Quickie

Sloped in to the climbgym on the way outta town yesterday. Friday they had a bouldering comp so there were tons of new routes up. Good times: kinda wipes the slate clean. They take down all the frustrating crap you've been flailing on for the prior few months. Supposedly i snagged a v5 (which i'd downgrade) and several 3s and 4s. The one striking thing is how fast i get worn out these days. i don't think i've lost much power, but if i'm gonna compete, i've gotta start working on endurance. i need to just do tonnes more volume. And it wouldn't hurt to lose a stone or two.

Few weeks in

Methinks you people have checked out. But i'll post for me so's i can 'member what i've done. Week and a half ago i did a bouldering comp at the college wall there. That was kinda cool actually. They set some pretty fun routes. This last week i went reasonably hard on deads. i tried for a double with 455, but missed. Got that second one off the ground, but it wasn't gunna happen. Then i missed a single with 465 i think. But it worked out to be a good workout. Last monday on the way outta town, i popped in at the climbgym, and snagged a v5 i'd been missing. That was nice. Thurs i stacked shoulders and bench for a heavyish day, then swam a while. Swim's getting better. And there's a light at the end of the tunnel on the job-front, it seems: i might actually get privileged in the hospital soon. And i think it'd be just dandy if i could actually engage in doing the job i'm hired for. And i finally got a full paycheck this last week, and after a nearly-three-year drought in being payed that's a breath of oxygen. Now to find a house there large enough to store my wives and children and livestock...

Gyming again

i've (temporarily) rejoined the Borg Cube here for out-working, and i've thus far put in a hearty effort at getting my money's worth out o' it. There's a pool there, and i got in my first swim yesterday in-- well, since whenever i last was here-- 9 months or so. It actually surpassed my wildest imagination of how it was gunna go. My shoulder issued a filthy click through a certain arc in a certain plane of swing, so i had to tightly clean up my stroke: pro'ly a good thing at any rate.

Today i did sort of a free-form deads workout. Something like: warmup, 1x10x135; 1x10x225; 1 or 2x5ish x 315; then 2x2x405. That was happy juice, cuz that(ish) was my max a year or so ago, and i was afraid i might return to baseline after sitting on my arse for so long; but the couple of doubles didn't feel all that terribly stressful. And i didn't have a belt or chalk. So there's hope it won't take me ages to get back in the game. Also did some bent o'er bb rows (1x10x135; 2x6x185) and face pulls. Turns out their cable row pulley is mounted so high it's perfect for face pulls. Also did some p'lups, but mainly to remind my lats that they're needed and could they please not divorce me for my neglect.

Did shoulders on monday, and that went surprisingly well also. i think i have probably lost a lot of strength on OH presses, but i was just happy my shoulder didn't collapse and leave me crying in a crumpled heap in front of all the frat boys. Cuz it's hard to get your menacing glare back (and the elbow room that comes with it) once you've lost it.

Anyhow, so far i don't have any formal plan for getting all jacked--i'm just super happy to be stressing my bones again. But i'm encouraged that maybe i haven't slipped too far down the steep, steep slope. Still haven't managed to pull on the runnin' shoes, but that's coming.

tagup

i thought i'd post to post.  Nothing much to say. i've made a li'l progress on some projects in the climbgym. Gunna go in today if i can--see if i can put an end to one or two. Still haven't been in to the irongym. my shoulder is still bugging, and in the last few days i think i've surreptitiously strained (badly) my left iliopsoas. Which is kinda weird. i don't know how, and i didn't even know that was possible heretofore. Sometimes i think things happen just to remind you that you're rocketing towards old-geezer-hood. Ah well: this old geezer is planning to pull down some v5 today in as poor a fitness as i've ever been in.

Work starts monday, and i have a feeling that's gonna do wonders for my psyche, and my workouts. Nothing like having no family around and no climbgym to inspire me to go lift and run. And i'm pretty amped about the job. Feeling like a n00b once again; but i'm amped. Prayers please.

More two-a-day

Went again to the climbgym twice today. Got a v5 sloper problem in less than 800 tries.  nice day, really. And i have a start date for work. Pretty encouraging, really.

