Training Days of April

This isn't an exciting post.  Its a journal of my work-outs for the month of April, so far.  It helps me to keep track, keeping me honest.  This, to you, could help motivate.  If not, clicking that X in right hand corner of the screen takes you far far away in nanoseconds.

Monday April 2
Swim 1500
100 Sit-ups
100 Push-ups

Tuesday April 3
Swim 2000.  100 swim, 100 kick x 10
Climbed 31 Pitches in the gym.  Sets of 3, usually 5.12/11, 5.10, 5.9/8.  Sometimes down climbing.  Max set was 7 climbs.

Wednesday April 4
Road biked in Estes Park 15 miles
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups

Thursday April 5
Swim 1550- 200 warm-up. Kick 50.  6x50's on the 50. Kick 50.  500 straight. Kick 100.  100x 6 pulling breathing every 3-5-7.  Kick 50. 200 Cool-down. 


Small bouldering gym session.  Laps and hanging stomach curls, stretching too. 

Friday April 6
2 mile run up Deer Mountain---didn't  feel awesome.  Headache and lungs suck. 
Quick bouldering session at Nicky's boulders, a hard sloppy traverse.  Finger tips are lacking skin.  Climbing and swimming are hard on my shoulders and skin!  

Saturday April 7
Climbed 5 pitches at Combat rock.  I have climbed most of the routes at Combat, either top-rope or leading.  Always a good place to get your slab on!  
Saigon to Pearl Harbor 5.10d.  Back off the second pitch years ago whining to Douglas.  Glad to have redeemed myself this day.  Fun route all around, a little heady and a lot of foot work.
Nobody Here But Us Chickens 5.11dX  Top Roped this little edgy-broken-slabalicious climb.  Few small potato thin edges, many now broken.  5.12 slab.  No holds essentially.  Challenging.
Across Enemy Lines 5.11b.  Fun route, also have climbed this before.  
Tree Roof 5.8.  Super fun end of the day route, I remember when this was a sketchy lead for me.

Sunday April 8
Eldorado Canyon!  Sunny and warm, and PAcKED! 
West Buttress 5.9+.  Great time.  Led Pitch 1 and 4.  We were a party of 3.  Sweaty finger tips is rare for me, but lacking skin and the heat of the day made this finger tips crack start a little heads-up.  Off-width pitch was awesome.  Many options above but was convinced to stick with the original 5.7 pitch.  Wide-ish crack with jugs.
 Hair City 5.9R.  Challenging start.  Heads-up.  Last bolt you make a high step and run it out.  You can get some random gear in the next 50 feet to the anchor.  Great fun on the second half jug.

Monday April 9

Dustin in RMNP

 Rest day!  Worked from 12-8.

Tuesday April 10
3 mile run out by the YMCA.  Felt much better than previous run, lungs have a ways to go still though.
Yoga for an hour.  

Wednesday April 11
Worked a low ropes course all day in Denver for KMAC (Kent Mountain Adventure Center).
100 sit-ups
100 push-ups throughout the day

Thursday April 12
Jugging (pronounced with a silent "J") and rock climbing day --
Animal World in the Morning--Boulder Canyon
Animation 5.8, Climbed as a warm-up, then jugged with a backpack on twice.
Joint Venture 5.11a, climbed the first pitch then led up the unknown second pitch.  Jugged this also with a backpack on. 
Free Willie 5.11-, super fun climbing.  Deceivingly steep.  Also jugged this after climbing. 
Days of Future Passed 5.12-, need to return as I made this a 2 pitch climb.  Foot popped reaching out for the crimp.  Fun and enjoyable.  Boulder canyon is not a place I often climb, it is fun and good for your head at most cliffs.  (I would exclude Country Club from this generalization).
Hiking out a slipped on gravel, did the splits and banged my right ankle up pretty nicely.  
BRC in the afternoon
Dustin and I climbed many routes including a yellow, red, blue, green, and black.  Falls were had and forearms were swelling.   :)

Friday April 13
Friday the 13th.  This excites me.
2 mile sprint with Chelsea around the lumpy short loop.  Conveniently on a downhill portion I rolled my right ankle.  Lungs are getting there and I felt pretty quick.  Finished the run at a slower pace.   I know am at the coffee shop gimping around.  It hurts quite badly and I work all weekend.  I often roll my ankles, but the combo of a nice bone knocker yesterday and a sprain today has me a little worried.

