For someone who's "ramping back" I'm still working pretty hard.

[Stitchwiz]

2 more caber logs! Looks like you have all kinds of work to do - of a different variety. Mind you, it is just another group of muscles that you will be using...I hope those logs are peeled already, that will make it so much easier.

[Alan H]

Not peeled! These are within a week of cutting,but the tree has been essentially dead for almost a year, so they're probably pretty dry. The big one is HEAVY. I think this is going to wind up being our A class stickl. With these two logs I have a complete "quiver' for a Games....estimating sizes..

Womens C/lightweight/newbie - eucalyptus - 12 feet, probably 30 pounds
Womens A - cedar, currently unfinished and 17 feet long, which is preposterous. I'll probably cut it down to 15 feet long. It's about 50-55 pounds.

Mens C / Newbie... eucalyptus "ugly stick" about 75 pounds and 14 feet. Unbreakable but seriously UGLY and not all that straight, which is fine for a learning caber.

Mens B / Masters 50's .... two possibilities... the current "Alans Caber" which is 16' 3" and 80 pounds and rather top-heavy. It's redwood and looks very impressive. It gets it's first trial by fire...errr....throw, today at practice. MAN, I hope this doesn't break. Also, I still have the good, old Whomper...15' 8" and 85 pounds. I need to refinish it.

Mens A /Masters 40's ... two possibilities, the two redwood cabers I just got. One is bluidy heavy, significantly 100+ but it has a bend it in at the bottom part that limits the length. I've currently got it cut at 16' 4". We'll see. The other redwood stick is 17' 4" and probably 90-100 pounds when it's barked.

=======================

Last nights practice was hammer winds. Bethany was out, so there was lots of chatter-time between throws because that's how it is with Bethany. That often drives me nuts, but last night it was a good thing. I did 100 in sets of 25, I've been feeling a bit worn-down recently. Then we threw the 12 pound hammer for about 12 throws, each. This is working on Buck and Jakes suggestion that we throw lighter hammers for a while to build some speed. Then Lance and I did 3-4 throws each with the 16. Most of mine were about 80, but Lance dropped a 98 footer out there. He was pretty happy with that.

Then we moved on LWFD, doing about a dozen single turn throws and then "beat the mark" with two-turns. I had my cones out at 45 feet, Lances were at 58. Lance beat the mark 3x / 4. I got it all four times. But the last one was the best. I remember to pause, just a heartbeat as the weight drops to the low point at the back of the first turn, and then I got a good amount of separation at the front. That's what the single-turn throws develop. BOOM 47+. Thats my first time this season out past 47. Man, I was starting to think it would NEVER happen!

WOB and caber tonight, then Jazz group at church.

I'm dealing with some shin splints that are annoying and a pinched nerve in my hand which affects the middle finger of my right hand a bit. It's not terrible, but anything going on with hands is always a concern.

[Alan H]

Next week is off....going camping. Then we have a light one on Tuesday the 16th, then off the rest of the week, and throw at the Duke Kahanamoku H'Island Games. Then a practice on Tuesday and then Martin Roy and I are off to the Vista Games in San Diego.

[Alan H]

WOB on Wednesday went well, though I aggravated the shin splints something fierce. I'm getting 13 feet all day with my 42 pound weight and snuck it over 13' 6" twice...also missed 13' 6" twice. Still and all, 13' 6" was my PR before Costa Mesa, last year.

The caber we used was the redwood trunk that I an da couple of friends retrieved out of the greenbelt next to the shopping center last October. It's been drying since then. It was so heavy that even two months ago I trimmed 8 inches off of the "big end". Now I wish I hadn't! Its' 16' 3" and 80 pounds, pretty topheavy and goes over easily. However, when it lands it has a really solid sound, so as long as I don't give this to some guy like R.K. or C.H. who'll "over-throw" it and break it, I should have this for quite a few years.

Off for a week of vacation, then back for a week and then THE DUKE!

[Stitchwiz]

Enjoy the break, Alan!

[o1d_dude]

Throwing light hammers is a great way to improve your throws.

Concentrate on perfect form and don't measure the distances...it's good to mark the throws with a flag so you can see if you improve on subsequent efforts.