Two-a-days

i clumb this morning. Which was a bad idea upon retrospection-- i had not enough coffee before going. The grogginess was high, and the pain tolerance was very low. i was fairly well rested after the two day lay-off though. i nearly sent one of the Unclimbables; only i didn't. But i came soooooo. stinking. close.

So i went to the house, drank three cups of superblack, put some baseboard down in a room or two, then went back to the gym for another go.

i failed again. But this time i don't know why. i think my left hand has nearly adapted to the stress the penultimate hold demands of it. i really do think it'll fall next time i go in healed.

But the second time round i ran into a friend, and he asked me if i'd like to rope up. Hee hee! That was pretty amusing. i think the last time i'd been arope was long about December. i've developed into a very strong climber over about 6 or 7 moves. i fell off of some pretty sad holds to fall off of. Then we bouldered some more. And now my hands are meatloaf. It's kinda tricky to type just now, in fact. But i might just send that stoopid proj if i heal from this. And if i could keep that up, i might just be a fairly fit climber come comp season.

mundy...wait...MONDAY!!! (WooHoo!!)

Thought i'd post up, just to not be the wet towel i've been in my last couple of posts.

i climbed thursday and saturday, and so yesterday and today are off days. Been a while since i've taken two off days together, but i think my wee hands demand it after saturday.  thursday i got one of my standing projects--a very solid v5-- which shrunk the circle of Unclimbables. Goofy thing has this finish move that's just nearly impossible if you're not built for it. I've seen lots of strong v7+ climbers hit it, bounce off, and shake their heads and walk away. You gotta hit this glassy, directional sloper from the wrong direction. But i finally got a solid(ish) left hand on it, and did something wonky with my feet and matched for almost a second before i blew off of it. Don't know if it would have counted as a "controlled" match for competition, but i caren't: i'm taking it.

Then saturday, i didn't even try for a proj. During the warmup, my hands tol' me without uncertainty that tiny crimps were not gun' happen. But they put a bunch of new routes up in the cave, so it was like being a kid in a candy store. Ended up just doing tonnes of climbing, and got a bunch of 3s and 4s. That was a fantastic day of climbing. Reminded me of how deep a rut i've gotten into. Been so long since i've done that quantity of climbing, my hands are still creaky and sore two days later. i'm absolutely going to have to interject more days like that into the regime.

Cirque of the Unclimbables

i have a new routine. it's funny.

really.

i go to the climbgym approximately every other day, i warm up a bissel, then i jump on one of my four or five standing projectos, and fall off of the finish hold.

Good, clean fun really.

But i can't help but think, "Ya know, it'd be just fine to send one of these any ol' time now, you wanker."


Oh well though. i keep in mind i'm not the only one aging at breakneck speed, and that any friggin' day now i might actually get to go to work, and in such an event i might just start feeling like a real live human again.

In the meantime i think i might be sloping off into some mild schizophrenia.

If i knew how, i'd post up an email from one of the credentialing people at the hospital. It's in maybe a 40ish pt italic font on a pink background, and it elucidates nothing whatever.

i'm beginning to hate people for a hobby. Some red flags go up about that, but i can't help but imagine how satisfying it'd be to just choke the hell out of a nearby idiot.

At any rate, i picked up a 10th anniversary Stone Ruination ipa, and it's really good. Let's just stick a pin in that thought... right there...

Speaking of which, sounds like Bolt got smacked down in the 100 and 200 qualifiers by some fellow Jamaicans. Good on 'im. His ego could use some deflation. just like mine.

Submission Hold

i don't know at this early point just what this post is gunna turn out to be. But G's right: not doing any good by flying under the radar. So post i shall.

