Lead Certified!

Recently I've been making some significant progress in my goal to overcome my personal & climbing fears. It feels good. Really good, actually. My latest climbing feat was getting lead certified in a gym. This happened a few days ago. The original plan was to meet my climbing partner at the gym @ 10am on Sunday morning. However, with the time change & moving my apartment the day prior, I managed to get there at 10:30am with the help of 4 Advil.

We picked a gym that has good leading but that I had never been to before. My partner was up late the night before and didn't show up until 11am, but this gave me time to get my waiver completed & get a feel for the gym. Oh, and also enough time for me to fumble my iPhone 5 onto the concrete floor and smash the glass screen. Grr....

Since it was my first visit to this gym, I had to do the standard belay test first. Once that was out of the way, I wanted to go right for the lead test. No warm up, just test me. My partner was hesitant in taking the lead test that day, but she had no choice. If she was going to be my belay, she was also going to have to be tested. She's a better climber than I am, but was actually more nervous.

I climbed first. The tester picked a 5.8 route with 4-5 clips in it, about 30' high. It was a pretty juggy route, but I wasn't expecting my first lead to be a 5.8. I thought I would be able to flash a 5.6 for my certification. My confidence in passing the test was very low at that point. I was sore, hadn't climbed in a week & wasn't warmed up. But, I decided to just go for it. Oh, and there was no yelling "take!", you just had to flash it.

The first clip was pretty high off the ground - maybe 12'? It felt so good to clip into this, and I kept going clipping into #2 and then #3. After #3, my arms and legs began to shake. I thought I was toast. I really wanted to yell "take!", but fought through it and managed to clip into #4, at which point I was told to climb above the clip and then take a fall. This was my first fall. I wasn't nervous letting go & remember feeling like I was falling for what seemed like a pretty good length of time before I finally felt "caught" and bounced my feet off of the wall. It was so much fun & I was so proud of myself. I gave my belayer a big hug & then we switched places.

I started anchoring in and was told not to. My tester wanted to see me handle getting lifted off the ground. Oh boy, I wasn't expecting this as I'm so light I usually get launched in the air pretty quickly, but it was actually fun when you know to expect it. My partner quickly reviewed what "back clipping" meant before proceeding to climb. Her biggest fear was the falling part. She's lead sport climbs outside before, but had not experienced a lead fall yet. And when she fell, she grabbed the rope so tightly that she ended up ripping open a cut on her finger and was gushing blood. I had to untie her from the rope so that she could stop the bleeding and get it taped up.

It was an emotional climb for both of us & we were able to capture the awesome sense of accomplishment we both felt in a great picture. I can't wait to lead some more & get more comfortable with it before the outdoor season starts.

Oh, hey. SWF w/ climbing rack seeking SWM.

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to get serious about dating.  So, recently I've decided that the best place to meet/approach potential dates is at the climbing gym.  And the best place in the gym to meet single guys?  The bouldering walls, of course.  Especially on a Friday or Saturday night.  If you're hanging out at the gym on "date night", then odds are that you're single.  Oh, and props to the guys who are there solo and keep their wedding rings on while climbing.  Haha, I must not be only girl who has figured out this dating tip & they must be tired of fending off the single chicks.

As shy as I can be sometimes, I think it's a lot easier to start a conversation with a guy at the gym about a problem that you're working on than a random  stranger anywhere else.  You already have climbing in common -  and really, what else is there?  So, unless I have an actual date, or plans, then I am committing myself to climbing at the gym on one of these nights each week and starting a conversation with at least one guy - at least until the snow melts and I'm back outside on the weekends.  Game on!

1 + 1 = 2

How does a single climber chick spend her Valentine's Day evening?  Well, I already deleted my OKCupid profile... So, I've spent the evening cleaning and organizing my apartment for an upcoming move.

Oh, also drinking beer and eating fudge.  No worries, I'm allowed.  With a blanket of snow still covering New England, I've got plenty of time to get back into tip-top climbing shape for my next climbing trip, right?  Well, not really.

I'm about 60 days out from a climbing trip to West Virginia and barely squeezing into my jeans.  Time to buckle down and step up the training.  Now would be a good time to fall in love with cardio.        

