DEKA Fit

TRAINING LEAD-UP

Thursday, Jun 12:

I went to the USNWC to try to show my dad the fireflies.  It started raining and thundering, though, so we found a shortcut out and only went 1.5 miles in 38:26.

Friday, Jun 13:

Went to Coleman's to test some hand loads that Andy had given me.  The weather had looked ok when I went out, but by the time I got there, it looked like it would be raining for a while, so I didn't bother to try to wait for more ideal conditions.  Maybe not great for controlled ammo experiments, but I didn't want to wait forever before giving feedback.

To keep the experiment clean, I torqued everything beforehand and used a heavy fill Schmedium Waxed Canvas GC.  I only brought MDT Grnd-Pods, though... Ckye-pods would've been more stable.

I had already cleaned the rifle, so I started with 3 fouling rounds with the test ammo... supposedly, it matters that even fouling be done with the test ammo.

These handloads were taller than my Norma Golden Target Match 6.5CMs, so chambering requires removing and re-inserting the mag.

During testing, you want to make sure that the barrel stays at a consistent temp, which meant that I had to let the barrel cool between shots.  I spent 60 minutes shooting 18 rounds.  I was conscious about my breaths and consistency between shots.  I only had so many of these hand loads, so I couldn't afford to mess any of the shots up.

Parallax seemed ok... any movement seemed like it was more from the pressure of my cheek on teh light gun.

Despite the rain, the reticle position on target through the glass seemed very stable and unaltered.

As cases were ejected, smoke would come off of them for a while... probably the humidity mixed with the heat.

My 5-rd group sizes were 0.55, 0.77, and 0.48 MOA.  Chrono was 2640 ave, 15SD, 56ES.

I then repeated with Norma Golden Target (with no extra cleaning prior), to have a comparison, in case some of the group size was due to me or other factors.

I ended up with 0.83, 0.60, and 0.82 MOA on the Norma.  Chrono was 2602 ave, 17SD, 68ES.  This took a lot of patience to go through, needing to wait between shots and make every shot as perfect as possible.

After testing the ammo, I did Armored Eagle Training's June drill, where you shoot 10 rounds on a 1" square from 5yd with no time cap.  I ended up yanking just one.  

I went to the pistol arcade for some nice covered shooting, doing Scott's Drill and then a bit of El Pres + Plate Rack.

Minimize movement... arms only, no head/neck.  Get rid of allll the slack before being fully pressed out, so that you're not doing it at the very end and yanking.

It was a night shooting evening at Coleman's, so I spent the rest of the night shooting at steel under NODS with frangible.  With the weather, nobody else was out, so I explored the bays under NODS and practiced dry movements, too.  It was great practice.  With the MAWL on the rifle, it's almost like a laser training aid, too, where you can see where your NPA is if you turn it on when you think you're about on target.

Saturday, Jun 14:

9.5 mi trail run at Latta Nature Preserve in 2:44:09 in Innov-8 X-talons trying to stay in Zone 2, with an average HR of 127bpm.  I did have to do one sprint to outrun a bug that was chasing me.  I drank 2/3 of a bottle of water that I kept in my Goodwerks Boogie Bag.  I did 771ft of ascent, and it was 85 degrees and mostly cloudy.

My dad came along, too, and he walked while I ran.

Sunday, Jun 15:

18A "Upper Body Prep" in 19:38, then HDT "Sanddoom" 20 min AMRAP with a 40#SB with 6 rounds and 13 reps, not palming the sandbag and taking a break before OH presses on the last few rounds, knowing that I'd otherwise break the set.  

I did a finisher of 50 4-ct flutter kicks with a 30#RPC, followed by a 1 min high plank with the 30#RPC.

Tuesday, Jun 17:

At Blackstone, I did some ball and dummy with the G19C to practice with irons at 7yd.

I did some full mags afterwards to practice front sight acquisition, since that's what you need to get used to again when switching from red dot back to irons.  I'm also trying to avoid looking at the target and staying front-sight focused. 

Afterwards, I did a 2.5 mi ruck in 55:35 with 50# for the first time in a while.  I need to re-acclimate myself to the heavier weight.  

Thursday, Jun 19:

18A "Dynamic Warmup" in 27:42 nose breathing, then HDT-KB 12.4.2 (core) in 21:14 surprisingly not that easy.

DEKA FIT

I had done a Deka Strong before back in 2022, but this was my first chance at doing a Deka Fit, which I prefer, since it involves more running.  I researched the exercises and techniques and format a bit on Youtube beforehand, since I wanted to do well.

I volunteered to be able to run it for free, but even though everyone else registering was either in the age group, team, elite, or ruck division, all volunteers were put under the open division and weren't eligible for age group prizes, even though we ran under the same rules.  That's what I ended up really liking about Deka... form is enforced, and there are judges checking reps and calories and everything.  At Spartan Races, people in open heats can skip obstacles or penalties or help each other on the obstacles.  At Deka, there is no open heat, other than the odd heat category they put the volunteers in.

