First Comp

The first time I ever ran the 400 meter dash in a competition was my sophomore year of track. Our best 400m runner gave me some really awesome advice. I listened, ran over the information in my head, and climbed into the blocks. As soon as the gun went off, I tore out of there like a bat out of hell. I cranked out in front of everyone. I was running the 200m. Soon, the sound of footsteps faded behind me and that last turn came up and I realized… I still had 200 very long meters to go. My legs began to lock up, my lungs began to burn and by the end of that race it was taking everything I had just to keep from face planting on the finish line.

This is pretty much the exact same thing that happened during my first indoor bouldering competition. If you missed me, talking about it here… I went up to Tacoma for Edgework’s annual Blacklight comp. It was 3 hours of pulling down the hardest routes you can for points. Kyle tried to coach me, giving great advice like “slow down, take it easy, keep a relaxed warm up.” But I was there when the kids competed. I had been staring at these beautiful and creative routes all day and all I could hear was “blah, blah, blah… GET IT!”

Kyle had to talk me down from trying to tackle a relatively easy problem that had a cool jump start. “Is that what you would normally do? Or would you warm up on easy problems and get to the harder stuff.” So, I tackled the easiest problem I found close by… and then immediately hopped on the jump start. And then tackled the next one. And the next one and by the end of the first hour I was pumped out, cramping, breathing heavy and oh yeah… toast.

I didn’t stop though. It would be another 30 minutes before Kyle convinced me to take a 30 minute break and try to recover before pushing through the rest of the comp. I came up with some really interesting beta to work around my quickly diminishing arm strength… finding dyno’s where they weren’t intended. Bear hugging and hyperextending my arms occasionally instead of using crimps I didn’t like. You know… the usual.

And probably the biggest thing I failed to realize was… I was projecting at or near my max for most of the day. Instead of pulling several problems that I could flash I began getting so hungry for the fun routes that I forgot I was supposed to be getting points. Not falling a lot and trying again before I had fully recovered.

The one thing I did, with no issue at all, was have an amazing time. That was my whole goal. Try something I haven’t done before and focus completely on just enjoying the atmosphere. The volunteer judges and spotters were awesome to talk to and quite entertaining. They seemed to really love being there helping out. And that really added to the atmosphere. Several friends asked me if I was nervous before going in, and I simply told them no. I was there to have fun. And the volunteers all helped make sure that happened.

The setting was amazing. I don’t know if I’m one who really takes the time to appreciate the aesthetic of the movement in climbing. It’s something I feel I’m only now beginning to grasp. But something about these routes, about the beta that was forced in a lot of places, just made for some really beautiful moves. And when they linked together it really just inspired me in a way this sport hadn’t before.

The time aspect, and only having five attempts at a route really made me pay attention to a route before I stepped onto it. I can’t see well in the dark (lol… awesome.) and so I was struggling a bit on figuring out what a hold would be like before I actually got to it. But I really felt myself relaxing. Even when I was on the wall, I didn’t feel panicked, or nervous because my beta wasn’t working how I wanted. I held on and pushed through. And I’m proud of that.

I saw some familiar faces from the Circuit, my home gym. And met some awesome new people. Johnny Goicoechea was there. He’s like a lion. I say that because of his hair. But there was a power and control there I haven’t ever seen in person. And when I talked to him, he was really chill and humble. Very laid back and ready to celebrate the competition with the fellow climbers.

And speaking of which, as soon as the comp ended, a couple of kegs were tapped and prizes were thrown out to the audience. Prizes were also given to the winners in a few of the categories and the energy was high all night. Even at the after, after party… where I got to actually talk with the volunteers and several of Kyle’s climbing friends from the gym. It was really was an awesome end to amazing night.

I guess the last thing I’ll leave you with tonight is a funny story about Kyle during prize throwing. He REALLY wanted some chalk. I’m not going to say what made him think he really needed this chalk, but he was going to be loud enough to make sure the throwers knew he was needy. When the chalk finally came his way, he swats it down and scrambles on the ground for it, creating a scene. A very loud and entertaining scene. As he stands up to show off his prize, he holds in the air with a look of “behold!” as a Petzl chalk bag hits his raised hand and sticks to it. The look of shock and excitement reached high pitch levels a man of Kyle’s size normally wouldn’t reach.

