Hot Biathlon

At 95 degrees and 60% humidity, well that's just plain stink'n hot for Syracuse! Given that about a week or two ago it was in the low 50's and rain, it's been quit a change. I was sweating when I got out of the car and I had even put my runn'n shoes on!

The plan was to run a sprint - 5km race with one prone and one standing shoot. And in typical fasion for a Syracuse biathlon race, that was all going to change. With only 8 people showing up for the race and 8 shooting lanes we decided we'd make it a mass start with everyone going off at the same time, shorter loops and four shooting positions, prone-prone-standing-standing. Still a 5km race. I'd never done a mass start summer race, so this was going to be interesting - I'd get to see what impact the shooting had on position. Age range goes from a 12 year old girl, a high school guy, a college guy, and in the over 40 group four guys and 1 woman.

If you suck at something, the great thing is that you'll try things that you wouldn't normally be humble enough to try. So we all lined up and took off - I let the whole mob take the lead knowing that everyone would be all hyped up and ready to go. With the heat and more laps (read: doing the hill more times) I though they can come back to me later when the heat takes it's toll. After the first lap I was last and we came into the range. Then the magic happened - I knocked down four out of five targets! That hardly ever happens, so I must have been doing something right. That immediately picked up four or five places! Two people caught up with me on the second loop - we came into the range again and I got 3 out of 5. I shot four rounds and found I didn't have another one - now either things jamed and I ejected a live round or I hadn't put a fifth round in so I got a bonus penalty loop. Third loop and I'm starting to really feel the heat with my heart rate hitting 188 which is max. I think: it's early in the season, it's stink'n hot, if the HR goes over 190, I'm walking. And walk I did up part of the hill, but still holding position. Now it's time for standing: the sweat is pouring off of me and it's hard to hold the gun cause it's sliding around. The result is 1 out of 4. Not good. Four laps on the penalty loop, but I'm still holding my position. Each lap I'm taking in lots of fluids, but still sweating like a water fall. HR continues to climb. At the end of the fourth lap before the range, I decide to slow way down up a slight hill before the range. Way down - got to get the HR down. This pays off with 3 out of 5. This holds off the two guys behind me and the person in front of me is now within range. On the last lap I try and pull her in - it's funny, she's about 1 penalty lap away from me. Grandually I pull her in, but she's just a little too far ahead when we hit the finish.

So overall I took 6 out of 8, and number 2 out of 4 in my age bracket. 2nd best overall in shooting, which I was really pleased about. Fun day!