Fortunately, spoiler alert, I wasn't quite fast enough to podium this time, so it didn't end up mattering.  I had put up a good time, though, and I'd be even better with actual run training.  I know to avoid the volunteer heat in the future.

I ran in the first heat.  It is nice to not have congestion on the running paths, and it was a bit cooler in the morning.  You run 2 laps before going into an exercise station and repeat for 10 stations.  

1. 30 RAM Alternating Reverse Lunges
2. 500 Meter Row
3. 20 Box Jump/Step Overs
4. 25 Medicine Ball Sit-Up Throws
5. 500 Meter Ski Erg
6. 100 Meter Farmer's Carry
7. 25 Calories Air Bike
8. 20 Dead Ball Wall Overs
9. 100 Meter Tank Push/Pull
10. 20 RAM Burpees

They do a pretty good job of alternating the type of exercise that you're doing.

Started off strong with the run.  They release people in mini-waves of 5 or so at a time, which is good.  There was another woman in my group who was fast, so I tried to keep up with her, but I think after a few laps, she passed me.

The lunges, row, and step-ups weren't bad.

The med ball through was a little harder than expected, even for me with my relatively strong core.  Still doable, but it takes work and focus to get the ball high enough each time.

I had done the ski erg recently at The Tactical Games, so it wasn't completely unfamiliar.

I should be good at grip and farmer's carries, but the 100m carry was still challenging.  I was proud of not having to put them down.

The air bike station was the hardest for me.  It feels like it took forever.  That late in the race, you're more tired.  My legs were like jello for a lap or two afterwards, before they eventually got back to being slightly more normal during running.

Mark Jones had introduced me to Yancey beforehand, so he was cheering me on during the race, which was nice.

The wall balls felt really light and were no big deal.  The sled push wasn't as hard as I remember it being at Deka Strong.

Burpees at the end were easy, and you're done right afterwards.

After the race, my dad picked me up, since I was in the area, and I took him to Kannapolis to see the downtown area.  It was sunny.  There are cool things to see there, like the loop around the research buildings, the ballpark, the shopping area, the fountain, and the train station.

Afterwards, we went to Frank Liske Park to do the loop there.  It's a pretty big park with a variety of things to do.  There are some water features that make it nice.

We still had time to kill before my volunteer shift, so we sat in the park to snack for a bit, before shopping at TJX / Homegoods, etc.

I then went back for my volunteer shift, counting reps for the last heats in the race, before helping with tear-down.

Deka was a lot of fun.  I like the environment... people all pushing themselves against the same, enforced standards.  It was like a fitness festival.  

First USPSA Match

TRAINING LEAD-UP

Sunday, Jun 8:

18A "Upper Body Prep" in 23:14, then "Push-ups" in 1:00:20, not bad given my right shoulder and how long it's been since I did this last time.  I took all the rest that I wanted between sets.

Monday, Jun 9:

30#R around the waterfront neighborhood nearby with my dad, wearing GORUCK Rough Runners.

Tuesday, Jun 10:

45 min Power Zone Endurance Ride with Olivia Amato, although I was between z4-5 HR-wise, with 431 cal, 13.7 mi, 90 ave rpm, 40% ave resistance, and 18.3 mph ave.

FIRST USPSA MATCH

It was so convenient to be able to drive just a few miles from work to attend my first USPSA match at my local indoor range.  They had been hosting them for a few months, but I hadn't made the effort to get out and try one yet.  This was the time.  USPSA had been recommended as a good way to be inoculated to buzzer stress, move efficiently, do stage planning, and learn when to throttle up or down.  It's like PRS but for pistol, but a little more dynamic.

There were two squads.  They sell out.  We had two bays... you'd shoot in one bay, move to another bay to shoot 2 stages, then come back to the original bay to shoot your last stage.  The stages shot on the same bays would be similar to each other, to minimize the amount of setup that had to be done, but they'd still add targets and/or no-shoots and/or change the round count or starting position, so that it wasn't a complete repeat.  A nice benefit of having a lot of similarity between the two stages was that you could immediately learn from and apply the learning from the first run.  There are many times where you wish you could re-do a stage to see how much better you could do it the second time around... this is about as close as you can get to that.

The people who signed up looked like they knew what they were doing.  There's specialized gear for this kind of match, where speed takes priority over the robustness of gear setups.  There are different divisions, though, so can still "run your own race" and find ways to challenge yourself however you want.  Some people had concealed setups, some had irons, some had decked out race guns and belts that seemed to barely grab mags and guns, along with wild-looking mag capacity extenders.  

