Rest week ?

After calling a rest week i had a lovely couple of days gorging myself and doing jack shit Tues + Wed. I knew I could squeeze in an hour or so of routes at Penrith before picking my wife up from the station on Thursday. Long story short i cracked off the 7a+ first go that night. 4 goes over all. 1 bolt to bolt, 2 to refine the sequence and then the send.

Felt piss easy once i got down to it. One of those nice flowing climbs where feet go exactly where you want and decision making came easy. Happy days. On a course over the weekend so nothing until Monday.

Already itching to get back to it. The psyche is back and 7b is the next target.

As there are no 7b's at Penrith it may have to be 7b+. Hmm! not sure.

Flexible training plan

Training doesn't always go according to plan. Whilst i am chuffed with the progress i seem to have made in the strength phase i may have over done it. After Carrock Fell and Penrith in a day i finished at the wall with a serious lack of enthusiasm. I reckoned i could do the 7a+ but literally just couldn't be arsed. I followed this up with a very poor session at Pete's where i failed to do either of the two problems i'd done last time and my left brachioradialis flared up out of nowhere.

This week was supposed to be the hardest so far intensity wise. It would be my 4th week on. After this i am running a 3 week on 1 week rest plan with the weeks increasing in intensity. However i had a really easy first week so planned in 4 weeks on for the first cycle. A serious lack of sleep recently has left me a bit jaded though and i think i may have over cooked it. Tonight is supposed to be fingerboarding, dumbell complexes and core. Not a chance. I am going to call it and have a rest week concentrating on quality sleep, diet, stretching and a routes session.

It may even fit better as i am going to have an enforced rest week mid march due to a minor op. resting this week will bring it back into line. I'd hate to push it and end up blowing a finger or elbow. Looking forward to a good stretch, bath and a long sleep tonight.

Playing out

It's amazing what you do when you're desperate. After a good session at Pete's on the Thursday:

i was really keen to see what i could do where it counts - outside. I video myself indoors periodically to see if i can spot faults. I realised i drive with my legs for the first half of a move but when my arms kick in i stop driving. Need to work on that.

I hit on the idea of stopping off at Carrock fell on the way to Penrith. It's only a 10 min diversion and roadside. There was a fairly new pdf on Greg Chapman's great site Lakesbloc:

http://www.lakesbloc.com/guides/carrock-mosedale-boulders-guide.pdf

and it looked like it fitted the bill for a short stop off. The 6C and 6C+ are exactly the type of climb i've never been able to do. A proper test then. The weather out West was nice and it hadn't rained for a couple of days so it was on. Driving down the A66 i rounded the corner to see Bassenthwaite looking really choppy and Skiddaw in low cloud. The further East we went the worse it got. By the time we arrived at Carrock it was really blowing and 2 degrees according to the car. Luckily Johnny had come fully prepared with a t-shirt and shower proof top, no food, no drink and a beanie. At least i'd brought my RAB.

The first top out ended in a splat at the top into a soggy, and very slimy, pile of moss and lichen which nearly resulted in me failing on a V0. The remaining problems on that slab ( none of which can be recommended ) were quickly despatched and we moved onto ' Bishop's Rage'. Where do they get these names ? It started from a hard sit and Johnny quickly pulled on and campused up a slopey lip to a good hold and a heel hook. A good hard pull and he was up 2nd go. I fluffed about once trying to do it his way before i applied technique and skill and did it feet on 2nd go as well.

Things were looking up and the 6C+ target of the day was looming. Clay Machine Gun. Any ideas anyone ? It was a bit disappointing really as it looked like it might be a real 'fridge hugger' but there was only one compression move on it. The landing was a bit iffy and it had a decent hard mantleshelf to finish so i had to commit. Again it went 2nd go, after a first feel about for the holds, and i was well happy. The topo says hard for the grade so the 7A target by the end of the month is looking good.

We still went to Penrith after but i am not so sure this was a good idea. I was still shivering by the time we got there and i just couldn't summon the psyche.

I went on the route i have been avoiding - the blue 7a+ i need to do on my pyramid before i try 7b for the first time. It looked so slappy and powerful when Johnny did it i wasn't sure it was for me. For that reason i decided i had to give it a go and get over myself.

