Aims for 2022

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SA Chris said:
duncan said:
2. Climb something from my best Christmas present this year (The Great Mountain Crags of Scotland ) and last year (The Great Sea Cliffs of Scotland).

If you are in the East and need a string holder for anything of a reasonable grade give me a shout.

Also note my tiny contribution to the latter (pg 70).
Will do, and previously noted!

Yossarian said:
duncan said:
Keep them short and ambitious this year.

2. Climb something from my best Christmas present this year (The Great Mountain Crags of Scotland ) and last year (The Great Sea Cliffs of Scotland).

Not seen those before - they look brilliant!
I can't believe you made it past the unforgivable font on the cover of Mountain Crags! Sea Cliffs is more my taste but they are both great.

Yossarian said:
3. 7b+ (Road Rage
Could definitely join you at half term or in easter hols, if not before...
Oh good. I had a short reconnaissance in 2021 with Sean but looking to have a more focused attempt this year after my winter training camp.
 
Well it must be about 5 years since actually posting on an aims thread but now's the moment...

Would be nice to get back to fighting fitness again, regular cardio, try and run twice a week.
Lose the bag... it'd be good to lean up a bit, got just over a stone to shift

Climbing:
Get on the board 3 times a week.
Keep filling in the CragPad tm to keep track of progress (or lack of..)
Any grotty Lancs 7B+
More than one grotty Lancs 7B
More than a dozen grotty Lancs 7A/+
(None of the above can be an R-man lowball...)
Resurrect the project list and tick half of them

Trad: keep getting out.. 100 routes.
An E2 would be nice

With a bit of focus some of these should be possible! :shrug:
 
Aims for 2022!

1. Spend more time developing
2. Five routes off the sport list
3. More trad and highballing than 2021(a lot more)
4. Consistently burn off Will Hunt
5. Get something big booked in the diary
6. More trips with mates

Good luck everyone
 
duncan said:
Oh good. I had a short reconnaissance in 2021 with Sean but looking to have a more focused attempt this year after my winter training camp.

I assume that you are talking about the Road Rage on the E coast of Portland? It just occurred to me that I haven't done this, although having just consulted my logbook, I humiliatingly fell off trying to clip the belay onsight in 2011, then failed to redpoint it, and have never been back. Its on my list for the year now, assuming it doesn't fall down before the summer.
 
TobyD said:
duncan said:
Oh good. I had a short reconnaissance in 2021 with Sean but looking to have a more focused attempt this year after my winter training camp.

I assume that you are talking about the Road Rage on the E coast of Portland? It just occurred to me that I haven't done this, although having just consulted my logbook, I humiliatingly fell off trying to clip the belay onsight in 2011, then failed to redpoint it, and have never been back. Its on my list for the year now, assuming it doesn't fall down before the summer.

Sounding like a Team UKB ascent day is required...
 
Yossarian said:
TobyD said:
duncan said:
Oh good. I had a short reconnaissance in 2021 with Sean but looking to have a more focused attempt this year after my winter training camp.

I assume that you are talking about the Road Rage on the E coast of Portland? It just occurred to me that I haven't done this, although having just consulted my logbook, I humiliatingly fell off trying to clip the belay onsight in 2011, then failed to redpoint it, and have never been back. Its on my list for the year now, assuming it doesn't fall down before the summer.

Sounding like a Team UKB ascent day is required...

:thumbsup:
 
Good luck everyone!


Climbing
More E-points than last year (so >184)
Try some harder trad routes (i.e. take some entertaining wangers): let’s say five E6s in fair style
Get on some big multi-pitch adventures (stuff like Main Cliff, South Stack, anything where if you get stuck you have to abseil into the sea [but ideally don’t get stuck])
Three 8a’s and a couple of 8a+’s (the latter would be the first in five years)
Maintain some semblance of strength not being humiliatingly weak throughout summer by going on the board or hanging at least weekly. At a stretch, dare I say it, end the year stronger than now.
Get stuck into some dirty offwidth somewhere; do some DWS and use the opportunity to heckle “friends” into the sea; bivvy / wildcamp and climb somewhere green-tick wankers don’t go; another new route; do a route at Malham (last time I did was 2013!); 10 trips in the van; Darkthrone; go abroad; get to a bunch of new-to-me crags as this was great fun in 2021.


