Friday glee is concentrating on training

[rydra_wong]

The Friday post of glee is where you get to tell us about your climbing-related happiness this week.

It can be a new achievement or adventure, or just that you climbed and had fun; it can be that your favourite climbing wall is expanding or that you bought new rock shoes or that you found a cool ice-climbing vid on YouTube. No glee is too small -- or too big. Members are encouraged to cheer each other on and share the squee.

N.B. Please feel free to post your glee on any day of the week; the Friday glee is just to get the ball rolling.

To enhance this week's glee: there's been some noise and discussion about Daniel Woods completing a long-standing project -- in the gym.

To show that this is not altogether new, here's legend Malcolm Smith repeating one of the indoor problems that he used while training for his second ascent of Hubble at the age of 18.

Comments

[emperor]

Hah, my project routes are around the F6B/F6B+ level, so not cool enough to be left around! I remember turning up one week convinced I was going to get the clean lead, only to find the route gone. Gutting.

[rydra_wong]

I HATE it when that happens.

Though there was one day at the start of this year when I started working on a problem and was close to getting it juuuuust as the staff started taking that circuit down (I'd tried the problem a few times when it first went up, but not had the crucial beta for part of it).

I looked so pathetic that they agreed to start stripping holds on the other side of the room, so I had the time until they worked their way round round to where I was.

So I was racing against the clock to get it, and for once I did; it was hilarious and wonderful.

[wpadmirer]

I hate that. I've only had it happen a couple of times in the five years I've been climbing, but I agree, it's gutting. My gym is not a huge one, and they rotate through the various walls, so problems generally stay up at least three months, but sometimes that's not long enough. (grin)

[rydra_wong]

I have surprising amounts of glee because my pull-ups and fingerboard work actually seem to be progressing. I'm fairly sure it's all neural recruitment at this stage, but it'd be really nice to return to climbing with stronger fingers and shoulders.

(I just need to make sure I don't trash my elbows ...)

[wpadmirer]

Whoo-hoo!

Yes, be careful of those elbows. When I first started climbing I developed terrible tendenitis in my left elbow. I would come out of the gym with my elbow hot to the touch! OW! But lots of icing and working on the finger boards in the gym slowly and regularly to strengthen my forearms has made the problem virtually disappear.

You might try icing your elbows after you work on the boards, as a preventative. Maybe it would help?

[rydra_wong]

Yes, I got elbow tendonitis a few months after I first started climbing, which is when I learned that eccentric exercises are magic and that Dodgy Elbows is the manual.

(And a home-made wrist roller, and some Zottman curls, and knuckling out any trigger points I could find ....)

I've had a few twinges in recent days, so I decided it was time to haul out my trusty sledgehammer and get some prehab in.

[wpadmirer]

Thanks for the link! I've never seen eccentric exercises for the elbow. I found some for my hip, back when I having huge problems. Those do work well.

[rydra_wong]

Yes, I think they ought to hand out that pdf to every climbing gym newbie. It worked like magic for me.

[wpadmirer]

I'm only climbing once a week right now. I haven't heard from my regular partner in three weeks. I have no idea what is going on with her. But my secondary partner is climbing with me every Friday morning.

The walking in the warm pool has helped tremendously with my endurance, and to top it off I've lost 10 lbs in the three weeks I've been doing it!

[rydra_wong]

Yay endurance!

Is this the same climbing partner who keeps having bizarre accidents? With her track record, I'd find radio silence rather worrying ...

[wpadmirer]

Yeah, it's the same partner. (sigh) I swear, I have no idea what goes on in her life, but it must not be normal.

[emperor]

Once a week is about all I manage ATM, too. Still, enough to keep things ticking over, I find. I'm slooooowly getting better...

[rydra_wong]

Yay improvement, at least!

[astridv]

Tomorrow it might not rain, so I may (may!) be able to climb, albeit with wet shoes.
There might even be some sun if we're really lucky.
sigh. Times like this I seriously wish I lived in Utah or Florida.

Love the vid of the boulder problem. I always like to see the failed attempts along with the complete route.

[rydra_wong]

Crossed fingers for good weather! One of my essential items for outdoor climbing is a tea towel for cleaning mud and dirt off my climbing shoes before they touch the rock.

Yes, I really like seeing the process of working on a problem.

[astridv]

I used to wipe the soles of my shoes on my pant legs. ;) Until it occurred to me to bring a rag for this purpose.

[rydra_wong]

I often end up doing that anyway, if the tea towel's too far away or already too muddy. *g*

[wpadmirer]

There's no outdoor climbing in Florida. Our highest point in Florida is 300 feet above sea level. (sigh) But we do have great rock gyms. (grin)