my own sickness

No, i didn't send, thank you very much. But i do have bilateral bicep tendonitis. So for therapy, i went back in today for two days in a row. my hands are definitely strong enough, but i just can't lock it off with the agony in my biceps. It's like fire. But convincing myself that i need rest is like convincing an anorexic that she's not a fat cow. On the plus side, i have in the meantime sent a whole bouquet of cool 3s, and i'm pretty confident that if i can take the next two days off, i can send that 4. And it's a legitimate 4. Ibuprofen makes me happy, but it does not make me strong.

At the end of aforementioned Thurs. workout i started working a tricky v3, but didn't send because i couldn't get my hands to stay shut 'round the dinosaur egg sloper before the final move. Today i went in and sent it for a warmup. Fun climb. Then i gave 5 or six burns to a v4. i think i finally had the crux (final) move worked out. Dig the complication: the second to last hold is a bad layback crimp for the left hand maybe 18 inches above yer right. Feet are way out left on bad holds to keep tension on that left hand. For The Move, you paste yer left foot way up high-- about eight feet high in fact, rock up as high on it as possible, and jump up and out as it's an overhang. If you stick the final jug, your right hand has moved about four feet. Anyhow, i set up for that throw, got my feet up, and on a whim, i glanced down to make sure i could still see the Earth. Lo, and there was a six year old kid lying on the damned crash pad staring up at my ass with his head exactly where i was planning to chaotically jam my heels shortly-- just kinda kickin' it smiling up at me. Being the humanitarian that i am, instead of going for it, i hung there for a sec taking it in and then yelled at him. Presumeably i was fierce enough, 'cuz he darted. i dropped and looked about me incredulously at the relatively large group watching me who'd done absolutely nothing about a kid spontaneously deciding to get a tan in the obvious ground-zero of a 200 lb. walrus dangling from on high.

But i will send on mon. God allowing. i was there for almost two hours. That makes a good workout.

24.1.8

Snowboarding was enlightening. And refreshing. i climbed on Tues. and Thurs. It was so bad on Tues. that i didn't really count it as a workout, so i went back yesterday. Yesterday was better. i pulled down some hard routeage, and i feel like i can seriously start projecting v4 again. i just gotta get back in the irongym, but i can't seem to find any motivation. Instead, i'm sitting here on my off day feeling sorry for myself. i have this recurring daydream of what it'd be like to have a workout partner. Hell, i'd settle for your basic run-of-the-mill friend. i think i need more than a long weekend: i think i need a long move.

14/1/8

Catchup again. weighed in at 202.4 lbs. today. went climbing today and sat. and probably also the thurs. before. i don't think i've gained much weight-- or rather, i haven't gained any weight. i think i've just converted some more muscle weight to fat. At any rate, between thurs. and now i sent four project v3s. At least two of those were on the very hard end of 3. i think i'm getting close to 4 again, strength-wise after the tendon damage. But i'm definitely seeing the effects of a weak core and upper arms. i can latch onto stuff that i can't pull through. i've got some kind of stupid mental block about hauling m' arse back into the iron gym. i have got to, but it's almost a painful prospect. we need some encouragement on this end. Maybe a snowboarding trip to Wolf Creek'd do the trick... hmmm

5.1.8

Today i did nothing. Nuh. Theeng. Nada. Yesterday, however, as well as the day before, i went climbing. It convinced me of two things. Or rather, it convinced me of at least two things. That is to say, i'll start out with two things i was convinced of, and if i feel like it, or if it just seems somehow appropriate, i'll add in more things, which i might very well find i have also been convinced of. And i will do so without apology. First, i am actually as fat as i was afraid i might be. Incredible how gravity takes an extra handful of kilos and runs with it. There was significantly more gravity in that climbing gym than i remembered.

Second, rest is terribly useful-- maybe as useful as all those training rags, and books, and gurus make it out to be. In spite of the extra gravity, i was pulling on stuff i couldn't pull on just before we left for vacation.

Third, the wrong kind of rest is no so bueno. After less than two weeks off my forearms are sore-- as in, it-hurts-to-click-on-the-mouse sore; as in shifting-gears-(while-beneficial)-might-just-finish-off-a-tendon sore.

Fourth, sitting on my ass for 14 hours a day and drinking hard liquor in available free moments turns out to be the wrong kind of rest.

At any rate, the gym had a comp on friday, so there's lots of fun new routes up, and they bought a ton of new plastic for it. It's eerie how if you climb enough you start recognizing the same holds reused on different routes. New holds are our friends.

Regreso

Lessee here... two weeks of sitting on my butt doing nothing more strenuous than breathing is drawing to an end. i'm consoling myself with the thought that my finger and bicep tendons have had some serious down-time to knit. Now if i can lose the 5 or so lbs. i've certainly packed on, i may just be back in business. Must..find... motivation...