EP 222 Six classes, four days, one big lesson: Vickie Pullin on Sweden, setbacks and fuelling for performance

Vickie Pullin is back, fresh from the IFSS European Championships in Sweden, with three medals and a lot of honest reflection. We talk about getting dogs race ready through a scorching summer, the injury that kept her fastest hound at home, and the nutrition changes making a difference for her dogs and for Vickie herself.

About Vickie
Vickie owns 46 sled dogs and races them around the world. She runs husky rides in the UK through her sled tour company, takes educational programmes into schools and coaches other athletes in the sport. She mostly races bikejor, scooter and dog teams on dry land, and races on snow with the sled.

What we talked about

• 00:02:11 Feeding the whole kennel raw and dry food, and why retired and older dogs deserve premium nutrition too
• 00:04:03 The lack of independent science on canine nutrition, why breeds differ, and being dope tested as a musher
• 00:06:17 A packed pre-Christmas calendar: IFSS Europeans, ICF Worlds, WSA Worlds and Nationals
• 00:08:00 Training through the heat: a May break, then short, early blasts that keep the dogs hungry for it
• 00:10:05 Arnie’s hamstring injury, his rehab, and the decision to leave him at home
• 00:16:01 Entering six classes in Sweden, the bike mistakes, and a gold, silver and bronze
• 00:26:06 Vickie’s own training: triathlon, Ironman and why she went back to having a coach
• 00:28:54 What changed in her own race nutrition, from white rice to a well timed jelly baby
• 00:37:11 Why she doesn’t canicross
• 00:39:17 The A100, a 100km triathlon in Antarctica, and her search for a corporate sponsor to raise money for Cancer Research

Links mentioned

• Arctic Quest: ArcticQuest.co.uk
• Vickie on Facebook and instagram: Vickie Pullin

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