Swiss Valley Trail Race 3 Oct 2015

I ran this race with my cousin. First time racing this race for me and first trail race for him. We both had a great time and finished in 1:16:08. Some pretty tough climbs.

Isabella:RIP Mrs. Bella 9/2001-9/2015

 We had to put Isabella down this past week 9/29/2015. It was hard. Our hearts are broken.

I was deployed to Uzbekistan in 2001. In was right after 9/11 and my Wife was experiencing some anxiety. The doctor told her should should take medication and she refused. He then suggested she get a "lap dog" for therapy. So she went out and got a Chihuahua and named her Isabella. I first heard about the dog  at midnight over a SATCOM phone, while standing in the snow in the mountains of Uzbekistan. I was less than thrilled about having a little "anklebiter." We already had two "real dogs" at the time and I made my displeasure known. But as usual I was wrong.

Isabella was the best thing to happen to my Wife. I learned that Chihuahua's are loyal,protective and empathetic. Easy to take care of, and cuddly. We liked them so much that eventually we acquired 3 more. Isabella was always the original though and the most loved. As she got older she became my oldest Son's therapy dog when he got back from Afghanistan. They were inseparable. This was hardest on him. He is still distraught.

About 3 years ago Isabella developed a tumor on her chest. As it grew we took her to the Vet. We were told that she only had a 25% chance to survive an operation. So since she was not in pain we let it go. It wasn't aesthetically pleasing but she didn't care and neither did we. Then a month ago she developed another tumor in her throat. This one progressed rapidly. Inside of two weeks she had lost weight and was having difficulty breathing. We eventually started carrying her around in a laundry basket because she was weak. The tumor became an exterior wound on her throat that would not heal. My son would feed her pureed' food by hand and redress her wound 2 to 3 times a day. This went on for a week or so but we were hoping against hope she would heal or recover. Finally I had to make the hard decision to have her euthanized. It was hardest because she was still alert and oriented and not really in any pain. So it was done.

We will miss you Isabella. You went by many names..Isabella,Iz, Izzy, the Izanator,Mrs. Bella and little "piddy paws." You brought us so much joy. I hope you are playing with your former packmates Jake and Zowie. I gotta go I am tearing up.

All dogs go to Heaven.

Pleasant Creek Trail Run 19 Sep 2015

I know I know what the hell a Race Report? We thought you quit racing? Well it is true I haven't raced a race in any fashion since May. But I thought I would get back on the horse with a local trail race. This was the first running of the Pleasant Creek Trail Race.  There was a 15K and a 30K option. Due to my lack of racing and still rehabbing my injury I decided on the 15K version. It was a good call.

The day was perfect and the trails were muddy and wet. I had a great time trying out my new Hoka Challengers in the muddy puddles. I just ran it like the old days. Taking pictures and enjoying the trails. Whenever I felt myself getting competitive I remembered to just take it easy and not let my for deteriorate. Not much else to say I finished the 15K loop in 1:47:23. I was pleased with the result enjoy some pictures.

Fundamentals of Advanced Pistol Handling

Over the past year I have attended many of the I.C.E Training Company's courses. The one I was missing however was Advanced Pistol Handling. When I found out the one day version, Fundamentals of Advanced Pistol Handling, was being offered locally and being taught by the same two instructors who had taught my Defensive Firearms Coaches class I registered right away. The two instructors Jamie Onion and Mike Anderson really work well together and I appreciate the dynamic they bring to the instruction ( excuse me while I wipe the brown shit off my nose).

APH started like most I.C.E Company courses with the three safety rules and range brief. The responsibilities of Safety,Comfort and Competency was reiterated but since a prerequisite for APH was to have successfully completed Combat Focus Shooting these points were not belabored. The focus was on getting us on the range.

We started off with the standard Extend, Touch, Press drill so the instructors could evaluate our abilities and correct any deficiencies early in the learning cycle. We quickly moved through the startle response, incorporating lateral movement,presentation from the holster, the Balance of Speed and Precision and the Critical Incident Reload. All of these things were familiar to me. After about 90 minutes we started getting into unfamiliar or at least rusty territory.

