Yadda yadda yadda

Went climbing today. Got that goofy v4 project that'd been tossing me. Fairly wrecked my shoulder/rotator cuff again shortly thereafter. Blah blah blah...

Anyhow, post up some pics of my nephew, wouldya. we needs the photo shoot.

Yesterd'y

Unexpectedly got outta class early, and went in to climb yestern. After 24 almost uninterrupted hours of healing, i hearby declare my rotator cuff Mostly Rehabbed. Sent this cool li'l v4 crimper that starts as a mildly overhanging friction stem. It's really amazing what miracles 3 or 4 days will do a body of not pulling with as much force as my chunky butt can generate on the smallest possible holds m' fingers can find purchase on. This route felt possible the couple of times i'd piddled on it before; but it'd spit my bootay off. Felt hard. Yesterday it went first try without much effort.

Then i snagged another v4, although i ended up dynoing past the crux, which i'm willing to say probably knocked a number grade off.

Made really good progress on a stiff 5, even though i didn't get it. i was super happy 'bout this one. i haven't climbed anything close to a PR since before i hurt my ab a month or two ago, so i'm pleased as punch to be pulling hard moves again, even if i'm still too fat to link 'em.

Ended up working maybe the hardest 4 i've yet seen called a 4 right at the end of the session. Too tired, but it'll go next time, i'm confident. Man, it felt good to generate some full-body force again. Almost inspires me to go running.

Spaulder o'er the mail

Took three hard days off to get to today. Right, and i actually climbed yesterday, but i count it as a rest day, notwithstanding. So i clumb today, but i didn't have much time (babysitting complications; full stop). Met a friend at the gym, threw down a v2 or two, and we started working this squidgy v5 sans real warmup. i made progress, and was happy, but was wise enough to say i wouldn't get 'er today. So i recommended a tricky, thin v4 i poked at yesterday.

i slithered through the first moves, got to this weird, wide iron-cross position on a bad slippery hook for a foot, and my foot popped; leaving me, of course, hanging in that iron cross position on two slopey crimps. Long story short [funny how i can make stories that really took fractions of a second to transpire into minutes-long epics when i'm largely drunk and .5 hrs into a sleeping pill], i did some egregious damage to my poor rotator cuff again. She hurts. ( i call 'er a "she" 'cuz she whines more than any male i know, the hatchet wound).

Anyhow, instead of crying like a li'l girl i jumped back on and sent. Then we went upstairs to the roof, and i nearly sent the stupid 4 i've been working on for a few days now. Only i botched the last friggin' move and crumpled. Then i went to class. Could hardly steer my car 'cuz of m' shoulder. Could hardly think in class 'cuz of my wankery on that finish hold.

we got outta class early, so i ok'd it with Steph and went back to the gym. i wanted to be sure my shoulder was warmish, so i ran through this v3 i've done before. It's got this 3-4 finger suitcase handle hold on it on the roof. Turns out it should be 3 fingers 'cause i used 4, my feet cut loose, i swung one-handed, pulled myself back on and sent; dropped and i'd torn most of the important bits of the proximal phalanx of my pinkie off. i was very glad it was on the right hand, because between a strained Q.L., and the newly thrashed rotator cuff, a bleeding flapper on the left would'a' been excessive.

So i taped up real good and sent that yotch: two new 4s in a day.

The shoulder at this point was armoring up something ferocious, so i wanted to make it a good day before i couldn't utilize it further. Went down to the boulder and pulled through a v4 crimp problem i'd done before. i really doubt that it's a proper 4, but that's what the tape says, so i'll take it. Three 4s in a day, all on a damaged rotator cuff. If i heal from this, and drop five lbs., i might be pushing hard stuff again.

No country for old men

i climbed this evening for a bit. i even had a clever title picked out for m' blog post before i went in. i had a few minutes after lab tonight, and i was gonna go send a pesky v4 that'd eluded me a few tries yesterday--i was gunna put to rest my "unfinished bi'ness". But the gym was packed, and there was no place to warmup, so i just went upstairs and started climbing on the roof. Only i'm very decrepit, and bilateral biceps tendonitis set in; and rather than squealing like a tiny female, i just kept climbing and burning to delight my li'l fan club.

