Attempted to do the 18A Pull-up workout. Normal pull-ups were OK, but I heard noises in my ribcage when I started doing the first rep of the first set of wide grip pull-ups. My back was having none of any type of exercise after that, despite me trying to see what workout I could still do.
Wednesday, Jul 22:
2 mi ruck with dad to show him Pete's Trail, with a 30#RPC wearing MACV1s. We did it in 51:40. Fortunately, my back will still handle rucking. This was my dad's first time seeing Pete's new flowers, too.
Friday, Jul 24:
Squeezed in a range trip to try the July AET Rifle Drill.
- Start @100yd. On the beep, kneel and shoot 2 at the A-zone.
- Run to the 50yd with a mag change and shoot 2 at the A-zone standing.
- Run to the 25yd with a mag change and shoot 2 at a 1/4 sheet of paper standing
- Run to the 7yd with a mag change, then shoot 2 at the 1/4 sheet while walking between the 7yd and 5yd line.
I did 14 runs with 2x4 instead of 4x2 before realizing there were mag changes involved. I was about 5s faster with my times with only 1 mag change instead of 3 mag changes. I always dropped at least 1 round, almost always on the chest... on my best run with the correct loadout, I dropped it on the 1/4 sheet, though.
The drill helped me refine how I like to take my kneeling shots.... flattened right foot, inside of thigh with elbow, mag against front of knee. I used the good habit of getting my gun up early as I run into position, something I've learned from USPSA.
I did end up staying on 5-6x magnification for the drill to make the 100yd shots easier, and I didn't take the time to change it down, since it was still OK on the closer shots. 4x didn't feel like enough.
W&S wasn't bad at that distance with that target size, and I could remember height over bore. I would guess that my one miss was from the 25yd standing shot.
Mag changes, especially from my farthest mag holder behind my back, hurt my ribs.
There's enough time in this drill to spend the extra time getting good hits at 100yd.
I was glad to be using the Oakely Vanguards for the first time, though, since it made recording easier, vs having a static camera take all the walking back and forth before checking the targets at the end of the run.
100yd wasn't that far of a run, especially with the stops, so I didn't really get tired from that or have a big HR issue while shooting.
Next, I gave the July AET Pistol Drill another try...
- From the 3yd line, draw and shoot 3 to the chest and 1 to the head.
I tried with my G19C at first to see if the results would be any different... I did a mag of warmups, then I did 3 mags worth of attempts... the NPA is different for the dot on this, vs on the CZ. I never got as fast as I did with the CZ.
I then switched to the CZ (unported), but I was using a different height holster, so that felt off, too. I did 6 mags worth of attempts, with 2.10s being my best result, better than last time's 2.17, but it still didn't meet the 2s standard.
Saturday, Jul 25:
Since I'm having to look for non-physical ways of spending my time, while trying to allow my ribcage to heal, I'm watching many youtube videos and reading books on how to shoot better. I also took inventory of most of my ammo, so that I can make more informed decisions about when I need to purchase more rounds.
Sunday, Jul 26:
7.3 mi trail run at Rocky Branch Park in 2:04:46 in Altra Superiors. Being upright is fine, so this was OK, but coughing still hurts. I've been trying to sleep and recover as much as possible. 17:00/mi average, 124bpm with z2 being the intention, but I wasn't watching it religiously. It was humid today, but at least it was cloudy and not sunny.
For Dry Fire,
- I started with 30 reps of draw and shoot, going back to a staple. Times were good, with 1.3Xs more often and a few 1.2Xs on the second mag.
- I did 15 reps of draw to walk and shoot forward, shooting repeatedly at the same target in front multiple times to see how stable I could keep the dot while moving fast. Not bad.
- I did 30 reps of draw and walk and shoot for pairs on two front IPSCs and 1 left IPSC. This also felt good. I used the Vanguards to make sure that I'm looking at the next target before moving the gun there.
- I then did 15 reps of that course of fire, but going backwards, with an added target at the end that required a 180 turn. That was fun. I had to get into a compressed ready position to get through the hallway and make the turn.
I hadn't been in the mood for dry fire today, but I ended up being fast, and I had fun with the footwork stuff. I turned on the AC upstairs as incentive to stay, too.
Monday, Jul 27:
Since I had reconned the ruck for Pete's Trail, I could feel confident taking the CLT RC through it as well. It was a couple of thems' first time seeing Pete. It is neat seeing peoples' reactions. We covered 2 mi in 47:35.