We started working from different unorthodox positions. We conducted B of SP drills from kneeling,sitting and laying supine with our feet towards the target. Eventually we incorporated "flow drills". I was familiar with these from the Combat Focus Carbine class I had attended. Essentially we did some tactical yoga by continuously moving between the standing,kneeling and sitting positions. When the "up" command was given you had to process the information and if you were between positions you had to go back to the previous position or move forward to the next. This drill was fun but it did remind me I am getting older and I am not as flexible as I should be. While not all that strenuous for me it did provide some challenges for other students as well. I think this drill highlights the need for physical training being incorporated into self defense training. It isn't all about the tool if you can't catch your breath to employ it.

After these flow drill we shot from some other unorthodox positions such as prone with head facing towards the target. I experienced some cognitive dissonance when I tried a critical incident reload while "upside down" and "backwards". Trying to think my way through rotating my Glock 19 so gravity would help me drop the magazine and reloading the magazine without looking required some serious brain sweat. Not something that would happen that often but something that could happen potentially.

After a lunch break we moved onto strong hand and weak hand shooting and one handed reloads. It was during this evolution I was thrust into the spotlight in almost the exact same way I was when I went through CFS with Rob Pincus. We were shooting the Balance of Speed and Precision weak hand only. During the Balance of Speed and Precision the "up" command stimulates the shooter to place 3-5 rounds in the combat effective area of the target as fast as they can accurately. If a number is called the shooter needs to place one well aimed shot into the 3 inch circle that corresponds to that number. Sometimes I get inside my own head and such was the case during this drill. Although I had been hitting my numbers fairly consistently all day when Mike called out the number 2 I missed weak hand only. I must not have been the only one because he told everyone that had hit the number to step back. He then gave the command again and I missed again. And so it went the same exact thing had happened to me in front of Rob with the exact same number back at CFS. Eventually I was the only one left that hadn't hit the number. As I stood there, alone on the firing line, Jamie came up beside me and asked which eye I was using to aim and some other questions. He then told me to fire and I missed again. Now these guys know my background and I imagine they expect a certain amount of proficiency from me. I certainly do, but I am "weak" with the weak  hand. Jamie examined my sights trying to give me any excuse for my suckedness but as I missed for the 5th or 6th time he just stated "Nope its you." So we moved on with my ego a little smaller. But that is good training and I know what to work on.

We then moved on to Non Diagnostic Linear Mulfunction Drills. In a nutshell we would be resolving malfunctions without observing the issue and following a linear protocol. I am not going to repeat the protocol because you can pay to learn it like I did but here is some photographic evidence.

We induced malfunctions by having another student randomly load an empty case somewhere in our 3 magazines. One for each magazine, somewhere other than the first or last round. Whe then conducted a B of SP drill both strong hand and weak hand only resolving malfunctions and the need to reload as it presented itself. The challenge for me was being able to recognize if the inability to fire was due to a malfunction or because of slide lock. This drill certainly tested all your cognitive abilities. It was while shooting weak handed again that I had another spotlight moment. I experienced a malfunction and followed the protocol but I could not clear it. I continued down the path but it would not clear. Once Jamie noticed my issue he had me try a few other techniques to try and drop the magazine even going so far as to depress the magazine release with my left middle finger and try to extract the magazine with my teeth. No Go. Finally he took my Glock from me and this is what we saw.

The empty casing had failed to extract during my efforts and racking the slide had stripped another round from the magazine with nowhere to go as the chamber was full of brass. My repeated attempts to extract the casing had jammed  the follow on bullet back into the casing so far it split the casing and jammed it behind the magazine release. There was no way it was coming out one handed. At that point I had a very expensive brick. Another lesson learned, shit happens, have a back up plan. Jamie was able to clear it with two hands and once again we moved on.

The culmination of the course was shooting from a vehicle both weakside and strong side. We started out from chairs working on drawing and presenting the weapon without flagging our own bodies. Eventually we individually shot from the drivers seat of Mike's SUV both out the drivers window and the passenger window. Surprisingly the hardest part was getting the seatbelt off and not extending the gun outside of the window. I successfully completed the evolution but in the days since I have found myself practicing unbuckling my seatbelt and visualizing drawing my firearm trying to make it smoother.

