News at last

I know it is a long time since my last entry here, and I am sorry for it. I should have been writing some from the Finnmarka Race weeks ago, but there has always been something else that had to be done. To make it clear, I am not so disappointed about the race that I have not been willing to write about it. In fact, to scratch was the only sensible thing to too this year.

All ready before I got as far as going to Alta I got the first setbacks. Skare, our old trusted leader, decided joined his forefathers and is now running in Sepalas all-star team. Then, one week before the race, Elvira got back from a training run whit a sore shoulder. Luckily I got to borrow three dogs from Arne Liaklev.

So coming to Alta the first i did was to pick up Sara, Chili and Puma. A little special to start the race whit tree dogs I did not know.

The start in down town Alta is always exciting. More than 1000 dogs ready to race makes some noise. In open class we only use 10 dogs out of Alta of security reasons. The last 4 we add to too the team at the restart 15 kilometers up the river.
Nine of my ten dogs were just standing or lying down waiting. Vosko had to have one person calming him down. I like it this way. Its called self control. But at the restart I had no chance to keep the dogs calm. This is one hour of intense barking. After that it is days of silence waiting.

The first legs, to Skoganvarra and Levajok were familiar terrain and mostly everything was just ok. But half way to Levajok I had to put Sara in my sled. She got an injury in her shoulder and started to limp. The race was over for her. Unfortunately she was not the only one that had to leave my team in Levajok. Chili and Smirre also got sore shoulders and Momba a sore wrist. Why four of my dogs came down whit injuries is hard to say, but I think it was going down from the mountain they got it. The trail was quite bumpy, and I should have used the brake even more. This was a set back and my mood was not the best. But I started out whit an intension to take the rest of the trip one checkpoint at the time. Going over to Skippagurra we had some wind and snowing crossing the mountains. Gunnar was doing his job really good. We even had to help a team that would not go in the conditions that the mountain provided. After six hours we were back under the tree line and it was time for a rest. After three hours it was back on the trail.
We had a good rest in Skipagurra, then went over to Neiden, were I arrived right after midnight (late Monday/early Tuesday) and a mandatory 16 hours rest. I can tell you it was good to get some sleep. Since Saturday I had only got six hours of good sleep myself.
Neiden to Kirkenes was pure joy. The team was doing great, and when I took a rest half way they all attacked their food. Coming in to Kirkenes I was starting to get tired again and I was a bit cold although it was just around zero degrees (32F). While trying to get some sleep I understood that something was wrong. I was laying inside a warm room in my winter sleeping bag whit my woolen underwear on and freezing. When I got up after 2,5 hour of sleep my handler Lotta soon was quite sure I had a fever, and ordered my back in bed for one more hour. After some more sleep and food I was still not feeling great. Of course not, I told myself. This is day four of a seven + days race. I am just tired. So I got down to my dogs to take care of them again. Kaos was still sore inn here muscles so I decided to drop here. She had done a fantastic job, and had been my best dog so far. Tutta also left the team whit a sore wrist. So whit 8 dogs I started back to Neiden after 9 hours of rest, three more than planed.
I have to say that before going I was really close to scratching. But my good friend Tommy got me going. He has done the race many times himself but was a handler this year. According to him I would feel better whit my self if I tried to go on and see if the fever got better. He meant that I would never forgive my self if I quit now, and the fever was gone in the morning. I can tell you that I was cursing him sometimes that night. It is the hardest time I have spent together whit my dogs. I was freezing inside my big down parka and it was hardly below 0. And I was exhausted. Many times that night I was planning to take the dogs straight to the car as soon as I reached Neiden. But in the end I did not. You never quit a race coming in to a checkpoint. After taking care of the dogs and three hours of sleep I went back to take care of the dogs. I still had a fever, and was thinking of scratching. Some of the dogs were a bit sore in their wrists, but they could still go on. But in combination whit my fever I found out that the best solution was to give up when we still had some fun. I could not be the last dog on the team in my condition, and that would mean harder work for the dogs. The decision was not hard. It had been a process that started in Kirkenes and I had given it a lot of thought during the night.

I scratched on Thursday morning. Friday night I still had fever, which I was quite pleased whit. My decision had been right.

In the weeks since the race I have spent my spare time skiing in the mountains and I have been on some trips whit the dog. The young ones are given some more attention and we are trying to train them a bit to.
Trangia has moved to a neighbor, and Sunda and Dønning are soon ready to go to new homes. We are also looking for a new home to Sting. The reason for this is that we have 7 young dogs ready for the team next season. I will not be going to the Finnmarka race in 09. Whit so many young dogs we will not have a 14 dog team, and I am not going back to the 500 kilometer (8 dog class). But we hope to have someone run the 8-dog class whit the dogs that are old enough.

uppdates

For uppdates of the Finnmarksløpet go to www.undervegs.blogspot.com

Almost there

I have not been that good to update my blog this winter. I am sorry for that. But at least, here is an update before the Finnmarksløpet 1000km. I am ready, just waiting for the start next Saturday ( march 8th) in Alta. The dogs are just as I want them now. The energy level in the dog lot is high. Although there was hardly any winter before early February I have got the 3500km of training I was aiming for. Of course it could have been better training whit more long runs, but when the winter is totally f... up, you have to adjust to that.
frustrated that I am running slow, its hopefully because I rest. To day I had a nice 60 km run in the mountains. The team is working good. Now its just to hope that they will do just as well when racing. I have a race schedule that says a lot of resting early in the race. I will be resting between checkpoints as well on some legs. So if you are getting Espen will be in the home team, sitting in front of his Mac and talking in the phone for the hole race. He will be leaving coments on the race on his blog as well as on my neighbours race blog
This might be a good source for information during the race.