I watched some Youtube videos on USPSA rules beforehand, so that I at least wouldn't break any rules or look like a complete FNG.  Normal safe weapons handling and the 180 degree rule are the main things.  

Another notable thing about USPSA is that round counts are either "Virginia Count" (strict limits where every shot counts) or "Comstock" (where you can shoot as much as you want and do make-up shots and just the best ones count).

I still haven't taken the time to really figure out how to optimize placement at this type of match, but points per second matter, and you get more points for A-zone than C-zone, than D-zone, etc.  No-shoots have a penalty, as do procedurals.  I haven't figured out how much faster I'd need to be willing to shoot C-zones vs taking extra time for A-zones, for example.  A-zones are positioned where a high-percentage shot would be, so it's not exactly center of mass on the cardboard... you have to stay aware of where the zones are, especially when they're partially covered by no-shoots.

People do dry-runs before the stage goes hot, to run through their strategies and footwork.

Stage 1: <COMSTOCK>

- Start with feet facing uprange, with pistol hot and holstered
- On the beep, move to the box and shoot 5 targets straight ahead at about 20yd
- Move to the window and shoot 4 targets
- Move around the end of the wall and shoot 3 targets

Learnings/Outcomes: 22/30 O, 8/9 Div

- 19A, 5C in 25.57 = 4.3 HF

- I did a pretty good job on timer inoculation, taking my time appropriately

- I shot 1 extra in the last array, just in case, since I was able to see the holes easily at that distance (you could see them from the far distance, but it would take a lot longer to discern)

Stage 2: <VIRGINIA>

- Start with an empty gun holstered with all mags on the barrel

- On the beep, draw, load, shoot all 9 targets between 15-20yd with 3 rounds each (27 total)

Learnings/Outcomes: 17/30 O, 5/9 Div

- 12A, 10C, 5D in 26:17 = 3.6HF

- I started front->back to make sure I was hitting OK on bigger targets before going to harder targets

- I swapped mags after halfway, to not mess up my strings of fire... after that, I went front->back again on the other side

- Hands had to start hanging down and relaxed by one's sides.

Stage 4: <VIRGINIA>

- Start hot and holstered in front of the barrel with hands above shoulders

- Shoot all 9 targets with 2 rounds each (18 total)

Learnings/Outcomes: 25/30 O, 9/9 Div

- 4A, 12C, 2D in 22:06 = 2.6HF

- I had to shift my body slightly to avoid the no-shoots

- I was happy that I had no misses, since I did see myself breaking shots on the corners of the targets and not at the center for 1-2 of the targets because of the angle and the no-shoots

- I felt like I was pushing speed

- I did feel like I yanked some but fortunately still hit

Stage 3: <COMSTOCK>

- Start hot and holstered, facing downrange

- On the beep, run to the first box and shoot 6 targets

- Run up to the window and shoot 4 targets

- Run to the end of the wall on the right and shoot 3 targets for 26 rounds min

(only target change was having an added target and no-shoot)

Learnings/Outcomes: 19/30 O, 8/9 Div

- I felt like I rushed too much, but I guess I did ok

- I took an extra shot on the last array again after seeing an A-zone miss

Overall: 20/30 O, 9/9 Div

- USPSA was good for throttle control, stress inoculation, footwork efficiency, and target sequence strategy
- Pros said to do lateral runs while facing downrange, pumping elbows left and right to move, so that you could avoid breaking your grip.  They also suggested punching into the window

- Lots of walking to re-paste targets

- Nice, casual, low-key

June 2025 Moons out Goons Out

TRAINING LEAD-UP

Tuesday, Jun 3:

18A "Upper Body Prep" in 21:12, HDT-KB 12.6.3 (core) in 30:52 a good one, 41 pushups in 2 min, 39 squats with 2x20#DB in 2 min, 82 flutter kicks with 2x20#DB OH in 2 min.

Finished reading Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Wednesday, Jun 4:

Went to Blackstone for some ball and dummy with the old CZP10C, followed by some press-out drills

Thursday, Jun 5:

Open Flow Yoga at USNWC with Kara, then ruck with fireflies in MACV2s on a slipper trail with a 30#R and mat, covering 4.5 miles in 1:58:27

MOONS OUT GOONS OUT

I didn't sign up for this one until the night before, since I was trying to figure out when I'd be able to make it out to Coleman's Creek to test some hand loads of 6.5CM, keeping weather in mind, too.

The brief was going to be at 8:45pm, but because we had paper targets for the stages, we had a rain delay until 10:30.  We were given the option to defer or get a refund, but everyone there wanted to stay and shoot, even if they had to wait.  After making the 2 hour drive, waiting wasn't a big deal.

There was a TSS during the day, but I didn't go for that... the ammo for 6.5CM or 6CM is pricey.  

One thing that was different about this MOGO was that there had been a USPSA match at the range, and their stages were still up, so we took advantage of that and used that for some of the night match stages.