It's been....let's just see here...aaaaalmost three months (that'd be 1/4 of a year) since i've lifted iron. i hurt my shoulder, and it's gone from "Damn, that do smart!" to i'm running out of muscles to hold my humerus in the right vicinity of a shoulder. i should be rehabbing it with bands and scrap, but ... i dunno. i'm stressed to the breaking point at the moment. i loathe waking up in the morning(ish), and i hate staying awake. Which makes it hard to find the motive force to move iron. So after months of working on it, i have my license to practice. i thought that this might maybe mean i could start working. But no. It means i  can apply now for my pharm board license, so that i can, thereafter, apply for my dea numma. And then (presumably) i might be able to start. Assuming i have insurance by then. i am so up to my effing eyeballs with this. We gotta sell our place 'fore we can get real serious 'bout buying another, and i've gotta have a job before that. So i might be living in a tent for my first month or so of working. Which, honestly would thrill just the hell outta me if i could just go get a damned paycheck.

But that's all about why i'm stressed. Not about working out. i have been climbing somewhere between every day and every other day. i have trouble going longer than that or i start losing my sanity at an even higher acceleration. And truly (that's without an 'e'. Don't get "truely" tattooed on your person, or i will call you a moron, and point at you and laugh) i have little to complain about there. i'm not making any progress, but i'm still working 5s and 6s, which is kinda impressive seeing as i'm fatter than i've been in most of my adult life, and i haven't done any other strength exercise in three months. It's kind of amazing how fast three months can slide past. Especially when you're living in a cloud of stress and beer and just nearly no sleep.

Well i'm pretty amped to see you people. So you better make it here safe. Peace.

Happy days and Sunshine and Lemon Drops and Crap

If i don't start working soon, i'm going to go insane. That's all i'll say about that.

i was going to post up yesterday, but it started coming out as dark, depressed diatribe, so i put it off 'til i forgot about it. But i climbed today, so i thought i'd post that up. i climbed. There.

i've been climbing pretty consistently like every other day for three-ish sessions, then i'll take two days off and start over. It's the only thing keeping me from a heart attack and MDD. Today was a pretty good workout, even if i didn't really smack down anything huge. Been working on this v6, and i finally got the crux move worked out. Didn't link, but i think it'll go on a fresh day. Po'rful moves on that 'un. Also got (i think) the crux worked out on another 6 i'd given up on. So i have several good 'uns in the hopper. And i was happy 'cuz i think this was the first session in a rather long series from which i left with actually broken down forearms instead of sore, swollen fingers. Felt like a real live workout.

On the work front, they got my signed contract and now i just have to jump through the next million hoops so i can finally do something. Waiting is not (it turns out) my forte. i feel a lot like crawling out of my skin.

Resolution and Stress

i've been not working out. Climbing a bunch for the last couple o' weeks; but not really working out. i really hurt my shoulder bad those several weeks ago. For some reason, climbing seems like the most logical way to rehab it (seeing's that's how i hurt it in the first place). i've been climbing pretty much every other day for the last few weeks. Interestingly, it hasn't led to too much carnage. Saturday i got a "v6" in three tries, and knocked out several 5s to boot. Which is an up-swing since i'd been failing at 4s up till then. Been working a hard 5 for the last couple of sessions, but i missed it today.

Got a contract at the ortho group in farm town. The worst part of all this is the paperwork. i loathe paperwork. And i hate asking people to be references for me. As in, it nearly gives me an anxiety attack. Hate. It. But at least i have a proper job in the cross hairs, and there's a paycheck on the horizon. Now if we could figure out how we're gonna afford to move there, maybe i can sleep at night.

-C

i'm official! Goes to show you that even the not-particularly-bright can make it into the game. But that large-ish planet has been lifted off'n m' shoulders, and i'm praising God. :)

Thank you for your prayers.

Horizon

i feel like i should post up something. i feel much as though there has been (and remains) a large-ish planet sitting on my shoulders. i suspect that much of my anxiety will dissolve if i find that i passed my boards. Otherwise i'm hosed, and i suppose i'll go find a job at Target. But to make the process as painful as possible, they only release scores on Thursdays; so even though my test was likely graded within seconds of my pressing the finish button, and i took it on a Tuesday, i didn't manage to make it in the cut-off as did my classmates who took it the day before, and i get to wait 'til this Thursday. And i have an awful feeling about it. If i passed that, it's because God wants me to.

