Happy new year! (OK, I'm a little late..)
The previous week had seen very little climbing activity - lots of eating drinking and watching rain... So I started this week a little pensively upon return to the UK from France. I'd managed to only put on 2-3 lbs (which was my main concern over Xmas) and decided to start the week and getting back into the saddle with a beastmaker session on the Monday.. only working the big holds, but managed 5 sets of 3 - which for me shows quite some commitment (I hate training!).
I also decided to tackle the elephant in my training room - that is the core. Nai has been (rightly) going on at me about this for some time, so I started interspersing the deadhangs with a series of front and side planks. It hurt. Quite a bit, which suggests a considerable weakness..
Wednesday and the weather was sketchy - rubbish to be honest - and I headed to Logport wall for a power hour or so at lunchtime... I was fairly crap - managed all the V4's, but flailed on most of the V5's... spent 40 min on the 45 degree wall working on the big holds - trying to get some shoulder strength as well as work the core some more...
So friday - and myself and MrsTT were due to head up to the Lakes for a romantic weekend (with bouldering mats) staying at a swanky 4 star hotel nr Windemere.. very nice. Shame about the forecast.... Friday looked like there was half a chance, so I hurried MrsTT out of the house and piled up the M6 - the weather looked ominous on the way up, low cloud, spots of rain - but below c.300m it looked OK... Kentmere was an option, but I figured that only badger rock would be dry - and having dispatched my Badger nemisis (Badger arete) last year there wasnt much I was keen on... So, I headed up to Langdale - roadside, fairly quick drying - seemed like a worthy punt.
It was half dry - or half wet, depending upon your cup status - most of the lower boulder was too wet and the landing resembled some sort of loosely capped bottomless bog - so top boulder it was. I spent alot of time working the pocket problem (unsuccessfully) which was hampered by having a damp pocket. Not having a brush on a stick I had to dry it with my hand - on the attempts... It was tantelisingly close - and I need to think about my body position a little more in order to bring the RF up correctly... I faffed around on some other things, and finally had some success on the V4 slopey mantelly arete over the style. Given the shite conditions, I felt suitably worked out.. which was just as well - as Saturday and Sunday were rubbish. No bouldering... wandering in Wasdale on Sat, and wandering in Ambleside on Sun...
Overall I felt surprisingly good on Friday - and not as creaky as I have when returning from previous periods of time off...