That 4-letter F-word...

I've been thinking a lot lately about this emotion we call fear.  I'm currently struggling with some huge fears in both my climbing and personal life.  Fear is debilitating.  It sucks.  It prevents you from progressing, reaching your full potential & achieving happiness.  Have you ever experienced "Elvis leg" while climbing?  You have fear to thank for that.  So, how do I overcome my fears?  Well, I decided to first research exactly "what is fear?"  The best quote that I came across during a Google search said that "at the heart of all fear is losing something".  I'm going to repeat that because I don't think you fully digested it... This time, read each word and digest it before reading on... At the heart of all fear is losing something.  This struck a chord deep inside of me & felt like the key that I've been looking for to unlock that closed door.

To further simplify this quote - we fear loss.  Whether rational or not, loss is at the heart of all fear.  It's such a simple explanation for what feels like such a complex emotion.  Is it that simple?  And does it really explain all fear?  In order to put this quote to the test, I had to create a list of all of the "things" that can be lost in life: health, love, friendship, purpose, independence, happiness, possessions, control, status... what else am I missing?  Well, a lot I'm sure. But, so far this quote seems to be pretty accurate.  In one way or another, I've experienced loss in everything I've listed above.  Do I regret the losses that I've experienced?  Absolutely not.  I believe there is a deeper level of gratitude that can only be reached through experiencing loss.  Do I fear experiencing these losses again?  Absolutely.  Are my fears rational?  Probably not.

So, if I now understand what fear is & know exactly what I'm afraid of, how do I take the next steps to conquer those fears?  Well, this is sort of like the over-weight person who knows what the solution to their problem is - eat less/exercise more - but needs to dig down deep and find the strength and motivation to actually do it.  I just need some balls is what it comes down to.  I need to face my fears head-on to either prove them false or absorb their actual impact - not their feared impact.  I constantly catch myself thinking "what's the worst that could happen if I do this?" when I should be thinking "what's the worst that could happen if I don't do this?".  For me, the consequences of inaction are worse than the consequences of action.

Short and Sweet

It's 12:15am and I can't sleep. I can hear a snow plow outside clearing the parking lot, but my thoughts are all about climbing. I'm antsy because I didn't climb tonight. Holy crap, when did I become this obsessed rock climber chick? I should be obsessing over the work presentation that I have to give later this week, but instead I'm thinking about the 5.11 route at the gym and how I can power through the crux next time. I read a quote tonight that really resonated with me & where I am in my climbing: "I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday".

My first 5.11 beer

I recently climbed my first 5.11. It was an awesome accomplishment to celebrate my first year of climbing. As with many of my feats, it was totally unplanned. It was a Saturday morning a week ago & I had met two of my climbing friends at the gym when they opened at 10am. We top roped a few climbs and then in shear desperation of wanting to climb something new, I started to boulder this 5.11 route. I fell on my back trying to keep my grip on the 3rd handhold, so I decided to rope up and see if I could just make the next move without the fear of falling on my back. My friend Maria was really excited to see me succeed and wouldn't let me quit.  At one point when I wanted to give up on the crux, she pushed me back onto the wall to try again.  I would describe the route as a tricky start followed by the crux that has you reaching for pinch holds while awkwardly trying to get your feet and body up with an ending of pinch holds that are placed at uncomfortable distances and angles and a final hold that you need to jump to touch.

Oh, my climb was not pretty! I was hanging on the rope for a lot longer than I was actually on the wall. But, I did it! And without a boost. Climbing routes like this give you confidence and credibility, but if all of the routes in the gym were this hard & painful, I would not be a climber. My entire body hurt the following day. It was a good hurt though, as it reminded me of what I had accomplished.

I got back on this route the following Monday evening, but couldn't make it past the crux this time. This was extremely disappointing as I had gone to the gym that evening with the goal of completing this route faster/cleaner than Saturday. Fail. I had wasted too much energy trying to figure out the tricky start again & couldn't pull through the crux. I decided to continue bouldering the start to get all of the moves down so that on my next attempt I would be strong for the crux.

