July 4th, GBF Operation Scout Recon, & Third USPSA Match

TRAINING LEAD-UP

Wednesday, Jul 2:

18A "Upper Body Prep" in 21:17, HDT-KB 12.4.1 (arms) in 24:05, 20 min Dance Music Ride with Mila Lazar on the Peloton with 184kJ, 80spm, 6.34 mi, 46 ave resistance, 154 Watts ave output, 210 cal - chatty at first but a decent little workout by the end.

Friday, Jul 4:

Went to the USNWC to watch the greased log "capture the flag" competition.  The "slide" technique worked surprisingly well for some people.  Only one girl took part.  A couple of people dressed up in costume, since that had its own prize tied to it.  One was Batman and one was a bald eagle.

OPERATION SCOUT RECON

Operation Scout took place this year on the same day as the Bragg Basic, so I didn't do it, but I wanted to check out the route, to see how technical it would've been.  It would be good mountain rucking practice ahead of GBF Operation 14ers, too.  It's supposed to be more technical than Operation Buckwheat.  The route goes uphill then downhill on an out and back.  Navigation seems pretty straightforward, since there aren't that many different trails around here like on some other routes where there's a whole network of trails that you have to find your way through.

My dad came along, with the plan of him stopping somewhere while I finished the last part of the route, since he wasn't planning on doing the full 10 miles.

We drove to the scout camp where the trail would start, located the trailhead, then set off on decently technical uphill from the start.  This route is slower than others, due to the irregularity of the rocks you have to pick your way through to avoid twisting an ankle, and due to the narrowness of the trail.  It's a bit windy, so you can never get a good forward running cadence.

We passed a few campsites along the way.  We saw a few campers, too.  

There were also water crossings, which add to the fun and beauty.  We thought about making one of those my dad's waiting spot, but it was still kind of early, so we kept going.

At some point on the trail, we saw "Cold Mountain", which I'd be summiting later.  It looked high up!

There were nice flowers along the way, especially near the top.  They were red, white, and blue (and gold), which was apropos.

My dad waited at the big campsite where the trail turns to go up to Cold Mountain, while I took off for the summit.  On this section, the trail is more overgrown, but you can still see a path through the tall vegetation, and at least the vegetation wasn't spikey... it was more like super tall grass.

At the top, there are some paths criss-crossing the area where people can get different views.  I found the geological survey benchmark and enjoyed the views and took pictures for a few minutes.

Then I made my way back down to my dad.  There was cell signal at the top and where my dad was.  Because of the bugs, my dad would start going back down the mountain and would meet at one of the possible rally points that we had designated earlier.

Mission accomplished.  My left knee held up ok, which is one of the things I had wanted to test.  I only used a 20# plate because of it.  

I covered 10.75 miles in 7:11:40 with 3,109 feet of ascent, averaging 40:09/mi, wearing Garmont T8s.  With the lighter weight, it wasn't killer, but that's good.

Monday, Jul 7:

Anytime Unwind & Brain + Body Balance yoga with Adriene.  Good to help with recovery after yesterday.

JULY BLACKSTONE SECOND TUESDAY MATCH

Stage 1: <COMSTOCK>

- Start loaded & holstered with feet on XXs pointed downrange

- Run to the left box and shoot 3 IPSCs at about 15yd

- Run up front and shoot 5 IPSCs from the window and 3 (with one mostly covered) around the right edge wall.

Learnings/Outcomes: 10/14 Div, 25/37 Overall
- 21A, 1C in 24.80 = 4.35 HF

- I did check my dot beforehand

- I should've started with bent knees for a faster start.

- In the window, I wasn't looking at my sights, but it still worked out... I should use my sights, though

- I chose a static shooting spot at the window on the right side for a closer walk to the last spot.
- I had planned to walk right to the last position, and it was efficient

Stage 2: <COMSTOCK>

- Start unloaded & holstered with feet on XXs 

- Step right into the box and shoot 3 targets @15yd

- Walk to the other end of the forward-curving box and shoot 3, leaning

- Run up to the right front box and shoot 3 targets @7yd

Learnings/Outcomes: 10/14 Div, 30/37 Overall
- 17A, 1C in 24.52 = 3.59% HF
- The C was on a close target... d'oh!

- Almost lost my balance going up to the end of the box at a fast pace, but I caught myself

- Hot brass almost went down my back at the last spot

- I chose not to check my dot, since we were starting cold... I should, but it worked out ok

- My slide didn't go all the way forward on my initial load, so I pushed it into battery... I may need to clean my gun.

Stage 4: <COMSTOCK>

- Start loaded and holstered with feet on XXs facing uprange with hands above shoulders

- Shoot 3 rounds each on 3 IPSC from the left end of the long curved box (with 1 extra no-shoot vs stage 2)

- Move forward along the curved box to shoot 3 more from the end with a lean, with 2 more no-shoots vs stage 2

- Move to the right foward box and shoot 3 IPSCs with 2 extra no-shoots

Learnings/Outcomes: 12/14 Div, 29/37 Overall
- 25A, 2C, 1NS in 28.65 = 4.22% HF

- Last to go... I least I got the "3 shots" drilled into me after seeing everyone else go

- I tried to focus more on the front sight but with mixed results... I need to dry or live fire more

- I need to focus back on the fundamentals with a slow trigger squeeze straight back

- I chose to do mag changes on each spot to leave margin for extra shots or malfunctions... I eid end up needing an extra shot

- My first 3 shots at distance were taken slowly and felt good

- I must've rushed on the close targets... I need to throttle down

Stage 3: <COMSTOCK>

- Start unloaded and holstered with feet on XXs

- Must grab mags from the blue barrels

- Shoot 3 targets from the left box (with barrel to the right)

- Move up front (another barrel option to grab mags and shoot 6 from the window with 1 extra NS vs stage 1

- Move to the right end and shoot 3 IPSCs

Learnings/Outcomes: 9/14 Div, 24/37 Overall
- 24A in 30.06 = 3.99% HF

- Shot 1 extra from the window, but I didn't really need it

- Grabbed 1 mag per barrel and reloaded after 2 arrays, after having stuck the 2nd mag in my belt

- I did the right array first, so that I could use up as much of the first mag as possible

Overall: 11/14 Div, 30/37 Overall

- Start with bent knees to save a second

- If I need to go all the way to the end of a shooting area, I need to throttle my speed to avoid overshooting and loosing my balance

- Practice finding my dot and actually using the sights

- No jitters this time

- There were 3DQs tonight!