Tuesday, Jul 28:
My friend won some tickets to see The Romantics, Christopher Cross, and Toto. I wasn't familiar with those names, but some of Christopher Cross's and Toto's songs ended up being very recognizable! I think they might've played on the Soft Rock channel Sunny 96.9 back in Mt. Pleasant back in the day. I think this was my first time inside PNC music Pavillion (although I've rucked around the outside of it before). My mom had just gotten back from a trip to Denver, so I went with her.
Not all parts of the Pavillion are covered, even if you got a stadium seat (vs a spot on the lawn). Fortunately, it was going to be cloudy, so we wouldn't be under the sun. Unfortunately, there were threats of thunderstorms, which did materialize, so the Romantics were cut off after a few songs. We were all asked to move under the Pavillion for safety.
We might've waited over an hour, since they have to wait a certain amount of time after the last lightning strike within a certain distance of the venue, before they can resume operations. It's a little odd... it would seem like there's no difference so safety whether music is playing while we wait or not. Maybe weird things can happen with power surges and all the on-stage equipment, or maybe they want a more controlled environment or something, though.
The seats under the pavilion were even better and more centered, though, and with everyone crowded together vs spread apart, the vibes were even better, too, once the show commenced with Christopher Cross, followed by headliner Toto.
We did decide to leave in the middle of the second to last song, though, since the weather delay caused it to be really late already, and we wanted to beat the traffic. I did have a little regret missing Toto's Africa song, but at least we could hear it as we were walking back to the parking lot. I did have to work the next day, though.
Wednesday, Jul 29:
Dry Fire...
Started with a mag change drill, although it took me 1.5 mags to remember that I need to have an empty chamber for this, to avoid dummy round jams. I included multiple target transitions as part of this, to keep myself honest about establishing a good grip.
I did the remaining 1.5 mags with proper setup. This was an enjoyable drill.
I did another 2 mags of it.
I did an hour total, with AC turned on midway through.
Thursday, Jul 30:
45 min Front Range Trail Ride on the Peloton with Dennis Morton, covering 12.5 mi, 333 cal, 81rpm, 109 watts, 39% ave resistance, 16.7mph. It was surprisingly fine for my back.
I did 10 min of arm strengtheners afterwards, going somewhat conservative with the weight, but I was glad to be able to do something.
Friday, Jul 31:
At Blackstone, I gave the AET July Pistol Drill one final try...
I did 3 mags worth of tries using 124gr S&B with the Ported CZ P10C
- The first few were slow, and I thought about giving up on it pretty quickly, thinking it might not be my day.
- Many rounds were going towards the right on both the chest and the head for some reason.
Next, we moved on to doing walk and shoot with some leaning involved, which looks cool when I watch people do at USPSA matches in person or on videos. Like that's how you gain some speed and efficiency.
- Start with 2 static shots on one IPSC
- Move to box 1 for 2 shots ea on 2 targets
- Move to box 2 for 2 shots ea on 2 other targets
- Go to the far end for 2 more shots on the last IPSC
We went both left and right.
I was sometimes leaning for the sake of leaning, when I could've stepped through and shot through the whole width of the box.
We also did forward leaning, as if there are more lanes ahead to move to quickly.
Run up to the box, and shoot 2 targets, 2x ea, then move forward.
I also need to slow down at the box and make full use of the box real estate to take multiple steps while shooting in a more stable position vs on a lean.
We tested out the malfunction that we've been having with aluminum Blazer when topping off 17+1... the trick is to only top off with 16+1.
At the end of the class, Emily offered to give the AET drill another go... I was using the unported CZ, which I had switched to after the first AET drill attempt.
Maybe all the shooting warmed me up, since my times were faster, now. I got a sub-2 but just outside the line, then a 2.00, then a 1.97s at last...
- the trick was to point shoot for the first three, then find the sight during the transition before taking the last two with sights
- Em pointed out that the muzzle rise after the third shot helps you get on the 1/4 sheet faster
<Video>
Saturday, Aug 1:
It seemed like a really hard decision earlier in the week, whether I'd stay registered for the Age Group Spartan Super or not, but a wise friend at the troll ruck wished me that it would be an easy decision, and it was... my back was not in a condition to carry out the violent movements of an OCR. You wouldn't think that body weight stuff is violent, but bodies are heavy, and gravity creates strong forces (that you're often having to overcome, too, with even greater force). I transferred my race to a later date and signed up to volunteer, instead. At least it didn't look like I had ever registered for the Sprint, which is good, since that would've meant another transfer fee. It's a rare did-not-start for me.