I won nothing. I got lots of stickers and a T-shirt. But that’s cool. I had an amazing time regardless. I didn’t need to win anything. And I learned a ton about the sport and how I can improve and change my strategy for next time. Which is December 3^rd at The Circuit. :) have a goodnight guys. I’m passing out.

Update? lol

I have not been updating. I basically fell off the blogosphere after my post on getting that first v7. Why? Super busy, sick, needed a break, planning a massive shoot (that got cancelled… wah wah.) and growing a beard. It’s more draining than you think.

So what have I been doing? Well… it’s 1:32 am currently and I’m going to knock out this blog so I don’t continue to leave you hanging.

As far as climbing goes, I changed my strategy to work on footwork. It’s amazing how setting a simple goal of “not being so sloppy with my feet.” …actually scratch that. Put in the positive, please. “Being better with my feet.” Really helped dial in my focus. It also gave my upper body joints a reprieve from the constant abuse I place them under. I very quickly noticed how quiet my stepping became and how much more efficient I felt.

And though I’m far from finished on that front, I am improving.

Next… Training with the college kids has seemed to be very counter productive in my training for a v10. In fact, between the morning workouts and the having a couple jobs and then not sleeping because I WILL get my time in at the gym… I’ve struggled to even tackle v5’s. For this reason, and several others, I will probably be limiting the amount of time I spend with the College kids (outside of our actual practice time… Because that’s pole vault, my other love.) just so I don’t continue to hinder my progress.

As I mentioned, I had a really awesome film shoot scheduled for about 2 weeks ago. However it got cancelled. The art of CYA, or Cover Your Ass, came into effect and I didn’t do a good enough job of it. It’s not often I make big mistakes, or mistakes I can’t correct. But I was spread too thin and I got sloppy. Noted. Lesson Learned. Moving on.

And since I had all that fun equipment, I asked my gym (The Circuit) if I could come in before closing and shoot some climbers doing some routes. It ended up being just me, with one camera, but the footage looks useable and I’m very excited for what I can do with that little bit of tester footage. Hopefully if I impress enough people, maybe I can do something a little bigger with more crew and deliver some really nice product. Product, simply meaning a finished video… not necessarily something I’m trying to make a ton of money from.

And THAT is my Third, and most important love. The one I don’t think I could live without. For example, this labor of love, is also something I finished in the time since we last spoke.

A music video I did for Tim Lundy, the guy who does all the sound for my projects at Intense Entertainment.

The only other thing I’ve been doing is trying to learn some new training techniques. Despite everything I know about strength training and training the body to improve via muscle recruitment, or PNF or any other number of training tools… I really want to specifically learn training regimens geared towards improving my Technique. So I’m reading The Self Coached Climber, and learning some new tricks from that.

That’s all I’m going to post in here, tonight. Saturday, I’m participating in my first Competition. Just for fun. It’ll be at Edgeworks in Tacoma Washington. I really want to just hop in and have a good time. No stress for how well I perform compared to everyone else. Just compete against myself. If I can keep that in mind, I’m sure to have an awesome time.

Have a great night. I’ll give you the play by play on Monday… give or take a few days. ;)

James

October 2011 update

I reached my goal 3 days late. I walked into the gym intending to just work on 5’s. Use the day as a sort of recovery day. I ended up working on a tricky V5 and wasted a lot of energy. After that I focused on repeating some old 5’s that I’d either flashed or onsighted.

I really struggled. Be it a lack of sleep, or proper diet. Possibly even just needing to recover some more… but I couldn’t work anything. I gave up on the “training” and started screwing around.

Finally after a long playful session, I hopped onto a V7 that I had tried 2 or 3 times before. This particular 7 got my attention with it’s large dynamic lunge, a dyno that goes the full length of my wingspan straight up. My first and only attempt was extremely half assed. Not sloppy. Just… lazy. But when my hand connected with the slope-y pinch, I had this brief moment of effortless ease. Redundant? Don’t care. That’s how it felt.

My feet cut from the wall and my hand was the only thing keeping me on. I made a loud grunty scream and cranked down until the swinging stopped. I moved up the rest of the route and heard some cheers. I also hear a girl (who’s a better climber than me) say “That’s not how I’d do it.” Don’t care. It worked and it was awesome.

