Cragmama

Apr 08 2015

High water on Fern Creek thanks to the monsoons from the day before!

This past weekend marked the first trip of my “Performance Phase” in my first training cycle using the Rock Climber’s Training Manual. There were a few ups and downs, but overall I am very pleased with how I climbed, and am optimistic about how the next few weeks will go. I’ll start with the downs, so I can end on a good note!

DOWNS

On the routes I’d previously been on (and thus already worked out the moves for), I got shutdown. I failed miserably on Techman (5.12c), which had been my primary goal for the weekend. The crux went okay, but I got stuck on the next big move. I was confused about the beta I’d written down before, and got tunnel vision trying to work out the moves again. (Once I got home, I remembered we’d taken a beta video last fall…upon watching it I realized that what I SHOULD have done in that section was far more straightforward than what I’d been trying, but required a lot more try hard than what I was mustering.)

The next down involved Likme (5.12a), another route I’d been previously close to sending a while back. The bolting is strange, which makes for a scary traverse on 5.11 terrain with a gnarly swinging fall potential. An attentive belay would keep you off the ground, but a belayer collision would be pretty likely. Even though I’d gotten through that section clean on lead before, I could not commit to it this time around, and decided to rehearse it on toprope first. I then proceeded to fall in what would have been the worst possible spot, then fired the crux clean. I suppose I could have continued to rehearse the no-fall moves a little more til I felt comfortable, but I just didn’t feel good about it.

Slab-dyno prep…

UPS

However, the weekend was literally overflowing with silver linings, from both myself and the Crag-Daddy (who literally had the best-performing climbing weekend of his entire LIFE!) In fact I only mentioned the downs because I feel like the balance of failure and success is important. But at the end of the weekend, I walked away with several firsts – first time ever bagging two 5.12’s in a single weekend, and first time I’ve ever sent 12b second go! Here are my highlights…

Le Futuriste (5.12b) – At first I thought it was the adrenaline talking, but here I am a few days later, and I still think this might be my absolute favorite line at Endless Wall, maybe even the entire New River Gorge. A little bit of everything – a funky boulder problem start to get the blood flowing, several long stand-up cruxes on the slab (one of which is literally a slab dyno!), and a gorgeous arete that requires the perfect balance of precision and power. I went in with no expectations, and surprised myself when I ALMOST flashed it, only falling at the very last hard move at the top of the arete. With climbing that fun, having to hop on it again for a redpoint go didn’t bother me one bit!

Trusting the rubber on my Tenaya Tarifa for the crux of La Futuriste 5.12b Photo: Javier Licon

Fired for Sandbaggin’ (5.12a) – I’d actually never heard of this Bubba City line before having gotten on it. If you can crimp hard and keep your head together, then this route is for you! The crux sequence is short-lived and under the first bolt – a long move off of two tiny crimps, one of which is absolutely terrible. The rest of the route is significantly easier, although there are definitely a couple of sequences up higher that will keep you awake (mid 5.11.) Our crew had a giant send train going on this one – 7 sends, all of which were either flashes or 2nd go’s (second go for me.)

Big C tackling the fixed lines on the way in to Bubba City

Michelin Man (5.12b) – Although I can’t claim the send on this one yet, I’m pretty psyched about a second go one-hang at the very end of the weekend! This route is AMAZING, definitely the best rock I’ve touched at Bubba City. The majority of the route features long moves between good holds on a gently overhanging face, to a hand jam rest, then a cool move on a very random 2-finger pocket to an almost hands-free rest. Then you can choose whether to go left to keep the route at 11d, or head right for a reachy 12b slab crux. Our crew opted for the latter. What makes me most excited about this is that the only other time I have been on this route was a couple of years ago, and I got completely shut down at the first bolt (a big toss that is very tenuous to set up for if you’re short.) My first go I pretty much went bolt to bolt, as it took some thinking to work out my beta on some of the longer moves. I was very pleased to flash the 12b crux, but figured my guns were too smoked to be able to link the pumpy bottom section together. I presumed my 2nd attempt would be more of a beta refining journey than an actual sending attempt. However I was super psyched to make it just 3 moves from the hand jam rest before falling! I’m optimistic the route will go this coming weekend for me (especially after the power endurance route I put myself through last night!)

My rock princess sitting in a mud puddle.

Upon reflection, the most interesting observation I noted about my performance was that I climbed very well on the routes that were completely new to me, and not so well on the routes I’d had previous “baggage” with. I’ve thought about it some, and I think I figured out why. While I came into the weekend well-prepared physically, I was lacking in the mental prep. I came in fired up with a ton of psych…but not enough focus. Had I been more open-minded about Techman, I would have tried harder with the beta that I was so sure was wrong (and I would have remembered to watch the beta video the night before we left, duh!) Had I really thought through my previous feelings about Likme, I probably would have realized it wasn’t worth my time, and would have had more energy for climbing (and perhaps sending) Michelin Man.

But with two 5.12 ticks and another in the hopper, I’m very excited to see the rest of this spring sending season unfold! We’re headed back to the New this weekend, and the weather looks stellar! Where are YOU headed?

Crag Daddy getting serious on Michelin Man 5.12b)…sun’s out, tongue’s out, I guess! Photo: Javier Licon

Rock Climber’s Training Manual Part 2 – Power/Power Endurance

Training.

2 Comments.

Apr 06 2015

A few weeks ago I posted about how things were going for me in first two phases (Base Fitness and Strength) of the Rock Prodigy Training Program. Now that I’ve completed the latter two training phases (Power and Power Endurance), it seems appropriate to share another progress report.