Saturday April 14
Biked to pool.  Swim 1500.  Can't remember the exact work-out.  Rainy outside.  Glad to be back in Colorado.

Sunday April 15
Indoor bouldering session.  5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 20 sit-ups mixed in with routes on the wall.

Monday April 16
Biked to pool, swim 1800.  Warm-up, 12x50 on the :50, 700 straight, Cool down
Movement gym.  15 routes and bouldering sit-ups between routes.  Finger tips are wrecked.  Triceps feeling it.

Tuesday April 17

Home number 1.  Training to go home.  

Climbing in Eldo, West Ridge.  5 pitches, kind of a mellow day.  Rushed for time.  Wes is working in Denver and I wanted to have a "date" night.

Wednesday April 18th
Solo the first flatiron 3 times.  Felt good, was trying to go fast enough where breathing was difficult.  First lap took me 25 minutes, second 30, third 35.  Ankle is still swollen sore, fake run down between laps.

Balance and exercise

Last entry spoke of traveling and Trango.

I am having some anguish over aging and living at sea level the last 6 months.  Mainly, I am frustrated with my fitness, sea-level living, and lack of a training routine the last few months.  

My 2012 so far.......
January 20th - moved to North Cascades Institute for a 4 week Wilderness EMT/EMT-B course.
February 18th- 1pm completed course and tests, drove to Seattle, packed and arrived at airport
                         at 10pm for flight to Phoenix.
February 19- March 16- Climbing and adventuring in Phoenix, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and  
                      Colorado.  Driving with Prairie.  She dropped me off in Boulder on the 16th. 
March 18th- Back on the road with 8 seventh graders for a week long canyon trip in Utah.
March 24th- Returned from Utah, de-geared, re-packed for personal flight out.
March 26th- Flight to Seattle
March 28th- M.A.P.L.E (our sprinter van) packed up and headed East, Wes and I together after a
                     month apart.
March 29-30- Driving to Estes Park, Colorado.  Home.  Brief stop in Spokane to visit friends.
April 1st - Work at Ed's 6:30 am, unpack M.A.P.L.E, drive to Denver in the pm. 
April 2nd - In Denver for two days with Wes, he is working in Aurora through mid-May so staying
                   with him and training.

Wetsuitless at an exercise competition. 

This while also scheduling and planning a Yoga-Rock Climbing retreat for my company Dovetail Mountain Adventures.  Writing this helps me realize why I am lagging.
Well, I am home for awhile....2 months anyway, and need to really get on the training.  Yosemite in June!  

Photo Dan Gambino.  March bouldering in RMNP

Training.  What a fun time.  Seriously.  There is a wonderful line in "Eastbound and Down."  Ex-Pro football player turned small town gym teacher comments to his triathlon obsessed principle, "I am not trying to be the best at exercising, I play real sports!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De7rbB2bteE

I chuckle.  Wes uses this line on me all the time. 

My new years resolution for 2011 was to climb The Nose of El Cap in a day and place top 5 in my age group in a triathlon---in the same month.  I have placed before in triathlons, I just struggle with focusing on them solely.  I love climbing!
I wait tables and guide for a living, which means unless I am sleeping I am on my feet.  Swimming, biking, running, hiking, climbing, and working on my feet = really tired legs.   

I did not achieve that goal last year, partner changes and an adventure to the Cirque of the Unclimbable's stirred the pot.  

Wes and I on Lotus Flower Tower

This year, though, I have reminded myself of this lofty, obscure, and self-proclaimed goal.  Since I am training to climb the Nose in a day, what a better way to cross train then do high intensity activities such as swimming, biking, and running!

I hope to succeed at one or both this summer.  The logistics of the Nose, climbing 5.11 run-out or french-freeing fast is a certain challenge.   It is April, the trying hard and training harder has only just begun. 

Since January, I have been doing 50 push-ups or dips, 150 sit-ups a day, along with stretching and yoga daily.  Running and climbing happened in spurts during my EMT course.  Since February,  I have been climbing more, doing sprints at the track again, swimming, and hope to start biking now that I am in one place.  

The southwest road trip helped get me into long climbing days, but not as high intensity as I would like.  Jes Meiris (my Nose partner this June) and I have a goal of moving for 8 hours of activity.  I need to up my heart rate for longer.  Waiting tables keeps me moving for 12 hours, but again not intense enough.

Jes climbing at Shelf Road

Enough with the computer, exercising awaits.