Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I took a trip down to Tacoma about a week ago and managed to get some climbing in at their "new" gym: Climb Tacoma. The gym is small, but efficient in terms of maximizing space. They grade with the color system: White, Blue, Green... Yellow v4-5, Red v6-7, Pink v8+ I was happily surprised at my performance. I managed to pull down one red route, while also getting to the last move on two other red routes. A few days later I climbed at Stone Gardens with Lauren and lead onsighted a 5.11+. Unfortunately this streak didn't last. Last night I tried to climb as many v4s as I could at SG. I think I managed to complete two... I think a couple threes threw me off at the end of the night as well. Sure, I could lose more weight and eat better--but that's being extremely particular. If I lost more than 10 pounds I would be unhealthy and I'm now a vegan who eats mostly organic, whole foods. Room for improvement, but not by much. On days like yesterday, I just have to remind myself that hard work will eventually pay off.

The Sickness

Just as I was starting to see improvement, I got the flu and had to miss about two weeks of climbing. Im back in it now...two days ago I took my good friend Sammy to the gym and I was unable to pull down any v5s :( I've spent the last few days watching videos on "Louder than 11" Vimeo, so I'm still psyched for climbing, but I would be lying if I said my drop in grades isn't frustrating me. The good news is I see no other option than to keep climbing--"just keep climbing," as Dori would say. I'm miserable if I don't do some type of activity and climbing consistently keeps me wanting more--more so than any other sport I've tried. Hopefully consistency will pay off and I'll see a v9 before my athletic ability peaks!

Lots o strugglin

Set out for a volume workout of 8 v4s today. I managed to barely pull off seven. Thinking back, I'm not where I was a year ago. I made these fours look like eights. I struggled to get each one of the seven v4s today... After the third failed four of the day, I almost quit the workout, but I had nothing better to do and I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself, so I got on the wall and made my first completion. Workouts since my last post included several climbing sessions with Lauren--none of which felt like any progress on my part was made; however, Lo is schralpin harder every burn! I also tried to project a v7 at UW's gym. I got to the crux and after the crux--I just couldn't link the two. I wasn't a huge fan of their gym. I think I've just been spoiled with SPB, Stone Gardens, and Vertical World. The very next day after projecting at UW, I tried to project again at SG... And Iearned my lesson. Projecting two days in a row doesn't do anyone any good... At least not at the level I'm at now. I'm hoping to climb again in a few days

Pyramid Completion (sort-of)

Today I set out to complete a pyramid workout. However, instead of peaking at v4, I chose to jump up to v5. I had a couple great workouts after my last pyramid. Along with going in the gym to climb sport several times, I also completed a 4 x 4 workout with a combination of v2s and v3s, and a volume workout with all v3s (completing 14 routes!). Overall, the workout went very well. I managed to complete all but two problems: a descending v4 and v3. The rest I got within two tries. With this completion I've asserted myself at about the same level I was at this time last year. My goal is to continue with this progression: climb a v8 by April. The next time I'm fully recovered at the gym I'm hoping to project for a v7 (probably next week sometime).
*I'm also very excited that Lauren and I have gotten certified in lead climbing at Stone Gardens--now both of us can start doing more intense workouts when we climb together!

Back in the Game

I just read my last post and it brought both hope and disparity to me. It's tough to read my last post and remember how successful I had been prior to pulling my hamstring and taking time off for school and work. The v8 which I'd hoped to film was the culprit of my hamstring pull. I was unable to walk for a couple days, so I tried to give it a month's rest before I got back on the wall. Rest wasn't enough. At that point I started a post-bac in Speech and Hearing Science at UW. It had been over a year since I had attended school, so I wanted to try to give it my full attention--putting climbing on the back burner. I took a large class load and worked 30 hrs. There was no time for climbing, but looking back, I should have made the time. Without physical activity--especially one that I'm so passionate about--I became a different person: unmotivated, often grumpy or depressed, just hanging onto the need to complete the quarter for completion sake. No more. This quarter I've made climbing a priority, taken a smaller class load and cut down on my work schedule. Although my experience without climbing was a bit tragic, I believe it was necessary for me to appreciate other aspects of climbing besides route grades. I still hope to improve, but I now know the importance of the sport--improvement or not--to my well being. I started back again about 3 weeks ago. I've gotten a couple 6s, but nothing spectacular or particularly hard. Today I tried my first workout: a pyramid workout starting at *sigh* v1s and working my way up to a v4. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete a v4 or any v3s after attempting the v4. I felt frustrated for sure, but I have high hopes for the future. I want to direct my focus toward sport climbing outdoors. I've tried bouldering outside a few times, but it's just not my thing. However, I've sport climbed outside more than I can count and I absolutely love it. I'm not very comfortable leading anything past a 5.11, so my goal is to improve this fall and winter in the gym for a stellar outdoor season, leading a high 5.12, or a low 5.13!

