Cross Training-- Crush Some Top Ropes!

Why my shoe? Why not :)

I was finally able to make it to the gym yesterday (I blame my professors who believe in waiting until the last month and a half of school to decide to make us do things). 

Lately, because the weather has been so nice and because I have been working on more of my bouldering technique for my competition, I found that I have been snubbing the top rope climbs when I am at the gym. I am a decent climber and I can (usually) flash a 5.9 and get a 5.10 after a few times and because of that (and that I am no where near as good at bouldering) I just put it on the back burner. 

This is not a good idea, guys. 

Last climb of the night

Not because it is going to be detrimental to your climbing or that you are going to get on the wall and have to start at a 5.6, but because it is actually a really good part of your climbing workout.  

If we compare climbing to running (everyone knows running, right?) bouldering would be the same thing as your speed and specialty strength training. You can work on specific moves and technique a lot easier if you are bouldering because it is a shorter route and it is usually already focused on those particular skill sets. Top climbing is the endurance workout. This is where you test out your ability to put it all together and then have to keep climbing for ten more minutes. 

I got on the wall last night with my friend and we stayed mainly on the ropes, because she can't stand bouldering, and I realized how much I had missed top climbing and also how much better I had become in my actual technique. After almost a month of straight high intensive, short climbs, I noticed how much more relaxed and smooth my climbing had gotten. 

So the moral of the story is to mix up your climbing every once in a while, you will probably be surprised by the results. Oh and do coreture (or a crazy amount of core exercises after just finishing climbing), but that is a story for another post :) 

Go love some rocks!

Meltdowns and Hello Kitty

I am super pumped that I have exactly one week before "Meltdown." 

"What is Meltdown?" you might ask.

 

 

This is Meltdown :)

It is a outdoor competition that is at Governor Stables (<3 this place). In case you guys didn't read the above bolded print or the conveniently placed mini poster --it is next Saturday. This is going to be my second competition, my first was the "Frostbite" comp. in February and I finished with a score of 431... and second to last place. 

So here are my GOALS  for Meltdown: 

1. Score higher than 431 points 
2. Place better than second to last (I guess if I have more points I will place better, but just in case)
3. Crush the Glass Menagerie (current Project)
4. Complete random V1 route out by the Mushroom area (current side project)
5. Accomplish goals 1-4 completely decked out in Hello Kitty

Wait, what? 

Yup, you heard me--Hello Kitty. I am not sure exactly how it happened, but it started because I waited until 3 hours before I had to go to work (at a bar) on Saint Patrick's Day and I couldn't find any green shirts that I liked at Hot Topic so I settled on this one Hello Kitty shirt. There was going to be some matching sock action, but I thought I might have already been pushing my luck with the shirt so I didn't do it. Then somehow my friend/ co-worker, Renee, said that I should just deck myself out in Hello Kitty for the competition. I thought it would be a unique and fun experience so I agreed. 

Which means that today I went back to Hot Topic and completely destroyed their Hello Kitty section (I spent like $66 and got one of everything) and even got both of the sales associates really excited in creating my overall look (there was also no one else there so they might have helped me out of pity, I lack punk fashion skills, or sheer boredom.)

The Loot

In case you couldn't tell.. I am super pumped. Oh and the post colors were also Hello Kitty inspired :) Now go love some rocks!

Project # 1: The Glass Menagerie

Today I realized I finally picked a project. 

Close up and Personal

After class I ran out to Governor Stables to hit up the Glass Menagerie (or Glass Arete; I get a bunch of different responses about whether or not it is the same problem or not, but menagerie just sounds better.) It is a V1 problem with a bit of a tricky start. The holds are pretty decent (albeit sharp), but it is the feet that give you the most trouble because you will think you have a solid foot and suddenly you just slip right off. I guess that is why the glass part is in the name. 

I have watched Shea, a fellow climber, and my guy run up and down this thing, but for some reason I just kept slipping off. On Wednesday, instead of the gym, I came out with my BF and he had me try it a few times and I managed to get on the huge crag up to the right of the rail before I slipped off.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic. 

But then sadly, we had to head out because of responsibilities out in the real world, but I decided that this is the problem that I have been looking for to really work on.

Looks like fun, right?

Even though this is a really tricky route for me, I love how I start this problem. For most people, it is a two hand start with your left hand on the huge triangle thing on the rail and your right has the bottom of the rail under cling style, then a decent (but sometimes glassy) foot for your right and you sorta smear your left. 

However, that never worked for me. So I have the left hand the same, but I have my right in a pinchy crimp on the face. Then there is this triple bump action that happens where I go from the pinch to right under the giant slab, then quick over to the section where the rail turns horizontal.

I must have sat there for at least 45 minutes today trying to get through the triple bump to the horizontal part with no success, which is okay because I don't have a crash pad yet and I really wouldn't have been able to go any higher anyway. So the goal is to try and get this route tackled either before or at the competition that is coming up. Wish me luck!

Go love some rocks!

Celebrating with Something on the Rocks

I am sitting in the basement of my school in the Mac Lab thinking about what to write as a first post. Sadly, Jeshanah, my friend and muse,  is too busy working on her assignment for creative writing that she has become unavailable for my novice questions. 

Honestly, all I can think about is that I only have one more class to go before I can hit Climbnasium (my local gym) for the second time this week. I have noticed that I am slipping farther and farther into my addiction as I have started incorporating climbing into my short stories, everyday conversations, and I have even resorted to trying to get my friends hooked.

 At least, my boyfriend understands, but then again, he's a climber too. So, I guess that doesn't help me much with my "problem." In fact, we met at a climbing gym. Haha. 

So for all of you who seem to be experiencing similar problems, feel free to join in. I am just an climbing addict--and I'm proud of it. :D

Go love some rocks!