I'm really enjoying these bouldering problems in the "cave" section of my gym. It's neat trying to figure out how to scend these routes where I am basically on my back for most of the time.
I'm no where close to scending this V4 route. But I like the part at :16 where I do a triple bump, and how I control both of my swings.
I of course fell as soon as I got out of frame!
Got stuck at the top, but managed to pull it off.
I finally scended this tall-ish, slanted yellow v3 this morning at Planet Granite, after falling from it dozens of times over the last few visits to the gym.
The crux (hardest part) was that handhold second from the top, which I could never hang on to. Finally I figured out by stabilizing my left foot on that long hold, I was able to more easily boost up to grab that handhold. The rest was gravy.
Here's how it felt to scend that route this morning.
Finally scended this kinda scary v2 problem after getting stuck at the crux in the middle forever. Felt really great to top it!
At Planet Granite SF.
This week, after a few weeks off recuperating from a mild A2 pulley strain, I finally got back on the rock. My first session back was definitely a struggle bus on even the easiest problems. I was just really paranoid about re-injuring myself.
But this morning I felt almost normal and really enjoyed climbing again.
The highlight was sending this one purple problem that had been messing with me for awhile. It's deceptively simple, but that first hold is the crux. At least for me.
An older figure I know has devoted his entire life to his profession. He’s excellent at it. It's also the only thing he has practiced with any kind of dedication or passion for the last 40 or so years of his life. So now that he is in retirement age, he doesn't have much else that interests him. So he clings to his work, when he should be enjoying his golden years.
Another influential figure in my life has always been a huge foodie. He loved to cook, enjoyed eating out, was obsessed with all the cooking shows. Sadly, he has slowly lost the ability to taste food as he has grown older. He has stopped cooking and doesn't the same joy out of dining out or experiencing new flavors and cuisines.
I write this to remind myself of the importance of cultivating a variety of passions in one’s life.
There is the temptation to devote oneself to the singular pursuit of one thing -- your job, your partner, a specific form of art. It's a tendency that I am particularly prone to. But what if something happens to make that part of your life no longer available?
I love dancing so much. But what would happen if dancing were no longer possible, if my body no longer cooperated with my spirit? Where would I find my joy? I don't know the answer to that, and that kind of scares me.
Much of the other things I pursue are also very focused on the body and movement: rock climbing, running, biking. What if I couldn’t continue to do those things?
When I was younger I used to have many quieter, more calm pursuits: long-form reading, writing poetry, meditation, tai chi. I feel like I need to more diligently nurture those practices, or they won’t be readily available to me when I need them.
Your hobbies and activities are kind of like plants in your spiritual vegetable garden. If you only grow spinach and the crop goes bad, what will you eat? Better to have a variety of pursuits growing in your life, so if one were to wither, you would still have something else to fill you up inside, to feel satisfied.
I’m going to meditate on that for a bit... After I get back from the climbing gym.
At the beginning of the month I got the most common injury that rock climbers get. It isn't a leg, arm or head injury. It's to the tiniest muscles that have to bear all of your weight: your fingers.
Specifically, I have what's called an A2 Pulley Strain. Your fingers are composed of tendons, sheaths around those tendons called "pulleys," and ligaments. When the tendons in your finger are overstressed -- which is common in rock climbing -- the pulley can develop tears or completely rupture. This can result in what is rather grossly called "bowstringing."
I developed a less severe version of this in my right middle finger, I believe on March 2. It didn't immediately cause any pain or make audible "pop" which others have reported. Instead it slowly got more and more achy over time.
By the next morning, I couldn't make a fist with my right hand without it hurting quite a bit. It's been slowly getting better over the past weeks, but putting weight on it is still out of the question.
It's been quite frustrating not being able to climb. I have really enjoyed my three climbs a week. And I think that my body has generally been strengthening as a result.
But I'm also counting my blessings that it is apparently just a strain and not a complete rupture, which can take many months to fully heal.
In the meanwhile, I've been researching therapeutic techniques to speed up the healing process. These rice exercises and stretches seem quite helpful and easy to do.
I'm hoping by next weekend I can start to test out gently climbing again. Crossing fingers (except for that middle one)!
I'm entering 2018 feeling pretty great.
This month I relaxed my paleo-focused diet to introduce more carbs during one of my meals, which so far has not had much of any impact on anything, other than reintroducing me to the joys of sandwiches and burritos. Mmm, sandwiches.
Activity-wise, I'm climbing about three times a week, running 2-3 days, and jump-roping 2-3 days a week. My jump-rope technique is getting better -- I can typically do an entire song with only the occasional mess-up. I did 35 pull-ups this morning before I couldn't do any more. I could probably get to 40 pretty easily.
Nothing else major to report, at least until my carb experiment is done at the end of next week. I predict it won't have much of an impact and I can keep it up.
For the past year or so, I've been doing various versions of no-sugar, no-carb / low-carb dieting. I've found it really helpful for my health, energy, weight, and general well-being. And for the most part really easy and tasty.
I've been going on the assumption that these dietary practices have been activating the ketosis metabolic response, and the resulting health gains supposedly associated with that. But I don't know that for sure.
So like a good scientist, I'm going to experiment. For the next couple of weeks I'm going to be re-introducing healthy carbs into my diet, just for one meal a day, to see if it has any impact on anything. Still following the no-sugar practice, outside of my cheat day. And continuing to eat a high-protein, high-veg diet.
I started yesterday with a delicious taco and a pupusa for lunch in the Mission. Today I'm getting brown rice with my usual poke bowl. Woah.
FOR SCIENCE!
This V2 and the similar one next to it at Planet Granite was kicking my ass the last week or so.
Today I got over the weirdness of hanging upside down and sent it. Actually really easy, after I got over that feeling.
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