Lost Route and Horrible Climbing

My next time in the gym was with Darrell. I ended up projecting an 8--I linked every move but the first move! Unfortunately they took the route down already so I'll have to find another project. Last night I tried another pyramid workout... I did horrible. I was fine until I got to the v6. After three attempts, I moved back down the ladder. I was so distracted by my failure that I didn't finish the workout. I only did one v5 and three v4s after the falls. One of the 4s took me five tries to figure out the beta. Next time I need to keep my head in the game and finish the workout.

(This post was from the week after post: Updates around 3/3/12)

Updates

After the tough pyramid a had a great night where I got two v7s... I can't remember too much about them other than the fact that I flashed one of them. A few days later I tried the tough pyramid again with great success. I wasn't rushed, so I took my time and it paid off! I managed to flash or insight every route starting at 3s, then up to a 6, and back down. At this point I took a week break because my forearms began to hurt from overuse. I came back from the break a few days ago with great success. I managed to pull down 3 v7s in a night. Onsight, flash, and a send on the second attempt. I also played on an 8 that seems very possible for my ability. I'd rather post a video of the route than describe it, so wish me luck! Last night I tried to repeat my volume v5 night, aiming for 10 sends, but to my surprise I pulled down 13 v5s. I'm sore and proud. All were onsights or flashes save 2, which I completed second attempt. Thanks for reading.

Tough Pyramid

I tried to up my pyramid intensity tonight. Instead of starting with four v2s, I started with four v3s. Tonight was a horrible night attempt this workout. I ended up having a little less than an hour an a half to complete it opposed to my normal two. I managed to flash or onsight every route on the first half of the pyramid, but failed to send the v6 within three attempts. My first attempt got me to the last move. For the next two attempts I moved to a different 6 and got about half way. The back half of the pyramid was a success, but I did get pumped. I can't decide if I'm ready for this jump yet. I'm fairly certain the workout isn't designed for a pump. Also, my form broke down on a few of the back half routes... Overall I felt like I accomplished a good workout. I'll try this intensity again, but I'll give myself more time to rest between burns.

v7

Just making a log of another v7 on 2/11/2012

10 v5s!

Patience paid off tonight. I gave myself about ten minutes rest between each 5. I day-flashed 8 of the problems, finished the other 2 on my second try, and fell on three others. For the most part, I was able to maintain form throughout the workout. The added pressure of finishing each route within 2-3 attempts definitely kept me psyched.

Workout Log

I haven't been in the mood to post lately, but I want to make sure I log my workouts before I forget them. I don't quite remember the order of my workouts over the past few weeks, so they will not be listed chronologically.

4x4 workout: I tried to do a 4x4 workout doing all v4s with each set. I managed to successfully do this for 3 sets. On the forth set, third route, I fell. I finished the workout with two v3s.

10 v5s: The goal was to send 10 v5s in one night. I struggled to get 7. I tried 14. I was happy with my results, but I was surprised I could not achieve 10 sends.

Threshold: I usually don't hop on routes that are past my limit for fear of injury, but I took a chance and projected some v8s in order to work on recruitment muscles. I wanted to project about 3 problems that I could only get 2-4 moves in before I fell. I would try each about 4 times. On the first 8 I managed to get the first 4 moves. On the second 8 i tried, I could link two moves at a time until the first crux. The third eight was hopeless... the beta was desperate pinpoint moves. I couldn't do one of them.
I don't know how much this workout actually helped me improve. I decided to do a hangboard workout after to feel some sense of accomplishment: 20lb belt on metolius simulator: Flat slopers 7sec on 3 sec off x 5. Medium crimp, same. Pinches on Seattle Bouldering Project system wall, same. Two finger pocket one hand--large crimp other hand (useless sets) 7 sec on 3 sec off rotating for a total of 8.

Project 7s: I got another v7 set for the recent comp held at SBP for ABS divisional. It took me a total of 7 attempts, three attempts on the day I sent it. I tried another 7 that calls for interesting movement on and around two pyramid volumes. I could get to the move before the first crux. It took me a while to figure out the beta, but now that I have it, I know I can at least get to the crux next time I come in fresh. I have some videos from this day that I'll post soon.