The bottom half is routine, but nice, before it gets into the meat of it with a brick hard rock over up to a sloper. You match on this to clip before going for a very long reach up and left. Johnny was dynoing this and grabbing the poor sidepull powerfully. I found if i swapped my hands over i could outside edge the high foothold and do it without much effort. After that you need to make a long reach right - predictably to a poor side pull. Again Johnny dynoed this but with some foot trickery i could make the reach. The next move was the hardest. Johnny just went again with poor feet and deadpointed it. I tried, but failed. Eventually i figured i could step inside and use my outside edge again and make the reach. After that it's just adjust feet, reach for a crimp and make a huge dyno leap to the top. While it's not quite a feet off jump it's going to be hard. I couldn't summon up the psyche and decided to call it a day. It'll go next time i think. I had been avoiding it as i didn't think i could do it at all so i am well happy i can do all the moves. Still not sure about the dyno finish though :0(

Keep the faith

I had a shocking start to the strength phase of training. A visit to Kendal saw me being much weaker than everyone else. I could flash everything V2/3 and under but any harder i just couldn't do. Really frustrating.

I think i'd been kidding myself that i was keeping my strength topped up by redpointing at my limit. But pulling off a couple of hard moves on a short 7a+ is never going to be as intense as a bouldering session.

I had started to panic a bit really as i seemed to have gone backwards quite a way. I was alwasy strong ( in the arms at least ) for my route level. However it seems to be coming back together again. Phew !

A session on the bendcrete at Cockermouth was useful as a benchmark. I know the panel really well and i was pulling really hard on it, for me. A session on Pete's board also went much better than last time. I was a bit puzzled as to how i can go from weak to strong(er) in just a week or so.

Looking back at it i think it's a mix of:

Timing - throwing for hard moves and landing them. My timing was certainly out at Kendal

C0-ordination - not just in timing but whole body co-ordination. Trusting the subconscious (proprioception) to look after all the other components ( core, pushing with legs first etc.) while you concentrate on latching the hold. At Kendal i couldn't even do a rock over as i just wasn't getting the movement right.

Recruitment - in this instance i am meaning getting used to pulling with 100% effort. I'm still not there yet. On Thursday i kept coming off the board and thinking afterwards that i should have just pulled harder and stayed on. Simples ! It's not a physical change but just getting your body used to cranking hard again. Reminding it how hard you can pull. I have been giving up recently thinking i can't pull any harder but after i just know i could have done.

I am finishing this post the day after another session on the "Amphitheatre of Death", or the board in Mario's bedroom as it's more commonly known.

I made a 7 move problem up and had to work the 3rd move, 4th move, 5th move and 6th move. After i'd got it done i made the end sick hard, moving to match a poor crimp with the 3 finger dish undercut on the same hold, with only one, low, foot on. It's basically a small jug turned upside down on a 45 degree board. I can almost hold the swing and i am sure it'll go next time. From there i need to use the undercut with feet high and go for the finishing jug of glory.

First really good problem i've set on a board and it feels V6 hard. I am pretty rubbish at grading things, especially my own, so i shall reserve judgement. The aches and pains i am feeling today are telling me i was really pulling as hard as i could this time though.

It is however totally wrong for Picnic Sarcastic as it's all about swinging about on jugs. Pete's board is much more suited to that: 38 degrees and fingers all the way.

Need to get out on rock - story of my life. fingers crossed for this weekend.

Malham

How do you warm up on a cold January day at Malham ? I need to figure this out next time. Most things were sopping wet and so a re-match with Puddlejumper wasn't on the cards. The ever dry Consenting Adults was the pick of the day.

I'd never been on it before so spent some time on a bolt to bolt ( sorry Johnny ). I'm quite happy that the sequence i came up with seemed to be the way to do it. I felt much more comfortable than my first day out last year where my feet seemed to belong to someone else. I felt sharper and more accurate and decided it was going to go down quickly.

I wanted to link to the 1st bulge and then rest before going to the top, just to make sure my sequence was correct. However i buggered up the easy stuff at the bottom and had to rest for longer than i anticipated. Happily I got up the rest of it no problems though.

I then lowered back down to the 2nd bolt and did the whole thing again on top rope. Now surely if i am fit enough to climb it 1 1/2 times i can do it next go, can't I ?

I waited too long though and got cold. The next 2 goes saw me flailing, failing and falling attempting to get over the bulge. I forced myself to rest a decent amount of time and gave it another go. It was all groovy right up until getting to the hold for the 4th clip. That move, which had felt hard, now felt impossible. Another fall taken and major disappointment.

Some extra beta later ( from watching Simon lap it 5 times ) and i could see a much easier way to do the move with a sneaky left foot placement.

Away we went again. I got to the same point and couldn't for the life of me find where Simon was putting his foot. He was sticking it like it was a jug but where the f*&k was it ? I climbed up, down, around and everywhere before reverting to plan A and trying it the hard way. Not a chance. This time the fall was made a bit more spicy as i had let the rope go round the back of my leg. School boy error and i really should know better. A decent fall ended up with me inverting and hitting the wall with my hip. Once the adrenalin wore off it really hurt. The journey home was agony.

