[nai]

Goals – stop skin falling to bits, man up, Font 7C.

M-F Nothing as planned.  Not a restful week though, the weeun had her 100th cold in 11 months which meant disrupted sleep, spent the week knackered and busy which lead to snacking and imbibing.

S – Almscliff.  feel heavy and clunky so warm up takes ages.  Hole a tip on the first harder thing I try so spend most of the day climbing taped-up.  Work Keel and DWR LH, get nowhere on the former, one move away from the latter.  Spent quite a lot of time trying to move one hand about 12 inches.  Frustrating day.

Su – tender skin, aching arms and sore head when I wake up, definitely not going climbing today…..  But by 2pm the weather’s too tempting and I convince myself some gentle exercise will help the soreness.  Head to Rivelin where I bottle the top move on Acid Reign over and over and over.  Nice to be out though, explore a bit, do a few easy solos and bask in the sun.

Disappointing weekend - recurring skin problems are beginning to get very annoying now, inability to peak also frustrating and the bouldering psyche is diminishing, might be time to try something/somewhere different, see if I can kick-start a late season surge.

Ache even more today… 

[chillax]

STG: Kick the fags, start doing a bit of running again. Don't make a fool of myself at the bouldering meet in glendo next weekend. Learn how to crimp.
MTG: Onsight Fair Head E3

Didn't do much for the two weeks before this due to a combination of work, exams, assignments and lazyness. Then got the Ron book and got psyched again.

Sun: Bouldering in Murlough Bay. Saw a 7C+/8A project nearly get done in a session, got psyched. Tried moves on some hard stuff and scoped out projects
Mon: 200 pullups, 120 pushups
Tues: Repeaters
Wed: Nothing
Thurs: Session at Derry wall, including climbing with one of my lecturers whos a bit of an old school wad. Cool.
Fri: 200 pullups, 120 pushups
Sat: Nothing
Sun: Routes at the Head. Did an E1 I fell off last year and 1st pitch of a nice long HVS as well as seconding another E1. I'd forgotten just how hard climbing there is! Knackered.

[chris_j_s]

Were you the Chris that Matt tried to kill knocking a block off Appetite at the end of the day ?

Yes, that was me.

Scary moment - I'm probably a bit complacent, but I don't really expect to be dodging stuff like that at Malham!!

[Jaspersharpe]

Mon -Sun: Cough, sneeze and splutter. That is all.

Finally feel like I might be on the mend today, the cough is certainly slightly less bad. Hope so cos I've had enough.

[Yossarian]

Aims:
Cover of Mens Health
Fr8a
12hr Ironman

Monday - Recovery ride on trainer, Le Mepris possibly not the most inspiring viewing in the background.  Lifted a load of weights, bit of Beastmaker and then did some core stuff...
Tuesday - Friday - Syke dissolved amidst stress of about-to-be-launched new business.
Saturday - Drove vintage cars and ate very well.
Sunday - Best (and fastest) ride of the year so far. Winter gloves and overshoes no longer required (for the time being anyhow)

Plans for athletic domination and general beastliness carried over to this week...

[shark]

Were you the Chris that Matt tried to kill knocking a block off Appetite at the end of the day ?

Yes, that was me.

Scary moment - I'm probably a bit complacent, but I don't really expect to be dodging stuff like that at Malham!!

That area is a bit dodgy and makes me nervous. An Aussie who was stopping in Sheffield a few years got hit when he went for a piss when a lump dropped on him from nowhere.

I was surpised to see photographers earlier scrambling around on that ledge at half height. Never seen anybody up there and its a nice vantage point but I wouldnt feel comfortable scrambling around there.

[andybfreeman]

Aims - boulder 7B in font, climb a 7c route in the UK or Spain this summer, weight down to 66kg before Spain

M - session at TCA. felt pretty hit and failed to do anything that I'd wanted to do!
T - work's anniversary part, too much wine and then whisky with lawyers until early hours
W - felt like death warmed up all day at work, sacked off board session and collapsed into the sofa as soon as i got through the door
T -mixed session at TCA, last split fully healed but lacked focus so did a random mix of circuits and hard problems (in bits!)
F - rest
S - long session at TCA, started weak but came good after an extremely long warm up (c. 2 hours to feel like I was pulling anywhere near capability) ticked off a couple of fiddly problems that I'd previously ignored and improved my sequence on some whites
Su - shorter session at TCA, planned to do circuits but got sucked into trying a new problem as it was set. manged to get some critical beta from gaz on the white problems that he'd set (still didn't link any of them but psyched to try with fresh arms). finished 1/2 hour early due to another split tip (other ring finger this time and seemed o start with a paper cut  ) )

Weight down to an average of 68.4kg which is close to the planned 0.5kg pw that I'm aiming for.

