With a little help from man's best friend

Took a gander at the training schedule for the upcoming week this morning - we're switching gears a bit to start working on race pace. But that wasn't what got my attention.

The weekly e-mail also lists upcoming races, which I usually skim over because, let's face it, you can only place 1,350 so many times in one month before your pride begins to wane.

But my eyes lingered on one listing:

Pineland Farms Trail Challenge (50 miles, 50K, 25K and K9 canicross), New Gloucester, 6 a.m. for 50 miles, 8 a.m. for 50K, 10 a.m. for 25K, 10:30 for K9. Contact: Erik Boucher 210-8655.

K9 Canicross? What in the devil's name is that? And why didn't John mention that there's FREE BEER and a BBQ?

I enlisted the help of my dear friend Google (who is always there for me, always helpful and who only rarely lures me down twisting paths of little-known links that waste 10, 20, 45 minutes and dead end on sites that I can't talk about in mixed company).

So here's the deal:

"Canicross is the sport of running or walking your dog in harness with equipment similar or the same used for skijoring. Canicross is not simply walking the dog. Running with a dog on a leash is not canicross. In canicross the dog pulls you, just like in skijoring." [From Skijor.com]

Fabulous. But what the heck is "skijoring"?

I'll investigate that later - in the mean time I need to work out this canicross thing. It's a brilliant idea - why should I put in all the effort when there are pets out there that can bear the burden?

When I was young I recall tying hot dogs to a fishing pole, then dangling them in front of our family dog, Brandy, so she'd pull the red wagon I was sitting in (sometimes I'd be on roller skates, you know, to keep things interesting).

I no doubt stole that idea from a cartoon - and I'm sure I was told it wasn't a nice thing to do to the dog. Regardless, I was on to something.

I'm without a pet now (curse you rental agreement!) so I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for available canines with champion potential.

My friend Michelle just got a puppy last week, but it weighs about an ounce and isn't quite ready for K9 racing. We'll check back in with her in a few weeks once the steroids have a chance to do their magic.

Now, I'm off set the record straight and seek out my place as the Rightful Founder of Canicross. If I could just find a dog to pull me to the courthouse...