Wholistic Fitness

Screenshot from Daddy’s GoPro footage which will be on my Vlog93, (NEXT Monday) of Dewa (13) at the shooting range of today’s 4k Pagosa Nordic Biathlon.
Dewa would go on to win wire-to-wire the Overall in 16-minutes while shooting 14/15!   Dewa raced through bottomless powder the day before to a 3rd OA in Coke Nordic Race #2; 5k.
Ol’ Daddy (58) did okay on raced-out legs, finishing 2nd OA in the 16k Race while shooting the same as First Daughter;  14/15.
ilg raced through bottomless powder the day before to a 3rd OA in Coke Nordic Race #2; 10k.

This Blog is NOT ABOUT ME!

first of all, the BIG STORY, and HUGE CONGRATS go to Dewa (13) who got the Overall “V” in the 4k! She won wire-to-wire in 16-minutes with 14/15 shooting hits (we’ve been practicing, you’ll see on next week’s’Vlog93!).   WTG my inspirational lil’ Lady!

the boys that raced were like, “wait, what just happened?”
my old warrior bros and sisses from Pagosa (ilg lived there for a few years x 2) were like, “ilg, what did you feed Dewa this morning?”
ilg replied – pointing to  Grandfather Sun breaking through a sudden fracture in Snow Cloud Sister; “Reckon She kinda eats the Divine Light!”
one precious elder woman comes up to Dewa with  – literally – both snowflakes and tears decorating her wrinkled face anchored by bright, beautiful eyes,  “You my girl?  Are AMAZING!  I REALLY HOPE YOU GET A SCHOLARSHIP!”  omg, ilg thinks, how penetrably sweet is THAT!?!??!

love this sport.  sooooo hard.  perhaps – and physical sport sciences support – the hardest sport of all.   yet? those who are inextricably drawn to and continue to pursue this sadly underfunded sport in America?   we’re a tight bunch.  we’re a devoted Sangha, for sure, out there on the cold, precious snows!

feeble one’s performance
was tethered by way over-raced legs since Dec (winning AG in the International Merry Vertmas Race by grinding out nearly 88k of vert) and yesterday’s race through bottomless powder for 10ks (finishing 3rd OA)  did not do great favor to the feeble one’s efforts.

Lap 3/16; Dr. Mark mistakenly pulls into the shooting range, we’re only supposed to shoot every 4th lap. “Let the officials deal with it,” methinks…(don’t think they ever relegated him, but don’t know for sure) after losing my wheel to follow (Dr. Mark), on the same lap, my left pole handle just , i dunno, combusted…yelled out to Dewa in my pit for a new left pole, lost several seconds.

Laps 7/8; oooooph… Father (Sun) comes out blaring after snowing all morning and literally melts the track into sticky goo. ilg’s non-flouro PS8 offered zero glide for 2 long laps before Sister Cloud thankfully revisited and cooled the tracks, furnishing a measure of restored glide and therefore rhythm and some free speed…

Lap 9: my RIGHT POLE HANDLE combusts!?!! WTH!?!? Have NEVER experienced such pole handle antics in 4+ decades of racing! Race Days seem to inhabit an intimate relationship with Murphy’s Laws… Dewa tosses me another pole for my right hand…another several second time loss.

Finish: pulled it together and finished strong.

Shooting: felt VERY comfortable in the shooting range. lots of recent practice paying off. onlookers reported my shooting transitions looked smoothest of the bunch. fun stuff.

Ending TAF (Thought And Feeling):
nothing cooler than Nordic Biathlon. not even SkiMo or tech Ice Climbing. is it cooler than Nordic C(om)bined (Nordic Jumping into Nordic Cross Country)?

Not a chance.

ilg recants previous statement. supplies this one; NEXT to Nordic Combined? Nordic Biathlon is second place. Then? SkiMo. If it’s a Euro podium? Tech Ice Climbing is 4th, and????? Ooooph, tough call, but gotta go with Tech Rock Climbing.