Non-climbing
Sound-proof the entire house from our friendly (but shouty) neighbours. New kitchen.
Finish bloody PGDip before the fucker gets extended – yet again – to the following year
Keep on with general lifestyle changes and keep the passion for work, which is what makes it enjoyable
Treat Marie even more than last year
See more of friends – finding this harder than ever since March 2020
 
1. Keep improving my sport climbing capabilities at a sufficiently glacial pace to not get injured. This would be achieved if I redpoint a hard 8b+ or onsighted several 7c+s in say a month.

2a For the redpoint part: get ever so slightly stronger at bouldering.
OR
2b. For the onsight part: increase my endurance on at least one benchmark.

3. Improve flexibility

4. Get better at pullups and rows. Measure before and after each cycle.

5. Get stronger fingers. As above
 
Out of hiding for a mini comeback.
Starting to climb properly again (ie. for myself) this year for the first time in many.
Little stronger, but heavier this time around.

LIFE
[list type=decimal]
[*]Finally buy a new house after the palava of last year (currently underway).
[*]Shoot all our weddings for the year (pls COVID!).
[*]Successfully train our dog not to eat our shoes.
[*]Win some more image awards, and get some other irons in the fire for work.
[*]Get back under 80kg
[/list]

Bouldering
[list type=decimal]
[*]Reestablish at 7C
  • Zaffs
  • Tetris
  • Proper Gander
  • Famous Grouse
  • Climb an 8A
  • Don't care where or what
  • US Bouldering trip in October


Routes
[list type=decimal]
[*]Fill out the old pyramid a bit
[*]Climb 8a - perhaps Freemonster
[*]Get out on Kilnsey a few more times
[*]Continue training/getting some outdoor days during the wedding season
[/list][/list]
 
Saw this pop up and realised that I'd not done one yet...

Last year's were probably a bit over ambitious looking back at them especially considering that my #1 goal was not to get injured and it turms out I was already nursing a pretty big one (albiet managing it...)
1. Not get injured Failed as already was!
2. F7c again Didn't even get on one!
3. More than one good trad day (i.e. good/classic routes E1 - E4) :2thumbsup:
4. Make it to Kalymnos in October again :2thumbsup:
4a. Get on Ageallis or another awesome looking F7c
5. F7a+/7b onsight again Nope F7a onsight and F7a+/F7b TR Flash was as good as it got!
6. 7A bloc if I can ever be arsed to go bouldering again :2thumbsup:
7. Eatswood Traverse (wildcard!) Didn't even try - Shoulder wouldn't like the start!
8. Find and get on F8a project for 2022 Didn't try!

So this year I'll be a bit more conservative:

Climbing
1. More F7b's
2. F7b+
3. Get on inspiring F7c, F7c+ or F8a as project
4. Stay out of hospital (i.e. condition shoulder enough to not warrant surgery)
5. Spain in March
6. Kalymnos in October
7. At least one classic trad day E2-E5
8. At least one decent day bouldering high 6's and/or low 7's

Life
1. Build garden cabin/office
2. Get more guaranteed work - being self employed is great but sometimes feels like I'm chasing my tail so guaranteed hrs would be ace
3. Take kids away on a memorable trip (maybe take them on a multipitch)

And it was written...
 
jwi said:
1. Keep improving my sport climbing capabilities at a sufficiently glacial pace to not get injured.

Yes, my philosophy now after years of chronic injury. You familiar with Tim Gabett, Jonas? Basically, stick to a weekly workload which does not deviate outside of 0.8-1.3 times the average workload of the previous 4 weeks.
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/5/273
 
mrjonathanr said:
jwi said:
1. Keep improving my sport climbing capabilities at a sufficiently glacial pace to not get injured.

Yes, my philosophy now after years of chronic injury. You familiar with Tim Gabett, Jonas? Basically, stick to a weekly workload which does not deviate outside of 0.8-1.3 times the average workload of the previous 4 weeks.
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/5/273

Not quantified like that, no. But I am well aware of the general principle that most injuries can be explained by a sudden increase in load or volume. Alas, I am also aware that raising the performance without increasing the load or the volume is unlikely.

I am not sure how useful it is to know this multiplicative factor of 0.8-1.3 when using block periodisation? What does 1.3 times the average workload mean when you move from say a strength based phase to a endurance based face or (more likely) vice versa? (I am aware that the answer might be in the paper you linked that I have not had the time to read yet).
 
