My arms and hands are aching again. Joe and I went to the rock-climbing gym tonight and I climbed until I couldn't climb any more.
I've been feeling a little discouraged about climbing this week. There's a route I've tried a couple of times unsuccessfully, but I thought it was just a mental barrier keeping me from sending it. Earlier this week I decided I would push through the mental barrier. I thought once I put my mind to it I could zip right to the top. But I just couldn't get it: Could. Not. I could describe the move I needed to do to reach the top, but my arms and legs would not cooperate. Going by the numbers, it shouldn't have been a problem. The route is only rated 5.8+, and these days 5.9 is the difficulty level where I feel reasonably confident about getting a route on the first try. "Lower me," I called down, feeling utterly defeated.
"Maybe I'll just sell my climbing shoes on eBay," I said flouncily.
There are hardly any other middle-aged moms at the climbing gym. I have one friend who climbs pretty regularly with her husband. Earlier this week I saw someone new at the gym, a woman my age who was a few levels ahead of me. But mostly it's teens and 20-somethings, who seem to sail up the wall as if they're wearing anti-gravity boots.
The last time I posted about climbing I was telling you about a 5.10b. I had to work and work and work to send that route. The video below shows most but not all of the route -- at about 1:04 you can see where the topmost hold is. (I am attempting to reach to the top using only the green holds. The lavender thing dangling from my harness is my chalk bag.) The moves at 0:10-0:16 took me dozens of attempts to perform consistently. Eventually, though, I figured it out.
Tonight I tried a new 5.10a. "Maybe I'll flash it," I said to myself. ["Flash it" = climber-speak for nailing a new route on the first try.] Instead I had to rest for a minute in the middle, and I put one of my feet in the wrong place when I started moving again. I'll get it soon, but not tonight. I was feeling defeated again at the gym. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that I've never before been able to tackle a new 5.10 route and get all the moves on the first try. I couldn't string them all together this time, but I also didn't fall.
It's easier to be persistent when progress is faster. I know it's progress, even when it's slow. I know it's better to make slow progress than to sell my climbing shoes on eBay. It's still a little discouraging to watch the teenagers zipping past me.
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