HB2 delayed

The elbows are bothering me again despite the stretches.  I skipped HB2 on Tuesday and today.  Will do it tomorrow, Thursday 7/23.  Today, Wednesday, I went for supplemental exercises (SE), which included core, shoulders and some PT stretching and exercises.

Keep going!

I am resting this Monday.  Not much exciting news.  Just wanted to check in with the blog.

This weekend, I practiced some longer falls on number 1&2 camalots (30ft) at Donner Summit.  It was still on larger gear; smaller pieces are next. 

I did get on Manic Depression and Monkey Paws on lead!  It's amazing that at this level, these climbs still take the gear mostly larger than rp's.  This time, I finished Monkey Paws with 1 take only.  I had a fall and a take on Manic and I got it clean on TR. On Sunday, I put in a mileage day leading 6-7 pitches upto 5.10d (Bliss).

This week, I plan to do at least one hangboard workout on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending how my elbows do.  I will report here.

Back after extensive rest

Don't worry! I am still pursuing the Totem pole dream.  Just took a mini vacation to heal my elbow injuries and move to another place.  My elbows are doing a lot better now.  Some caution is now a must: rest, stretch and repeat in copious amounts.

Albeit, I lost some strength judging by hang boarding I tried this morning.  My base level dropped way below what I was pulling on the tail end of my last training phase.  On the other hand, it was to be expected.  My climbing absorbed some specific strength gains.  The rest of the non-specific to climbing strength was discarded.

I am climbing at about 5.11c level trad as before.  Now, I need to push my mental abilities to break through to the next level.  Last weekend, I practiced 15-20 foot falls on gear.  I also got on my first 5.12a Monkey Paws at Donner Summit.  I had several takes and escaped the exit sequence, but it was a proud attempt.

This coming weekend I am going to push it even further by attempting Manic Depression, stiff 11d and, perhaps, getting back on Monkey Paws.  I will practice 20 foot falls above smaller backed-up gear as well.

Oh, the biggest news is I am leaving for Tasmania in September!  Just applied for my Australian visa!
The plan is to climb and get strong on the road rather than wait till the winter.

As far as training, I will do a short cycle before September.  I have already completed the base fitness phase, a.k.a. ARC.  I am planning to slowly finish the strength phase while climbing outdoors on the weekends.

Is this really happenning? Here I come, Totem Pole.  Don't fall down yet.