Finding the Energy

The North Face Endurance Challenge 50k in Massachusetts was a grueling race of steep climbs and rocky downhills. The uneven, hard footing makes your bones ache in places you never knew to feel. With 6,000 feet of elevation gained and 31.2 miles run, we were left tired and sore. My toes bled, my ankle swelled and my back feels like I’m many decades older. These are known factors of racing, especially on east coast trails. I embrace the pain, and rejoice that my leg muscles still feel fresh. 

We ran so hard that my face hurts; not from sunburn or a clenched jaw, but from smiling. Running takes my breath away in more ways than one, and it amazes me that we always find extra air for positivity. A thank you to the volunteers giving us water or food at an aid station. A thank you to the police officers stationed at road crossings. Words of encouragement to the runners we pass on the trail to keep up the good work. Words of support for the runners that pass us to keep running hard. I saved some of these good feelings for myself too. The words of reassurance in my head kept me going, and a deep gratitude for my legs kept me running strong. 

Energy is hard to come by on long races. Mental fatigue sets in as does physical fatigue from the demand placed on our mind and muscles. Yet, we always had the energy to be kind - to volunteers, fellow racers and ourselves. I see less of this at dog shows than I’d like...less of this kindness to each other, ourselves and our dogs. 

An unkind person convinced me once that I was despised by my fellow agility competitors. At times, I’ve felt an unwelcomeness and was left scared to make the wrong move. I’ve felt the toxic vibe of poor sportsmanship, and played a part in this myself. He was wrong though. There is more good in agility and more good in me. I’ve grown past this pettiness he cultivated, and strive to put my best self on the line each day. Not just for my dog, but for fellow competitors and myself as well. If I can find the energy for kindness on a thirty plus mile race, I am sure to find it in between forty second sprints with my dog. 

A good word or two can go a long way - to motivate a person towards their goal and towards spreading a bit of kindness themselves. After all, we are all out there running the same race.  

Win More, Lose Better

When I was younger I thought the purpose of training was to be prepared for the challenge ahead.  The truth is that I never did reach the past tense of that word. What is it to be prepared?  In a literal sense, it means to make something ready. I took it a step further; to be ready was to be ready for success.  In turn, this meant that I was never ready for failure. In my world an unsuccessful attempt of a challenge was soul crushing.

I approach challenges differently now; an unsuccessful attempt of a challenge is soul nourishing. It took time to re-frame failure into a worthwhile experience. It took even longer to re-frame winning into a productive process. We can never really be prepared. Each challenge we face is part of the preparation process. A challenge by definition means you have left your comfort zone. There’s a beauty to never being ready; it means that there is never a wrong time to try. Making a true effort towards success simply requires two skills: the ability to win more and lose better.  

Winning more is the ability to recognize progress.

Let’s start by digging into what isn’t a good measure for identifying progress in agility. In many sports direct comparison to others’ overall performance is a good judge of progress, like a track time. In non- routine based individual sports, like agility, rock climbing, and surfing, comparisons against others are inaccurate measures of growth. This week my dog clocked in at 5.9 yards per second in jumpers, a dog across the country broke 7 yards per second in the same event. Is the dog across the country faster than mine?  The only logical answer I see is "...maybe?" The courses were different state to state, making the times, yardages and results of each course different. Even in our own backyard it is difficult to compare my medium sheltie’s performance to the performance of my mom’s medium sheltie. For reference, our two shelties measure the same height and are close blood relatives. Yet, comparing overall time is not how we train for success.

Comparing placement and rank do not necessarily show improvement either. A first place run with broken criteria, lucky handling and a bad attitude is not a winning performance. These are the components of performance we track to see progress: dog training criteria and behavior, handler technique and application, and handler mentality. The truth is a first place ribbon is a poor indicator of whether or not progress has occurred. To win more you need to identify the components of the performance that positively reflect the training and practice you have invested in your team.

Losing better is identifying places for improvement, and creating a plan for improvement.

The first half of this skill identifies the components of our performance that do not reflect our efforts. Identification, in both skills, answers the “what” of our winning or losing processes. The more challenging pieces are the “why” and the “how”; this is the goal setting side of winning. Why did my criteria, handling or mental game falter? This can be as simple as a mistimed cue, a type of mental error. How do I strengthen this component of my performance? The plan to improve reaction time can be to practice verbal cues during walk throughs with a trigger for accurate timing. This specific example gives the outline for meaningful training sessions and practices that can result in improvement for any loss.

For a challenge that is worthwhile, I am never truly ready. But I am now able to take away the most from a win and the best from a loss.   

Prepare Better to Perform Better

In the dog show world, we are quick to do what is best for our dogs. However, we don’t always take the time to do what is best for the handler. Dog show days can be long and full of activity. We would never let our dogs go undernourished and dehydrated before performing. The dog is only one half of this team, and handler well-being needs to be a priority too. Proper fuel is important for keeping our energy levels up and helps the brain function better. Agility requires us to stay focused, make good decisions and exercise cognitive flexibility on course; an undernourished body will have a hard time meeting the demands of our sport. 

