Like this:

I have a couple of hobbies that keep me as close to sane as I ever get.  Most people who know me are well aware of this, plus my habit of not devoting as much time as I should to either.

The first is rock climbing.  I absolutely love it.  I want to write about all the emotions I experience when climbing, the different reasons I do it and all the wonderful people I’ve gotten to do it with.  But that would take far too long and I’m far too tired at this point, so let me just say this.

Never once have I spent the day climbing or done related activities and felt like I wasted the day.

Not once.

This is a big thing for me.  I always like to think I have done something with the day.  Even if I did nothing with it, I like to think that’s because I slated a few hours of nothingness in.  But rock climbing has never left me with the feeling of “oh man, I could have slept in!” I’ve arguably accomplished a lot more in the office on a standard day, but never had the same feeling of accomplishment.

So that’s rock climbing for me in a nutshell.  There’s just one problem:

I’m not very good at it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not absolute crap.  I have a lot of strength for a guy my size, but freely admit that my technique needs some work.  Also some of the mental barriers of climbing cliffs at your absolute physical capabilities proves a challenge too.  So in essence I am and always have been an enthusiastic beginner.  Perhaps an intermediate in some circles. But I moved interstate a while ago and my climbing rapidly fell away.  There was just no time for it and what with a new demanding job, no energy either.  I joined the local climbing club and went along to the wall for a few sessions.  Trouble was their all much younger and have nothing to do but exercise 12 hours a day.  Then I appear with my over 30, unmaintained physique at the end of a long day and it all ended in tears.

To get my fitness back up I began riding to work.  Or catching the bus and walking back.  That’s great for cardio but it doesn’t do a whole lot for climbing strength.  Aha!  I thought.  The national library is on the way home for me!  Capital bouldering all the way around!

Yes.

And no.

Yes there is bouldering, but it was way too difficult for a person such as myself.

In the end I bit the bullet and returned to a local climbing gym.  I discovered they have a bouldering wall full of big, juggy holds and is about 10m long.  So now I just get on the easy stuff and do about 5 laps until I can’t go no more.  Then it’s a few minutes rest and onto the walls angled at 45 degrees or so.  A few big strength building exercises and then back to the easy wall for some more laps.

It’s a way to ease myself back into the rhythm of things.  Plus it lowers the chance of an injury by trying something too hard too fast.  My main problem is to expect too much too quickly so some basic workouts help me in a variety of ways.  Building up fitness is good, but so is building up patience.

 

Oh and before I go, the other hobby?

Writing.  Something else I dearly love but don’t dedicate enough time to.  However like the climbing, I have formulated a plan.

 

Consider this a lap.

Advertisement