Where we stand

Right, so the training plan is up and coming at the moment. I've been working on it for the past three days and generated five pages of ramblings. It covers the four stages that seem to be an essential part of a training plan and inserts what I should do, and plan to do in each section.

Included in this I've come up with a list of goals, which has my current standing in each of my disciplines/sports and what to do about getting to the goal standard. So here we go.

Prone

Current: ~ 580(576-582) at 50m

Need: 582 by June (World Uni. Champs)

Want: ~587 by June (Olympic MQS)

This equates, roughly, to a 7 point increase in 6 or so months, which is doable, but difficult.

Areas to focus on: butt of rifle: length; and place in shoulder; eyesight: may need new frames (left the old ones in Ireland in any case...); otherwise need to be more careful when aiming; match planning; taking breaks every 20 shots or so, mainly to check the sling on my upper arm.

Air Rifle

Current: ~545 (542-546)

Need: I'm not sure as data is hard to come by, but I'm going to go with an MQS of 570

This is a totally different kettle of fish, being a 25 point increase, which will not be easy. However, I feel that the points are there, I just need to be careful in how I go about putting that through paper. If I hit this, I'll be very happy with myself. My air rifle has, historically, seen a lot of setbacks, notably a severe sprain two years ago that kept me off the line for three months and ruined a lot of hard work prior to that. The unfocused off-time also generated a lot of bad habits that dragged me back for a year. At least I've tried to keep my head in the game this time round.

Areas to focus on: zero point; balance; relaxation: shoulders; arms; neck; head position; cheekpiece; faster rhythm.

Cycling

Current: I have little idea, as it's been a while since I was on a bike. The few short commuting spins before Christmas felt good, though, so I have hope that my level here hasn't fallen off too much.

Want: 200-300 km sportive at approximately 30 km/hr average by September.

If I follow a solid 12 week plan I should get the kilometerage up to around 165 by simply increasing an endurance spin by 10% each week, which would be good. Now, that's most likely not going to work out, but the goal is there.

Also, my speed is going to have to improve, and I think I have some interval suggestions somewhere that could work well.

Also, I'd like to compete in a cyclocross race, but only if I get reasonably good at both cycling and running. And lose whatever sanity I have left.

Running

Current: Atrocious. Nuff said.

Want: Half marathon (20 km) at two hour pace (10 km/hr) by September.

The plan for this is to run a set distance three or four times per week, working in intervals as well. By increasing the distance by one km a week (which shouldn't be too bad, right?) that should bring me up to what I want, when I want it.

I do have some interval sessions here for this, which will help a lot.

So there you have it, my wildly outlandish targets for the next six to nine months. There are some competition goals for rifle later in the season, in keeping with a full training plan; the ones here are preliminary and will serve to test the validity of my longer term plan.

There's about a one in a million chance that I'll actually hit any of these goals, but, hey, one in a million chances crop up nine times out of ten, right?

Rathdrum Turkey Shoot, 6-12-2009

No, not shooting at turkeys, shooting for them! The turkey shoot is traditionally the last match of the calendar year and usually a bit of fun.

The scoring is based on the Macrae handicap system, which benefits those who shoot above their average, and drops points for shooting below it, thus making it in a competition where you really are shooting against yourself :)

Having sorted out one or two little things, notably weight distribution on my lower body and especially the left elbow position, just to the left of the pistol grip, I was looking good for the match. The sighters and first string were good, but then it started to get a little fuzzy with my right shoulder tensing and throwing shots left. I was having a lot of problems getting my right elbow consistent, which wasn't helping, and tensing in the cold. Things I need to work on obviously, but at least I know now. A 386 overall wasn't too bad, and the best raw score of the day.