The better we prepare, the better we perform. 

We don’t always make the best choices when we are stressed; this is why meal preparation is vital to handler performance. Willpower can be a limited resource, and a day of competition can use up all the willpower we have available.  When hunger strikes our bodies and brains will be craving fatty, salty and sugary foods to help replenish the energy we’ve used. In a world of fast and prepackaged foods satisfying these cravings does not often provide the nutritional benefits our bodies need.

A fat craving solved with eating oily foods may actually harm our performance, as oils decrease blood flow for several hours after consumption. As you can imagine, blood flow is important for a lot of the physical and mental processes we use during agility. What do we eat instead? On long days, Diane and I focus our breakfast around healthy fats to help us start the day with long lasting energy. Healthy fats found in avocados, olives, nuts and seeds help the brain and other organs function properly. Fats take longer for the body to digest and turn into energy; a fact that we use to our advantage.

A salt craving is often not what it seems. Our bodies want salt as it is necessary for survival. In the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) we are consuming too much salt. The recommended daily value for maximum intake is 2,300mg. This may seem like a big number, but consider that a standard bagel has 430mg of sodium. Salt makes food taste great, so processed foods tend to have a lot of it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates the average American eats 3,400mg of sodium a day, over double what we need to survive. When salt cravings hit it is unlikely that an individual is actually experiencing a sodium deficiency. Often a craving for salt is due to dehydration or the body is in need of another mineral. I often come across students and friends at dog shows that claim they have not had water all day! Drinking water needs to be an established habit of competitors. Not only will water help crush the salt cravings, it will aid your performance in the ring.

A sugar craving can lead us to indulge in cake, soda, and other processed foods, but this is a temporary fix that leads to more damage. It is not wrong to crave sugar. Our bodies use sugar to do a lot of good. The problem with processed sugars is that it runs through our bodies too quickly; this creates a burst of energy and a hard crash. We want our sugar to last, and this means we eat complex carbohydrates. Whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruit offer energy in a controlled manner. Fiber slows down digestion for better and longer lasting energy than processed food can offer. These foods are packed with micro-nutrients that our bodies thrive on. Fruit and vegetables aren’t always the easy choice when a more tempting treat is available. Eating healthy isn’t about beating the cravings, tracking calories or even losing weight; it is about using food to feel better and perform better.

Whether we are competing locally or on the big stage, we always bring foods that will help maximize our performance potential. 

Adding On.

I took just the border collie on a walk this morning. It’s hard to leave whim home. Whim has been my everything for nearly seven years. I keep telling myself that this new journey is good. It’s not moving on. It is adding on. It’s just hard to leave whim home. It’s hard not to feel like I’m shortening her career by giving time to s’more.

This dog needs me, and not just half of me. I could ration out my energy, giving her what is left over from whim. Half of me, half of my time, half of my energy would be, and is, unfair. She should give her whole heart in this journey to receive less in return? That is not the way to build a team. I would be lying to say she hasn’t taken the backseat to whim’s career. She stays home many weekends, and many months she does not train. This month, for example, is whim’s month as we prepare for FCI Agility World Championship in two weeks. It is not a simple process to be in sync as a team, so I give whim my all before we head to big events.  This has served us well, but this is also what s’more has not yet gotten from me.

I keep plotting to take whim with forever, and it feels like letting go if I think anything else. The transition to a new dog is challenging and beautiful, like learning a new language. I have yet to communicate fluidly with s’more. I’m still doing most of the talking. I need to listen and learn to understand her. She will not speak to me the way whim does, and I cannot force her into that role.  



I am not giving up on whim by investing in s’more. I am not taking away from whim to give to s’more. This dog needs me too. I’m going to give myself more to her this year. Whim can share, and I can start a new story without ending one.

You are allowed to be a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously. 

Greatness Takes Time

 In agility, time has become increasingly more important to competitors. We have learned to fine-tune our handling, shaving off tenths and hundredths when it matters most. Our dogs have access to better nutrition, physical therapists, chiropractors, and fitness trainers. They are running longer because of the hours we put into taking care of them on all levels. We are also pushing them to reach greatness sooner. The youngest to reach this title, this goal, this team… I understand. I did the same for myself as a kid. I chased the youngest national champion, the youngest world team member, and became the youngest European Open team member. What I can tell you from that experience is that it is mentally taxing with no true reward.  Chasing the clock is fun on course, but setting time limits on your goals is not.  

I’ve found maturity is a key factor in competing at a higher level. I believe that many dogs aren’t “grown up” until around five years old. You can push a dog long before it is ready, but realistically you cannot rush development. The abilities of muscle memory, verbal skills, and reading body cues are not created overnight. It takes hours of commitment to be great, for you and your dog. And the truth is those hours aren’t filled with motivational quotes, excuses and hoping for gold, they’re filled with conscious practice. We do not simply run agility in this journey. We calculate complex movements, test reaction time, and fine-tune footwork to create a language between dog and handler. We are learning something far more complex than a sport filled with dog tricks.  

