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I loved being outdoors and I loved dogs, Braverman, 34, tells SELF.
Courtesy of Blair Braverman
To me, being able to combine them seemed like magic.
I didn’t understand why every single adult wasn’t a dogsledder.
The snowy race is a 40-mile, two-day event with a six-dog team.
Chrissie Bodznick
Since then, Braverman has raced so prolifically that she says she lost count of how many shes completed.
But theres one race that stands out above them all.
Braverman and her team of eight dogscompleted the Iditarodin a little under 14 days.
She develops a strong bond with her dogs.
You are their person.
This involves playing and cuddling with them while also functioning as their coach and nutritionist.
Part of forming a solid relationship with the dogs involves listening intently to them.
At the end of the day, all that quality time together results in a super-strong connection.
I feel like we have so much understanding even though they dont speak English, says Braverman.
It’s something you’re doing because you love dogsnever, ever in spite of them.
She practices her routines to minimize the effects of sleep deprivation.
Sleep is a scarce resource in a long-distance, multiday race like the Iditarod.
If you sleep three hours at a time, you’re feeling pretty good about yourself, says Braverman.
Obviously, the faster contestant would have a big advantage for the timed race.
Prior to the Iditarod, Braverman researched how to prepare for sleep deprivation.
I was looking into studies, and apparently you could’t practice sleep deprivation, she says.
She fits in cross-training however works best.
After all, mushers often end up lugging around heavy objects.
She also spends ample time carrying buckets of water and 50-pound blocks of meat to feed the dogs.
This helps her build the muscular and cardio endurance shell need to keep going throughout the long-distance race.
Such conditions actually make it harder, says Braverman.
There was just open water everywhere, recalls Braverman.
I would have taken 30 below over that in a second.
Mushers are characters, says Braverman.
Thats because dogs reflect a mushers attitude.
But when on the trail?
