Feb 21, 2016
Redline’s A.D. Skinner
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Redline’s A.D. Skinner
Monday started with William's trip to the vet to make sure there weren't any underlying causes for his wanting to stop running around the 10-15 mile mark. He had a full physical exam and blood panel done and was given a clean bill of health, confirming my suspicions that his "problem" is psychological not physical. Since he has been perfectly happy running up front on the B-team that is where he will stay for the season. Next year we'll see if he has a change of heart or if he still prefers the shorter distances.
After Will's appointment I took the team (minus Kiva who broke a toenail on the previous run) out for a 30 and did lots of leader swapping -- putting Thunder and Russian up front to run next to Bluie and doing lots of switchbacks and gees and haws. They're both coming along nicely with Thunder being the quickest to respond, and Russian being a real forward driving force that keeps the team moving at a steady pace.
I was considering heading up to Gunflint for the coming weekend to do the 23 mile fun-run, but decided against it has the temperatures look like they will be up into the 40s! So it looks like our race season will be winding down and wrapping up. It has been sad to see so many races cancelled again this season, especially since here at Camp Redline we've had such a wonderfully mild and snowy winter to train. But it doesn't affect us that much, as my main goals remain focused on 2018 with Race To The Sky and Eagle Cap. If all goes well, I'll get a camping trip or two in on the trail with the dogs yet to continue our mock check-point practice.
I took the time Tuesday to do another round of my "dogs standing in front of a fence" photography project -- tonight I cropped and re-sized and uploaded to my kennel website to replace the old stacked photos. Just about got everyone now. Just need to do William and Stoli for the main team.
FEBRUARY 10TH, 2016 It has been a strange, half-winter. My dog yard fluctuates between looking like the verge of spring thaw to the familiar scintillating ice-skating rink that prevails at twenty below. Back and forth we go; 30 degree days that make the dogs slog in their traces and eagerly drink their soup at the end of a run -- to 10 below with a windchill that gives them an extra bounce in their step and makes me pile on another layer of clothing.
Things don't appear to be any better further north. Our planned race for this coming weekend was cancelled due to insufficient snow to make the trails safely passable for larger teams. This will be the second race we've entered this year that has been called off.
"The best laid plans of mice and men", as they say.
But despite the lack of races, it has been a pretty phenomenal season for us so far. I'm very happy with where the team is at right now and we are working towards goals aimed more at the 2018 racing season in regards to mileage and speed; even if all our miles have been on the ATV so far!
Dawson, Rick, and William have been officially dropped from the race team pool for the rest of the season.
Dawson suffered a wrist injury two weeks ago, and at 9 years old I'd rather let him rest and heal the remainder of this season so he is ready to go next year, rather than risk making a simple injury into a chronic one just because he seems ready to get back in the game.
Rick has shown a ton of potential since his first run in harness, but is a bit too immature yet to be a full-time team member. He is easily distracted and likes to gawk at the scenery a bit too much. Not surprising as he is only a yearling! I'll still be working with him on the B-team.
William has shown me several times that he prefers to top out at around 10-15 miles, and prefers to run with a smaller team. I believe this is more of a mental issue than a physical one, but he has a vet appointment on Monday to make sure. If the vet gives him a clean bill of health, he'll continue to run on the B-team where he is happier.
The rest of the team is looking absolutely fantastic though and a few of my yearlings are showing surprising potential to run up front, including Inky and Skinner!
x-posted from my kennel’s Facebook page
Re-watching "Holiday Knights,” the Batman: The Animated Series Christmas Special.
And what does Harley walk out with?
A giraffe plushie.
She is Patty Thompson.
It should not be this warm on christmas eve in the north east. I should not be wearing shorts and a tshirt at work. I should be dealing with hundreds of kids and parents right now not sitting and watching the snow they made melt away and panic about conditions on sunday. I mean it's cool I have tomorrow off without feeling guilty about it but still this is so weird.
JOESTRADAMUS: Winter Forecast 2015-2016
JOESTRADAMUS: Winter Forecast 2015-2016
JOESTRADAMUS: WINTER FORECAST 2015-2016
I’m going to be honest from the get go here. I am not a fan of these kinds of forecasts. Long range is simply not my strong suit. While I have been reading up and knocking my brains out trying to understand all this, I keep coming back to the short term where there are so many variables that come into play. To ask someone to come up with a 4 month winter…
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El Nino Update: The Peak Is Reached For Key Areas..Siberian Snow Cover Update
El Nino Update: The Peak Is Reached For Key Areas..Siberian Snow Cover Update
El Nino Update: The Peak Is Reached For Key Areas..Siberian Snow Cover Update
With the key winter indicators being looked at some new developments and trends have emerged that are very important and they will have a big say in the outcome for the coming winter. Weather models that monitor have been forecasting a decline in the strength of the El Nino for a number of weeks now and we see on the…
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Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari talks about the likely forecast for December and January.