After some rest, I attempted my V7. I really feel like it’s mental now. I’ve failed so much despite having the beta and I want it so bad, I can’t just relax and do it. I’ll come back to it eventually.

So, what now? I’ve reached my goal. I’m sick, working a lot and not getting nearly enough sleep… so where do I go from here?

Normally I’d continue as I have, entering a training cycle that gradually increases workload while I approach my next goal deadline (Short term goal was a V8 by January.). However, I think it’s time to change strategies.

As the grades get harder, the holds get smaller in size and fewer in number. And this is revealing some huge weaknesses in my technique. Specifically, my footwork. I’m also terrible at crimps. So I really want to make a short term goal of improving my foot work and crimping.

Ok… now to answer the “what’s next” question. For the next 6 weeks, my plan is to warm up on the gym’s traverse wall, switching between matching feet and stepping through. It’s the matching that gets me (Kyle makes fun of me because I’m climbing v6’s and v7’s but didn’t know the term “matching” can be used for your hands AND feet.).

As for crimps, I’m looking for those annoyingly crimpy routes a grade or two lower than my max. I work the problem as far as I can. Once I fall, I back up and hold onto the hold a little longer than normal. Focus on really slowing down the transition between moves until I’m pumped out. Or my fingers get so sweaty I can’t hold on. So far… not much improvement. At least, no miracles yet.

I want 2 good weeks of easy before I really hit the ground running. It also works out because I’m breaking in some new shoes, The La sportiva Pythons. Originally, I wanted the Solutions, but I didn’t like their fit.

The pythons are a leather slipper that I’ve downsized an extra 1.5 EU sizes (38). I’ve had 3 days in them. They’ve stretched and I’m getting that form fit. However, I’d be ok with a few more days of stretching.

Do I like them? Yes. Very much. By far the most aggressive shoe I’ve used. Once the nerves die in my toes, I’ll be able to use them to their full potential. Until then, I’ll just enjoy the extra sticky rubber and the incredible improvement in footwork… I know I said above that there was no miracle, but it’s more of improvement out of necessity. Poor footwork is too painful.

(girl at the gym: "Those look disproportionately small... even for you.")

My old Miura’s will probably become my sport shoes/trainers while my python’s become my performance shoes.

In this picture you can see that the blood is rushing back into my feet. this was when i tried on the 37.5's... which also dislocated a metatarsil in my right foot.

I’m going to cut this one off here because I want to rant about Route setting. Specifally NOT posting grades. But I’ll do a new blog as it may be a long one and this one has some length to it as is. :)

September 2011

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.” – Henry Ford.

September is over. Which means I either made my goal of getting my first V7, or I didn’t. 4 weeks and some change went by and I pushed for max effort every day I hit the gym.

Every day, my calluses were rubbed raw and my fingers would be stiff. The prescription was stretching, ibuprofen and Ice.

I tried to cut back on the number of days I would go to the gym so I could get my money’s worth on each attempt. I’d try to make my trips 3+ hours with long rests. I focused on two v7’s and pushed.

My breathing was controlled. Body tension was tight. My technique was sharper than ever. And in true fashion, I picked the hardest V7 that fit my style. By the half waypoint of the month I knew which project was mine. A day later I was confident in the beta.

The next week was spent wiring the moves. Climbing until my joints hurt and my fingers (usually) bled. My days became consecutive journeys, visits between shifts at work, and whenever I could.

This, though driven and something I’m proud of, is probably why I failed. I could feel myself closing in. I wanted it so bad I pushed beyond fatigue and what was rationale. Though I improved, I couldn’t heal enough to piece the route together.

I had a following of friends and fellow climbers who I’ve gotten to know over the last several months all coming over and supporting me in my numerous attempts. Looking back, I feel bad that I may have distracted them from their own sessions for so long. But they were nabbing shots on their cameras or phones, just in case THAT attempt was the send.

Persistence turned to frustration, turned to a deeper resolve. My head could see nothing but the moves and the absolute conclusion that I could and would send this problem. There was no doubt.

