Weighing in

I've felt really heavy the last few times I've gone out bouldering.  Okay, maybe what I've been eating has a little bit to do with it.  But also, and this isn't just me making excuses, I've been doing a lot of this.

Mostly that extra weight in my chest and shoulders, without dedicating the time to finger strength to make up for it, has made me struggle more than I've wanted on overhung crimps.  Holds that used to feel good now make me work to hold on to, leading me to pump out way faster.  On the other hand, my slab climbing feels stronger than ever, with the core strength and hip and shoulder stability I've gained from the rings making it even easier to hold tight balancey positions.  And with that ring strength added to the overhanging terrain of my new gym, and my back feeling more stable than it has in a long time, I've finally started to feel good on steep climbs outside again.

                                                                  Honey Go Go, Gunpowder Falls, MD                                     Photo: Justin Piteleski

This past Tuesday, wanting to sneak in another day outside to make up for the bad weather during what passed for my spring break, I drove straight to Gunpowder after work to take a shot at Honey Go Go.  I had gone there to try it four years ago, and whether I wasn't strong enough or just wasn't warmed up enough, I couldn't get myself to pull on to the start.  And that's almost what happened this time too.

Justin Piteleski on Honey Go Go 

By the time Justin and Mark arrived, I had felt the start holds again and was already starting to talk myself out of even trying.  Fortunately, they weren't having any of my nonsense, and five tries later I was topping it out. 

                                                                                                                                                                   Photo: Justin Piteleski

I never expected it to go so quickly, and I might even have flashed it if I'd tried Justin's sequence the first time around instead of insisting on my own way the first four times.  In any case, it was nice to go out and get on a climb where my extra weight (or the source of it anyway) was actually an advantage.

Two weeks out from the baby's due date, so hopefully enough time for a couple more good days like this, but if not at least I've ended my pre-parenthood climbing phase on a strong note.  And after doing a 12 hour route competition with my 69 year old mom yesterday, and finding out that she went climbing with her usual crew this morning while I was home recovering, I don't think the parenthood phase will make me any weaker!