I used the Wilder Tactical belt, since the extra bulk wouldn't be a big deal at this kind of match, but the pistol mag pouches were further left than I'm used to with the Vedder belt, which threw me off a bit.

Stage 1:

- Shoot 10 rifle at 1/2 cardboard, 2x each, from left and center positions.  Clear rifle and put it on the table.

- Shoot 5 pistol cardboard 2x each and 2 popper steal 1x each from the right side.

Learnings/Outcomes: 3/8NV, 13/23 Overall

- I shot 1 extra round of rifle just in case, on the far one from the center position

- I went passive with red dot, since the full moon gave us plenty of light

- I was happy with how it went

- I had a little bit of trouble finding the dot again a couple of times after shots due to recoil

- I didn't use the sling, since we needed to dump the rifle anyways, and I didn't want it to interfere with the NODS and helmet 

Stage 2:

- Shoot 7 rifle from left side, 2x per cardboard

- Shoot 2 rifle from middle, 2x per cardboard, clear and leave on table

- Shoot 7 pistol from the right side

Learnings/Outcomes: 7/8NV, 18/23 Overall

- I tried to go fast and had 2P and 1R miss... embarrassing!  I had felt fine, so it's a matter of doing it the right way, the way I know how

- I had even added extra rounds

- It was such an easy and straightforward stage... I shouldn't have missed... they were big and lcose targets

- I still went passive

Stage 3:

- Shoot rifle cardboard 2x each (4R, 1L back, 1L mid, 3 center forward)

- Shoot pistol targets 2x each (4 center, 3 + 1 right)

- Once you ground your rifle, you can't pick it back up, so make sure you don't forget a target

- You can choose to go L or R first on the back rifle options

Learnings/Outcomes: 7/8NV, 20/23 Overall

- I went slow for a clean run, as redemption from the previous stage

- I shot a couple extras, but then I needed to reload on the last round, which ate up time... so don't do too many extras... go slow and accurately

- I took a little time finding the front window, even though it should've been obvious that it was the place with the table... things always seem easier off the buzzer.

Stage 4: 

- From the table, shoot 5 rifle static steel and 2 rifle poppers, L->R, 1 hit each.

- Shoot the 5 rifle static steel again, L->R, then clear and leave the rifle on the table

- Run into the house... from window 1, shoot 3 paper and 2 card suit poppers.  From window 2, shoot 1 paper and 3 poppers, but for the 3rd popper, drop teh mag and shoot with 1 round... if miss, repeat the process until you hit.

Learnings/Outcomes: 7/8NV, 21/23 Overall

- I tried the laser for the first time on rifle tonight, since I'm here and might as well practice with laser and NODS

- I used constant on

- I put the mag on the table for support

- I forgot to charge the weapon at first, so click and no bang... d'oh!  Too many things to worry about when I added the laser.

- Missed a couple times on pistol poppers, not surprisingly

- I missed the first attempt with the 1-round HVT... I reloaded the mag that I had stuck on the window still, even though I kind of knew it had been empty, so I had to repeat... I might've made it on the second attempt.

Stage 5:

- From the top of the connex, shoot 5 rifle steel L->R from the top rail.

- Repeat from the middle rail, clear, then ground the rifle

- Shoot 6 pistol card suits L->R 2x each from standing

Learnings/Outcomes: 4/8NV, 8/23 Overall

- I used the laser again but forgot about applying constant on

- I used the Gamechanger for the first time tonight

- I missed the first rifle target a couple of times for some reason.  It was hard to see, and my laser seemed so big compared to the target.

- Surprisingly, I had all first round hits after that, even though I wasn't always sure where the center of my laser was, on the target

- Pistol wasn't bad, even standing... better than I usually do at this angle with targets that size.

- I had to reload pistol and missed every now and then, but I could see where my shots were breaking relative to the target... under NODS, you can't see splash, so you must use other techniques

- I had to keep my head higher over the gun on the rifle to try to see where the beam was relative to the target

- I moved the NODS closer to my eyes afterwards... I realized that it's an easy adjustment to make... just squeeze the sides... it might've been nice to have bigger field of view earlier

OVERALL 5/8 NV, 15/23 Overall

- Still mid-pack for a second time now... good from my view

- Hadn't bothered to redo my ezro beforehand, but it still went fine.... I've been toto tired

- I did periodically re-tighten my MAWL using a nickle, and I'd re-tighten my pistol WML too to prevent re-holstering issues

- I need to remember NODS closeness adjustments for next time

- I need to continue testing my laser sight picture before stages where I want to use it, since that's helpful

- GO SLOW AND MAKE GOOD CARDBOARD HITS, vs taking 10s/rifle and 5s/pistol penalties

- This match was a good way to get familiar with USPSA-style stage setups before my first match.