My legs were tired from Deka and all the rucking yesterday, so I went slick on a walk in uptown with my parents.
Monday, Jun 23:
Yoga for Low Back and Hamstrings & Yoga for Flexibility.
Glute and Pec PT v2 in 24:58, then 18A "Lower Body Prep" in 17:52, then an ab "workout" that I saw on FB, where you do 100 reps of different variations of crunches with your feet against a wall. I did that for about 24:43... some got difficult after a while.
Tuesday, Jun 24:
Glute and Pec PT v1 in 30"02 in the office gym, then arm strengtheners for 21:30 with dumbbells, easing back into things.
Wednesday, Jun 25:
We got to do a women's self-defense class at work, which was cool.
There were also leftover fancy donuts from some event.
Afterwards, I went to Blackstone to practice with the G43X. The mags of ball and dummy and the first full mags went well, but with later mags, I had failure to go back into battery when the gun cycled, with 124gr Sig Elite.
Finally time to retire this target...
Thursday, Jun 26:
Did a fun "Seal Team"-themed escape room as a work teambuilding event. That was fun. They were challenging puzzles, but we had a pretty big group, so we were able to make it through. We technically could ask for unlimited hints. We asked once, but we got pointers a few other times, too.
They don't allow pictures or videos inside the room, so this pic from their lobby will have to suffice...
After work, Day 2 - Open & Day 28 - TLC | MOVE Yoga with Adriene, still trying to un-jack my body from all of the volume on Saturday.
Friday, Jun 27:
Glute and pec PT v2 in 26:16, then HDT 48.3.CP "Santa's Sandbag" 25 min AMRAP with a 45#SB with 5 rounds and 22 reps. I might feel my lower back later, and I already feel my right shoulder.
Sunday, Jun 29:
On a rare weekend fully at home with no events...
Went to McDowell Nature Preserve with my parents and rucked 4 miles in 2:05:07, wearing 50# in the v3 rucker with MACV2s at 7:30am before it got too hot. We were the first ones out on part of the trail, so I used a stick to capture the spider webs ahead.
Monday, Jun 30:
Glute and Pec PT in 28:36, then 18A "Dip Abs" in 24:34. It wasn't my best, since I still felt under-recovered, despite having good sleep over the weekend.
JULY 1, 2025 USPSA @ BLACKSTONE
Oddly, I felt a little nervous going in to my second uSPSA match. I think it was that I felt a little pressure, now that I no longer had being an FNG as an excuse and had some expectations of what I could do. I had done ok last time, and I didn't want to go backwards. Fortunately, the nerves would only last one stage.
Stage 1: <COMSTOCK>
- Start loaded and holstered with your feet on the XXs.
- Shoot 2 turtle shells on the left from the left box, and the 2 shells on the right from the right box (in any order) @ 15yd
- Run up and shoot from 3 positions at 1 turtle, 3 turtles, and 1 turtle.
Learnings/Outcomes: 14/22 Div, 30/37 Overall
- I went third
- 12A, 5C, 1M in 29:01 = 2.24HF
- I shot 1 extra to get an A
- I hadn't noticed a specific miss that I could point to
- I could've slowed down a tad
- I wanted to go left first, to do the longer run in a more natural gun-pointed-downrange position, but I ended up running right first by instinct when the timer started... that's the direction most people ended up going, maybe to make it easier to do left->right shooting once you ran up front
- I side-stepped to the last position with 2 steps, to be able to get around the wall to see the target... it felt inefficient, but maybe unavoidable without an unnaturally giant step
- It took me a moment to draw and move
- I did remember to do the pre-emptive mag change on the run
- I noticed before the match that my dot wasn't crisp and was a bit streaky... I hadn't noticed that before. I wonder if it's my eyes.
Stage 2: <VIRGINIA>
- Start unloaded and seated, facing downrange
- Shoot 4 IPSC from the left
- Shoot 4-6 from the right
- Shoot 1 plus a head shot and 2 or 0 from the front
Learnings/Outcomes: 12/22 Div, 26/37 Overall
- 22A, 2C in 28.93 = 4.00HF
- More efficient this time
- I counted to figure out when to do the mag change... 24-8 = 16, so I did it on the last run
- I saved the last 2 targets from the right array for the last spot for a closer shot
- I somehow had an empty mag on my dropped mag... I wonder if I loaded 1 less
- I saw a non-A but kept going without a makeup shot (although it wouldn't have been allowed anyways)
(same as stage 2 except removed 2 targets from teh right array and re-positioned 2 targets from teh right array so that you couldn't shoot them from the front)
Learnings/Outcomes: 14/22 Div, 28/37 Overall
- 20A in 24.17 = 4.14HF
- Barely hit the leftmost target of the right array
- The no-shoots were closer to my targets than I expected
- I took my time at the end with the head shot.
Stage 3: <COMSTOCK>
- Start loaded, feet on XX's, facing squarely uprange
- Shoot 2 turtles from the left box and 2 from the right box in any order
- Run up and shoot from 3 positions at the 1 turtle, 3 turtles, 3 turtles
(Same as the first stage except added 2 turtles on the right side of the front position)
Learnings/Outcomes: 11/22 Div, 25/37 Overall
- 18A, 4C in 32.53 = 3.14HF
- Yanked a few, especially on close shots
- I should've taken a sight picture to re-check my dot, that had somehow gotten dim, so it took me more time to re-acquire the dot... I ended up point-shooting
- I didn't look that slow on the video, but it felt like I was slow
- The dot had looked fine, when I looked down the holster at it... need to actually check outside.
Overall 13/22 Div, 27/37 Overall
- Calmed nerves as the night progressed
- Check the dot out of the holster before the stage
- I had my fill after 2 stages and was ready to be done after the third stage, since it was a long day, even if it was fun.
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.
30 RAM Alternating Reverse Lunges
500 Meter Row
20 Box Jump/Step Overs
25 Medicine Ball Sit-Up Throws
500 Meter Ski Erg
100 Meter Farmer's Carry
25 Calories Air Bike
20 Dead Ball Wall Overs
100 Meter Tank Push/Pull
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.
