I've never been more nervous in my life, than I was standing on the runners in the starting chute of the sprint course. The cacophony of barking dogs all around me - the trail laid out bare before me, fast and slick and freshly-groomed. The adrenaline coursing, the fear of the unknown - not knowing how my dogs would perform with other teams on the trail. Being rescues, two of the dogs on my team are reactive to strange dogs; they bark and make a fuss, and lose all concentration when other dogs appear. I knew it was going to affect the way I approached the run, and I had planned for that, but the fear bubbled up in my chest as I stared at the trail stretching endlessly ahead.
It turns out that I had nothing to worry about. When I heard another team coming up behind me, I simply pulled off the side of the trail and hooked down, and let them safely pass while I held my leaders. There were no mishaps and we were able to really enjoy the experience, smiling the whole way.
Even though we came in last in our class, I'm thrilled - I never expected to place, and we accomplished what we set out to do: complete a challenging course with other dogs and drivers on the trail. As an added bonus, I'm a much more confident driver after the race - the trail was quite tricky. Not to mention all the little tricks and tips I picked up from other mushers!
On to the photographs.
Me coming up behind another team. My guys were flying, and I had to ride the brake to keep them from passing. I wanted so badly to pass this team, but I didn't trust my dogs' passing skills.
Just after the finish line - my poor helmet camera is practically hanging off my head! Can you see the thrilled smile on my face?
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