Climbing Update - New Grades and New Challenges

          While I am thrilled that we have a small but strong BJJ club here in town I have been trying to keep up on my rock climbing as a means of cross training... plus, I already have purchased all the gear and I'd hate to see it collect dust in a closet!  So I've made my venture back to the rock wall over the past few weeks and more-or-less picked up (skill wise) where I had left off at the end of November.  Then I got to about my redpoint climbing a 5.9+.  I feel the route was accurately graded, but the crux was tough, it turned you one direction, then back the other way, all on some fairly small, odd shaped holds.  This route had been sticking me for a while.  Last Saturday I finally completed it clean!  Ooh-Rah!
          Tonight's BJJ practice was canceled due to the instructor having a conflicting appointment.  So I logged an extra day at the rock wall.  It was well worth it.  Right off the bat, I jumped on the next hardest route after the one I had completed.  This route was rated a 5.10.  It wasn't too difficult, but certainly challenging.  My first fall wasn't until about 3/4 of the way up the wall.  I had to take a few more falls on the crux of the route there, but ultimately finished it.  This was not, however, the first 5.10 I had finished "dirty."  But it was a first for something else.
          While I was there anyway I decided to give another 5.10 a shot.  This time it was a 5.8 normally but with special rules that your hands were only allowed to use natural and crack holds; thus making it a 5.10.  Again, I fell about 3/4 of the way up but quickly recovered and finished the route.  I moved on to yet another 5.10 (a normal, anything goes) climb.  My first fall here was about 1/3 of the way up, but it was a slippery hold and I knew where I had technically gone awry.  I recomposed myself and finished the rest of the route without issue.  Then I figure, what the hell, I'll jump on this 5.10+.  I didn't get too far, most probably because I had been climbing at my capacity the whole session.  But I was satisfied with the day's work.
          My goal for this coming weekend is to climb the two routes that I only fell once on and climb them cleanly.  Of course, these are top-roped routes, but nevertheless; a 'send is a 'send when you're working to improve.
          This has made me do a bit of reflecting.  I only started climbing regularly in October or so of last year.  A simple 5.8+ (generously graded; it was probably only a 5.8) was giving me all kinds of grief about half way up the route.  I remember the sense of jubilation when I finally 'sended that (enter explicit content); fist pumping the whole way down.  Then I had to take a one month (plus) layoff while the rock wall was closed over the holiday break.  Now, only a short ~5 months later I'm projecting things almost two whole grades higher!  I didn't write this to brag though.  I am very, very, VERY far from an exceptional climber as you can see from the grades listed.  I wrote this to share my excitement about breaking that "beginner" plateau.  I'd be pretty surprised to see your run-of-the-mill "meat-head" jump right on a 5.10 route and climb it cleanly.
          5 Months ago I was one of those "meat-heads."  Perhaps a little more agile, flexible, and intelligent, but my climbing skills were still the same... none.  Getting so far up the routes before falling gave me a little extra confidence.  Confidence where I didn't fall two or three times and say "I'm too pumped" or "I'm burned out for the day" or "I'm just not good enough yet."  No, I decided the day was today.  So while none of them were "clean" and they were all top-roped, I take no shame and a great deal of fulfillment writing down in this training log that I booked three ascents of 5.10 routes and started projecting a 5.10+.  Rock and Roll my friends!  Climb the ROCKs and ROLL on the mats!

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