Wednesday 18 May 2011

SATISFACTION

In the pic, the sunset from my little green room.

I wonder which kind of person I really am. It seems to me that I am a calm and patient guy, I don't like stress and I am not aggressive.

Despite all the above, instead of simply taking the joy of having reclimbed the roof in all its length, adding the first two moves at the beginning of this year, and leaving it in peace forever, I put myself into situations like this one, in which I get very stressed, I am under pressure and I become very aggressive. I always raise the level of my committment, and this, apparently, collides with what I think my true nature is.
So, in one of these excalations in tension, Monday afternoon I got home at 4 pm, I took the van and drove to the project. I got there very late due to a traffic jam, which didn't help my relax, and started warming up with just some light left. I was tired, but kept going, it wasn't too hot because now the trees have leaves on, and they shelter the problem from the sun, creating a nice little green ceiling. I dubbed this athmosphere "The Little Green Room of Madness", and in it I am as comfortable as a man can be. I am at home.
Soon enough I had to take out my head lamp, because it was getting very dark, but despite everything I managed two good goes, in one my right foot slipped off due to lack of core tension, in the second my left one gave up due to an even bigger lack of said tension.
I slept in the van and the following morning, or to be honest just a few hours later, I was there again. I felt very tired. When the alarm went off, all I could think about was to keep on sleeping, and this should have told me something. To be honest, I felt shocked in realizing I was so tired, I shouldn't have been, in my plan. My plan didn't contemplate the fact that it was my third consecutive day on the problem: Sunday morning (another very early start), Monday night, Tuesday morning. My fingers were feeling stiff and my skin ached a bit. I don't want to think what it would have been without Antihydral...
Having some light helped alot, and I went through my usual warm up, that I finish by doing the moves of the problem from the last one to the hard dyno. As of late, on many many attempts, my right heel has peeled off. The placement is awkward, downsloping and polished; when I get there strong, it stays put, but the slightest weakness in my body means I can't keep the tension.
I pressed on and had another very good go: I did the move very well, then I got to the pinch... and my entire body gave up. I was projected down and out, and it was over. My fingers were in pain, and even with good skin, I clearly was so tired that I couldn't move. I packed my stuff, drove like a madman for two and half hours and was at the school on time for my 11 am class.
This problem is hard on your whole body, it squeezes out every drop of core tension you have, all the strength you have in your body. When I fall, I chalk up and go back on, usually being able to complete the sequence: just a small rest on the ground seems to do magic, but doing the whole thing in a oner is a completely different thing. It's a dream come true, being able to perform the dyno after the first ten moves, something that only some weeks ago was still the unridden realm. That's why I am satisfied.
So, I almost did it, but didn't do it.
Now it's very hot, and I really need to give my body some rest. I started having some niggles in my lats, my back is very tired, and last Monday I also managed to compress my sciatic nerve, so despite the antiinflammatories taken, I still have my left calf, heel and back of the thigh a bit numb. 'nuff said.
So I want to take a couple of weeks to cood down, then I will go back on a serious training plan. I want to keep going regularly to the roof during the whole summer, because it's be the best way to keep the feeling, and the closest possible way of training for it, given the dramatic lack of climbing walls here.
So this is it. I am happy, I have improved and I have given my best.
In this video, the images from what you've just read.
Thank you all for the support in the past weeks.


2 comments:

martin said...

heyo lorenzo,

looks like we are at the same point with our projects..., going all CRAZY about it ;) but fall and the FRICTION will come back and then we will SEND!

taking a break sounds good. but going back during all summer regulary???!!! well i dont know YOUR mindset, but i prefer going back to projects (i allready tried a lot) in allready decent shape and in ok conditions. there is not much use of working things at your limit in ugly conditions. you will not improove, you will just get tired of the mouves, the problem, the area...

so get your training organised that you are in good shape when the FRICTION comes back. and you will go back and hike it for warmup ;)

have a nice summer. as i am a lucky bastard living in swizzy i found the FRICTION in the mountains again (2000meter) - so 3-4weeks of more climbing for me before a summer-break!

see ya, martin

lore said...

hey Martin,
what you say makes a lot of sense!!! thank you!!!