I think I did another pyramid workout in there somewhere. It was nothing special--starting at v2s and climbing up to one v5 and back down. Seattle got some snow recently, go I took a short break from climbing (4 days) to enjoy it. I had the pleasure to climb with my friends Darrell and James a few days after my previous post. I loved it. We all climbed very well. I managed to send three v6s that day. I also went down to Tacoma to climb at Edgeworks with Darrell. I spent most of my time on a very creative v7. I succeeded in unlocking all the moves except the last. I linked most of them together on my last attempt.

Pyramid

A quick post before my very good friend and former college roommate James (http://v10orbust.blogspot.com/) comes to Seattle from Vancouver, WA to watch the ABS Divisional Championships (http://usaclimbing.net/rockcomps/comps/schedule_region_results.cfm?region=101). My workout was a pyramid starting at 4 v2s and moving up to 3 v3s, 2 v4s, then finally 1 v5 and back down again. I've found that these workouts are another great method to track my progress. This time around, I was able to finish all the problems except the v5. It was an onsight attempt and I got to the last move before falling, so I felt fairly good about it. I also don't usually climb two days in a row, so I'm very content with my performance. Last time I did this workout I remember falling on one of the v4s and even one of the v2s at the end of the workout. I saved the hardest v2 in the gym for my last and it was a breeze. I felt more collected and smooth throughout every route this workout. I feel an improvement in my endurance for sure.

Yoga

I've decided to aim for doing yoga twice a week. I've contemplated which activity would be most effective for cross-training, and have decided that an intensely physical yoga is definitely the most beneficial thing I can do. For the most part, my forearms get to rest, but I still get to work on body control and precision movements. The class that I attend usually puts a great deal of emphasis on leg strength (however, this could be my weak legs lagging behind my strong upper body). It's a great activity for me because I'm highly goal motivated. Yoga allows me to make a goal out of advanced poses. It also clears my head. I manage to have focus when I climb, but since I mostly boulder, that focus period only lasts a short amount of time. Yoga keeps me focused for the entirety of the lesson. *I'll have to delve deeper into what I receive from the mental and spiritual aspect of yoga in a later post.

First Workouts of the Year

Project Workout: 01/03/12

I started the year off strong. I came in expecting to project v6s all session, but a few new friends happened to be there, so we hopped on some harder stuff. I ended up pulling down two v7s that night. Happy days. Both forced beautiful movement, but offered a few modifications within the style and size of the climber. I climb harder when people are watching--especially people I know and respect. I'm usually introverted, so most of my friends have been the ones to initiate the first interaction. *I'll have to make a point to branch out and meet new people. There seems to be a large population of people whom take climbing seriously in Seattle. I'd love to join the club.

4 x 4 workout: 01/05/12
(climb four routes back to back with no rest. stop. wait about 10 minutes. repeat 4 times. Intensity should be high. You should be out of breath. Grades should be your highest onsight ability.)

I did well. I formatted each set as follows: v4, v3, v4, v3. I fell on my third set on the last v3... I don't think I allowed myself enough time between the second and third set. My last set seemed too easy, so I threw on another v4 at the end and made it about half way. This workout is a great way to build power endurance. My next step will be to add a v5 in a couple of the sets.

Hangboard and HIT-board: 01/07/12


No routes today... just board training. I want to test the benefit of devoting an entire workout to boards. For the hangboard, I strapped on the 20lb weight belt and hung for 3 sets of 5 reps. Each set was a different hold: sloper, crimp, and rotating shallow crimp + two finger pocket. *If I had thought to use the HIT-board, I would have done pinches as well. Hold for 7 seconds each rep. Rest for three seconds between reps. Rest for a few minutes between sets. The last set was too intense for my ability, so I only made 4 reps on each hand.

After the fingerboard, I gave a meager effort on the HIT-wall at best. With the weight belt still attached, I managed to get a single send on easy pinches, two on hard pinches, two on easy crimps. I failed my attempts on both hard crimps and slopers. I took the weight belt off and managed to pull a couple ugly sends on slopers (alternating sloper-jug-sloper-etc.) and only couple moves on hard crimps.

Project Workout:


Again, I came in expecting to project some v6s... Unlike the 3rd, no friends tonight :( When I come in to project I'm hoping to work on and send anywhere between 2-4 routes that are near my threshold, but easy enough to get within the session. I was climbing horrible until I brought my phone out to film myself. Knowing there would eventually be someone watching my performance, I had to step up my game--another v7!

Nutrition

I formed my dietary guidelines through several different theories too numerous for me to care to number or reference. Basically, I try to adhere to a "whole foods" diet (or at least my idea of whole).