In my defence, i did send some climbs i had no right to expect to send; but The Proj dodged me again on the finish hold. It'll go fer sure, and when i'm fresh (and healed from this agonizing destruction i've wrought on my tiny arms) it'll go fairly effortlessly. Here's to about three consecutive days off, and to finding sanity in the interim.

Things

First a prayer request: Steph's stayed home for the last couple o' days from work 'cuz her contractions have gotten really bad/frequent. Two nights ago we almost took her in to the clinic because she'd had ten contractions in an hour. They seem to subside rather a lot when she relaxes, but it's starting to look like that calls for a couple of months of near bed-rest. we're trying to figure this out, 'cuz we sho' don't have the funds for it. i'm not too worried; only i wish i knew what my status was going to be with school. i'd just go find a job if i knew i weren't going to be accepted.

On the workout front, interestingly i've had some seriously stale climbing sessions this week. Funny, because i ended up getting more rest than usual through last week and the weekend. Anyhow, i'm gunna try to go in today for a short one, and maybe get in to the irongym too. i'll be praying for Meg. Peace.

back to the ol' X axis

Had a tiny parcel of time to extirpate yesterday after class, so i wandered in to the climbin' gym. i'm gun' go ahead and chalk that one up to a case study on the effects of being wiped-out tired. Hands, interestingly, felt pretty good after doing nothing at all with 'em for nigh on a week, but the rest of the flesh was weak. Capped the workout off with an attempted ankle wrenching. Funniest thing: i ran up this v2 just to say i'd climbed something, and it was really pretty high. i'm hanging from the finish hold, looked down, and consciously told myself to pay attention and not twist my ankle; i dropped, and twisted my ankle pretty much on cue. Don't think it was too bad--it didn't swell like a grapefruit or make me cry, or anything nearly as embarrassing as that--but it does still hurt today.

Didn't do my irongym workout for this week yet. Bums me, but i just haven't felt up to it. Ah well: it was awfully good to see you guys this weekend. i'll take some late nighters anytime for some fellowship.

Marker

Again i went in to the climbgym thinking someone would show up to toprope with me. But no; it was not to be. So i bouldered. Again. Ended up doing a lot of climbing. Didn't pick up any v5, but i did get my head wrapped around a couple. Gunna hafta get some sleep (on the order of, say, a week's worth, with no climbing in between bouts) and chomp some power pellets to get either of 'em, but they'll go. And i did do 3 v4s just to say i did. One of 'em probably actually is v4. Then right at the end of the session, a guy comes in and we ended up toproping a couple after all. Had to hang a couple of times on an 11, but only 'cuz i was burned down: i'd already been climbing for 2.5 hrs by then. In fact, i don't really think it was an 11. Anyhow, i can't complain.

That was a fairly encouraging workout still sore from the lat/ab workout 2 days prior, and another hard, closely spaced climb sesh on saturday. Feels like it's coming back together. And i think i'm starting to lose a little of the pudge i put on whilst gimping about injured. It's amazing how many extra calories i burn in that once-per-week "accessory" workout in the irongym.

Protein and sleeping pills ought to be in tomorrow. i'm a li'l amped about that. That'd be just cool to sleep again. You'uns still well on your end there?

Crazy times

Well. It'd been a hair over a month since last i pumped any i-ron, so i went in tonight. Not as bad as i'd imagined, but i took it easy. Kept it a smidge skeletal to ease back in, but i hadn't lost as much as i'd expected--although i'll probably still be sore tomorrow. Anyhow, i hope that's got me back into the rhythm.

Climbed yesterday. That was one very fine day of climbing. didn't bother messing with any hard projects, but i climbed a lot. And i put to rest several more nagging problems that'd slapped me down at the comp. Climbed 'til i was melting off of 2s and then 1s. Pretty good enduro session. i'm still not making gains on the v5-6 count--mostly, i think, 'cuz i've gained probably 5 lbs. from being injured and sick, and not able to do much for big chunks of the last month. But my hands are starting to show signs of meathookish strength again when i manage to take a few days off and heal, so i feel really encouraged about the prospects if i can whip me into some kind of shape again. i think some cool problems will fall.

Please keep praying for us about my app to school. It could happen. And bring yer shoes and harness when you come; maybe we can take the kids to some pretty places.