Training Log Archive: hamlet

2 water controls

Advanced - Splits

It was so fun, but it was kinda scary cuz I haven't skated on my skates since August, and it was just scary. But it was fun. I practiced my skates skiing(ish) and gained confidence. But, stupidly on one of the last wood bridges I was double poling, and even though I was thinking to myself that I've gotta be careful, so I don't break the tip of the poles, guess what happened? The left pole's tip broke off. So, the last 3.5 km were kinda tough, but it wasn't too bad.

Most of the time I was using my arms for poling more than my legs, especially in the beginning since I was hesitant to move my legs in fear of my skates slipping or me tripping, but later on I got a little more confident and was more willing to skate. Mainly after I broke the pole, since I didn't really have much of a choice since skating was much more efficient than poling with 1 and a 1/2 poles, since the left pole was kinda slipping and didn't stick into the ground enough without the tip, but it was still okay and poling worked, but skating was better (until my thighs started burning).

During lunch

It was raining.... I was freezing, and now my backpack's all wet.

I didn't know where to warm up... And I was in a rush because I only had 42 minutes for the run, and I already wasted 5 of them. Yes, I was in school and it was just lunch, but I needed to run. I was really panicky a d nervous and stressed in the morning, so I just needed to go for a run to let some of that out. And since I didn't want to go too far from the school, I decided to do hills. So this was my warm up.

So I only had time for 8 120m hills... But really, I'm not trying to make an excuse, I made it to my next class barely on time. I'm pretty happy with these hills, though, because I was pretty consistent. (Compared to my last time doing hills)
Hill 1- 0:34 cool off 1:03
Hill 2- 0:34 cool off 1:09
Hill 3- 0:35 cool off 1:25
Hill 4- 0:35 cool off 1:24
Hill 5- 0:35 cool off 1:21
Hill 6- 0:37 cool off 1:22
Hill 7- 0:36 cool off 1:12
Hill 8- 0:37 cool off 1:17

I know I should have cooled down for longer.... But I was really running out of time and I had to get back to school

Warm up (bouldering, not included in the time climbing):
V2 - I only got halfway up. It was overhanging, and i knew I could do it, but my hands hurt so much that I had to let go of the wall. Jugs were the worst kind of holds I could use for my hands.
V1 - Easy, also a bunch of jugs, but it was on a vertical part of the wall, so it was okay. But my hands still hurt pretty bad.
V3 - Had small holds, but they were nice holds, so it was fine. I made it up, and it felt better than the V1 or V2 felt.

Top Rope:
5.11a - Since we had a footwork clinic for the climbing club, we were supposed to choose a climb with small/annoying footholds. And, oh, this one did. Most of the time I was thinking to myself that my foot's going to slip any moment now, but I trusted it anyways to stand up on because I didn't have any other choice. It was really nice, until I reached the roof. My arms were a good 3 or 4 holds above the overhang, but I still couldn't get my feet over it, because there were footholds at the bottom of the overhang, and then you had to lift your left foot all the way above the overhang, at about waist height (it felt higher). I'm not that flexible, so I couldn't do it. Even when my feet flew off of the wall, I just didn't have enough core to bring my legs back in.
5.11a - It was kinda overhanging for the first half. Barely, but a bit. I was doing great, using the tricky handholds well, until about halfway I had to use some pinches. No. Way. Those were hard, and I could've maybe gotten over them, if the next hold was a jug, but instead it was this disgusting pinch that was barely came out from the wall enough for me to be able to use it. But I fell and I gave up after another few falls.
5.11c - If I couldn't do two 11a's, why not try an 11c? Logic. Even though, again, I did get halfway. What got me was this big hold that was almost like a jug, but it was more sloper-ish. My only excuse is that I'm not spiderman (that would be cool though)
5.10d/11b - So this one was interesting. I started on a 10d on the short wall in the gym. But getting over the, well, maybe not exactly overhang. It was more like a slight bump, but regardless, I had to get over the edge of it. Almost similar business as the first 11a I tried: I had to get my foot up over the edge, which I actually succeeded in, because the ledge was slightly lower. Only very slightly. However, the handholds were tiny, tiny ledges, and the foothold was this tiny square barely sticking out of the wall enough to use. So I fell about 2 times, and switched to the 11b that was right next to it. Really, the 11b looked friendlier. I climbed that one up about one or two clips, and then it got hard again, and I couldn't do it, so I switched back to the 5.10d and finished it that way.

I was biking until my left pedal arm flew off. So, after that (not included in time and distance and climb) I had to walk to the nearest bike shop, which was 3.4 km away, and beg for them to help me screw it back on even though I didn't have any way to pay them. Thankfully, they were kind enough to help me so I was able to bike the remaining 2 or 3 km (also not included in time/distance/climb) to the climbing wall.

