9.28.2013

my "hobbies"


was filling out a race form and was asked about my hobbies. googled the definition of "hobby."  as much as i'd like to think my hobbies are super cool & fit such as running, yoga, etc., it turns out my main hobby outside of mushing is probably "beer drinking."  i drink beer for pleasure much more regularly than i ski or knit or go camping.  hmmmmm.... well, fine.

dogs run; beer earned.

9.27.2013

on blogging .

Sometimes it scares me how much of my own life I forget.  Most especially the good times & adventures. I was scrolling though some posts from 2010 and read a sentence in which I happened to mention going skiing with Tuffy on the river that weekend.

!!!!!???

I had COMPLETELY forgot that when I lived in Fairbanks I used to go skijoring on the Tanana River with my dog. And how lovely it was, with sun, steep bluffs, fish wheels, and 20 ft wide packed trails to skate on. Being passed by dog sled teams, hopping over cracks with my skis, building fires on small river islands.  One sentence was enough to jar my memory, and I am so grateful to myself for "documenting" that time. Just one sentence brought back so much.

See, the blog is written as much or more for me, than for others. I love sharing my adventures, and appreciate the opportunity to use the blog to spread the word about my Iditarod run & need for funds, but most of all, I am grateful to have a forum that can be counted on to remind myself what a charmed life I am privileged to lead here in the North land.

Thank you Jason!

I'm happy to announce Jason Carpenter of San Diego, CA has joined Team Anadyr as lead dog Ruby's sponsor!!  Jason has also very generously sponsored the entry fees for the AK Excursions 120 and the Aurora 50/50, two early season races that factor majorly into our Iditarod training plan. Thank you so much Jason!!

A little about Ruby:   Ruby was my main leader last season and heads up my front end this year as well. She is a stellar little dog with lots of heart, a REAL lead dog. I don't believe you can "make" lead dogs. A dog may run up front & take commands, but their true test as a leader comes when the going gets tough. Real lead dogs will keep driving forward, no quailing about it, regardless of weather, temperature, or fatigue.  Ruby is incredibly driven & hardworking. I wouldn't have been able to do anything I did (like qualify for Iditarod) without her.  She has quite the personality. She's a goofy girl who's always happy. She regularly excavates a ditch around the circumference of her circle.

Side note: She has done extremely well on Underdog 30-20. Her burnt out coat came in incredibly sleek and soft this summer. Her former rat tail tail is now downright luxurious. It's amazing actually, and makes her that much nicer to cuddle :)

Welcome to the team Jason!

Note Ruby's bushy rat tail sticking up last fall. 
Good little camper. 
Leading one of many training runs.
Ruby & Victor. I must have been holding a snack bag over their heads to get those looks.
Kozy & Ruby with the Talkeetna mountains covered in alpenglow in the background. Pretty sure I was holding a bag of treats here too as I see perked ears all the way to wheel...
Ruby & Robber breaking trail. 
What a lovely day this was.
Ruby having a roll in the snow. 
Happy dogs. 
Ruby ready for a spring picnic. See the rat tail's still there.
Ruby loves hopping on her dog house. Note her handiwork (the ditch) in the background.
Starting fall training off right with Ruby in lead. 
Ruby relaxing post-run. Note her beautiful soft grey coat and thick tail! 

9.26.2013

race plans


The most important training the team will get in preparation for Iditarod 2014 will be RACE TRAINING. We plan to enter a few local mid-distance races in order to give the dogs race experience; practice being out on the trail with unfamiliar teams, navigating checkpoints, and most importantly, resting in checkpoints. This can be a hard lesson for some dogs to learn. For example, Doc may say: why do THEY get treats & kibble right now and not ME?? HE'S not eating it, why can't I EAT IT?? Why is it ready for THEM to go, but not US??  Et cetera.....  They need to learn to rest when given the opportunity and racing is really the only way to do so efficiently.  Racing also gives me, the musher, opportunity to practice my checkpoint routine and develop good habits, such as taking care of myself, eating, drinking, even when cold & tired. Racing can also be used to gauge yourself & your team against the rest of the field early in the season. Last year in the Northern Lights 300, I saw that my dogs were pretty underpowered compared to the rest of the teams, so after the race, I made adjustments in my training plan to address that, and I kept it in mind now that we're fall training, too. 

