Yesterday Buell riders from all around the country made one last ride to the Buell factory in East Troy, Wisconsin to pay tribute to a unique marque as it nears its end. The last Buell is scheduled to roll off the assembly line Friday and 180 workers will be out of a job on December 18th. Hat tip to Black on Bad Web.

Never Let Go is a collection of Dan John's writings on strength and conditioning training. Subtitled "A Philosophy of Lifting, Living, and Learning", it provides a pragmatic approach to navigating the tangled web of information about health, fitness, and athletic training. A certain amount of strength and conditioning is necessary for good health and is fundamental to fitness and athletic performance. How much and what kind depends on your goals, and Dan emphasizes that you need to need to stay focused on your goals.

The main points of Dan's strength and conditioning philosophy are:

1. The Body is One Piece.
2. There are three kinds of strength training:
   • Putting weight overhead
   • Picking it off the ground
   • Carrying it for time and distance
3. All training is complementary.

Each chapter is a lesson in the guise of an entertaining and enlightening story told by a master practitioner of the strength arts. Reading and rereading these stories will help you in your own strength practice, whether as a coach, athlete, or fitness enthusiast. As you read it you will sometimes think "I knew that", while realizing that you've just reached a better understanding. Dan teaches movements rather than muscles and you need to train the full spectrum of normal movement. However, if you try to emphasize everything, you end up emphasizing nothing, so he recommends a warm up that works a variety of movements which allows you to focus on specific goals in the main workout.

Since the body adapts to novel stresses, everything works but nothing works forever. Combined with everyone's unique genetics and history, this implies that you should try different things long enough to see how they work for you. If they don't work, move on to something else. If they do, continue with them until you stop progressing, then try something else. Keep a training log so you'll know what has worked in the past and can profitably be repeated.

"Never Let Go" is a worthwhile and enjoyable read for just about anyone. It's a great book on the pursuit of althleticism that should be read and re-read by anyone with more than a passing interest in health, fitness, and/or sports performance.

While LSD (Long Slow Distance) type training is most popular for cardio, research has shown that sprint intervals like the Tabata Protocol are more effective for developing VO2 max. In Viking Warrior Conditioning, Kenneth Jay presents interval training protocols that he's developed using kettlebell snatches. I enjoyed the book though it's a bit pricey for the amount of material presented.

I'm using his basic protocol of 15 seconds of snatches with the left arm followed by 15 seconds of rest, then 15 seconds of snatches with the right arm followed by 15 seconds of rest and find it to be a nice challenge. In addition to the cardiovascular conditioning, this develops the explosive power needed for the Highland Games Heavy Athletics events.

I spent the day at a Highland Games throwing clinic hosted by RMSA and coached by Sean Betz. It was fun and I learned a lot. This was the most throwing I've done in one day, so I was ready for a shower, dinner, and an early night afterward.

I decided to start my throwing season early (and get a break from winter) by competing in the Arizona Highland Games in Phoenix on February 21st and 22nd. The weather was beautiful so I drove most of the way down there and back with the top down.

My 50+ Men's Masters class competed on Saturday along with the Men's Pro/Am, Men's Light Weight (under 190 pound) and Men's 40 to 49 Masters classes. I didn't see much of the other classes Saturday. RMSA's own Lowell Thompson won the 190s. I ended up 5th, but set several personal records despite not throwing much since September. My focus on rehab, strength, and conditioning with some footwork drills has payed off. Afterward, I had dinner with an old friend and colleague at Mi Patio a nice little Mexican restaurant.

On Sunday I watched the Men's A, B, and C, and the Women's Open and World Championship classes. I tried to watch everyone, but focused the latter. I was rewarded with some outstanding performances, including a world record in the Women's Heavy Hammer and near miss in the Women's Weight for Height.

Not enough snow near by, so my wife and I went to Frisco Sunday and Monday to try out our new snowshoes at the Nordic Center there. Since it was our first time out, I booked a private tour. If you can walk, you can snowshoe, but there is some technique involved, and having someone experienced to guide us was helpful. Snowshoeing is easy on bum knees, and we had a great time.

I've been playing with Google Spreadsheets. Putting my Highland Games results in a Google spreadsheet is pretty easy and seems like a good way to share data. I'm still waiting for results from the Long's Peak games.

I competed in the RMSA Fall Fling Highland Games yesterday. I'm happy with my performance, improving in several events. My knees have continued to get better and I've had fun. The Highland Games atmosphere is competitive, but friendly.

I finally turned a caber, so I'm beginning to feel like a real heavy events athlete. Now, if I can just get the spinning down for the weight for distance events.