As is the SOP after class we conducted a debrief. Every student is required to talk and I said my piece first as I had to leave for work. My two takeaways were obviously more work on weakhanded manipulation and also that no one had ever instructed me to move my strong side leg out of the way as you draw from an unorthodox position. This is so you don't flag yourself even for a small amount of time. No one had ever taught me this technique which was actually shocking to me. Maybe in the military they accept a certain amount of risk that they could have easily mitigated. I really enjoyed this course especially after a shittastic work week. I think I am ready for the CFS Instructor development Course in a month.

Do it Like Your life Depends on It

Today is my Birthday. 52 revolutions around the sun. As Al Pacino said in "Scent of A Women" I am at the crossroads in my life. Not the cross roads I was at when I graduated high school. I knew what I was doing then, I was going to go jump out of airplanes. So I did for 22 years. Not the crossroads I was at when I retired from the military. I knew what I was doing then. I was getting a job and becoming successful. I think I have done that over the last 10 years as well.

No, I am at a crossroads of purpose. For a long time I have been feeling a lack of purpose. Back in the day everything I did had a purpose. We did everything like our lives depended on it. More often than not it did. Now a days I feel like I am going through the motions. Like I am just showing up an making the doughnuts. Nothing really means anything. The lack of professionalism among most of my workforce or even a shred of caring about the quality of their work is wearing me down. My outside activities where I work as a Paramedic or serve as a Reserve Law Enforcement Officer is where I feel that old sense of purpose.

However I am in a trap. Success has trapped me. To leave the current situation behind would mean a significant disruption in the life of my family. I need to find someplace where I can once again have a purpose and do things like my life depended on it.

A Prairie Home Companion

There is a show on National Public Radio called A Prairie Home Companion . The show and its host Garrison Keillor have been producing the show since the early 1970's. It is an old time radio variety show with music,skits and comedy. My dirty little secret is I have been listening to the show for years. Many that know me know that I am anything but liberal and the show definitely leans that way but somehow I just enjoy it. Recently my wife and I had the opportunity to see the show live in our home town. It was a great evening. Beautiful night in an outdoor amphitheater. I did find it very interesting that these NPR listeners who claim to be for diversity produced about the most undiversified audience possible. This guy right here,who spent the morning before the show at the gun range and that has voted libertarian in the last 3 election cycles brought the only minority to the show. That had to be the whitest audience I have ever seen at an event. Struck me somehow as very telling. Talk about white privilege, there it was, but not how it is portrayed in the media. Enjoy some photos.

First Two Women Expected to Graduate Friday from Army Ranger School | Military.com

I have two things to say about these young women. From all I can find out they have been stellar performers and over achievers their whole lives. Athletes,West Point etc.. Not to mention they volunteered to endure the media shit storm that has engulfed them. So number one BRAVO!! If I know anything, the nay sayers claiming they had it easy or the course was altered do not have the facts straight. All first hand accounts and data suggest this course was as hard or harder than the average Ranger course. The other rock solid thing you can count on is that the Ranger Instructors did not lower the standard. That would compromise their integrity which is something that does not happen. There is one standard..The Ranger Standard. If these young women graduated then they met the standard.

Number two is I am not sure how I feel about this. I feel the same as when they tore down the old cabins at the Mountain Ranger camp losing all that history. I can't put my finger on it but I feel as if we missed the point here. Equal opportunity does not mean every opportunity. Ranger school has a purpose and the purpose is not to satisfy any particular agenda but to produce war fighters. If we have done that here then bravo and bravo to these two women anyway. Hopefully they and the women that follow will go forth and be better leaders. But if this is isolated and a social experiment. If this happened to allow individuals to get promoted then it is wrong. The military is not about individual achievements. I am a fan of this but I hope it is being done for the right reason. Things need to mean something.





First Two Women Expected to Graduate Friday from Army Ranger School | Military.com

Manliness

I was turned on to a podcast recently called the Pressure Project . I have been listening to it that last few days and while some may accuse it of being misogynist I find it resonates with me. It is not anti female rather it is pro male and rejects the politically correct version of manhood that I have never subscribed to. It did get me thinking though. I have a lot of beliefs on what it means to be a man but I have never written them down on paper on purpose. So I thought I would do that now.