Guidelines:

Raw or cooked, whole, mostly organic, mostly local vegetables and fruits.

Raw or roasted unsalted nuts.

Cooked meat with an emphasis on fish (simply because it's my favorite). I also hope to add local game meat to my diet: elk, deer, rabbit, etc. 

No dairy (doesn't really agree with me too well).

No refined sugar. Minimal intake of honey, agave nectar, or pure maple syrup.

Little to no grains. If consumed, only whole grains with minimal processing.

No processed foods (with the exception of basic cooking).

No preservatives.

My daily meals usually consist of the following:

Breakfast: fruit (usually apple, orange, kiwi, assorted berries, pears), vegetables (wheat grass, broccili, carrots, spinach) maybe some nuts or nut butter and water blended into a smoothie. Occasionally I'll make an egg too.

Lunch: whole, uncooked vegetables and fruits and nuts along with a cooked meat (usually a sausage since organ meat content is nutritionally dense).

Dinner: Cooked meat with a side of cooked vegetables. 

I do drink coffee, beer, and wine in moderation... Although if I was entirely dedicated I would eradicate these from my diet as well.

Height: 5'11''

Weight: 162 lbs

Target weight: 157 lbs

My general experience is that the lighter you are, the easier it is to get your body up the wall. However, part of my climbing style uses the explosive power football and track have given me. I'd like to keep as much of this dynamic power as possible simply because I find this style of climbing most fun and, at times, most beautiful. I think 157 should allow me to maintain power while also taking 5 pounds of weight off my fingertips. 

Why Blog?

I hope to log different aspects of my climbing experience. I assume my main motivation will consistently be to track my graded progress as a boulderer. I will do this by describing (whether through words, videos, or pictures) each of my workouts, my adhesion to diets, etc. However, I also plan to post gear reviews, my thoughts on certain climbing subjects, and other climbing-related topics.

I hope that this blog will be a tool to keep me accountable for the skill I hope to attain:

With great responsibility, there will come great power.

Blog Title

The title "Wall-Crawling" is meant to capture several different aspects of this blog.

• I feel as though climbing has so much to offer and I have just begun to realize its potential. My place in climbing is insignificant opposed to its place in me. I feel like a wide-eyed infant in awe of the vast amount of experiences to be had and knowledge to learn--so unrefined are these that I'm still at a "crawl."
• Spider-Man is my favorite super hero. This is not an understatement. I own all 160 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man vol. 1 and eagerly await the newest issues of vol. 2 each month. There was a time when I owned over 50 Spider-Man t-shirts... Spider-Man's movements have, since I can remember, been a source of inspiration for me. Wall-Crawling is something he does with ease, beauty and flair. I am striving to create such movement.
• A pun on the act of slowly scrolling or "crawling" through the wall of my blog :)

Introduction

I started climbing in the winter of 2007 at Central Washington University's indoor climbing gym.

Climbing was just a fun activity I did every once in a while until that summer. 

That summer I joined Edgeworks climbing gym in Tacoma, WA and began to treat climbing as a sport. 

I climbed consistently for about a half year until I decided to join Track & Field for the university. 

When I stopped climbing in winter of 2008, I was climbing somewhere between v4 and v5. 

I picked climbing up again in the winter of 2010 to enter a contest at CWU. 

The contest tracked the feet my partner and I climbed. The goal was to collectively total the same footage as Mt. Everest from base to summit: roughly 13,800 feet of vertical climbing. 

We ended with close to double that amount. I scaled that 35 foot wall almost 400 times that month.

I'm proud of our accomplishment, but I'm more thankful for the experience with my climbing partner, Darrell. We had a blast.

--And we each won a rope! which I sold, because I didn't think I would ever continue the sport. 

Short lived was my second run at climbing.

She doesn't know this, but I eventually began to climb again after reading one of the "100 reasons why I love Kyle" my girlfriend gave me. It said, simply, "I love your passion for climbing." She had written it years before when I first started climbing. 

--I thought about what climbing had done for me and what kind of person I was when it was in my life. 

I hope to post more on those thoughts later, but for now I'll say that they were more than enough to inspire me to climb again. 

I've been climbing very consistently now since August of 2010. 

At my best, and by Seattle Bouldering Project's standards, I'm climbing v7. 

Throughout these periods, I've climbed mostly indoors. However, I've spent a good amount of time at Frenchman Coulee, Gold Bar, Exit 32, Exit 38, and Smith Rock.

My passion is bouldering, but I enjoy sport as well. 

I've never climbed trad, but am eager to do so.