Afterwards RRPC usually have a benchrest pistol match, but since we were the only ones there we decided to take part in that as well :D For my first time shooting .22 pistol the groups were really good, I just couldn't figure out how to sight the damn thing so they were all over the place. Seemed a bit of shame to launch Centre-X down a pistol, but what the hell :D

For the prizes I walked away with a turkey and a bottle of red wine, which isn't so bad at all! A glass or two with the RRPC lads afterwards made it a very sociable day all round :)

The day reminded me a lot of how shooting is there to be enjoyed, like all sport. Taking it with me to different levels and different places won't diminish that. People move on, but the memories remain, as do the bonds, the friendships and the rivalries.

This weekend capped off a four year career in DURC, which has had it's ups and downs, good times and bad. I've learned a lot, taught some, I hope, and will be continuing on with target shooting. So watch out, I'm on the other side now ;)

Match, DURC open, Rathdrum, 22-11-09

I take back what I said - this was not going to be a good day. I woke up sneezing all morning and very cold. Getting set up was awful, the place was freezing, as usual. Having to get up at 7 to gready and into the range didn't help, but it could have been worse.

What annoys me most about my 576 overall, aside from the fact that my score is dropping, is that it was good shooting. It felt alright, everything was centered, recoil was nice, but it kept throwing 9s. And 9.9s in particular... Three in one string at one stage!

But anyway, enough of the ranting, it's not my style ;) Aisling was kind enough to take several pics of me in position later in the match, when things were getting very hairy so I can compare my position to the one I had in Fermoy. Looking below you can see that my left leg is very straight, compared to the kicked out one from Fermoy on it's right.

I did some experimentation when I got home last night on comparing the two leg positions and found some interesting results; kicking my leg out gives me a nice higher upper body position, which my set up is tweaked for, and throws the weight more evenly across my body, including onto my right arm, thereby leaving my left less painful. Also, while it lowers my left hand a little, it rotates my left elbow onto the comfy part, and drops my right shoulder so that the target height can be reached. Who knew!?

So, terrible score, but something valuable learned. Which is what it's all about, right? Journey being the goal and all that. There's still the Turkey shoot to go (not really shooting at turkeys, though there are a good few as prizes!), so I can still pull out a good performance. Oh, and remind me to eat a lot more in the days coming up to a match so I have some fuel to keep me warm/get through it. 45 mins of the shivers afterwards is like, soo not cool. Not when you're wearing thermals, certainly.

More training...

OK, so I said I wasn't going to train until next week. I didn't lie as such, just fell through on it.

Running this morning was the first time I've gone in a week. I'm very poorly disciplined at the moment for physical training, but I'm mostly blaming that on not having anything warm to run or cycle in and my bike does need a new bottom bracket...

Going for a run was not fun. At all. Wind is horrendous. I was in bits after the first 500m, never mind the other 3.5km that I scraped though. It was one of the toughest things I've done so far. Now, it might also be due to not getting enough exercise at the moment, but it was still pretty rough. Stupid wind...

Then, Dave said he'd open the range if I wanted to train with him, and I was covering for Aisling later on... So I went and did a bit. Not as nice as the day before, but I think if I hadn't played with my sight when switching from practice to shooting a 10 group then it would have been a hell of a lot nicer and without those nasty 9.9s slightly out. Again, roll on Sunday :)

Training, UCD/DURC

Well, despite the training last week the weekend didn't go so well so it's clearly time to ramp it up a little. Went to UCD on Tuesday evening for an hour or two there, followed up by a 40 shot match yesterday in DURC with Iain. Both left a bit to be desired, though when I felt right in DURC it went well. Also, I think that what I was doing when it felt right was pretty decent. Also, remembering what I did is a big step up...

Followed that up with some prone then yesterday afternoon. Shot two ten shot groups and one ten bull card. The first group was almost certainly 100/100, but a bit hairy at points, which won't do. The 10 bull followed and was a very disappointing 97/98 with a terrible 9 in there. The final group was shot over two targets with a gap in the middle and came to probably a 99 with some nice tight shots. Hopefully the higher targets in Rathdrum will leave me a little less pained at the end...

I'll crack into some more for today and call it a week at that, what with my trip down South for Friday and Saturday. Back late that night for the DURC open on Sunday morning. Fun times :)

Leinster Indoor Open 2009, Rathdrum.