I’m not here to tell you not to reach for the stars, but to take your time. There is much more satisfaction in slow, consistent progress than there is in stumbling blindly upon a goal. If the promise of satisfaction isn’t enough for you, consider that the one stumbling to the top probably won't remember the path back up.

There’s a key component to the ten thousand hours rule, “deliberate practice”. You cannot rely on skills you have not fully developed.  Greatness takes time, but that time must be well spent. We have the resources and knowledge in our community to be deliberate, we need to realize that not all practice is valuable. I never run an obstacle, sequence or course without a specific reason. I enter trials when I believe they will benefit the goal I am working on, and I go to the line with a list of micro-goals to accomplish. None of these goals, big or small, have expiration dates. None of these goals are based upon results.When goals are set effectively the results become the byproduct of the process. Focus on the process, every minute holds value if you know where to look and how to use your time. 

Goal setting is time management.

The Value of Successful Thinking

Be stubborn about your goals and flexible about your methods. 

I recently had an old student email me, thanking me for my help on her journey to nationals this year. While we only worked together for a brief time a few years ago, I couldn’t be happier that I’ve made an impact. She reminded me why I teach and why I am still in agility. I am here because every team has the ability to make amazing transformations. As handlers, it is our job to create a training system, handling system and set goals to maximize our dog’s potential in this sport. Every dog has a different path, and every journey is worth it.

I once had someone try to convince me that Whimzy wasn’t worth my time, wasn’t good enough to be at the top. They tried to convince me that I didn't have potential in this sport. I almost believed it… that we couldn’t be the team I dreamed of being. Mind you, this was after earning gold medal at worlds. But words have an impact on us and can take away from even the most gratifying experiences. In fact it destroyed my thought process, despite our achievements I could not believe in us. It was here that I knew success was so much more than accomplishments. It includes the ability to be emotionally in control over success and failure, the ability to learn from all available sources, and a willingness to engage in positive thinking. I had to learn all over again to believe in my teammate, to practice success as a mental skill. Reaching goals is only part of the process, learning to think about success in the right way is how we reach our potential. I am still in agility to tell anyone that will listen that your dog, your dreams are worth it. I will never do what that person did to me. There is no goal too small or too great to aim for, all it takes is commitment to your teammate.

This is the duty we have to our dogs, to be successful thinkers. To take mistakes and find a remedy rather than an excuse, that is success in action. For this, we have to maintain an open mind in our approach, and develop the system our dog needs. I am still learning to practice success, but I want to do right by Whimzy in this journey. She is worth it. We are worth it. 

Little Victories

There are two ways to look at every performance, with a results-oriented view and a goal-oriented view. Being focused on results leads us to tear ourselves down for being the slower dog or sloppier handler. We compare ourselves to other competitors and judge the worth of our team based on other's successes. Goals, however, are personal. They have absolutely nothing to do with who else comes to the trail this weekend, or next weekend. Small, like getting the weave entry, or big, like aiming for nationals, they serve us well. Unlike pretty ribbons, goals teach us about our strengths and weaknesses. Maybe Whimzy doesn’t earn a pretty ribbon in standard, maybe S'more doesn't qualify all weekend. On paper the results show that my dogs don't always do so hot. The relevant information is that my goals weren't aimed at winning the class or even earning the Q. We were out there completing dozens of little goals from her striding efficiently between obstacles to holding our contacts and start line stay. Whim earned two standard Q’s this weekend, regardless of the placement our runs were a huge successes. As for S'more? She freaking loves agility, she's happy. Goal achieved. I can walk away overjoyed with my dogs knowing that my goals were met. We’ve made progress. 

This is not to say that competition is invaluable. It's not all happy rainbows, I'm a pretty competitive person and can be hard on myself for a shoddy performance. I am lucky to live in an area with a deep pool of talented handlers and a highly competitive 16" class. Winning may be satisfying, and there’s no wrong in taking pride in a job well done. However, it is important to remember that your competition can help tell you things about your performance you may not have considered. Perhaps competition keeps you considering alternate handling plans or simply prevents you from growing complacent with your performance. Whim was .16 of what would have been today's winning jumper’s time. While the ribbons mean little to me it shows that we clearly had room to improve. Maybe it was those three collected strides too many on a tunnel pull, or a multitude of other little moments that can change your time drastically. Maybe it goes beyond handling alone. But now I go home with some new things to consider for the future. While I keep in mind how my competition is doing, the placement of any given run matters so little on a weekly basis. As we push each other to go faster, we learn to look harder at our handling choices, training and fitness skills. Healthy competition is what keeps us moving forward in this or any sport. 

There was once a time when I did not understand the difference between results and competition. I would have rather had a small pool and an easy win. Today? Push me in the deep end. Let’s see if I can swim. If not, I'll absorb some new information, grow and find a new way to float back to the top. 

Thank you to my fellow competitors I chatted with this weekend on the small victories in the ring. Focus, feeling connected, trusting your handling and your dog are all such important goals. You people keep me in the sport. It's reassuring to know so many lovely people care about the big picture and not just the ribbons. I would have left agility already without you all spreading those good vibes.