Generally poor week due to amount imbibed on Tuesday night. Planning for a sober week with some caldwell esque beasting sessions thrown in on days not climbing

[richdraws]

Weight - 74kg, early thirties full time job blah
Goal weight - 70kg
Boulder 7c+
Do some sport climbing

Sun - fingerboard weighted - closed coc no2 a few times which surprised me. I had closed it before barely but only after seiging it for months. This time I hadn't touched it in months and could close it for reps, the only difference is the fingerboarding.

Tue - woke up ridiculously early so did fingerboard session.. I managed a reasonable 2 one armers on my right arm and 1 and a eek on left. Closed coc 2 again for a few reps again.
Went to the matrix for a change on the evening but was too tired to pull, enjoyed it despite being shit (good sign).

My fingers felt like they needed a rest from the fingerboard so chilled until the weekend

Sat first time out since the beginning of Feb which in turn was the first time out since december. My goal was to boulder a 7a or 2 and hopefully not to have lost a lot of technique. I had lost a lot of technique. I acheived the 7a's but only because my fingers felt stronger. I tried Famous Grouse but have also lost the ability to use heel hooks. Shall persist.

Sunday took dogs for a walk around higgar and did an hours bouldering.

[Stubbs]

Aims:

• Be the best climber in Suffolk
• Regularly burn off Cockerneys at the Westway
• Zoo York
• Discover love for the forest
• 7A in Font
• Maintain current (un)healthy paranoia levels
• Do enough training to make Three Nine proud of me and make him think that I'm a real climber who only cares about climbing and has nothing else interesting going on in his life that might get in the way of climbing and that I strive to try my hardest at all times to be the best possible climber I can be

M: Check out Vandale, flail around, almost psyched.
T: Rest day, get psyched looking at Rempart, feeling some love for the forest. Shave, leaving ginger moustache of power (trip turning point)
W: Cuvier Bumbling, do Festin De Pierre, feeling the love, go and do Magic Bus so I can moan about how soft it is, but still happy to take the grade written in 7&8 (gotta take the rought with the smooth).
T: Cul de Chien, spanking on Eclipse but have an awesome time. Need to grow my Tib/Fib for arabesque, added to training plan.
F: Cuvier do Vaudou Systeme and *cough* Carnage Assis*cough*
S: Drive from font to BstE, Drive from BstE to London eat nice food, drink nice wine.
S: London, good food, approx 6 miles sauntering around the Fashionable East End, etc.

completed 2 aims, stoked.

[Three Nine]

Glad to be the voice of paranoia on your shoulder.

Goals: 7c Onsight, 8a at Cheddar or Dorset, 7Bs

Tapering week (yeah i rested lots, sorry). Wanted to produce a little 'peak' so I could get a route done. Was worth it as redpointed Cider Soak today. Plan to get back on it tomorrow, but feel free to put me in my place until then 

M REST
T 45 power 2 hours
W 45 power 2 hours
T Deadhangs 1.5 hours
F REST (30min run)
S REST
S Morning at Almscliff

[duncan]

Re: work/life balance stuff discussed last week, for what its worth, I work full time and am also a single parent of two 100% of the time

For the last two months or so I've 'trained' minimum of three and often four or five times a week, with some loosely structured phases. This is serious as I've ever got (in my prime I just climbed fuck loads) but the last two weeks have been very frustrating, having gone drastically backwards on my board. Opinions would be valued. Am I just jaded with the board? Do I need a 'proper' rest? Basically planning to do almost nothing next week (probably outside Tues) as I fly to the states for work/climbing next Sun.

Andy, I'm no training guru but no-one else has picked up on this.  I think it's almost inevitable you are going to have a dip (or minor injury) after 3-4 months. As this is your first time working intensive on a board, you are no longer 21, and you have all this other stuff going on the dip is going to be severe.  Have a proper rest and a great trip.

See posts from sausage and simon here

[shark]

Nice one Duncan.
 

Andy

Sorry. I was going to pass comment but must have got distracted. I only consider I have been training hard in a semi-structured fashion for the last couple of years. Refering back to my diary last Winter I had to have 2 blocks of 5-7 day rest as I found myself training into a corner but didnt lose hardly anything from the break and got back to previous dip level quite quick. This winter although the volume has been higher the week off over xmas when I went skiing with the family seems to have sufficed. So in short - take a week off as Duncan says. Difficult to predict how you will respond. Its quite individual I expect.