I was feeling good about this match. So good in fact that something was bound to go wrong. Aside from having to turn up several hours too early to bring another shooter down it seemed like a good day. Oh, and forgetting about my cold which was killing me and leaving me incredibly dehydrated.

Whatever happened, it wan't good. Lying down in position was grand, it felt OK, no pain, nothing awkward. The result was different though. I couldn't keep the group tight enough. I don't know how many points I lost to 9.9s and 9.8s all throughout the match. I wasn't the only one either, both Kealan and Conor also dropped a lot of 9.9s, three in a row each at one point!

Keeping with my current tempo I rattled through sighters and the first 20 match shots in about 15 minutes. Rested and trying to get my head settled and back on the game I got back down again and started with 3 9s! With the inevitability that this was not going to be a good day settling in I just went for it and put in the rest of that block of 20 before getting up again.

The fifth card was a bit of a disaster, though I don't remember it being much different from the other ones. Finishing that one on a 94 was particularly poor, I had thought I was well beyond that. The last card being a 98 was decent enough however. It may signal that I need to take a little more time on each shot as I did rattle through them quite quickly overall, only slowing down a little on the last string.

Owing to two absences I also made it into the final where I was given a chance to redeem myself. I had done it before and with only 3 points between me and Conor with Mark and Kealan in between I knew there was some serious ground I could make up. So the pressure was on a little to prove myself and show what I could really do. Keeping my cool as much as possible I took my time a little more, checking my focus on the foresight for each shot, gently applying pressure to the trigger. It paid off, finally I was grouping well in the 10 ring, most of the shots being 10.5 or 10.5 and all right on the same spot. If I had a more accurate rearsight one or two clicks would have seen me putting in consistent 10.9s, which would have been very sweet. The end result was putting in a total of 103.6 and jumping from 7th to 4th in the final, almost overcoming a 5 point gap to take third but falling short by 0.9.

To make sure I got my €15 euro worth of shooting there was also a tie announced for 4th place with another DURC shooter, Mark who had a great final. I'd never seen, let alone taken part in a shoot off before so this was quite exciting, but a lot of a pain and very nerve wracking. Fortunately I had stayed in position for this exact reason, knowing it was always a possibility. A the order to load came my heart was thumping. I didn't think there was any way I could get this shot in with my heart rate about the same as it is climbing up a mountain. I heard Mark's shot go off and all the crap that I've ever heard about how much pressure there is when the other person has taken the shot and how difficult it is to overcome that hurdle flashed through my mind until I decided to Hell with it all and took the shot; 10.7, exact same spot as the last few shots :) Mark put in a great 10.3, just to make it more exciting for everybody else.

As it turned out, there was no need for the shoot off as the system had just not added up the decimal scores, meaning that I actually had 1.6 points over Mark anyway, but it was still a great experience. Learning that I can put in a 10.7 under pressure was well worth it.

Next time I shall try paying more attention to the lighting conditions on the day. I think it was a bit dark where I shot the match compared to the final, and the difference between the two could not be more marked. Good end to a bad day though :)

Fermoy Open, 25-10-09

First thing to say, while it might be far away (at the moment), it's a fabulous range.

Lovely lawns, proper brick clubhouse with ladies and gents toilets, hot and cold running water and a lot of different ranges for several different disciplines.

We had to leave here early to get down there for a reasonable hour, so it was on the road around 8 or so and down there for 11, after getting some epic breakfast rolls in the town. And yes, they do deserve a special mention :D

We got started with the shooting on our own little private range around 12 or so, with Pete, Aisling and Dave taking the first slots. Myself and Conor took the second lot.

Myself and Conor in position for our first detail.

My full position, complete with new jacket. Perfect fit :)

While we were beginning our details, on the other range, people started to finish up... The phrase, "bloody students" may have been uttered once or twice, but all in good fun :D

There were no wind flags put out, which is probably just as well as I may have been tempted to look at them once or twice. Ignoring the wind seemed to work very well, any shots out I can put down to myself. The first card was pretty spot on, a few points off but nothing huge. The second one was where problems arose. I got down slightly wrong which caused a lot of pain in my left arm which I stupidly chose to ignore. That probably cost me a good ten points. The end of that card after a reset and the third one were pretty good as well though, leaving a final score of 579. So, room for improvement, but it's more of a consistency thing which is easy to work on. Roll on 590!

