2016 by the numbers

 6th year in a row for this post. Its fun to look back and see how the direction of my life has changed. Definitely less physical and more work this year. I need to work on that balance 2017. 

Running,biking,hiking, martial arts

Total miles-441 about half of last year which was half of the year before. I need to do some prioritization. But hey it isn't zero

Running/Hiking- 260.6 miles These are together as I started getting into rucking as a way to move and not irritate the Chuckster (my right achilles tendon)

Biking- 95.86 I like biking. I did some good gravel rides with CJ this year

Walking/Hiking- 54.42 more ruck miles that were categorized differently

Krav Maga and Brazilain Jiu Jitsu- 

I started CKM last December and average about 3 sessions a month. I have progressed to level 1 in that time. I started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in August and also go about 2-3 times per month. I am still a very inexperienced white belt. I hope that this helps me stay in shape and just keeps me active and a smidge more dangerous. 

Races

I did not keep as good of track of my races as I did in the past. Honestly I am not sure exactly how many I did but here is my best guess. Its in line with my previous running activity this year

1-50K

1- GoRuck Light

1-Half Marathon ( Shuetzen Nein I ran half of it)

1-Trail 10K

3- Virtual 5K

EMS - I quit my job in March to work as a Paramedic full time. I doubled my call volume from last year. I ran just short of 400 calls for the year between the three agencies I work at. I also started teaching EMS classes at a local community college.

Shooting and Training

This year saw me expand my shooting and training activities. I started my own company and conducted quite a bit of training. I attended and conducted training

Shooting classes I took-2

Other classes I took-4

Instructor Credentials Obtained-2

Handgun training classes taught- 11

CCW classes taught- 10

Carbine Classes taught-3

Active Shooter Response classes taught-1

Medical Classes taught- 5

CPR classes taught- 10

Random Numbers

Years since Army Enlistment-34

Years since Army retirement-11

Years since Graduating Ranger School- 28

Years Since Graduating Q Course-26

Years since becoming MFFI356- 21

Number of jobs quit since retirement-3

Number of jobs I currently have-3 (4) if you count my training business

Number of LEO agencies I work for-1

Number of EMS agencies I work for-3

2016 was busy busy busy

2015 By the Numbers

2015 was the year of the gun. In 2015 I ran less but trained more and more diversely. It was a transition year that during some points were very melancholy and other times was very exciting.

Running,Biking,Hiking

Miles ran- 801 When I was lamenting about how few miles I ran this year a good friend of mine laughed and reminded me how I just ran as far as "normal" people.  The motivation wasn't there at times but I hope to get it back.

Miles biked- 209 I cross trained more this year. Most bike miles ever I think. Mostly Mountain Bike.

Other miles- 21 hiking,walking,rucking etc..

Total miles- 1031..869 miles less than last year. I need to ramp it up again

Races

I participated in 7 races this year. 13 less than last year but I took an 8 month break from racing. I didn't race on the road at all this year.

1-50K

1-Marathon

1-Adventure Race

1- Mountain Bike Race

3- Other trail races

EMS

My first full year as a Paramedic I ran over 200 calls. I was lead on about 150 of these. Ran my first code without a net as the Paramedic in charge. I expect to run more on 2016.

Shooting and Training

I became heavily involved in self defense/firearms training this year. Both taking training and giving it. I expect this to continue as I have started my own firearms training business.

Firearms Training Courses taken- 7

Contact Weapons/Defensive Tactics Courses taken-4

Instructor Credentials obtained-3

CCW classes instructed- 30

Random Numbers

Years since joining US Army-33

Years since retirement-10

Years since Ranger School-27

Years since Q course- 25

Number of jobs I have quit since retirement- 2

Number of jobs I currently have- 3

Number of Reserve LEO Departments- 2

Number of EMS Agencies-3

Thats it. 2016 is waiting

Former Action Guy

What is a "Former Action Guy?" Well to be a Former Action Guy implies that you were once an "Action Guy." Action Guys are known by many names "Door Kicker", "Snake Eater", or even "An Operator. " I retired from the US military in 2004 after 22 years service, I spent 14 years of that time as a Special Forces soldier or "Green Beret", think John Wayne. I did the typical Action Guy things like move,shoot, and communicate. I hung out with other Action Guys, I studied Action Guy materials and watched Action Guy shows. I was an Action Guy.

Then I retired and suddenly I was a Former Action Guy. I chose to move myself and my family back to the Midwest and I took an office job. I was about as far from being an Action Guy as I could be. Sure I tried to keep up with the Action Guy lifestyle for awhile, I applied for a few law enforcement positions, I toyed with the idea of going back overseas as a contractor but because of family considerations and other things none of this panned out. So there I was stuck in an average everyday guy job still feeling very much like an Action Guy but miserable because it was obvious I was not.

In a society which very much ties a man's job to his sense of self worth, I had went from the top to the bottom. I had been at what many would call the pinnacle of the military experience, I was a member of an elite unit with a rich history then in a day that changed and I was just another guy. Life by necessity moves on but as a guy with a type "A" personality and an admitted over achiever I found it very hard to come to grips with my loss of status.

So I dealt with it, I quit my crappy office job and got a job in the security industry which I enjoy and while not as exciting as what I did before still makes me feel like I am contributing to society in a positive way. I still get my "Action Guy" fix now but in different ways. I joined a running club and run long and short distance races, I have gotten into mountain biking, and back into pistol shooting. I want to try turkey hunting. I am a state registered High School sports official in Football,Wrestling, and Baseball and officiate hundreds of contests a year. I got certified as an Emergency Medical Technician and volunteer at a local ambulance service 90-100 hrs a month. I plan on upgrading to paramedic sometime in the future. I have become involved in veterans affairs and am active in the local Veteran's of Foreign Wars and the Knights of Columbus.

As a Former Action Guy I still get to do some cool things. I helped a newborn baby, born unexpectedly and at home make its way to a hospital. I assisted in the rescue of 8 drunk and hypothermic college kids who may have been fatalities if we hadn't pulled them from that icy creek. I have officiated matches of State Champion wrestlers and acted as Back Judge in a games between top ten Football teams. I took my youngest shooting and taught him how to aim a pistol. I ran for City Council and lost ( I did get 10% of the vote though). So after 6 years I have adjusted to life as a Former Action Guy. This blog is part of that process, I will be posting old war stories mostly so I don't forget them and random thoughts. For my friends these events may or may not resemble what you remember but it is my story and I am sticking to it.

So Ciao and for those that know DAJETFU.