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

**Alan H** · 31st August 15, 12:00 PM

There is finally progress with my knee. It's nowhere near 100% but it's up from, oh...call it 66% to 80% strength and function. With luck I will be able to throw at Rio Linda on the 12th. It will probably be a pathetic outing, as I haven't really practiced for 3 months, but that's OK.

This mornings weight - 290.6. That is EXCELLENT progress.

**Martin Roy** · 31st August 15, 12:50 PM

That is a GREAT start. Keep it up. Who needs a muffin anyway?

Re Rio Linda: Pathetic is a matter of perception. Given the circumstances, stepping to the line to throw is a win.

Just plan on having fun and enjoying it. I would bet money that you'll do better than you expect.

**Alan H** · 3rd September 15, 02:15 PM

I threw on Monday with Bethany and numbers weren't good but they weren't awful, either. Everything was fine until I picked up a caber....even the small one that I brought for B. Bad. Very Bad. Running and stopping hard set my knee back probably a month. 'eff.

We'll see how it goes at Pleasanton with the Shock Doctor on that knee.

I can probably throw at Rio Linda, and just skip caber. I won't set any PR's but I won't be grossly off of my usual numbers.

**Alan H** · 13th September 15, 06:10 PM

I threw at the Rio Linda Community Fair yesterday. We had about fifteen athletes out on a hot, overcast and humid day. My numbers are off and I have no staying power, but it was hardly "terrible".

WOB...took three throws to clear TEN lousy feet. It was miles high enough I just wasn't staying with the throw. 11 and 12 were easy. I had plenty of height for 13, just couldn't get it over the bar. My issue is 'leaving it out in front".

B stone...21+ stone, kind of a weird shape. Went 24+. That's kind of sucky for me but it's not horrible. I'd be hoping for 26 if I were cranking on all cylinders.

O-stone 29' 9". Just under 30. Poop. I always want 30. So that's a drag but not a meltdown.

Caber...I couldn't even come close to turning the big Gorilla-taped 18 footer/105 pounder, but I picked it and ran it up halfway decently. After two tries with that, I picked up the 17 maybe 17' 6" , 65-70 pounder and laid that down twice. I can't drive the stick like I want to because of my knee, but it's MUCH better now...better even than last week at Pleasanton.

Then we had a break for about half an hour....

Heavy WFD..this was just pathetic. Worst event of the day...27' 7" or something. I was all over the place. I have no leg strength.

Light WFD... not good but better than the heavy. Topped out at 43-something. I really should be consistently over 45 but considering that I haven't lifted a weight or thrown, essentially for 3 1/2 months, that's not so bad.

H Hammer...fouled one at 60, went 59+ on the second one and screwed the pooch on the last one. Really tired by this point, and not sinking into my stance at all.

L Hammer was horrible...I just could not find the groove and was seriously exhausted.. 72-something, about 70 and ugh....65

Then I went and threw my friend Miguels 80-something pound rock a few times, and chucked his beer keg a few times. There is video.

Great day, good fun and not a terrible showing, all things considered.

**Martin Roy** · 15th September 15, 10:12 AM

I think I just won a bet but I don't know who will actually pay.

**Alan H** · 15th September 15, 04:53 PM

Is it me? What did I bet?

**Martin Roy** · 16th September 15, 10:27 AM

You're off the hook. I said, "I would bet money" that you were going to do better than expected at Rio Linda. But, technically, you never took the bait, I mean bet. Thus, I won, but there are no losers stepping forward as yet to pay up for betting against you.

**Alan H** · 6th October 15, 12:40 PM

I competed at the new "Big Trees Highland Games" in Felton CA this past weekend. Everybodys numbers were "off", myself included. Really? A 27 foot open stone? That was a 30-footer for sure, I stuck it hard, got some "flick" on it and.........it goes 3 feet less than my usual. Meh. We were throwing uphill. I was a foot-plus off in WOB. I've been clearing 13 in practice and couldn't even get 12 on Game Day. I notched one decent number all day, a 29 foot heavy weight throw.

Then again, we threw caber DOWN-hill and I got three turns on a pretty good stick, so that's nice.

It was a fun day, highlighted by the enthusiasm of a bunch of new throwers that I've been training, but marred by two unpleasant interactions with our announcer. I may have had enough of this.

Anyway, the season is a wash. It's hosed. I'm off to Ventura this Friday with Martin Roy to talk trash in the truck, deliver cabers, eat BBQ, soak in the hot tub and generally be an Obnoxious Old Guy for the weekend. THAT will be fun.

**Martin Roy** · 6th October 15, 12:55 PM

Amen to that

**Alan H** · 7th October 15, 12:22 PM

I had the last practice of the 2014-2015 season last night and for once it was a real practice. I actually *threw* with intent to do better. New Guy Josh A. showed up and while we didn't have the number of people needed to set up the sheaf standards, we still threw. I dreamed up a drill to help him with his tendency to throw far, far *behind* him, rather than UP. I put a sheaf on the ground about 10 feet behind him and a little to his left. The challenge was to chuck the other sheaf at about 2/3's power, up, and then down so that when it hits the ground, it actually hits the sheaf placed behind you.

It took us both a while to do it, but I got it about 3-4 times and he got it twice. We figured out why he was throwing "backwards" so much and that's a *Win*.

Now, just easy gym time, stretching and rest and I'm off to Ventura on Friday.