The week in review

i'll recap just so's i can remember on which day i did which workout. Wed. i went in for a quick climb sesh before physics lab. Got nothing to speak of, but ten minutes before lab started i roped another guy into working a project with me, and he got me into one of his so i was a half-hour late for lab. It was so nice working with another human on a project that i didn't really care. And it was a good thing: they'd only gotten about one page into the lab when i showed up for it. (Non-calc based physics, it turns out, does not attract the brightest stars in the firmament.) Anyhow, i went back as soon as lab was out (speaking of giving one's tendons plenty of time to heal), and while i didn't get the finish holds i wanted, the collective 50 or 60 tries on sundry v4s ended up being a hardcore workout. Then i went back on Thurs. for a semi-short session. Yesterday (fri.) i did my first hour-long run in a while. Felt superb.

Nerd note: The first half of the run (the out) is nearly totally uphill (so the back, of course, is all downhill), and with the monitor i kept my HR nearly constant both ways. You'd think that at a given HR i'd be doing a relatively constant amount of work (i.e., wattage would be somewhat similar) or else i'd be doing more work for less speed going uphill, so that at a constant HR over a fixed distance it'd take way less time to get back than to get out. Interestingly, it took me about one minute longer to get out than back-- and remember that's in an hour-long run. All i can figure is that i'm an outta-shape cow, and for the same HR on the way back (downhill) my legs were torched; else i'm a hellish good hill climber, and'm breaking some thermodynamic laws. i'm going with the first theory in spite of my ego. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see if that gap widens when i get in better shape.

Oh, and i'll go ahead and commit myself to hitting the weights today, just to be held accountable. Nastrovya.

Mondayless Monday

Fairly productive day today. That is because i like buying new toys. Went to the irongym today, and got some new protein. i am beyond weak: i am feeble. Ok, really it's mostly my triceps/the-whole-front-of-my-body that's feeble, but who notices the other parts? All that to say that dips didn't go so well today. i just can't find my rhythm in there. Went running yesterday-- 45 mins. or so with the spiffy new Cardiosport. i do like HR monitors. They're nice slave drivers. Got stopped at a red light, and this hottie turned the corner in front of me, and my instinct said, "Pass. Smoke. A girl is ahead of you." But my monitor settled the matter, 'cuz i was climbing outta my zone. i could'a beat her though. i just know it. So anyhow, i think the run leeched some of my hit-points, 'cuz i was sorta draggin' knuckle in the gym. Kinda' kept the session skeletal, but i did up the amperage on a few workouts. Then i went to Home Despot and snagged a Dremel tool. Beautiful piece o' machinery, that. i'm off to christen it even now.

Oh, and i just finished Ron Paul's book, The Revolution: A Manifesto. If you haven't read it yet, Amazon it and read. Everyone in America should be required to read it. You won't think of America the same way afterwards. Peace.

...and more...

Had an hour 'twixt classes yesterday, so i went in for a second day in a row, making for a dense climbing week so far. Didn't tag my proj, but i did stick everything up to the final crux consistently: maybe 5 outta 6 times instead of the 1 outta 4 times as on tues. That was nice. Turns out the final move is just bloody hard, and a wee bit scary to boot. Starts from under an overhang-- hands on a big undercling flake, right foot on a bad jib, left foot smeared on the wall. Lunge up with the right to a full hand span pinch, then stab leftward with a foot to a horrible cabinet-knob sized sloper. Then you wrench your body in close to that pinch whilst dropping the left knee and tensioning between those feet so you can let go with the left hand and reach for a teensy side-pull crimp. Then you reach through and upward right for a terrible sloped pinch, establish feet under, then shoot way out again with the left foot to torque into another full knee drop so as to let go of the crimp to reach for manky pinch. If you get that, then somehow you uncoil from the dropknee without barndooring off, and dyno for the finish jug on the roof. Problem is you're crazy off-balance, contorted, and have a solid eight feet of air 'neath your shoes. i skate off of one or the other of the feet every time i get to that point trying to reverse the knee drop without losing contact.

It's a brilliant route. It's one of those routes that's obviously fun to watch someone do. Every time i've worked on it someone's appeared from out of nowhere to gimme a "C'mon! Get that!" Yesterday these two kids were watching when i dropped and one of 'em said, "Is that hard? That looks hard." It really isn't all that hard, of course (since it's within my feeble reach), but it looks cool. At any rate, i didn't tag it, but i think all i need is a clear, strong day.

Did get a hard 3 that i couldn't get a few weeks before, so that was a good sign.

Also got my new Cardiosport Graph X HR monitor in today, so now i have new motivation to take my puffy arse out running. Can't have my brother outrunning me.

more

Classes started up again on mon., so i'm trying to find my groove. Did sneak a climbsesh in today. i've been working a v4 project for a few days of it now. It's the kind of 4 that's not so much pumpy as it is just gruesome form-dependent. For example, my dumb foot pops off the starting hold probably 4 outta 5 tries, which doesn't give me that much time on it for a proper pump. And then i've delaminated several times from this weird coiled-up, drop-knee position going for the second to last hold. Very frustrating. i'm sure it'll fall if i can just make it in to the gym with my head on and clear for once. So i didn't get it today, but it was still a good workout. After i gave the proj a few burns, i did a fast circuit of a 3 and as many 2s and 1s and 0s as i could squish in, as fast as i could do 'em before i was Cajun-style blackened. Haven't made it in to the irongym yet this week. Too many scheduling conflicts so far. Still don't have a baby on the outside yet, but she's looking to bust free any minute. And Annie graduated kindergarten tonight.

Deep Cleansing Breath

Right, and i clumb on fri. Not worth mentioning really. Clumb today, and that went something better. Sent a 4- that i couldn't link on fri. Last time i thought it was bloody sandbagged 3, and i was much discouraged at my wussiousness. Looked a bit closer today, and after adjusting my bifocals found it to be v4-. Fell off it a coupla' times, and after dislocating m' shoulder on the crux move, sent it. It definitely wasn't a hard 4, but it fo' schmizzle weren't no 3. Then i sent a 3 that'd thrown me 20 or so times. Flippin' balancy, scrunchy thing. Finally said poop on it, and dynoed past the crux for the finish. Didn't look too french doing it, but it was an all-points dyno, and there's something magical-- even Disneyesque-- about seeing an elephant flying through the air. Had Aeon with me, so there was a bit of a hurried air to the whole workout. i find that when v4 is one's redpoint limit, it's a fine idea to warm up on something easier than a v4. And one of these days i might have enough time for that.

bleh

i think i climbed on thurs. It was thurs. or fri. One of those days. Definitely not sat. At any rate, i was not healed from tues. (or maybe it was wed.), which was not such a superdeedooper Klettertag either. i did link through the crux on my pet v4 once, and my verdammte foot popped off a polished, but otherwise Volkswagon-sized hold just before the top-out. Thing is, i was too tired to even care much. It's been a real bad sleep week. Tonight i went in to the irongym for a half-assed workout, and am presently digesting 50 of Benadryl with some chianti and an IPA, which partly accounts for the slurped speech. Weighed in at 201 at the gym. i would almost move to Snyder for a workout partner and some motivation. Woke up this morning dreaming of my triathlon gym. i will now drown my irritation in a game of WormWorld Party, and bend all my willpower into not having more beer or a dip. Shalom.