If knowledge is power

Then I am getting stronger. Thanks to one of the Indy regulars I know know lots more words about training and diffrent ways to stick all the shit together to end up stronger fitter and just generally better. Now to put it into practice.



Other than reading loads of training books, I have continued in the rehabiltation of the finger.  This has involved going outside as I know I will lose all pretence of self control if I go to the mill.  After a good start this week has brought home to me all that is shit about climbing outside in the summer in the UK.  Grease midges and rain.  As he says in Good morning Vietnam its hot and wet, this is not a good combo.  As I had made plans ages ago with Chris to go the to South Lakes for a couple of days, we did our best  to ignore reason and went anyway.  We arrived and went to trowbarrow as it had the best chance of being dry, the shelter stone was wet on top and so red wall saved us, fortunatly I had forgotten the guide in the car otherwise I suspect I may have chucked my toys out of the pram within 2 problems, as it was I got to give them my own grade for the time being, generally +2.  All was not lost though as we both did Shallow Grave which was awesome, by this time the shelter stone had dried out and so we tried Vitruvian man, never have I adjusted so many times on the holds of a problem, no amount of chalk, megajiz or brushing would improve the buttery texture of the holds.    And then it was raining again, the spot pad was used as an umbrella to keep the top holds dry, 10 minutes later I linked it all first try, trying hard to keep the faith we went to Woodwell which had condensed, fairy steps which was foul, and then to the pub.  At this point home was my preferred option but Chris doesn't get that many away days so he was far keener, off to spend the night at Raven Tor. 

In the morning it all seemed pretty good so off we went to Stoney for a warm up, I was shit Chris was terrible.  After an hour on Pinch 2 I was getting better and given grease and sunshine and the fact I was bouldering before midday had given me enough excuses to feel OK.  Next stop was to go to try Andronicus up the road.  I went to check we were in the right place, pronounced it a bit seepy but OK.  An hour latter I fell of the 7c arete thing going for the last move with piss wet feet and hands  from the start which was soaking wet not a bit seepy.  At this point home was the place to be and off we went.  What a fucking shit trip, £40 to drive 400 miles look at wet rock do a couple of problems taking 20 times as long as on a cold day and sleep rough.  Honestly with a combined age of 71 you would think we might know better.    I guess there is no fool like an old fool.

The following day I decided to go to the cave to continue the fun, I was shit in there as well.  All in all I will be glad to go back inside.    

An ascent...

In the last month or so since I posted Ive been up and down,  I had some dental problems so for a couple of weeks I had been taking a lot of pain pills, lots and lots of pain pills.  When I had the offending teeth ripped out I thought thank fuck for that I can get back to unrestricted beautiful pulling in the mill, 24 hours later my middle two fingers on my right hand were swollen and sore.  FUCK FUCK triple FUCK.  Over the years I have been very lucky with finger injury's only having one minor thing about 5 years ago, but having seen plenty of other people lose months to them I was gripped to say the least.  Fortunately after 3 weeks of minimal climbing icing and squashy balls, with tape I felt I could climb OK as long as it was open handed.


Yesterday CJD was going to the cave, with nothing better to do I phoned James and we went down the coast for a social.  At this point I was planning on Stella in the sun and taking the piss out of Chris and James.  Warming up on left wall I remembered I do enjoy climbing with James as everything is suddenly very very funny.

The three of us climbed there a lot the year Chris did East Coker and I failed to do Clyde so it was nice to be out and about.  James decided to do Lou Ferrino having previously fallen off matching the finishing slot, I decided it would be a good idea to see if I could deal with that before trying anything else.  Getting to the 2 finger pocket feeling good I decided to turn right and head along Greenheart, through the undercuts and feeling fine I missed the jug at the start of Beaver Cleaver, a rest another go confused I fail leaving Lou Ferrino with a foot pop on the shiny slimestone.  Another rest I start to feel nervous, I can clearly do this, it was the first V12 I ever did all the moves on, for about 10 years its been something that could go, for 6 years its been something that should go, for 2 years its something that I dropped the last move on.  So third go up and over straight through bish bosh it was piss, all those circuits in the past and turns out I just need to do 5 move problems in the mill on a 30 board, or maybe its the weights or perhaps the pull ups or could be the running or core.  I guess training really does work and sometimes it all comes together with good skin and decent conditions, or maybe because I had no intention of trying it I couldn't sabotage my attempt.   Regardless first time in the Cave in 7 months and a tick, somethings working.

Some deliciously shit footholds I made for the mill, ah dear mill I will return in a few short weeks.                