I tried pretending to my wife i hadn't hurt myself but fell over trying to get into bed and cried on the floor like a baby. Did i get sympathy ? Did i chuff.

Anyway enjoy the vid. It has some bad editing where i rested, and some bad climbing. I'm going to take the positives; I am in a much better position than i was last year, my fear of falling seems to have been ground down and I only failed due to beta/tactics not fitness. That's a bonus as i haven't done any fitness work for a couple of months.

Next week sees the start of getting strong. My rough weekly plan is:

• Performance pyramid boulder session - preferably outdoors. To top out at 7a+ (V7)
  
• 2 sessions on a board - got 2 to visit. One set by a 6ft+ friend and one set by a 5ft4in friend so should provide variety
• Roped fitness session to keep that ticking over and lead head intact
• Fingerboard session(s) once i am into the swing of it
• Campus boarding ? Not sure yet.
  

7a + dans le sac

Been trying a 7a+ at Penrith for the last couple of sessions. 1st bolt to bolt felt way out of my league. One hold i couldn't even grip and the sequence seemed way too hard. I had another look and got the sequence for the 1st crux in my head - though it still felt hard. I had a burn on it aiming to get through the first sequence and surprised myself by sticking the hold i couldn't use and getting through to the 2nd crux. The added performance benefits of being on the sharp end i guess.

The 2nd crux ( getting over a small lip using 2 poor undercits to a shockingly insecure slopey crimp and going again to a jug ) seemed even harder but once i got to the jug it'd be all over so surely i could push through ? I got to the jug next go. After that it seemed quite simple to the top, if i hadn't been boxed out of my mind. AARRGH ! So that's what a redpoint crux is :0) Fairly easy moves but so tired by the time you get to them you can't pull them off. 10 o clock came and we got chucked out so it'd have to be next time.

It was definitely getting in the way of my 'training' as all i wanted to do was get it done so throwing volume to the wind i warmed up and had one more bolt to bolt to refresh the moves. Properly psyched up now i powered through the 1st and second crux and found myself at the redpoint crux. Panic set in and i changed the sequence, going for a foot hold i'd tried on the bolt to bolt but discounted. I wanted to put my foot on a nice big plastic blob instead of the smear on the opposite wall i knew was required. I made the move, which was sooo much harder than it should have been, JUST clipped ( there was a really decent fall waiting if i didn't ) but couldn't get any further.

STUPID ! Stick to the plan FFS.

To add insult to injury Johnny jumped on it after watching me and got it 3rd go. He's not climbed for 6 weeks and had a raging hangover. The difference is as a boulderer he's strong and powerful, focusses really well and gives it 100% to the plan without getting distracted. He never pauses or rests just goes one move after the other, and keeps going until he gets to the top. By his own admission i am a 'better' climber, better technique and fitness, but his extra strength and commitment are his winning cards on short routes like this. It's what i need to get better at. Zeroing in on the target and going for it.

The good news is that due to feeling so annoyed at Johnny doing it i cracked it off next go. One of those nice redpoints where i got to the top and didn't even feel pumped - though i was tired.

Another grade done and with 2 bolt to bolts, 2 links and 2 'proper' goes at it it went fairly quickly.

Hoping for Malham next weekend. A nice confidence booster.

Self coaching - decisions decisions

Decided not to do a weekly report as it will just be repeating what i put on UKC.

Things have been going well with another couple of 6c+'s done ( one flashed ) and 2 7a's ticked off - one second go after a bolt to bolt. The volume i'm putting in really seems to be working. Good long warm up, starting around f5 for routes and V0 for bouldering, and not too much performance. Tom Randall had been dropping big hints to me about this over the last year. What can i say, he was right and i wish i'd listened a long time ago.

Separating sessions into 'training' and 'performance' helps keep the discipline and is something i can recommend.

This has been a quiet couple of weeks due to Xmas but i managed 2 trips to Kendal this week and a couple to Penrith the previous week. Roped laps on 6c felt fine ( though i think one of the routes was more a hard 6b+ than solid 6c ) and 4x4's at Kendal was polished off at V2,2,2,2. I took 5 mins rest between sets and it was much more of a workout than at Keswick. I was unsure as to the grading at Keswick, and the problems are so short, so Kendal was much more of a realistic test.

It's all pointing towards me being ready for 7b ( when i finally get out again that is ) but i have doubts. When i have tried to boulder hard there doesn't seem to be much there. I haven't done any strength work for a while and i have found myself wanting to slip into old habits and get back to it. However i am climbing better than ever so should i keep going and scrape every bit out of the volume phase or have i already peaked ? How do you know when to stop and change ? I have been very guilty in the past of chopping and changing so much i didn't give things a chance to work.

I need some thinking time.