[chris_j_s]

Was worth it as redpointed Cider Soak today.

  Nice one Three Nine, good to see your dedication paying off.

[SA Chris]

Got a reminder from insect overlord so better post before one comes around and eats my firstborn or something.


Goals - Can't remember - climbing something blah blah.

M- Walked to work and back (now incorporating detour up steep flight of steps)
T- Walked to work and back (now incorporating detour up steep flight of steps). 20 min Theraband in evening
W- Parents here. Day off, took Kyle to baby music class. He liked it, but about as strenuous as putting on a hat. 20 min Theraband. Weight 13 st 13 1/4, 1 1/4 up from last week. Dangerously close to critical mass.
T - Parents here - Day off, went for half hour walk with Kyle in buggy. They walked slower even without it. 20 min Theraband
F - Walked to work and back (now incorporating detour up steep flight of steps) 20 min Theraband
S - Sat in car and drove to IKEA, Kyle has outgrown crib. Walked around IKEA, wanting to kill stupid people. 20 min Theraband.
S - Did nowt apart from Theraband in evening.

Not much better than last week, theraband has left slight ache between shoulderblades and in lats which is quite good, but also shows how tragically unfit I am.

[lagerstarfish]

Walked around IKEA, wanting to kill stupid people.

This type of thing, if not treated with some kind of physical release, will lead to the more unpleasant symptoms of stress. I prescribe exercise rather than actually killing stupid people (unless you are sure that you can get away with it). I am not a doctor, but I do own a suit.

[Stubbs]

Glad to be the voice of paranoia on your shoulder.

I was hoping the text was enough to portray the sarcasm without recourse to smileys, but how about this

Do enough training to make Three Nine proud of me and make him think that I'm a real climber who only cares about climbing and has nothing else interesting going on in his life that might get in the way of climbing and that I strive to try my hardest at all times to be the best possible climber I can be LOLZ OMG 

What did you do at the cliff?

[Jaspersharpe]

Ah right, I get it now.

[SA Chris]

I prescribe exercise rather than actually killing stupid people (unless you are sure that you can get away with it).

I reckon the killing could be physically exerting? Reckon a baseball bat on a dozy ned slag would be a good workout.

[Three Nine]

Glad to be the voice of paranoia on your shoulder.

I was hoping the text was enough to portray the sarcasm without recourse to smileys, but how about this

Do enough training to make Three Nine proud of me and make him think that I'm a real climber who only cares about climbing and has nothing else interesting going on in his life that might get in the way of climbing and that I strive to try my hardest at all times to be the best possible climber I can be LOLZ OMG 

What did you do at the cliff?

I am also capable of being ironic. I did some eliminates on the eggy face. It was very windy but that just about kept out of it.

[andy popp]

Re: work/life balance stuff discussed last week, for what its worth, I work full time and am also a single parent of two 100% of the time

For the last two months or so I've 'trained' minimum of three and often four or five times a week, with some loosely structured phases. This is serious as I've ever got (in my prime I just climbed fuck loads) but the last two weeks have been very frustrating, having gone drastically backwards on my board. Opinions would be valued. Am I just jaded with the board? Do I need a 'proper' rest? Basically planning to do almost nothing next week (probably outside Tues) as I fly to the states for work/climbing next Sun.

Andy, I'm no training guru but no-one else has picked up on this.  I think it's almost inevitable you are going to have a dip (or minor injury) after 3-4 months. As this is your first time working intensive on a board, you are no longer 21, and you have all this other stuff going on the dip is going to be severe.  Have a proper rest and a great trip.

See posts from sausage and simon here

Cheers Duncan (and Simon). Yeah, I think/hope I'm just knackered. Went outside yesterday but not going to do anything else this week except maybe jacuzzi/sauna and long soak in bath - if I can find the time. I've had the board a few years and am used to some good, intense sessions but past winters its been one or max 2 sessions a week (2nd one light and short). This year I've often managed 2 on the board + fingerboard and/or weighted pulls and/or swimming or even getting out.

[tomtom]

A delayed post....
STG 7b+ this year...

After a good four weeks, work commitments get in the way of training - how rude!

S nowt
M nothing
T Depot..
W nichts
T zilch
F off to Tenerife for week (not climbing - fieldwork)
S nada

I seem to have picked up some sort of shitting lots eating nothing disease whilst away - so at least I may loose 1/2 stone! 

[Doylo]

Monday: Rested
 Tried to make myself feel better by doing Dust Kick High

Shame on you!