No, not "Du-"

Observant readers may have noticed that an event called the "Syracuse Summer Biathlon" has appeared on my calendar in June. Yes, it's a BIathlon and not a DUathlon. I did not know before, but there is an active biathlon club in CNY. They ski and shoot during the winter, of course, but also have events like these during the summer.

One option is a run and shoot, the other is a mountain bike and shoot. Although I was never a hunter, growing up on a farm like I did, I had ample opportunities to fire a variety of pistols, shotguns, and rifles, and I wasn't the world's worst shot. I can't wait to attend this event exclusively for the fun of it, with no pressure whatsoever to actually do well. The club furnishes rifles to first-timers, and there's a quick tutorial before the race where one can get in some practice shots.

The "mountain bike" part of the race is depressingly short at 7K - whew! I don't know the trails but I do know there won't be any obstacles to ride over. I'm thinking the cross bike will be the way to go. I assume you ride to where you shoot, then ride to the finish. I also assume you don't carry the rifle like the skiing version. That would be interesting. "Yeah, I endoed with rifle on my back and I've never been the same..."

Anyway, it's new, sounds a bit insane, and I can't wait. I've got to train hard. Much like the duathletes who ride hard then immediately run afterwards, I've laid out a program where every day I get on the bike, ride really hard for five minutes, then immediately stand very, very still. This plan has greatly reduced my time spent training, but you've got to train like you need to race, right? I'll let you know how that goes.

See you on the range.