hit a stride when the sun set and we started to pass teams that were camping beside the trail- physically they looked great!

Then we passed the spot where we camped on the way up! At about mile 60, just 40 shy of the finish! CRASH, BANG, POP, the wheels fell off! We skidded to a stop as 5 of the 9 pups slammed on the brakes refusing to go more than 30 yards beyond our old camp!

Can't push a rope!  There was absolutely nothing wrong with them physically, in fact they were putting in far more effort pulling backwards against the 6 dogs in the front of the team than if they had just run forward! 

I tried to continue forward for a long time thinking that if I could get them a few miles past that spot they would get back to work. Nope! We spent 3 hours and went just 2-3 miles! And I was forced to shut them down and camp for 6 hours! 9 hours wasted! And a bummed team! Everything I didn't want, plus the whole rest I was worried they wouldn't get back up again when I asked.

STRESS

Which turned out to be for nothing, because after the forced camp they sprang into gear and we ran the last 40 miles in just over 4 hours- a little under 10mph and faster than we trained to race. It was great finish!

So those are the details of the runs, but what they mean is yet to come! Look for part 3 in a day or two!