I was on the wall for 3:30 hours. By the last 15 minutes, though, i was completely dead, and my hands hurt so much that touching anything was painful. But it was worth it, the climbs were fun (even though the last few I did I didn't even complete but oh well).

Top Rope:

5.9 - same warmup as yesterday

Mock lead:

5.10b - I've done this before on top rope. My friend who I was climbing with was doing her lead belay tests and her lead climb tests. She passed :)

Lead Climbing:

5.10d - On sited. It was around a corner/arrete (vertical, no overhang). It was full of jugs that were weirdly placed, so it wasn't easy. Also, since it was around the corner and the holds were on both sides of it, I had trouble seeing the other holds (I wish I cold see through walls). I almost thought I couldn't make it, but I did!
5.10b - very slight overhang to begin with. Barely noticable, compared to the roof that was halfway. It was long, maybe 1.5-2 meters long. It was also tough: on the last hold on the roof, I failed. I couldn't make it, but oh well. I will try again tomorrow (if I can find someone to belay me on lead).

Mock Lead:

5.10b - It was on the same wall as an 11a I did yesterday. It was nice and vertical, with small ledges as most of the holds. In the roof, there was one giant hold that worked a little better as an undercling, but would've been a nice step if it were on a vertical wall instead of a roof. I got maybe one hold over the overhang, fell. Then I tried again, I got 4 or 5 holds higher. Then I couldn't make it.
5.11a - my friend challenged me. It had a bunch of small holds, and I fell three times and by the third fall, I was 3/4 of the way there and I couldn't make it.

Lead Climbing:

5.10d - It was overhanging the entire time. Oh well, I only made it three clips up anyways. My hands were hurting really bad.
5.9 - It was straight and vertical up, then about 2.5 to 3 meters of a roof, and then straight vertical I think. I made it to the last hold in the roof, and then I fell, and just gave up.

I was on the wall for about 2:45 hours, but in total I was probably climbing for an hour and a half. I was focusing mainly on overhangs today, since I want to (and need to) get better at those. I started out top roping since I was climbing with my friend who isn't lead belay certified, and after about 1:30 of just us two, my dad came, and she left within the next half hour. Once my dad came, I switched to lead.

Top rope:

5.9 - easy, technical, starts out slightly less than vertical, and slowly slants more and more until by the top it's a very slight overhang.
5.10c - I've been eyeing this one for... A month? Maybe more? And I don't know why I didn't try it. It was pretty interesting, kinda tough for strength with interesting ways to hold the interesting holds. It was also slightly overhung in the beginning, but it straightened out.
5.11a - So I convinced my friend to try a 5.9 that had a roof close to the top, and I said if it's not easy/simple (with nice holds) , I'll do whatever climb she chooses for me, so I got landed with this 5.11a, which was right next to that 5.9 (so it had a roof close to the top). On the vertical section, there were small crimps, that were extremely hard to hold and even stand on, and at one point when I fell off I had to cheat with a hold from the 5.9. Then I made it up maybe another clip to be halfway to the roof where I fell off again and gave up.
5.10d - all the way overhung. It wasn't the steepest overhanging section, but it was still obviously overhung. Again, my friend challenged me to this one, and I didn't think I would make it. And I did. Well, except for the last two holds. The overhang leveled out in the last meter, where the holds got small, but still kind of okay (my hands were dead anyways), and there were a few footholds to my right, but there were no. Footholds. On. My. Left. And the last hold before the finish hold was on. The. Left. So I couldn't make it and I took a rest. I had two holds left. So yeah technically I made it, but not really. But I'm still happy with how it went.
5.10d - another challenge from my friend, but this one was a shorter climb, vertical, and very technical. Also, my first climb in my new climbing shoes!!! The shoes finally fit my foot properly and aren't falling apart (like my old ones were).

Lead:

5.10b - normal climb in a corner, with (again) a roof close to the top. Everything was all fun and technical (as corners usually are), until the roof. This roof was quite big, and wasn't completely horizontal, but it was still terrifying to look up and see that I just started the roof and there are still several holds to go on it till I'm free. I got maybe three holds into the roof until I took two falls and then gave up.
5.9 - this one also had a roof close to the top. It was an easy climb coming to the roof, all easy, big jugs (but it felt hard cuz my hands hurt so much by then). The roof want too bad either, a little more challenging, but it was okay.
5.10b - all overhang, again, like the 10d I did earlier. This one had a little steeper overhang. I rested twice, and about halfway up I gave up because I got stuck on a mova dna i was tired, and especially my stomach started cramping, so all I wanted to do then was to go down. But in the first few movies I did a heel hook! Finally! The new shoes actually fity heels, so they don't slide off when I heel hook! That was probably the highlight of the climb. My old shoes had extra space on my heel: the top of the shoe did fit the back of my ankle fine, but then there was about 1-2 millimeters of space between my heel and the heel of the shoe. So, these new shoes actually fite there!