Which must be where Henry Ford’s “Probably” comes from. The amount of determination wasn’t enough to will me up the wall. I lost sight of the fact that my body breaks down and needs time. As Ron said, “It’s ok to be human.” I just had to be reminded of that.

I made my last attempt. As desperate as this may appear to someone reading this, I felt so calm and strong and smooth. I moved and flowed. Hit the crux and did it right. Slow. Static. Controlled.

Oh, did I mention I showed up to the gym 5 minutes before it closed? My first attempt was cold. Stupid. But I climbed hard. It was easily my most solid attempt at the route. And I failed.

I’ve said I failed a few times now. But did I? I pushed myself to my limits and fell just shy of my goal. It’s a bitter taste, but not totally unappreciated. It’s a lesson. And I’ll take it and learn. Now it’s back to the drawing board. Time to reanalyze my weaknesses and develop a training strategy to grow and get that 7… and then an 8… and 9… you get the idea. :)

Accountability

My coach in college taught me early to not only write goals and place them where I can see them daily, but also tell others of my goals. If I’m sincere and realistic these won’t sound cocky or arrogant and hopefully these people will help hold me accountable.

My short-term goal for climbing is my first V7 by the end of September (half way through the month now…). I have 3 routes that I think are doable by then and I’m pushing hard for it. I went 3 days in a row projecting at my max. This is the kind of sore and broken that makes me sleep for a day, be anti-social and enjoy every grinding second of it.

I’m getting closer too. The progress seems almost unnoticeable. But as tired as I am, I feel my moves get smoother. My breathing has become less rapid and more controlled keeping me from getting too taxed. And although more and more pieces of my skin are gone and the pain grows, I feel calmer with each attempt.

So what about accountability? I feel like I have a place in this community. Most of the employees know my name. Several climbers are comfortable enough with me to talk beta and project with me. It’s this group that holds me accountable.

In the last 3 days of climbing, I noticed these friends asking me the same question, “Have you gotten that 7 yet?” I heard this probably 6 or 7 times, and Steve (the guy who introduced me to the routes I’m attempting.) asked me specifically if I was making progress.

It serves as a little reminder that people care, and want to see me succeed (or they’re actually jerks and are hoping I fail… I choose the more positive option.). And it pushes me when my own reservoir of motivation is running low. The sound of someone encouraging me may not perform miracles, but I tend to reach for at least one more hold when someone is egging me on.

A lot of that motivation came from my dear friend, Kyle. My fellow teammate in Track, roommate during my senior year of college and fellow Ninja, he’s the one introduced me to climbing. He came to town to hang out and “crush” I guess is the climber’s term he used (and I’m supposed to know by now… haha).

He’s a powerful climber. Part of the reason I’ve worked so hard is to just catch up to him and be able to climb with him. He has taught me a lot and I’m finally closing the gap.

He often receives my post-session texts describing my night. It usually includes: what I accomplished, how I performed mentally, or if any cute girls said hi to me (not a common notification, mind you…). He holds me accountable by pushing me constantly.

Motivation lacking? Talk to Kyle.

Technique not up to snuff? Talk to Kyle.

Diet not where it should be? Hangout with Kyle. He’ll make you feel guilty.

You get the idea. He, along with so many climbers that I’ve gotten to know over the last few months have really kept me on track to this V7. Now for two days rest and then back to grinding it out.

P.S. Because of the heat, I was going through chalk like mad (sweaty palms :p ). So I upgraded to a chalk bucket… now there’s 20oz of a white substance I can’t take on a plane.

And one more thing… the second set of shoelaces on my La Sportiva Muira’s broke. Making them the second pair in a month. This is Kyle’s subtle hint that I need a new pair. And if you’re wondering why… these one’s go to 11.

Weight: 173 (13 lbs off goal...) Have no fear! It’s only pizza and beer!

Finding my V7

I found my first v7. The one that will be my first. My goal tonight was to warm up and begin moving through as many as I could to see which ones got my attention.

Typically I end up with the hardest but coolest looking route I can find. And I climb until I’m frustrated. Climb some more… and struggle all the way through. I wanted to try to find a 7 that focused on my strengths. Which is pretty much overhand and power.

What I also really wanted was something that got me excited. That the line the setters presented really got me jonesing to come in and tackle. Some of the employees helped point a couple out and after playing around on a few I knew which it had to be. Which one will keep me up tonight thinking about. I already have new ideas for how to tackle a part of the problem I’m not even at yet.