About the team. I have presented this years team in an earlier entry, I think. But there have been some changes. I will start whit 11 of my dogs, and borrow 3 from a friend of mine. The dogs that will run is Gunnar, Momba, Sting, Trangia, Elvira, Kaos, Elton, Tutta, Dønning, Kesam and Vosko of my dogs. I will also use Sara, Chilli and mr x from Arne Liaklev.
The three dogs from my team that is not coming is Smirre: he had some injuries en the early part of the snow season and lost to much training. Sunda has developed epilepsy, so I don't find it wise to take here along. Our good old leader and grand old man Skare decided it was time for him to go over to Leonard Seppalas team, running down the endless trail and resting on fresh straw every night. Thank you Skare, for all the good miles we made together and I hope you are fine on the team on the other side.

Well, in some days I am of to Alta. I am ready and fit for fight.
So long.

What´s happening

It is a long time since my last entry on the blog. So what is going on? Yesterday we finally got some snow, about 20 cm. This is the first snow we have had since long before Christmas. I have not been able to train the dogs whit sled from back home since the first days of December. This has made a lot of work, or more precisely, a lot of time in the car.
In December we could do some training in the mountains of Dividalen. I have also been some (6) times in Kiruna, since November, a four hour drive each way. We even had to do some training with the ATV in January!!!!!! just to get the dogs out. Lake Altevatn, that usually provide good training conditions have also suffered lack of snow. It has up to recently been more or less just ice up there. But some days ago we could finally go there as well.
So what do this mean for the training of the team? It means that we have been training longer distances but not so often. I have had three trips of 200km and a lot of 50-60 km trips, but no short, fast and fun runs. So the dogs have the same distance as last year, but they lack a little of the spirit needed to run fast.
Now that we finally have got snow we are going to do some short trips back home this week before I do some longer trips over the weekend.
The situation in the dog yard is that 13 of 14 dogs are in good shape. Smirre, one of my yearlings have had problems whit a sore wrist and have been resting quite a lot. So I don't think he will be ready for the Finnmarka race. This mean that I have to borrow one or two dogs. And that should be no problem.
That's it for now. So its just to hope for good snow conditions for the last 6 weeks.

The turning of the sun

The darkest day of the winter is over, from now the days get longer. At this time of the year we normally have lots of snow. And we celebrate Christmas. This year December have been a long search for good conditions for sledding. Kiruna in Sweden have been the rescue, but this weekend it was just hard and icy conditions. So whit no hope I went to Devvdes, just to have a look. I was quite sure that the warm weather had stolen the snow. But I was wrong! It ended up a happy day! Really good conditions. So now I can at least run the dogs up there, in days that get longer and longer. And who knows, maybe one day we will have snow back home as well. OK, it is not totally black Christmas. We have a thin layer down here in the wally, but not much.
The Christmas celebration. For the first year in a long time I am going to spend it whit the family.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all of you.

In the moutains.

At last, on December the 4Th, we were back in the mountains around Devdes and Dærta. Its not much snow, but enough for teams up to 8 dogs. Being back up there with the dogs is great. Now the winter season on for real.
Many times before have I tried to describe the light in the mountain this time of the year. The sun is under the horizon, but its pink light reflects in the sky. And all the shades of blue. You have to see it to understand it.
We ended up whit three trips up there this week. Tomorrow its back, and I am going to stay there a couple of days. I am on schedule whit the training, and if conditions are not getting bad I will be able to get the miles I need. Life is good and the dogs are healthy

On the sled again!!

Monday last week (November 5th) the snow finally came. But still it is not enough to go out whit sleds. It still helps to have some snow. It is better for the paws to run on snow than on gravel. But for me it is the boring task of sitting on the ATV. And when the temperature drops down to -15c it is cold. So when I heard that it was half a meter of snow in Kiruna in Sweden I loaded up the dogs for the four hour drive over to the white stuff. What a joy for man and dogs!!! The first day we took two teams of seven dogs for a 25 kilometer run and the next day we did 50 kilometer. Yesterday I took all 14 dogs in one team and went for another 50 kilometer run. Pure joy. The dogs was happily running, and I could feel the power in the team!
Back home again it is the same conditions than when I left, 10 cm of snow. So I am afraid it is back on the ATV for still some days.
Anyway, I am on schedule, the team is getting stronger, and everything looks fine. I think I am the one who have the biggest need to get going whit the sled, not the dogs.

Although it is little snow Espen is training our 3 half year old together whit one good old leader on the sled, doing 5 kilometer runs. For them it is all about learning the basic.
So for now it is just to hope for snow. I have a hope that it will at least be possible to go up into the mountains in the end of the week to do some sledding. Time will show.