Assorted Weekend Wrap-Ups from Haute TRACS

SUMMARY: Top Ten, Move Yer Bloomin' Legs, bouncing off judges, tika not sore--

Top Ten points: Although Tika was moving well, we really didn't accrue much in the way of Top Ten points. By the end of Haute TRACS last year, we were well up into the Top Ten ranks in all four classes. This year, we're not going to be even close. So maybe I'll relax about that. Dunno, just not placing nearly as often. Can't pinpoint any particular reason.

Must say I was thrilled that Tika didn't come up sore at all after all those runs through that 3-day weekend, and that's my long-term concern for her.

I, however, was a different matter. On Thursday, I had trouble most of the day getting my legs to move at all--felt like 50-lb weights were tied to my ankles, for no obvious reason. I've experienced this before, though, and I'm concluding that sleep deprivation followed by a 2-hour drive is the reason, because it's almost always on the first morning of a trial. I'm going to have to rethink my current strategy of rising at 4 a.m. to start my away weekends. It's so odd to not feel tired particularly but to not have my legs functioning well.

Friday I was about normally tired but functional.

I already talked about how I deteriorated through Saturday. Man, I fall out of shape so quickly when I'm not doing a lot of regular walking and hiking!

That fall on Saturday was not my only fall for the weekend. During the DAM team Time Gamble, Tika took an obstacle that I hadn't wanted her to take, and in a bit of a panicked effort to save the day, I ran a pretty erratic spur-of-the-moment path and ended up bouncing off the judge, who had finally decided ("finally" after a split second or two of erraticness on my part, said she decided to just hold still and not try to figure out where I was going). As I tried to continue around her, my toe caught in something and I fell straight forward, slightly hitting my knees but taking the brunt on the base of my hands, which felt a little rug-burned on the dry soil. And I don't get up the ground all that quickly any more, either.

The good news is that, despite that, Tika and I saved our run and got our bonus points. Down side was more bruises. I don't think I fall all that often, maybe once or twice a year, so twice in one weekend was pretty radical.

Now that it's Monday evening, I'm thinking that there's no lasting damage from either fall, Tika's still in good shape, and Boost is BORED BORED BORED, so everything seems back to normal.