Sport Climbing? It Ain’t No Thang.

That? Is a bald faced lie. In fact it really consists of one of my biggest athletic weaknesses. Endurance. And so I typically avoid long and grueling routes simply because I know it’s not my favorite way of playing. But it is challenging and so the allure is there… somewhere. Underneath a weakening fear of heights and growing passion for any and all things vertical, I find myself wanting to get use out of this sick harness I own.

Today, at the Source Climbing Center… (You know, the one I work at) I was asked to shoot some stuff to post on the website (and write my bio… crap! Forgot to do that. HaHa… kind of.) and one of the angles Michael (one of the owners) proposed was from behind one of the walls. No big deal… Oh wait, that means I climb up there? Fu…n times.

So as were climbing up this semi-sketchy rung ladder steadily fastened between steel frames and welding, Michael turns to me and says “three points of contact. How’re you doing?” “no worries.” I felt fine. It was dark and I can’t see real well so I was going mostly by feel. This was good because it kept me from thinking about the 35 foot fall I’d take if I slipped. I also missed thinking about the bouncing on said steel, that would be the only thing slowing my descent.

I didn’t think about it until we climbed to the top where the ladder stops and I have to hoist myself up to the edge and peek over the peak (see what I did there?). I’m hanging on to the finals bits of metal and even as I write this I feel my palms getting sweaty. It was also at this point I looked all the way down and felt pangs on panic creep in.

But I didn’t lose it. I was fine. In control. The fear was there, but it didn’t cripple me. If anything it helped me to keep focus on my balance and everything my body told me to make sure I stayed right where I was. And eventually as I climbed back down (feeling quite a gnarly pump as I overgripped the rungs) I thought “how could would it be to GoPro this?” I didn’t go back up. But next time…

Ok, so now my shift is over and Michael says the crew is invited back to climb after hours. I was in serious need of a nap after the hell that was last week and this holiday weekend. So a short nap and I’m recharged and ready to go. The goal was just to get on the ropes and see what I do. Michael had other plans.

First thing he says, is of course, “hey” and then it’s followed by “Know how to lead climb? Wanna learn?”

One of my goals is to climb 5.12 Lead. Setting a date to accomplish this goal by is difficult knowing very little about this style of climbing and how my body will react. So I’m holding off on that.

We went through clipping and I went up some 5.9’s trying to remember not to back clip, to breath, to keep form and focus on my technique as my mind fell to fatigue. I know I’m fine on harder routes when top roping… but that stupid clipping tripped me up haha. It took me a second route to get it, before I felt comfortable and wanted to go faster.

The final test of the night was Michael and Matt (fellow coworker) we’re going to project a 5.12. I think to myself, “Awesome, I can get some kind of clue as to how difficult this goal might be to achieve.” But it was then made apparent that I was going to attempt the route and unclip on the way up to the top. I had no expectation as to what I might do personally… but I was game. What’s the worst that could happen?

I hop on and the holds were nice. The moves were solid and flowing. This actually felt better than the 5.9’s that I had been doing. At no point did I get cocky though. Nor did I feel like it was out of my range. I made it quite a ways with a rest but suddenly I realized I was blown out. My tank was empty and I was toast. My forearms were pumped.

“Breath James!” “I’m Trying!” Too late. Well passed the anaerobic threshold, I went after this like it was a boulder route. I still had at LEAST 15’ to go. And that’s probably conservative. I rested, shook it out. Heard some laughs and very awesome cheers to push me further. I made a few more moves but my muscles were now in the moments that precede muscle failure. I tried to rest and get back on but I knew what I had done and the deficit I’d created. This is what training would stave off. Like Butt lock in the 400m dash, I was toast. The only difference is you can waddle across the finish line with butt lock. You can’t shimmy up a wall when your arms are that far gone.

Oh well. It was a good taste of things to come. I’m excited. The fears there, but it’s making me smarter, not hesitant. And that’s part of why I started climbing in the first place… isn’t it?

Goodnight :)

James

Sport Climbing and Training (Not exactly related)

Oh man. Tonight was amazing. Had work and then headed to the gym. I had every intention of doing a nice grueling workout. However, the crowded gym made this nearly impossible.

Let’s back up. In the previous post, didn’t I say I’d be taking it easy? No projecting or brutal workouts? Yes. So what the heck?! Well, I decided that my aerobic endurance was terrible, and working on that would be a fun, easy (sort of), stressless way to spend the next month and a half.

Saturday’s workout was beautiful. Nice 30 minute warm up. Followed by a good stretch. Goal was to climb every V3 in the gym as smooth as possible with 3 minutes rest between burns (Burns: attempts at a route.). I also get a 10 minute rest halfway through. I wanted to stick right in that aerobic zone. Actually, I just didn’t want to hit my anaerobic threshold. In total, I had three falls and 15 routes leaving 3 or 4 in the roof and surrounding overhang. Definitely should have started there.

It ended with a feeling similar to a long uphill bike ride (and complete muscle failure haha). My hands were missing most calluses, or they were worn away. And I was wiped out. My cool down was supposed to be to slow climb V2-VB (Vb is the lowest grade… similar to climbing a ladder), which was brutal. But it all felt so good. I slept really well.

A lot of people wanted to advise me on the right way to train. Some advice was much more useful than others. But what this workout made me realize (along with the advice I was given…) is that despite the very climbing specific work that needs to be done, the body is still a human body and responds just like it would in any other sport. It’s only taking all the knowledge I already know about training athletes and applying it to benefit me in climbing.

