Trial run/shoot

The title reminds me of a Wheel of Fortune before and after phrase. But believe me, today's new combined event was no gameshow, though some may count it as entertainment!

Today we did the combined run/shoot. I honestly had no idea how it would go since I had never done it. I started in 13th place and needed to stay in the top 18 to make the final. The first set of shooting was okay. I think I moved down a couple slots, but nothing too bad. The second round of shooting was a lot rougher. I timed out (went over 70 seconds) and that was a bit disconcerting. I could tell I had fallen pretty far back as I headed out on the second 1000m run. When we entered the third round of shooting, I knew I would have to lay it all on the line in an attempt to make the final. So I decided to take some risk, which ultimately paid off. I shot a lot faster and made it out of the shooting box in 17th place. The last 1000 meter run was a total fight to hold my position. Running at 7500 ft and with extreme pollution is not fun. In the end, I crossed the finish line in 17th place, earning a slot in tomorrow’s final. We’ll see how things go the second go around...stay tuned for updates tomorrow and I promise they'll be more exciting than this late-night rudimentary recap.

Pentathlon's Makeover--the New Rules

So after much drama, the electronic targets were released from the airport late last night. The competition organizers were busy this morning setting them up. I had a chance to go by and look at the venue. It looks like everything will be in working order. The wind was bad last night and they don't have wind blocks properly set up, but it does not appear that that will cause a problem today.

Here is a quick summary for those of you unfamiliar with our new sport format. There were a number of changes made to the sport for the 2012 quad. All were geared toward making the competition run faster and be more spectator friendly. About 40 minutes was cut from riding by eliminating some formal customs from the beginning. That was a very good change and I don't think anyone objected. The other change was highly controversial and barely passed in November. That was to combine the run and the shoot into one event, sort of like a winter biathlon. This is the first major competition with the new format.

The run/shoot is conducted as follows: You start about 30 meters from the shooting line. Athletes are handicapped based on their scores for the first two events (for instance, I am in 13th place and will start about 30 seconds behind the leader). You run to the line and you have to hit the target 5 times before leaving the range. The target is 10 meters away (33ft) and is about the size of a silver dollar. After 5 shots or 70 seconds, whichever comes first, you run 1000 meters. This is repeated three times continuously. Because of the original handicap, the first person to cross the finish line is the winner.

In a semifinal event, the top 36 athletes advance to the final. At this competition, we only have two groups so the top 18 move forward.

If you're interested, you can find the full explanation and rules at http://www.pentathlon.org/index.php?id=256.

Out of 'retirement'? Maybe...ask next week

Today we held the semi-finals for the first World Cup of the 2012 Olympic cycle... well sort of. In a semi-final, you compete in everything but riding. The top 36 athletes compete in the final two days later. Today we just swam and fenced. It turns out that the shooting score boxes are tied up at customs at the airport so we can't shoot. Since our new format is a combined shoot/run, we could not shoot or run today (we are scheduled for tomorrow).

I am not in good shape yet this season. After pretty much retiring after World Cup Final, I began reconsidering that decision over the winter. Over Christmas I had sinus surgery (which gave me MUCH better breathing out of my nose), but I also packed on a few pounds (okay, more than a few), courtesy of Cami's awesome pralines and divinity. After the New Year, I decided to get back in shape and start training again, committing to compete at least through this season to see how I like the new format. And quite frankly, I need to make sure that I still love training and competing--because that's what it takes to commit to another four years. And so far (only the past two months), I have really enjoyed getting back into the sport and am seriously considering committing to the 2012 Olympics.

But back to today. I swam a 2:08, six seconds slower than at the Olympics; but not bad for high altitude and only about eight weeks of training. My fencing put me right in the middle of the pack, and I go into tomorrow's run/shoot in 13th place. The top 18 make it into Saturday's final after tomorrow's run/shoot. I am about 20 seconds ahead of 19th place which would normally be a cake walk going into running. However, with the combined event, I have no idea where I stand.

Stay tuned for updates on the blog tomorrow and then (hopefully) in the final on Saturday!