In the event i did pass, i think i might just have the job in Farm Town. we're kinda excited about it. It's just hard to get really motivated when i know i might be scrubbing toilets at a gas station instead. Bleh.

Well since my last post, the only breed of workout i've done is climbing. i subtly dislocated my shoulder weeks ago, and it still is punishing me for it. But i've at least started pulling down some harder problems again. And my w'il pingers haven't really suffered from the cut-back: been doin' some right crimping even with my tubbier-than-ever butt hanging off the other end. In fact, saturday i second-tried a v5, then flashed another 5. It raises serious doubts as to whether either of 'em were really 5s, but (as usual) i'll take 'em.

i've progressed from a continuous respect of my deadlift workout to a base, gnawing fear. methinks i might just take a week and do a hard "deload" sort of workout so's not to eject a disc outta my back like it's a Batmobile toy.

'Preciate the prayers--thursday's coming like a freight train.

Distraction

i'm supposed to be writing my CV presently, but it's giving me heartburn and an anxiety attack, so i'm actually doing everything but working on it. So i thought i'd waste some time and scribble some workouts. i went climbing on saturday (i think) to see how the boys'd do freed, as it were, from some of their moorings, and a couple grams lighter to boot. During the warmup i realized that climbing wasn't going badly, but dropping to the ground was a bit jarring, and just generally a very unwelcome experience. So i sent this "v6" i'd been flailing on for several sessions prior, and i sent it first try. Crazy how the threat of pain can motivate a brutha to get in the zone.

Today i went back. i have--in addition to nearly rupturing a hamstring and electively taking on some iatrogenic pain--seriously jacked up my shoulder. For a while there it hurt to put it most positions above my head. For the last couple of days it's been hurting me to think of putting it in those positions. But i climbed. And it turned out to not be a horrible session. i got a "v5" that i'd failed out a few times before. For the record, i don't really think either route was actually up to the grade on the tape, but i still pulled out better climbing sessions post-surg than pre. But my shoulder buggeth. On the other hand, it was kinda refreshing for something besides my finger joints to be the weakest link in the chain. Getting old is for the birds.

elderly, but respiring

In a fit of exasperated irritation, i went to the gym for some dead liftin'. i really thought not to do it today, 'cuz i jacked my left hamstring just yesterday. And it was 5/3/1 day today, so i figured it could only go south. But i was, as i say, exasperated, and i went in to burn off some steam. Workout called for 360, 410 and 460. Put on the belt for the 460 lift and got a double, although i was mighty unsure how that was gonna feel on the dorsum. But i didn't pop anything, so i tried for the PR lift with 480. And she locked out for me. Very happy feeling, that. And having pulled a PR after 3 months of trying with a badly strained hamstring made the whole sport seem... unpredictable. No sense to it whatever. Maybe the messed-up shoulder'll get me a fresh bench PR. Be hard to publish an article on that sort of thing.

Tomorrow morning i go under the knife to end the expansion of my empire. i have to say i do not look forward to this at all. But i s'pose the threat of it helped fetch me a new PR. And i should have plenty of time to study, what with the sitting about o'er the next few days.

Second verse

Climbed again yesterday. This time i did some toe touches first. But before i could jump on the proj, i ran into a friend and got talked into leading some routes. That's fun. i have no endurance at all. But it was fun. Then i got on that route i'd hurt myself on a few days ago. i tested my hamstring lightly and it felt like it should hold. So i raced through the first bits of the route, dropped into that heel-hook boldly, and i actually heard (and felt) something crunch. i'm pretty sure i didn't completely rupture the 'string, 'cuz it doesn't hurt enough, but it's mighty stiff and sore today. i can straighten it out, so it can't be that bad, but i might just skip the deads this week. And that bums me out like crazy. i've really been feeling like i have another pr on the horizon. And i feel like i've chucked it in the toilet. And on top of it, my shoulder feels much like i dislocated it. Haven't figured that one out just yet, but i can't lift my arm above my head. i'm planning on doing back, so i'm going to try some deads to see how it feels--probably tomorrow. So who knows? But i can't wait 'til wednesday 'cuz i have a certain dead-lift-limiting procedure scheduled for that very morning. Now to go ride mountain bikes for three hours with a mauled hamstring.