Well, I am no expert. It’s not a complicated paper, that’s why I can understand it That is a specific question which I can’t answer, but I don’t think it matters a lot. I think it mostly matters how it feels to you when training. He says he found the most reliable guide to quantifying workload was subjective -Reported Perceived Effort. I guess that accounts for the level of strain on the athlete best, which is the key factor when trying to predict injury rates. A tired athlete completing a moderately hard workout will report a higher RPE than a fresh one.

The RPE x time training gives a unit he called, appropriately enough, Arbitrary Units. Plotted against injury rates you can see the graphs move around the 0.8 and 1.3 x 4 weekly average of A units indicating increase in injury rates. Detraining affects vulnerability to injury as well as overreaching.

Others have tried to be more sophisticated eg logarithmic scale to account for increasing fitness levels impacting how hard the same level of work is on the body but it looks his core point stands up well viz rate of change should not exceed the current tolerance the body has adapted to by big increments up or down. Statistically, injury rates go up in a predictable fashion. Individually, genetics will have more bearing.
 
I was planning on doing this at the end of January after a bit of time to consider some plans post exam year.

Unfortunately I dislocated my patella yesterday walking across my bedroom of all things.

That’s slightly altered the start of my year but anyway few goals for this year:

1. Do a ton of physio
2. Restart running, take it easy, no specific aims for now.
3. Climb again.
4. Especially on rock…
5. Sort out home training facilities.
6. Stick with habit tracker a bit better.
 
Climbing:
1. Get more efficient on ice (if the opportunity actually arises in Scotland this year)
2. Do more sport than usual, aim to improve % chance of flashing 7bs (taking inspiration from Ondra's high risk approach) and quick ascents of high 7s. Maybe another low 8 if one happens to inspire, but that's a lesser priority.
3. Get back to a better place with trad, i.e. in a good headspace for on-sighting E5s. Hoping the sport approach will help with this, though also aware that trad mileage is often important. So make the trad days count.
4. A bit of Fairly Long, Moderately Hard and Mostly Free stuff, because I really missed this during the pandemic.
5. A few good days of DWS.
6. If not enjoying it, don't force it, just do something else. This part I haven't struggled with lately, but aim to keep a good balance.

Non-climbing
1. Feel better/be healthier than last year, whatever that takes.
2. Decide where I want to live in a semi-permanent way, then take steps to do so.
3. Get better at musical stuff.
 
Fultonius said:
Loving the Best of 2021 reflective psyche, and the commitment here.

After many years of somewhat drifting along in absolute climbing ability terms, and not really doing much more than surviving at work, this year feels like one that will consist of ending things, exploring/finding things and commencing things.

I've decided that my work/home/training excuses of "not liking plans" and "keeping flexible" is maybe just an excuse for not setting goals and committing to them, accepting possible failure. So far I have made a 16 week training plan, and feel genuinely motivated to stick to it.

I'm also very soon, VERY SOON going to quit my job and take some no-kid parental leave (aka sabbatical) Green Tick, and give me some space to:

  • Train
  • Start / Finish some woodwork projects that never seem to get done
  • Develop my freelance network
  • Get better at Sea-Kayaking with OH,
  • Go to Kyrgyzstan, climb Perestoika crakc and try a big wall new route... (I AM Sean Villanueva, I AM Sean Villanueva!!!) Now exchanged for a Bugaboos trip due to lack of potentially suitably new route options and dwindling team psyche
  • Make plans for getting a doer-upper bit of land/old house

> I want to pick an 8a project, maybe Axiom at Tunnel Wall and try to tick the rest of the routes up there.
> Get 2 more E6s done at Cambusbarron.
> Start working Reqiuem
> Also have some sessions on Dalriada
> Malc's Arete (anyone got any other good Glasgow local 7B/+ projects to work on?)

I'm in 2 minds about re-arranging the garage to make a better home wall, but I have 2 good walls nearby and soon to be free during the day so I'm not sure the effort/reward ratio will be there.

I've got a consultant appointment on 10 Jan to see what state my kneecap is in, since it's been grinding a bit so some things will rest on that. Fingers crossed for better news.
MRI booked.It's got a bit lax, and might need a revision.

Psyched, only the second "real" job I've ever left. :punk:
 
Ha! Nah, still be here. Just going to make the most of what appears to be a brief period of freedom!

Then looking to find some freelance work.
 

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