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...

2 Teams of 12 Dogs

Whose bright idea was this?! It was a challenging run for dogs and humans alike, but we survived, and they all got their exercise on 13 miles of beautiful trails at Bear Brook Campground.

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!

The yearlings were so excited to start training for the season today!!

Grey was excitedly telling Meb all about it, while Gwen dug right into leading with Auntie Trek!

Personal Best

This afternoon he pushed hard (and still had fun!) and achieved a personal best time! I was so proud watching him dig in and run fast. He was so happy!!

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!!

Ayiyi! Those trails are tough!!

Tonight, despite the heat & humidity, we ran at Shepard's Farm. Neither of us really felt like it, but we did it anyway. The trails are beautiful, but boy did they kick my butt again! Of course, he looked like a galloping gazelle, while I felt like a lumbering ox. Ugh. At least I didn't quit - that's all that matters!

They couldn't resist racing with me!

This is such a fun event and we had a great time running it with our friends. I felt successful because I was able to run the majority of the course for a change, and did it in only 46 minutes! They were successful in winning prizes for first place overall and second place in his age group. Great job guys!!

Long Training Run

I may not be able to keep up with him on foot, but I can on wheels!

Hiking Buddies

Meet Scott

This afternoon we took a nice 11 mile ride along the rail trail and stopped to visit with Scott on our way by!

Nomad Trail Race #1 - I survived!

Dryland Biathlon @ Roberts Farm Preserve

Kingdom Trails

Less windy in the woods!

The wind this morning was strong enough to keep me off the roads! I decided to skip my scheduled run, and instead took a vigorous hike through the woods at Roberts Farm Preserve. It was a good choice!

1st Race of 2016 Series

This evening was the first race in the Nomad Trail Race Series that are held throughout the summer and fall at Roberts Farm Preserve in Norway. I can tell you that these are tough competitors because those trails are challenging!

Hebron Hawk Trail Race

He came in 2nd this morning, at a tough trail race that was 4.5 miles, instead of the advertised 3.1 miles. I love that he made sure to high-five (well, low-five, I guess) this kid on his way to the finish line! 

Big brother & his little sisters!

They were able to be there to cheer him on during his cross-country race today!  Woohoo!!

This girl impressed the heck out of us tonight.

This evening she asked me if she could run in the 8.5k Nomad Trail Race at Roberts Farm Preserve. She had heard all the stories about what a tough race it is, the weather was extremely hot & humid, she was tired from her first week at school, and yet she was excited for an opportunity to get out and run! I was going up there anyway to photograph the event, so I was more than happy to sign her up.
She was nervous at the start because she's never run a race without any of the rest of our family with her, but tonight she was on her own. 

It was a long time before she reached the first point where I would see her, so I was starting to get worried that the trails were taking their toll on her. They were. She was walking instead of running, and crying. When I ran up to her, she started telling me how awful she felt. I was horrified, but not really surprised since that race course made me cry too. I told her that there was no shame in quitting if it hurt. Nobody wanted her to hurt herself running a race. She asked how far she had gone, and how much further she had to go. I didn't know, but informed her that I did know that the water station wasn't much further ahead. She said that she would get there and make her decision. When she reached the water station, she guzzled 3 glasses of water and decided to keep going! I am so proud of her for showing such toughness and gumption in the face of adversity. Those trails are tough, and long.

As it turns out, they were even longer for her. She took a wrong turn and ended up being out there in the woods for so much longer than expected. She has never run that far before! Fortunately, she had found another young girl out there who was also hopelessly lost, and they helped each other find the correct trail back to the finish line. We adults were just heading out to find them because it was starting to get dark, when they came RUNNING out of the woods! Those girls sprinted and chased each other to the finish line; laughing as they finished a crazy adventure together!!

Nomad Trail Race 8.5k

They challenged themselves again tonight - they ran another tough trail race at Roberts Farm in Norway!  It was a beautiful evening and lots of friends showed up to run with them, so they had a great time!