Good and bad shit - In the Mill

Good shit

A campus board breakthrough, they dont come along very often do they!  I reckon it would be 6 or 7 years since i did my first 1-4-7 on a standardised campus board.  So it was very gratifying to my summer of power to do 1-5-8 the other day.  Unfortunately Leroy and I built the board under the influence a few years ago so the spacings do vary between 225 mm and 215mm so its not quite perfect but it will do me for the time being.  Lots of people say that campus boards are bull and dont transfer to the rock very well being about a trick to the movement etc etc.  Well it makes me feel like I am improving, and that feeling helps me to keep going to the mill on dry and dusty days, or wet and rainy mornings. 



4 of the 5 Swallows that hatched in the rafters have left the nest and made it out without the rats or cats getting them.  The other judging by some feathers was less fortunate.  I will miss having them to watch while I am resting, the parents trying to push them off the beams to make them fly was cool.

More tricks that mean nothing but maybe work something, the one arm campus lunge.  Basically as with the one arm pull up this is something that I have always seen people like Higg and CJD doing so wanted to  do it myself.  So far progress is slow, but I have got the trick bit sorted so can do one on the juggy fingerboard, now to apply it to the proper campus rungs.  I can hit it but not catch it, therefore it must be working my contact strength. 

Bad Shit

The mill toilet, some fool thought it was a good idea to shit in it, clearly they had no idea it stopped flushing about a year ago.  I take my mill guardianship quite seriously at present but there is no way I am dealing with this one. 

Post session Vino, almost certainly not a good athletic plan but a tasty one.                                    

  

No Pain No Spain Video from Boreal

No Pain No Spain from Boreal Video on Vimeo.

I must be one of the few who were glad to see the rain, every time i saw anyone in the sunny weather they ask that same question you been out at all? I was training in the Mill and the Indy so that when cold weather comes back I will pull the rock down around me crushing it to tiny slivers of diamonds, but that's not really an answer is it. I started to get used to slightly pitying looks as though i have missed the point. The point is sweating sliding and being eaten by insects does not make for a good time as far as I am concerned. Instead I have been hanging around in a very quiet dusty old mill falling off. Its quiet in there at the moment no electricity, so no lights and no radio, but gains are coming slowly, and this is good. Most of April I was working on the system problems on the 30 degree board now I have moved over to the newly systems 50 degree

board. Its tricky at the moment as I don't really know the problems yet so have little concept of a good or bad session. Fortunately I have made good gains on the campus and finger boards, so i take this as meaning I am moving in the right direction. Occasionally I go too the centre of the 50 board to try some normal problems, progress is being made towards my Mill 7c goal, I think the first one to go will be Danny's Foetal Recall, unfortunately this is 7b+/7c so wont do at all.





I did go for a short play outside to make sure I remembered what rock feels like, the one session at Jerry's was funny as all the holds felt weired and bumpy not like smooth wood at all. This time I went to check out Dyers Barotrauma. I can only say that I think it may be a bit morpho...

Anyway that's all, and all there is likely to be for a while as I cant be arsed to write about how I pulled on cunt and em, reached to liquid and jumped to beauty before trying to slap brute and drop into Brutus and jump for 9 bar (possible mill 7c/+) anymore than you can be arsed to read about it.

When I returened from a mercy trip to the shop (tobbacco for me chocolate for fatty), Doylo had been playing with my camera, not sure why but he would appear to think I want a picture of his pubes so I thought I would share that with you all.

Finally

In the end i managed to get the footage sorted, or at least as sorted as it is going to get. For some reason I had to split it into 2 to save it, my technophobia strikes again.

Malcs start

Went out to Jerrys Roof after being to Font, I figured that I would be strong and light and climbing well so Malcs was bound to go, setting off with a limit of 5 goes, I went up and hit the pocket on go 1, or go 61 depending which way you look at it, a good start. Four goes later I had my best attempt so far. I hit the porthole square and swung out back in and a flashbulb in my head went fuckfuckwowwow, then my right hand slipped off the starting hold on Pools all this took no time at all but I was happy, obviously I had a few more goes but to no avail my window of opportunitty had opened and closed before I could get through.


Yesterday I treated myself to a nice day out as I am resting from the mill for 10 days between training 1 and training 2. The original plan had been to just go running and do core stuff but it was far too dull so I went out, problem this time seems that

A) The mill footholds are too big, outside felt very strange.
B) The 4 days of hammering my core meant my lower back was fucked.

So the upshot was I took a little step backwards and the weather is not going to give that many days of nice temps before the summer monsoon season comes to Wales. Ultimatley this is fine I have no real intention of punishing myself outside in the heat with the midges this year, so its back to the Mill with a saw to make some new small slippy wooden footholds.