On Saturday, I was assigned to the Stairway to Sparta obstacle. The fog over the mountains was really pretty on the drive in.
During the elite wave, one racer argued about my call that you couldn't use the sides of the wall to bring yourself up, but I confirmed with staff that I had made the right call. I recommended more course tape for the penalty loop, since there was confusion about the path early on. There were some backups in the open wave, but that's how open can be sometimes. It's always inspiring to see the More Hearts than Scars team come through, helping an adaptive athlete over the obstacles.
It was a good day. We did some tear-down afterwards for this obstacle, Beater, and Twister, since these were Super-only obstacles.
About 30# was the most I could lift, but most parts aren't that heavy.
Sunday, Aug 2:
I went back out for a half-day shift on Sunday. I didn't want to get caught up in too much tear-down activity, with my limitations. They only give Sprint and Super race codes out for half-day shift now. It used to work for Beasts, in previous years.
I gave out medals / arranged medals in groups for the medal distribution volunteeers.
While the last 100 or so racers were on course, a lightning storm came in, and the race had to shut down. All participants and spectators had to return to their cars immediately. Volunteers waited in the big tent at Tryon Equestrian Center. The rain had been coming down hard like a waterfall. They didn't want volunteers touching anything metal inside the tent while the storm came through. Seems reasonable. The storm lasted long enough that the half day people had their shift end while we were still waiting for the storm to pass. Once it passed, we were able to check out, and full-day could being a very wet tear-down process.
I was eager to get home so that I could take my parents to see the Odessey. I had been seeing IG clips about it everywhere and was eager to finally see it. It was on a normal screen, but we enjoy the reclined seats at this theater.
The movie was good but not as mind-blowing as the hype had made it seem like it was going to be. Maybe it's different on IMAX. I did think the immersive sound effects from cyclops and one of the boat scenes was a neat experience, though.
AUGUST BLACKSTONE USPSA FIRST MONDAY MATCH
I invited my new-ish to-shooting friend out to this, so that she could learn by watching other peoples' techniques. I'd explain stuff to her along the way as teaching moments. This happened to be an all-classifier match, which made it a little less interesting and dynamic to watch without movements involved, but there's still a lot to learn.
Stage 2: "Can You Count" <Virginia>
- Start standing in Box A, hands by sides, hot and holstered
- String 1: Shoot T1 with 5rds, mag change, shoot T2 with 5 rds
- String 2: Shoot T3 with 5rds, mag change, shoot T4 with 5 rds
Learnings/Outcomes: 14/16 Div, 27/29 Overall
- 17A, 3C in 18.85s = 4.9841% HF
- This was my first time encountering a USPSA stage with separate strings. They track your time on each string and add it up. Hits are counted at the end of all strings, though.
- - I loaded 5 in mag one and had 10 in my second mag, so that I could go empty for the reloads.
- The RO for this stage had us unload after each string, which was a pain and unnecessary, but that got fixed on the other stages. That meant I had to reset my mag back to after ejecting a round to clear.
- IJ went a bit too fast for accuracy on my first target, since my shots were all over, and I barely made some of the A's
- After 2 shots on my second string, I had an odd malfunction and had to rack the slide twice, and I went dry after 3, so I had to go ahead and do a mag change just for the first target, and I didn't have another mag, so I re-inserted that mag into my holder and drew it out again for my mandatory mag change... it became a mess... at least there were extra rounds in that final mag. The malfunction, which then caused an extra reload, and the lack of another mag all stacked time that got eaten up unnecessarily. Compounding issues.
- Bring all the mags next time
- Maybe I need to not reload on dry mags in the future, even if it feels better, to account for the risk of malfunctions, even though this type of malfunction doesn't happen to me often
- Gotta keep your cool when issues arise and work through the problem... a good teaching moment for my friend.
Stage 1: "Steeler Standards" <Virginia>
- Start standing in Box A, hands above shoulders, hot and holstered
- String 1: Shoot T1-4 1 round ea freestyle, reload, shoot T1-4 1 rd ea freestyle
- String 2: Shoot T1-4 1 round ea freestyle, reload, shoot T1-4 1 rd ea strong hand only
- String 1: Shoot T1-4 1 round ea support hand only
I studied the locations of the A-zone ahead of time, since I'm not as used to the turtle targets.
