This is the beginning of something. Not just the first thing shared, or the apex of an upward trajectory: this is the start. Now is the baseline, by which progress will be measured. Today begins a year long experiment: I have decided to start climbing like an athlete, rather than an addict. In this next year, I will learn how hard I can push myself, and how hard I can climb.
Nobody is interested in my daily training, but I will update my training diary on ukclimbing.com anyway to show how much I have managed every week. This should give me, and maybe even some of you, an idea of what is possible when the speculation turns to action. Is there more than just training hours and dogged perseverance between the average weekend warrior and the top of the tree? Find out here. The experiment starts today.
This week: ‘Ab Ripper X’ routine three times this week. More core stability can’t hurt, and it doesn't interfere with other training! I find this really good for my hip flexors. Finish building my home wall (photos!) while doing little circuits on the finished section. Run three miles twice, slowly. Rest on friday, because I am going trad climbing with some strooong people this weekend! This weekend’s trip is going to be my baseline. I will give it my best, so I have something to measure against this time next year.
Injuries: Pressure pain at base of both middle fingers, worse on the right. Hurts to crimp hard, or hold anything that presses there, so its time to go exclusively open-handed! Been resting for a few weeks, and it has improved enough that sensible training shouldn’t slow its healing. Rotator cuff tendonitis in both shoulders. Push too hard for too long in the wrong positions and it locks up painfully, so I cant raise my arm. This is a manageable one - I have been here before and worked through it with physiotherapy, ibuprofen gel and avoiding certain movements. I have also managed to get mild recurring bursitis in my left knee, just above the patella. Walking on a gradient or stairs makes it sore, and carrying on all day makes it lock up the next morning. I have started taking Glucosamine, which may or may not help. Clearly I have rubbish tendons. Still, I won the battle with my elbows two years ago, so there is hope for the rest of me yet! Scientific balanced training is always the answer. The body is a machine. To that end, I have purchased a vat of whey protein bigger than my torso. I didn't realize I had bought so much, but it should help recovery time and allow me to train more often. For the next fifty years...
So now I have a home bouldering wall, a load of dietary supplements, rowing machine, ‘multigym’ weight machine, various free weights, a copy of Dave Macleod’s ‘9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes’, a cross trainer, bright orange running shoes, plenty of free time, a kilo of chalk, and loads of climbing trips planned for the summer, the only reason I could possibly have for not being much much better this time next year is laziness (or perhaps injury, but hopefully my training/injury article addiction will help avoid that). So there it is, a short-term life plan. Bring it on!!!