Just so you know… I’ve read more text books in the last year than I did while I was in college. All sorts of texts on sport specific training and the human body and I have to be honest… The human body is still the human body, no matter what sport it’s participating in. Mind Blown? Mine too. A lot of the analogies some of the more experienced climbers used to relate the training they spoke to me about were using Track and weight lifting. Two extremely different sports from climbing and yet the strategies were identical to how I train my athletes. These were some of the same ideas that some members of the climbing community shunned me for considering recently. Haha glad I stuck to my guns. :)

And before I hop back on topic (I know, I’m all over the place. I’m improvising from my rough draft.) I just want to give kudos to top rope/Lead/Trad and all the other sport climbers out there. Every sport I’ve done in my life has focused entirely on short maximal efforts and with only a few exceptions have required serious attention to any kind of aerobic conditioning. The thought of training for sport climbing is both daunting and frightening to me. Much like being a pole vaulter who is told to run an 800m in a meet, or worse (in my case) the 1500. Forcing myself to improve and grow as a climbing athlete is something that will be really good for me. I just have to stomach it. And back on topic.

My plan tonight was to try a “4x4.” Definitely an anaerobic workout. Simply, 4 routes varied in difficulty (ex. V2,V4,V3,V2) done consecutively with 10 minutes rest between sets and repeated 3 more times. But the walls were so busy, I got stuck waiting nearly 3 min between burns ruining what I wanted to accomplish.

So I ended up playing. I was shocked by how I was doing. I already warm so I starting down. Flashed some V5’s and got a V6 on the second burn (foot slipped… oops.). and V7’s are becoming so… friendly. If I had started the evening intending to project that V7 I would have finished it. And I’m fairly confident I can finish it in one or two burns the next time I’m in.

However, due to crowds, I think I’ll be using the old Circuit gym to train. Campus ladders, Hang boards, and a building full of new problems sounds like what I need.

Anyways, that’s all. No, I lied. I signed up for the Portland Boulder Rally on December 3^rd. if I climb like I did tonight I’ll be sure to demolish my performance from my last comp. Plus, Carlo Traversi and Sierra Blair-Coyle are said to be there. Ok. Bye. :)

James

Kaizen

It has been recommend to me (quite frequently actually) that I take a length of time off for my body to rest and recover from whatever physical stress I’d been applying to it, normally for several months on end. This usually was then forced on me by some injury I would receive via overtraining. However, this holiday season, my training may take a forced hiatus due to the amount of working I’m doing.

While this does mean money coming in and a lack of time to make excuses to burn through it. I will unfortunately be struggling to train like I would otherwise until the beginning of the new year.

But who knows. Maybe backing down and not climbing will get me primed and ready to hit the ground running… er, um vertically… to improve.

The beauty is, knocking out a couple fingerboard workouts a week only requires I go to the other side of the room… not across town.

I did get some climbing done though. Pulled down that elusive V7 that has been shutting me down for the better part of 2 months. No crowd cheered. No video caught it. I simply slapped the top out and pulled my exhausted and pumped out body the last bit of the way up. It was a peaceful moment.

The hardest part wasn’t the crux, it was getting my brain to be quiet. Some climbers say hyperventilate before you do a route. Others scream and try to act like weightlifters before a big lift (Why?! I don’t understand this…). Me, I just keep yelling positive thoughts to myself inside my head.

But that’s not what I wanted. I wanted nothing. No need for an outcome, just the chance to move. And so I simply “shh’d” to myself. Weird? Not compared to some stuff that I’ve tried. (That… sounds worse than I mean.)

It came through in my breathing. Slow and controlled. And when I hit that big move in the crux, the one that dropped me so many times before, I moved through like a coiled spring. I had just enough gas in the tank to hit it and not barn door my way into another attempt. It just all came together.

I want to discuss the idea of Kaizen. A Japanese term normally used in business practices. However, I want to take it a different way. The idea is to always look for ways to improve.

I feel I strive for this. Not just in climbing, but in every facet of my life. Today that meant striving to not get in my own way. Tomorrow it means a long day of work and then opting to rest instead of training.

To me, Kaizen is; the desire to never stop learning. To say no, only if you absolutely have too (or if it’s regarding drugs. D.A.R.E. taught me that.) To listen, a lot. And to never settle or be satisfied. To not let others limit my potential.

P.S. I totally jacked the concept of Kaizen from my boss, Michael. He introduced me to it. But he meant it towards business. So… There you go. I made it my own.

November’s first update! (I need to think of better titles…)

October has come and gone. The rain is here and it’s unrelenting. I have a third job. This one’s pretty fitting. I’m working at a climbing gym that recently opened in Vancouver called The Source (Facebook). It’s a beautiful top rope and lead climbing gym. There’s a small bouldering portion. Check the website and head in if you’re ever in the Vancouver area (Washington… Not Canada, ladies and gents.).

I was there climbing this week at the gym (might become a normal thing before I go to coach at Clark College) and the local newspaper was taking some pics and I ended up having my picture taken and popped in the paper. I was surprised by the number of friends who read The Columbian. Granted, the picture took most of the front page of the business section.

The grand opening for the gym was a huge success. I spent the evening belaying people. Or is it “on belay?” I don’t know. I boulder. My bouldering religious beliefs recommend abstaining from ropes.

Some other things I’ve forgotten to update would include running into Carlo Traversi. He was in town for a PCI clinic at the Circuit. I sat down to stretch and realized I had picked the spot in the gym right next to him. He was super chill and awesome to talk to. Considering how inspiring his climbing has been to me, it was awesome to see he's also a really down to earth guy (I KNOW there’s a climbing pun in there somewhere…).

And finally, I made a quick little practice test video at the Circuit. I posted a write up on my other blog over at IEFilms.net. I’d love to get some feedback. Just leave some comments either on the YouTube Channel, or below this blog. :)

That’s it. A long week is over and the next one is starting. Thanks for checking in.

James C.