1. Men are tribal- Men gravitate towards others with common beliefs. Outside of our immediate families we need a peer group to interact with and hold us accountable. No one else but the tribe can let a man know when he is shirking his duties . The tribe is what encourages men to be warriors and defend their family. You know you are with your tribe when you can say truthfully "these are my people." That is why I believe military service or other public service has such a profound effect on men. They  become part of the tribe or they don't. Either way it is significant.

2. Men defend- As a man it is our responsibility to defend our families and those we care about. To a certain extent is is also on us to protect those that generally cannot protect themselves. This responsibility cannot be delegated to law enforcement or government as some would have you believe. It is a man's responsibility as a man. You are the first line of defense. If a thug is beating and raping your wife upstairs and you know by running up the stairs you face certain death a man does not escape and call the police. A man goes up the stairs and defends. Law enforcement is secondary.

3. Men must be comfortable with violence-  I am not saying a man must be habitually violent or encourage violence. I am saying a man must be comfortable with violence. Men do not turn their heads when confronted with violence. Men meet violence with stronger violence. Violence of action and unstoppable force that is what resolves a violent encounter. Men carry themselves not as sheep but as shepherds. If you look around you can tell the difference.

4. Men strive for fitness- I fully realize the difficulty in attaining and maintaining fitness. I have attained many and varying levels of fitness throughout my life. As I get older my definition of fitness has also changed. What I used to think was sub standard now I am ok with. As age progresses I have come to the realization that the point is a man continues to strive for fitness to the best capacity he can. To neglect the opportunity to have the best fitness level you can is makes you less of a man. Those whose slack jawed body language surely shows they haven't touched a weight in their life are not men. Relentless forward progress.

5. Men show compassionate- A man has empathy and compassion for others. This does not make him weak but makes him a good leader. Compassion for others and the demonstration of this through the various non profit organizations and volunteer opportunities show how a man gives back to society. Men set a good example.


Suffice to say if you are not living these 5 principles and striving to meet them within your own set of circumstances then you are still a child and not a man.

Everyone gets a Medal: Army Fail

I was recently made aware of a US Army Training and Doctrine Command regulation 350-6 dated 7 Nov 2013 "Enlisted Entry Training Polices and Administration."

Specifically " Physical exercise for corrective action. Requiring Soldiers to perform a reasonable

number of repetitions of authorized physical exercises IAW FM 7-22page 5-5 as a motivational

tool is permitted for corrective action. However, consideration must be given to the exercises,

repetitions, and total number of times each day that exercise is used for corrective action to limit

the potential for overtraining and injuries." Sounds good and reasonable right? Check out the reasonable repetitions.

5 repetitions? Are you shitting me? 5 repetitions doesn't even get anyone's attention. As a slightly overweight middle aged male I could knock out 5 repetitions of these exercises without breaking a sweat. Your 20 something recruit is laughing as they do these. This is the military finally bowing to the "everyone gets a medal" political correctness. In an effort not to hurt anyone's feelings or gets sued for "being mean" Basic Training has jumped the shark.

We are not teaching our new warfighters that actions have consequences. You think the Taliban or ISIS is going to say "My bad American pig dog, lets call a training timeout"? Corrective and exhausting physical training has many benefits. It builds esprit de corps, teamwork, physical fitness, the will to survive. It forms personalities in a positive way. 

One of the formative episodes in my life was when then SSG later SGM (R) Lamb smoked my entire Pre-Ranger class for a dropped flashlight. We did 1000 4 count flutter kicks and he did them along with us. 1000 is a lot more than 5 and it taught me a lesson about equipment accountability that I have not forgotten over 25 years later. 

My point is that the Army has let the pendulum swing to far. Corrective physical training is a time honored tradition in the military. New recruits expect it. By robbing them of this activity you produce weaker soldiers, weaker units and you cheapen the entire military experience.

A Day at the Range

Suns out Guns out

http://youtu.be/ZADR0Dm1j7Q

Pretentious Tactidouches

Even the self defense training world has its douche bags. These folks wear KUHl pants and carry Glocks. Wearing appendix holsters and operator shades of course.