Eek!

I don't have nails so I was far less confident on this trail than Amber wanted me to be! The air was crisp & cool and she thought we should run like the wind...

The highly anticipated Mia x Cruz pups are here!

A couple laps around Paris Hill

Never a question!

My Motivator

I didn't feel like running today but she really really wanted to go, so...

Reassurance from a Friend

Amber is helping Hazel to learn that there is no reason to be so afraid of the world outside the kennel.

No need for a sweatshirt today!

Happy Girl

I made doggie mom points with Amber today. "Go for a run in the rain? Really?!" She smiled the whole time.

This is cani-cross!

This was a heavily contested race and they took off fast...

Shark and Nate charged to a third place finish!

Nova hooked herself up to our friends' 'King' Endo and won the women's race!

We had so much fun splashing through all the puddles. I love this sport!!

What could be better?

This afternoon we enjoyed a run along the beautiful trails at Sunset Ridge and I got to watch Amber teaching the yearling Hazel how to be a cani-cross dog. Since she has already decided that she doesn't want to be a sled dog, this will be a good choice for her because she did great!

Canicross Crew

Clifford Racing Kennel was sure well represented this weekend!

Goose

• Meet Mother Goose - she is 11 years young and mother and grandmother to many of the dogs in the kennel. This afternoon she learned a new skill - cani-cross - as she accompanied me on my long slow distance (9.5 miles) run. She is facing retirement this season because she just can't keep up with the younger dogs on the team. But, her cardiovascular system is amazing from all her years of running so that while I may have been breathing hard, she never did and had plenty of energy to start pulling me during the last 2 miles to home! She's timid, but after a few miles of looking to me for guidance and confidence, she figured it out and even a cyclist we met commented that he could see her tail wagging from down the trail. It is so much easier (and more fun?) to do my long runs with a canine companion!

Trek was pretty proud of herself!

And she should be since she just pulled them to a 2nd place finish in the canicross!!

First up - canicross!

Reminiscing

15 years ago they were part of the team that represented the United States in the first Dryland World Championships in Ravenna, Italy.

He won a new collar!

They raced in the 1k Sprint Canicross at the Northern New England Sled Dog Fair, and clocked a smokin' time of 3 minutes flat, earning them 3rd place overall and 1st place for females. Congrats!

10 miles on ITS 89 with this guy!

Yukon is a great companion for my long runs!

Team Nooksack at the 2nd Annual Soldiers Pace 5k Canicross race

We took the 2 top places for the males, and the top place for the females! Great job team!!

(I ran with Yukon, and we somehow managed to cross the finish line in 30 minutes. Woohoo!!)

My Dogs are Barking 5k

...in a cani-cross with Frank, Amber, and Trek! They were such good doggies today, and we all had great races despite some minor technicalities!!

Cani-cross training in the rain!

Because dogs love cold wet weather, and there is a hot shower at home for us humans! This was my first run with Yukon and I was a little bit nervous since he's so big and fast, although I know that he is a gentle soul. I hooked him beside Amber, and she did a great job helping to hold him back a bit and keep him calm. Somehow they pulled me to a faster pace than I have ever run though! Crazy fun!!