My last attempt happened on Wednesday evening. I was still sore from Monday's attempt, but decided to give it a shot anyway.  I sailed through the start, struggled a bit on the crux and then struggled even more on the pinch ending. I had an audience for this last climb, which I typically don't like as it distracts me, but was appreciative for their applause when I finally finished. My friend Lu then felt it was then necessary to announce my accomplishment to the other half of the gym that wasn't watching me & demanded their applause as well. Hehe, it was awesome. Thanks Lu!

So, obviously I want to climb this route again and try for a cleaner/faster climb. But, my hands are less than pleased with the abuse I've given them this past week & I might need to take a rest for awhile on the pinch holds. After Wednesday's climb, a bunch of us went out for drinks/food & I had my first 5.11 beer. Cheers!

2012: The Year I Became a Rock Climber

2012 started with a whimper and ended with a bang.  Yes, I know the saying is whisper, but in my case it really was a whimper.  It was the first New Years Eve that I'd spent alone & I didn't do a very good job in distracting myself from this depressing fact.  I don't remember all of the details, but I probably spent some time on Match.com & some time thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in the New Year.  Two things were definitely at the top of my list: going on some dates & finding a new dentist (it had been 2 years since my last visit).

However, before either of those happened, I received an email with a Groupon offer to learn how to rock climb & decided to try it.  I received a 3-hour lesson on a Friday night with about 9 other students, along with a 2-week membership- all for about $25.  I was so scared!  I was the last person in the group to get on the wall.  I was terrible at it, but the adrenaline had me hooked.  I convinced myself that if I practiced enough I would get over the fear.  That weekend I bought my first pair of climbing shoes - red suede Five Ten coyote lace-ups.

Shortly after I started climbing, I became a vegetarian.  It wasn't a planned diet change - it just sort of happened.  I had tried a vegetarian diet for a week in 2011 and had struggled with it.  I even had meat mares (dreams about eating meat or accidentally eating meat).  This time around, I really didn't think about it much & found some good sources of protein that made it easy (greek yogurt is my favorite!). I eventually worked some seafood back into my diet in July, so I'm now a pescetarian, but no plans to eat animal flesh in 2013.

Ugh... dating.  I went on my first internet date in 2012.  I had been on Match.com for a couple of months at the end of 2011 before finally deciding to pursue some dates in January.  I needed some pushing from friends to "stop being so picky" and just go on some dates.  I can't remember if I ended up meeting 2 or 3 guys... I think just two.  There was the "almost divorced" bio-chemist who liked to ski in the French Alps & lived with his sister.  I stuck it out for 4 dates with him.  Even though he was really cute, there just wasn't any chemistry & he stopped pursuing me after I refused to kiss him and told him that I didn't think we were a match.  Next was a red-headed, mountain biker who worked in advertising.  He wasn't the cutest guy, so he was going to have to win me over with his personality.  He had some experience in rock climbing, so I thought maybe we could at least be belay partners?  Wrong.  I've never wanted to climb less for someone.  He had zero personality & took our climbing date so seriously that he actually snapped at me for giving him beta on a climb.  I couldn't get rid of him fast enough - even bailed on our after climb beer plans.  However, he was good for one thing - which I never appropriately thanked him for - he introduced me to Meetup.com.  Discouraged by the internet dating scene, I was eager to join some rock climbing Meetup groups and possibly meet some single guys there.  Ha!  I quickly learned that this is not a good pool for finding single guys.  However, it is an awesome pool for finding some of the most crazy, fun, strong & sassy climbing chicks on the planet.  So thankful for the friends that I've made through Meetup!     

After much procrastination, I finally found a new dentist & started the long, painful process of restoring my teeth.  I spent at least 20 hours in my dentist's chair over the course of 5 months ticking off a 2-page list of work that needed to be done.  I also had my first (and last!) experience with in-office teeth whitening.  Ouch.  After all of that work, I decided to consult an orthodontist to straighten my teeth as well.  I'm now 21 weeks into a full-case Invisalign treatment & so far I'm really happy with the results. I have about 46 weeks to go -- which seems like forever!

I'm not sure what 2013 is going to bring, but my approach will be similar to 2012:
1.) form some loose goals
2.) keep an open mind and heart
3.) enjoy the journey

Happy New Year!