Start with an 8lb hammer, make three throws, and move up to the next heavier hammer.

My hammer stable consists of hammers weighing 8lbs, 10lbs, 12lbs, 14lbs, 16lbs, and 22lbs.

Start measuring when you reach your regulation weight hammers.

This is what I named the Hammer-Rama.

Everyone who has ever tried this program for a season swears by it because it improved their competition throws. Specificity in training is key and having perfect technique ingrained in muscle memory is worth its weight in gold (medals).

At age 64 I was still throwing the heavy hammer in the mid-60's...a far cry from my 74' PR in my 50's but still noteworthy.

I did okay with the hammers when I started throwing at age 51: 94' with the 16, 74' with the 22. It's been all downhill since then. ~sigh~

[Martin Roy]

Good to see you checking in, Kit. I trust all goes well with you. We miss you on the field.

[Alan H]

I echo what Marty said...it's good to see you in here and I wish we got to see you out on the field more, Kit!

A 14 pound hammer is on my birthday list and is supposed to arrive shortly. I think I'll make up a 10 from some extra 2.5 pound standard hole weights that I have lying around.

OK, vacation was wonderful. We went to Plumas-Eureka State Park and hiked for 5 days. The shin splints in my right shin/ankle are completely gone, to be replaced by inflammation in the knee and a ridiculously over-tight gracilis muscle in the other leg. I'm icing the knee, taking magnesium, and foam rolling like a crazy man.

Looks like the Duke Kahanamoku is going to be pretty small this year.

[Alan H]

Yesterdays practice was a hodgepodge. Three of our five "regulars" were otherwise engaged so it was just myself and Lance. The shin splints in my right ankle and shin responded to a week off spent hiking in the mountains and healed up completely. However, I now have a seriously inflamed gracilis muscle in my left leg, which is pulling hard on the inside of my right knee. This has happened before, it comes on from overuse. There's nothing to do but stretch a lot, take some anti-inflammatories, and wear a knee sleeve when I throw....and wait. The Friday weight training plan is on hold until this clears up.

Anyway, back to yesterday. We couldn't get on the grass... 3/4 of the field is currently torn up and being dug up to put in some pipeline orsomething. The other 1/4 is now a dedicated softball field. So we did a Matso and threw from the asphalt onto the bark chips that keep the dust down around the oak trees.

We started with a MESS of throws...I want VOLUME right now... with my 38 pound weight. It's 90% of the weight of our heavy weight for distance, but those 4 missing pounds really help. Both Lance and I took at least 15 throws. For me, as we kept throwing, I put them out there incrementally further, which is good. The idea is to GET OUT OF THE WAY....which I did. Lance just had a horrible practice night, we're not sure why.

After the softball game was over we moved to the grass and threw the 42 pounder. It didn't go very far but after I settled in with the different weight and timing, my positions were good and I was getting good pulls. So that's good. Then we switched to the 28 pound. We did about 6-8 throws each. Lance was just WAY off...I think he needs a break. I, however, was slightly better at keeping my knees tight and hitting the positions and finally started putting throws out past 45 feet regularly. Most were right about 46 feet with one or two threatening 47. FINALLY. This is where I should be....not down at 42-43.

Then we threw some heavy hammer. Lance's next Game is Enumclaw and he can't use blades there, so we practiced throwing without blades. Nothing was particularly spectacular but the best throws of the night were when I relaxed as much as possible. So that really does it. No more "big pull at the end". Forget it. Other guys can do that and throw far, but not me. I need radius, so RELAX it is.

Tonight will be light hammer, going for R-E-L-A-X and then on to The Duke Kahanamolu H'Island Games on Sunday.

[Alan H]

GREAT practice last night. Nobody else showed and I had two hours to myself. That doesn't happen very often any more.

In summary, let's just say that I put a mess of LWFD throws out to 48 feet, and two at 50. I pulled tape and put a cone out there. THis is a 4-5 foot improvement over what I've been doing nearly all season. YES.

Then I did 4 x 25 hammer winds and threw some hammer to unremarkable results but I was pretty tired by then.

My left knee is complaining. I've got it wrapped, I'm eating advil like it's candy and icing it every morning for a half hour.