Bleh.

i'm tired of being in limbo here. i think i need a job and a kind of routine.

Unscrewing the pooch

You know those moments where you think back into the almost immediate past, and wish you could maybe do something just ever so slightly different? i had one of those moments today. i went climbing, and--while a li'l on the foggy side of life--was actually looking at having an above average day of it. i warmed up on some v2ish thing. i did several pullups. i taped up my less stable fingers. Then i saw this "v6" that looked doable, so i jumped on it, nearly flashed, and came pretty darn close to shearing a hamstring loose. As i was dropping through the air, i thought Maybe if i'd have just done some toe touches first...

i gotta say that the quality of my climbing spiraled downward thereafter. Came to find out experimentally that every heel-hook in the gym is, in fact, a left heel-hook--left side bearing that hamstring i attempted to free from its moorings.

i can't help but think maybe this is gonna negatively affect next week's deads. But there's no point worrying 'bout that yet. It might not be as bad as it seemed.

Also i'm gonna say that Monday's combined shoulder/ chest workout was a li'l excessive, and my left shoulder is in a bad way.

i think i'm mostly just getting old. And i'm tired of it. Maybe i'll go run if i get the chance...see if the aged leg will support me in that endeavor.

But i'm done with school! (Yay for the home team!) So about that Man Trip...

back again

Did deads yesterday. 3/3/3 day with 385, 410, and 435. i got 5 with 435. i was pretty pleased about that. i've taken on some new rules for deads day. No carbonated water and very little to eat before. That seems to stave off the mediastinal bubbles. And i'm gunna conjecture that the active deload week worked better than sitting on the couch. i also got in some BB rows before i had to leave. i'm hoping to get some more in today. i feel more like taking a nap though. Vamos a ver.

percreta

Clumb before leaving town sunday. It didn't go too badly. It didn't go too goodly; but it didn't go too badly. Mostly, i didn't hurt just everywhere for the first time in a long while. That was nice. i'll happily attribute that to the couple of runs/ detox i did last week. i warmed up with some pullups, and my brachioradialis muscles didn't feel like they were about to pop. i cranked into some two-finger pocket hangs, and my joints didn't try to disavow association with one another. i came very close to flashing another v5. That was kinda cool. But my project didn't go. i did lots of warm up for it. i did lots of warm up around it. i refused to make eye contact with it. (i've gotten nearly superstitious about the thing). Then i jumped on the crux and sent from there first go. But i couldn't stick The Move. Couldn't. Could. Not. This i attribute to the pint of Scotch i had the night prior.

But i did some otherwise really quite solid climbing. And i didn't hurt.

Yea.

Today i smooshed together the benching i was supposed to do last friday with the usual OH press workout. 5/3/1 on bench (finally). It was 185, 210, and 235. This time i conscripted a spotter, got one with 235, but couldn't quite lock out the second. But it was a better workout. Spotters are worth every cent of the $0.00 i pay 'em. Then OH press was 3/3/3 day. 140, 145, and 155. i got 'em all, but locking out that last rep took some hitching, and generally hoping that the spring clips didn't slide off the bar. Li'l harder after heavy bench, methinks. Then i did dips: 4 x 12 with bw. Then DB militaries supersetted with lateral flyes. Those started just sucking. Also did some cable pressdowns. That's a different deal stacking shoulders in with chest/ tris, but i really liked it. Made for a very meaty workout, and i was still outta the gym in about an hour.

On a happier note, tomorrow's my last day of schoo', and She seems very interested in jobs all over 'Raddy. That makes me really glad. And i'll go home to my happy li'l strip-mall gym with a new appreciation for how never-at-all do they have Sexual Chocolate on the playlist. Now to get that resume in sendable condition.

Five days (weekend included) and counting...

Ran a half hour today. i'm still fat and slow, but i did shave 20 or 30 secs off of tuesday's time. If i can just shave 20 seconds off of each run, it won't be long 'til i'm clicking off 6 minute miles. :-)