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!