Photos courtesy of Aisling Miller, DURC's current smallbore photographer :)

DURC training, 12-10-2009

Training in prone is something that I've never really gotten the hang of. I tend to just get down and bang down some shots and see if I can spot anything that's going wrong. Today was no different :D

I took out the new jacket to give it a proper go in the prone position after I made some adjustments last week to my overall position and how things felt. It had already helped to sort out a few problems of my pulse bouncing the rifle and pain in my wrist.

Due to a fortunate position coming up for PhD funding, it's looking like I will be able to finance buying a rifle, not to mention training at the Munich international range in Garching. Nothing totally confirmed as of yet, but it's on the cards.

So, I have been looking at different rifles, number one of which is the Feinwerkbau 2700, or the light version of it. I'm also looking at the new Anschutz Precise, which is an excellent looking stock. Anyway, I took the chance to use a club-mates FWB today and see what it felt like. Aside from a terrible buttplate it feels really nice. The balance is amazing and the stock is so nicely rounded and thin that it sits in the hand very comfortably.

After a quick set up, the following group of, I think, 12 shots was produced;

Aside from the barrel warming shot on the left and the two nines, I'm very happy with this group, especially for a very brief set up with a dodgy buttplate.

On the other hand, my trusty Anschutz 1600 series didn't fail to respond to that with this 10 shot group;

Again, the low shot was the barrel warmer, the 9 shots above are grouped nicely though, especially for a 30 year old barrel and action. Increasing my cant has also helped quite a bit, so Anschutz are coming back up the list...

End result; the new jacket is amazing, well worth the money. Now I just need to translate that into scores and medals in matches and we're well sorted. Selection matches are welcome...

Wicklow Championships 2009, DRC

Well, today saw my first prone match in a long time, and boy did it show. It took place in Dublin Rifle Club in Wicklow, on their 50m outdoor range. This range is notorious for its terrible rolling wind and tricky conditions, not to mention somewhat ballistic scoring to compensate...

Having the DURC range in the state that it is at the moment has been a major incentive not to train over the Summer. That and getting fed up of my current jacket after losing quite a large amount of weight over the past 12 months and waiting for a new one has led to poor attendance on my part. Oh, and the lack of ammo. Yeah.

So, the day started at 0830 with Dave picking Conor and I up to grab the kit from the range. Greeted with that lovely damp smell after a Summer of no use is never fun, and having your personal kit smell similar even less. How and ever, off up the mountains we went, arriving at the range for 0945. Deciding that the first detail at 1000 was cutting it a bit fine I opted for the second at 1130. After getting all the kit set up (comments on all of it to follow, hopefully this week) it was on to the range, where all the fun started.

Having not shot in a while I couldn't quite remember how to fit a blind over my left eye, so that caused a lot of irritation til I figured that out. As well as that, I just couldn't get comfortable. My left elbow was way too far in under the rifle and I was leaning to one side on it as well as forward to compensate for the down slope of the range. All this meant that my elbow was in bits for the remainder of the match, and not too much better now.

As for the shooting itself, it wasn't great. It took me the better part of 40 shots to get into the flow of things, which wasn't helped by either the pain in my elbow or the forced breaks on the 6 bull cards. On the last 20 I finally got things right, finishing on a 98, by best string of the day, almost certainly shot the fastest.

Finishing up on 569 overall, which was a bit of a disappointmeny really, with 384 as my best four cards put me in 8th place overall and earned me first in class B. A below par match, with possibly my worst placing in over a year, but hopefully enough to shake out the cobwebs so i can get started on proper training and focus on upcoming matches, such as the 25yd indoor in Rathdrum next weekend.

Roll on Winter :D