Even More Entertaining...

With no power to stop it from happening, i was drawn back to the climbgym yesterday. i taped my ring finger, then i taped that to my pinkie, such that it was practically splinted. i warmed up thoroughly on ye olde hangboard on two-finger pockets. i did some routes. Finally jumped on a v3 i'd done at the comp (turns out much to my delight that i snagged a little handful of 3s in the comp), but i needed my crimper. i detaped, but it hurt a lot to put the crank down on the ring finger. So i figured out how to crimp with two fingers, and i sent. Then the guy i was working with and i went to the route i hurt myself on (as misery loveth company and i wanted him to hurt himself too.) He couldn't get it all linked up before he had to go, but we were fiddling with sequences and he says, "Hey, isn't that hold over there on? That's green tape." And i stare at this foothold in disbelief and loathing. i says that i bet that stupid foot would make the whole thing go static. So i jump on the damn thing, drop a knee on that hold, and reach up calm-like and snag the finish. If i'd just seen that stupid lump of plastic i wouldn't'a nearly popped a tendon.

Sigh

But i am thankful to God that the damage doesn't seem to be anywhere nearly as bad as i thought it was going to be. By the end of the work session i was working a new 3 and yarding on a three-finger closed crimp, and it wasn't bugging me much at all. i still have to baby it a li'l, but i really thought i wasn't gonna be able to even bend it for a month.

i did your green taped problem in the corner straight across from the boulder. (i think it was the first one you guys did.) It's a v1, but Don and i independently agreed that it was about as hard as v1 gets. It's a little thin and crimpy for v1. i was very impressed. That was a cool problem, and v1 doesn't usually have cool moves on. Then i went and looked at the results for the comp. i'm guessing you didn't turn yer paper in, G, but Bryant was on there and decisively clinched 27th place out of 27 males, with 25 points racked up. Heh heh... Yeah, there were some 7 y.o. girls that beat you, bra. ('Course, there were some 7 y.o. girls that beat me, but who's keeping score here anyway?)

For your entertainment

On fri., after a morning of bi/tri GVT, i thought about climbing all the way home. So instead of going straight home, i went to the climbing gym to send my proj. Warmed up with a stiff v2 onsight, shook out, and jumped on the route (it's the one from the comp that involved the big throw up to the bucket). Got up to the penultimate hold, threw for the final jug, which is a 3-finger suitcase handle kindof a thing, and didn't get my fingers in right. Instead, i hit the edge of the hold in a three-finger, half-pad crimp. But i was determined to stay on, and before i dropped i managed to nearly rip the tendons in my right ring finger off the bone. i found that a bit too confusing to be real, so i assessed the damage, jumped back on the route, and sent. Anyhow, i won't be climbing for probably a month or two all 'cuz i didn't take the time to warm up correctly.

Did get an hour and a half in on the bike yesterday, and'm hoping to get in a 50 min. run today. S'posed to swim to today, but the pool's closed down cuz someone pooped in it.

Degloved

Woooo-whee! i needs me some sleep. i do wish i'd ha' thought to bring m' camera to Las Conchas. That rocked, and i'm in favor of doing it again before we're old and grey. my hands are still sore, and i could use maybe 24 hrs. of continuous sleep to feel 90% again, but that was fun. Hope you'uns got home safe. God bless.

Intervals

Yesterday i got m' first session of bike intervals in. Not really intervals like i'm used to 'em. Did an hour long ride, with 6 x 20sec. max effort pushes in the highest gear possible with 2 mins. rest between. The 20 secs. felt really short, but i could hardly walk afterward. It was like weight lifting with the bike. Very cool. i feel faster now.

Momentum

Today was pretty good. Got two v4s back to back. i think that'll be m' last day of climbing till yous guys get here. So make sure you get here, eh. Aeon and Katja were with me. Katja thought i was pretty cool, but Aeon wanted chicken nuggets. Ah well... can't please 'em all.
Plan is to taper off the climbing and heavy drinking till fri. i'm historically bad at staying on both of those wagons. we'll see.

Weaken'd

As predicted, it's been a thin weekend on the workout front. Did get an hour in on the bike on thurs. Good ride. i can tell i'm getting a li'l more fit, cuz it just doesn't hurt so bad to push it. And the ol' trans-ischial ligaments don't scream so loudly or so soon. Yesterday i spent an inordinate chunk of the day applying for a job with p ason in Canadian, Tx. i did this because the permian basin recruiter wrote me. However, they also have an opening in Rifle, Co, which i plan to apply for today. While i have some apprehensions about moving to Teenylonelyflat, Tx instead of finishing school and becoming a PT, i have no such apprehensions about moving to Rifle for just any reason whatsoever. i think i could move to Rifle and be happy driving a school bus. But Canadian wouldn't be too bad, i think. There's a river there (as i understand it), and there're some rocks over the border in Oklahoma. According to daddy, "It's kinda' pretty," and it'd put us a bit closer to them and you texans. And it'd probably pay twice what we're making now. Anyhow, we could use prayers for some direction here. i guess i'm to a point that i don't care much what we do; i just wanna get on with it.

The power of sleep

Yesterday i put down my best numbers day of climbing so far. Snagged a new v4 and two more 3s. (It's a rare goal to get two v3s in one session, so to stack a 4 on top of it is some nice thick icing.) It is very motivating to know i can have a really good day, and especially the third day of climbing this week. It'd been so long since i'd actually gotten anything, i was resigning myself to just being over the hill. This next week i'm gonna taper and stick to easy stuff early in the week-- maybe do some routes and get some blood flowing if i can find a partner to rope up with. Then just rest and cardio... see if i can cut a li'l fat before fri.

Yesterday my new video Swim Power came in. i expect by next week that i should look and swim like Phelps (except my ears are sexier.) Hopefully there'll be something in there about how to make yer hands and feet larger. Mum and Da' are coming up today for the weekend, so have no hope of getting much working out done 'til Mon., but i do usually get to sleep in a bit when they're here, and that's priceless. Slainte.

Correction

Today i did nothing whatever. i didn't precisely intend to do nothing, only it ended that way. i'm certain it ended that way because i'm presently imbibing an Old Chub (the only good beer in a can, b.t.w.), and that's a pretty sure sign that the Fat Lady's sung for the evening. But it doesn't matter. i'm so knocked-down tired from stress and climbing and triathlon that my old sinews are perfectly effulging for the Old Chub and Nothing More. Climbed on mon. and yesterday (tuesday). Didn't get anything worth sleeping well over, but i put a dent in some hard problems-- stuff i was sure last week'd be over my head. Either tomorrow or mon. i'm pretty sure i'll latch the finish on a 4 that i couldn't properly do the first move on last week. Then i almost snagged another stiff 4, but i was too tired to link it when i worked out the crux. At least i feel like i'm getting a li'l stronger. If i can just hold on to the motivation to keep on losing weight whilst getting stronger... Had m' first day of Pre-Cal and Chem II yesterday. Good clean fun, that is. i just wish i knew i was gonna be around for the entire semester. This not knowing is cracking my psyche. Sorry 'bout cussing in my last post: it just felt somehow better than punching a hole through the wall that i'd just have to fix later. Anyhow, i'm amped that you guys are still planning on coming down. i look really forward to seeing yous. i'm gonna try to climb tomorrow, but next week's gonna be a taper with lots of blubber-burning, just in case you wanna do the comp. The weather's getting perfect for some outdoors rock though, and i have some very nice beer recommendations... Peace.