I competed in the Longs Peak Highland Games today. They're larger and better known than the other games that I've entered, with athletes from as far away as Ontario, Canada. I did reasonably well, with a personal best in the 16# hammer. I still haven't turned a caber, but I'm getting better control over the beast, so with a little more practice, I should be there.

I competed in Master's Class at the Rushmore Highland Games in Rapid City, SD.

16# Open Stone 19.00 ft. (12)

16# Hammer 41.37 ft. (11)

16# Sheaf Toss 12 ft. (11)

42# Weight for Distance 15.52 (11)

Caber Toss 72# by 15 ft., didn't turn it but got 30 degrees, (11)

28# Weight for Distance 23.11 ft. (10)

42# Weight for Height 10 ft (6)

Over all 2514 points (decathlon scoring) for 11th place out of 12.

Making progress as these are all better than I did at Highlands Ranch with the exception of Open Stone. I put a 17# stone 17.95 ft. Braemar style there, and should be good for over 20 ft. using a glide.

I competed in my first Highland Games today, the Rocky Mountain Highland Games in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. I had fun, learned a lot, and wasn't last in everything, so it was a successful experiment.

Tactical Strength Challenge @ Front Range CrossFit

I placed 21st out the the 22 men there. Pretty sure I was the oldest.

• Deadlift - 350#
• Pull-ups - 8 reps
• Kettlebell Snatch, 24kg, 5 min, 57 reps

I'm pleased with my performance, though there's room for improvement.

I spent the day at the Sean Betz throwing clinic sponsored by Rocky Mountain Scottish Athletes. It was held at Sidecreek Park in Aurora. Weather was a factor. It started out sunny and even got a little warm by early afternoon, then turned colder and was snowing by late afternoon. It was an excellent introduction to the Highland Games events and I learned a lot, to say nothing of getting a good workout. Now I need a hot bath.

Audi has announced that a new turbo diesel engine will be available in both the TT coupe and convertible versions of their all wheel drive sports car. If the sell it in the U.S., it might be a good successor to my Honda S2000. 40 MPG sounds pretty good with rising fuel prices.

I've registered to compete in the master's division of the Longs Peak Highland Games in September. Now I need to buy a kilt and train hard.

11:20 workout @ Home

• Warm-up
• Deadlift - 135#*5, 185*5, 205*5, 225*5, 230*5
• Sit-ups - 40
• Half Quad Extension
  • Right - 40# * 30
  • Left - 80# * 30
• Lat Pull-down 200#*3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1

After lunch went out back and practiced the Braemer Stone (28#) throw. My best throw was 15' for a new PR. Now if only I could keep improving by a couple of feet each week.

From the Ground Up sumarizes Dan John's thoughts on weight lifting for fitness and athletic training. He presents a simple program with a bar and some weights as the only equipment required. This he believes is sufficient for for fitness, health, or athletic pursuits to the national level. He presents a "Rapid Ascent Program" suitable for beginners consisting of a warm-up and three sets of three whole body exercises (power clean, standing press, and front squat). He then goes on to the Olympic lifts, the Snatch and the Clea and Jerk, which develop the strength, speed, and coordination essential to many athletic endeavors. Later chapters cover nutrition, rest, and training for lifting and throwing competition. Whether you just want to improve your fitness and health, or are interested in competing in sports, this free e-book is a valuable resource.

Crossfit WOD "Tabata Something Else"

09:30 workout @ Boulder Crossfit

Eight 20 second work, 10 second rest intervals for each of: pull-up, push-up, sit-up, squat with no extra rest between exercises. Record reps.

• Pull-up 23
• Push-up 120
• Sit-up 60
• Squat 130
• Total 333

After the WOD we played around with kettlebells for a bit and I learned the kettlebell snatch.

After lunch I tried throwing the Braemer Stone (28#). My best throw was only 13 feet, but you have to start somewhere.

While rummaging around the Internet looking for training tips applicable to the Highland Games, I discovered Get Up!, a free newsletter published by lifting and throwing coach Dan John. It's a great resouce. It's mission is to teach that:

1. The Body is One Piece
2. There are three kinds of strength training:
   • Putting weight overhead
   • Picking it off the ground
   • Carrying it for time or distance
3. All training is complementary.

I saw my orthopedist and he's pleased with the progress my knee has made. I need to keep exercising it and working to increase the range of motion. I've been thinking of entering Highland Games competition this year to provide some focus for my training. The doc pointed out that this could stress the knees, but said I should go for it if it's something I want to do.

Yesterday I selected 16# and 28# throwing stones from out behind the house. I'll continue to use CrossFit for conditioning, but begin biasing it towards strength in a month or so.