I do really have a hard time gauging difficulty. Maybe I’ve had it easy until now, but I kept saying “which is an easy v7?” not that I want to cheat myself out of a strong victory but that I wanted to slowly notch up my difficulty. Steve (one of the employees at the Circuit Bouldering Gym) probably said it five times last night, “They’re V7’s. They’re all hard.”

It’s something I really need drilled into my head. The burly/thuggy routes are going to hurt. The crimpy/techy ones are going to test me mentally. Willi step up to the plate or back down?

Lets just say I’m in pain. I’m no stranger to it. I just have to inform my brain that this is expected. I knew this was coming. And just in attempting, I see how far I’ve come. There’s a few 7’s I can project and probably take down with some concentrated effort. I can do this. And I feel good.

As I was sitting, icing my right hand… I had an idea. The biggest complaint about my V6 video was people couldn’t tell how difficult the holds were. I’ve seen enough climbing videos to understand how to fis this… multiangle/multicamera shoot. I’ve got the equipment. There’s no reason why I couldn’t shoot my first send of a 7 in some interesting way. Maybe I can get Steve’s help with getting into the gym and shooting it?

Wait: 168 lbs (8 lbs from goal).

with the rare exception of working too much... i've cut out caffeine again. and fast food is out as well.

AcroYoga

I’ve been saying I was going to try this for about 6 months. It’s offered to me free as a part of my annual membership at the climbing gym. And tonight was the night.

It wasn’t too hot in the gym. And being my third day in a row, I took a nice long 30-45 minute, very relaxed warm up trying to loosen up my forearms. I would stop to get water, to watch climbers crush a problem, and just do anything to make sure I was going slow. I asked at the front desk when yoga started and a girl who was signing in looks at me and says “now! Follow me!” she and her partner led me upstairs and they began doing exercises you’d expect to see in Cirque De Soleil. AcroYoga, in a very simplified explanation is one person laying on the floor (the base) holds the other person in the air (flyer) with their feet. They were doing some moves that were a lot more advanced than what I was doing.

Finally more people arrived. I was introduced to several and was instructed on how to do the beginning base work. It’s… interesting. The girls kept asking me if I needed breaks. But I didn’t feel like my muscles were wearing out. I was just getting a deep constant stretch in my hamstrings.

Next, I was introduced to the flyer position by the instructor. She taught me the bent leaf, which is the start of therapeutic stretching. This would be extremely awkward if had a personal bubble. Because at one point I was upside down hanging in the air, sitting somewhat like a frog with my head between a strangers legs. Her thighs also seemed to be putting just enough pressure across the arteries in my neck to prevent a blood rush/blackout. Cool thing, I probably could have passed out and she would have still kept me balanced.

So the first minute or so of this video demonstrates pretty close to what I was doing with the instructor. Except I was the upside down girl and the instructor was on the ground.

I can’t tell you how this felt. After an injury in my back several years ago, I’ve had chronic pain. Chiropractic care helps, but doesn’t fix it. Massage does almost nothing and physical therapy… well, doctors can’t get me sitting still long enough to get through PT. but the way this stretched and lengthened my spine was amazing. I immediately noticed an improvement in posture and a reduction in pain. I’ll probably continue AcroYoga for this reason alone.

Next was being a flying bird? Which, everytime they said this, all I could think about was Portlandia’s “Put a bird on it” sketch (This made things more difficult... it's hard to balance when you're fighting the urge to laugh.). Basically, it stopped being a stretch and became some work. It was similar to doing supermans on the stability ball. Biggest difference, the ball was a crazily coordinate woman with toes that moved me to wherever she wanted me to go.

As the place became more full, I moved to a bench, in awe. After a few minutes of this, I headed downstairs. I put in about 4 hours tonight. The AcroYoga really loosened me up and got me ready to tackle more routes on the wall. I plan to do it again next week if I’m free. It definitely wasn’t the yoga I was expecting though. But I’m always down for something new.

P.S. I was trying to do some press to handstands on the Olympic rings. That might make my list of to-do’s.

168 lbs before I ate Subway. :)

September has started; 30 days to pull a V7.