Green Shoots 13:08

After I'd scripted yesterday's rather depressing blog I sat down and had a serious think. I pondered whether I was talking myself in to retirement, I'd already decided that my climbing career was over as my professional career took off. I was mentally conditioning myself into thinking it was all over, done and dusted. As I sipped on a beer I heard a quiet 'ping' on my phone, a comment on my blog post:

'shut up and go climbing'

Exactly what I needed to be told, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. Thanks to which ever reader posted it, shame they did it under 'anonymous'.

Here's a couple of inspiring little vids, the perfect antidote to depressing blog posts....

'First Try Friday' at Red Feather with Dave Graham and Jimmy Webb from Jon Cardwell on Vimeo.

hueco tanks 2010|2011 from emi-moosburger.blogspot.com on Vimeo.

Now where's that training diary....

UPDATE

If you were the one who posted anonymously I wouldn't own up, I went climbing and fucked my back. Can't even bend down to pick up a chalk bag, bad news.

Looking Back In The Future 14:14

Campusing 1-5-9 (original 1-5-8 1/2), one arm campus on large Metolius rungs, jumping and hanging a small campus rung with one arm, one arming a small campus rung, back two encores & repeaters on the small Beastmaker pockets, hanging the sloping Beastmaker pockets with back two for 5 seconds, 5 one armers on a 5 cm edge.

You've just read my list of climbing achievements and you've probably noticed they are nothing but feats of strength.

Sure I've ticked a few 7c's quickly, I've done a fair few problems below that, but I've never done anything note worthy, never done anything worth writing home about - I've never lived up to my potential. There have been reasons for this: I didn't get strong until I came to London, I rarely get to climb outside & my work rules my life. I've come very close to a fair few classic hard problems, but for one reason or another have always come away empty handed, but I always thought I would get some hard stuff ticked. A fear has now gripped me that this may never be the case, I may well be destined to look back at my climbing history and see a list of underachievement.

After taking last year off I thought this year would be my year, I was ready to get back training hard, but this is starting to look less and less likely. My career is why I moved to London and I love what I do, I've given up a lot to drive my career forward and it has taken a lot out of me. As a result of a lot of hard work my career is now at a place I thought it would be in 4 or 5 years time. I've got a new role, a role which will hopefully include travelling to far off places, places where you may well need a flak jacket and the least of your worries is having 'poor skin'.

I can't complain as this is what I have always wanted to do and I'm proud to be stepping up to it, although I fear that it will leave little if no time to try and climb, to try and fulfil my climbing potential.

I may be wrong of course, I may get time to train and I may get some things done, I truly hope so because a list of feats of strength is not much to look back on. The only plus side is that unlike some people who claim achievements on rock, I have witnesses for mine on wood... not much consolation though.