Learnings/Outcomes: 6/16 Div, 10/29 Overall
- 20A in 28.61s = 3.4953% HF
- Used 5rd in the first mag for a reload on empty
- Didn't have enough mags to set that up for every string, so I had non-full reloads for the others
- Went L->R, R->L
- Had consistent cadence per string since the closer targets have a smaller area
- I went faster on the freestyle portion of my second string
- I had a pretty consistent cadence on one-handed shooting, too, just understandably slower
- It felt difficult to draw and acquire my dot for the left-handed string on the clock... normally, for left-handed, it's not on the draw where you immediately go to left handd
- This felt good, and it was some redemption after the first stage's fiasco
Stage 3: "Calm Before the Storm" <Virginia>
- Start seated on the chair, hands on knees, toes touching the rear fault line, gun hot and lying flat ont he table, all other mags on the table
- Shoot any 2 targets with 4rd ea, mag change, then shoot the other 2 targets with 4rd ea
Learnings/Outcomes: 16/16 Div, 29/29 Overall
- 11A, 1C, 4M, 5P in 31.16s = 0% HF
- I did not rehearse this stage like I did the others... it was the twin stage to the previous stage in the same bay, so the turaround time is typically faster, or at least feels faster to me.
- I was the second to go in the squad, so I didn't have the CoF ingrained from watching a bunch of other people shoot, either
- I thought I had a plan, but that was more related to target sequence than mag changes and stuff
- It started well, with 3/4 on the head (went for that vs the slightly bigger body near a NS). After I transitioned to and shot the chest, though, I thought I might've messed up and that I should've done a mag change in between the two targets, so I stopped. People were saying do the mag change and continue, so I did, but I thought that this was going to be the makeup for not doing the mag change earlier, so I shot target 2 4x again. I also had it in my head that this was another stage that required strings all of a sudden, but it did not involve strings, so I was supposed to move on to the other targets, but now, I only had 4 rounds left, so I just shot at one of the two targets. Total disaster mentally.
- Must rehearse multiple times, especially if going early.
- After the stage, my instinct was to return the gun to the table, too, vs holstering.
- Good hits, at least
- Many others went for the center of mass of the target with more risk of C's, vs going for the A-zone
Stage 4: "Quickly II" <Virginia>
- Start standing in Box A, hands straight overhead with elbows locked, gun hot and holstered
- String 1: Shoot T1-3 2rd ea, mag change, shoot T1-3 2rd ea with strong hand only
- String 2: Shoot T1-3 2rd ea, mag change, shoot T1-3 2rd ea with weak hand only
Learnings/Outcomes: 11/16 Div, 22/29 Overall
- 20A, 4C in 32.50s = 3.4462% HF
- I finally remembered to turn on the Meta Vanguards for the first time all day
- I had a full mag to start to reduce the risk of a MF causing issues
- On the second string, the slide locked to the rear after 3 rounds despite still having ammo in the mag (8 left, although I didn't know that at the time), so I had to do an early reload, then do a second... at first, I was going to replace and re-draw, then I remembered that I had a spare mag on the back side of my belt... it was the mag that I thought might've given me early-slide-lock issues in the past, so I had been avoiding it, but apparently, that's not the only mag or not the mag... anyway, that ate up time
- I didn't expect to have as many C's as I did, but I guess 4/12 isn't terrible for 1-handed
Overall: 15/16 Div, 27/29 Overall
- 1 good stage, 1 mental disaster, 1 normal MF that compounded due to only having exact round counts prepped in mags, 1 MF caused by early slide lock
- Always bring extra mags, to the match and to the stage (and reconsider doing reloads on empty, to account for MF risk)
- Decent shooting otherwise
- Need to figure out these MF's
- It was nice to be able to start teaching someone else about shooting and share the joy, even on a rough match day
I gave both the ported and unported CZs a good cleaning, to try to rule out the possibility of either of those being dirty causing issues. The ported gun that I used today had only had 123 rounds through it since its last cleaning.
I noticed a chip on the locking block of the unported one, so I'd later put in a warranty claim.
I'm unclassed so far, but the bad stages will cycle out eventually, assuming they're not too common.