We plan on entering four races this season: AK Excursions, Aurora 50/50, Knik 200, and the Northern Lights 300. To learn more about theses races, click on the links below.

Alaska Excursions 120
Aurora 50/50
Knik 200
Northern Lights 300

Participating in local races is an important stepping stone on our journey towards Iditarod, but it's an expensive one that stretches my kennel budget thin at an inopportune time of year (I guess there is no good time to be broke, but early winter is especially harsh:) ). Race expenses include entry fee, food and snacks for the dogs, fuel to melt snow to prepare their meals, runner plastic & musher food & drink. 

If you would like to help the dogs and myself gain some valuable race experience this season, please consider helping us out with some entry fees.  Registration for all but Aurora 50/50 opens on October 1st. These races have proven to fill up quickly, so to avoid being waitlisted, I hope to sign up as soon as possible. This equals $850 in entry fees due October 1st. 

Would love & appreciate any help!  

Donations can be made by clicking the picture of the Iditarod Start Line at top right, or by purchasing one of the entry fees via my webshop:  http://lisbetnorris.blogspot.com/p/store.html#!/~/product/category=6668525&id=28232636

Thanks for your support!!   xo Lisbet & Team

9.23.2013

dog box update

Doors on on, waiting for latches to come in the mail, need to screw on a boards for back-up, secure the box and then... I'm mobile!! Looking forward to training runs all over Willow & beyond.





9.20.2013

full moon running

harvest moon.




moon peeking through the trees and new snow visible on the distant talkeetna mts. 

9.18.2013

a few fall training pics & a dog box update

Fall training is off to a good start!  Although we have yet to see a frost (or, unlike Fairbanks, snow (!) ) temps have started to cool off. Going about three miles now & will bump it up tonight. Due to my living situation, my fall training (actually, all training) last year was somewhat inconsistent, so it was important for me this year to make a schedule and stick with it. So far so good. The dogs are running about five days a week.  It's fun to be back out with my buddies!

first photo of fall training ! 
Pea thinking she's a lead dog. 
Starting off right with Ruby girl in lead. 
Old man Kozy (9) still going strong. Robber & Daphne in swing.
Shipping T-shirts all over the world--thank you so much for your support!! 


Little girls in lead: Linnea & Ruby. 
Post-run Pelle, Robber, Fezzik, Linnea & Daphne
Fall colors are appearing.
Ruby relaxing in the autumn sunshine.

Sneezy
Training whether it's night or day.
Talkeetna! View from the lodge deck. 
Sunset @ the Lodge.
Dog box update: 
Finishing off my dog doors. Stained them white and all that remains now is to screw them on the box. 

Loading the box on the truck.
Who needs a man when you have a comealong? 
Almost up! Will take pictures of the finished product once I get the doors on:)

9.13.2013

T-shirts & Totes for sale!

I MUSH AK T-shirts & Team Anadyr Iditarod T-shirts for sale, online or in-store @ Underdog Feeds.
Anadyr Siberian Iditarod T-shirt. Artwork by Klara Maisch of klaramaisch.com
Click HERE to purchase!  
Team Anadyr Tote! Click HERE to purchase.
I MUSH AK T-shirt, my design. Click HERE to purchase
** All proceeds go towards Lisbet's Rookie Iditarod! **

Link to the full Team Anadyr Store:
 http://lisbetnorris.blogspot.com/p/store.html

9.12.2013

Thank you Vargevass Kennels!

Velkommen på laget! / Welcome to the team!


A big thank you to Karsten & Eveline of Vargevass Kennels who have come on board as a major sponsor. Karsten is one of the foremost experts on Siberian Huskies in the world today and to have his support behind my Iditarod run is an awesome feeling. Karsten & Eveline have a vested interest in the breed, and having had success racing in Scandinavia, would like to see the breed do well in North America as well. Thanks for the encouragement, Karsten and Eveline! We'll do our best!