Power has never been my strong suit. When I get shut down on a route/problem, it’s generally because I just cannot execute a particular move. On the flip side, however, if I CAN do all the moves on a route, linking them together *usually* comes fairly quickly. Bouldering at the gym has helped, as well as making a conscious effort to climb with momentum. However, compared to pretty much every other aspect of my climbing, my power still tends to lag behind. I guess you could say I’m more of a turtle than a hare…

POWER

So I approached this phase of the training program feeling both hopeful as well as intimidated. The training activities unique to the power phase are Limit Bouldering (working 1-2 SUPER HARD moves, as opposed to a few kinda hard moves, or a lot of not as hard moves), and Campus Board workouts. During the first couple of gym workouts I was very pleased with how I felt coming right out of the strength phase. I nabbed a couple of V5 onsights, and made quick work of a problem whose pinches would have most certainly given me trouble pre-hangboarding. By the end of the power phase I was also able to send some burly, thuggish (read: anti-Cragmama) problems in the V5/V6 range, and while I didn’t send either of my limit bouldering problems, I was pleased with the progress that I’d made.

But the most important boost for me in the power phase was the confidence boost that came when I realized I could actually use the campus board! Every other time I’d tried (which was admittedly not very often), I would fail miserably, even on the largest rungs. I could do pull-ups off the rungs, but I just couldn’t latch the next hold with enough precision to even stay on (let alone try to move off of it to the next rung.) About a month before starting this program I’d experimented with campusing on the HIT strips of our systems wall after climbing sessions. The moves were twice as long and the angle was much steeper, but the holds were giant jugs, which for me meant I could practice the coordination and movement aspects of campusing without worrying about the precision piece.

That plus the strength gains from the hangboard sessions must have worked, because I shocked myself when I was able to move up 2-3 rungs on my very first campus board workout! By the 4th workout I could both match and ladder my way up to all but the last two rungs.

Sending (or lack thereof): Believe it or not, we logged zero hours on real rock during my dedicated Power weeks, due to weather, Baby Zu AND Big C birthdays, and a trip to Disney World with the grandparents!

POWER ENDURANCE

After the Power phase I missed a couple of training sessions due to Disney World, but tried to pick up where I left off as best I could. The foundation of Power Endurance (PE) training revolves around Interval training – up/down laps on a rope, and Linked Bouldering Circuits (which for those of you familiar with training, is similar to 4×4’s, but with a downclimbing component that keeps you on the wall.) I’ll be honest, the first week and a half of PE training was BRUTAL. I left the gym each night feeling completely annihilated, and only felt slightly better the next morning.

It’s also worth noting that during this time I also started looking at my extra curricular activity levels. The creators of this program take a pretty strong stance against regular cardiovascular exercise, particularly during the latter phases of the program (other than ARC-ing, which could be considered aerobic.) While climbing is probably the only physical activity that I ever have regular, specific improvement goals with, I do enjoy being active and well-rounded. I mean, what good is it to climb 5.12 if you can’t make it to the base of the cliff without bursting a lung? So in the interest of general fitness, I almost always do SOMETHING exercise-y each day – run, bike, elliptical, etc.

But as I got more and more annihilated with each PE workout, I started to wonder if perhaps I was overtraining. If maybe all of the lower intensity work I was doing in the cardio arena was zapping my power. I knew I’d go INSANE if I cut out ALL non-climbing activities, but I made a conscious effort to cut back. (I also made a valiant attempt to get more sleep, although “more” is a relative term with a 13 month old that is still a terrible night-sleeper.)

The second half of the PE phase was decidedly better for me. My body felt as if it was in a much better balance of “work hard, rest hard.” I was still trying hard, but since I was also trying smarter, I felt tired but not obliterated after workouts.

Sending: Axis (5.11d) – This send is particularly noteworthy for me b/c it marks my hardest send on gear to date! I got on it early in the Strength phase, and then sent it towards the end of Power Endurance…and there is no comparison to describe how much stronger I felt the latter time! More on that here.

Now it’s on to the Performance Phase of the program, which will hopefully be littered with sends – this past weekend’s trip to the New River Gorge was a great start, more on that in a couple of days!

3 Climbing Milestones in 1 Weekend!

Climbing. North Carolina. Hiking.

6 Comments.

Mar 31 2015

Happy kiddos at the crag!

We finally had an entire weekend free to head up to the New River Gorge, which of course meant it was going to be snowing and in the THIRTIES (after highs in the 60’s the weekend before…). But at least the weather was good in our neck of the woods, even if it did feel more like a warm winter day rather than spring. And even though we had to settle for Plan B, it ended up being a weekend filled with important milestones!

The whole family marched up to Red Wall at Crowders Mountain on Saturday morning. Steve had his sights set on Silence the Critics (5.12b), I was hoping to send Axis (5.11d), and Big C was excited to try out the new hammock he’d gotten for his birthday.

The climbing on Axis is pretty thuggy, but also requires precise footwork on holds that are terrible to non-existent. It starts with 20 feet of face climbing, before moving into a very aesthetic diagonal crack/seam, which contains two cruxes. The initial technical crux apparently used to be a lot more short-lived until just a couple of months ago when a big jug broke off, followed by a pump crux exiting the crack. After the crack there’s another 25 feet or so of moderate climbing. There are 2 bolts on the lower face and 1 piton in the crack, the rest is protected traditionally.

Steve ended up sending his project on the 2nd go of the day (!), and the hammock worked out great except for a thankfully minor head injury when Big C flipped upside down out of it (I guess he’s hard-headed in more ways than one.)

As for Axis, it was the scene of three major milestones for me…

Testing out the new hammock!

1. FALLING ON GEAR AGAIN –

Trad climbing has been sporadic at best for our family ever since Big C’s arrival – sport climbing logistics are just way easier to manage. And we’ve placed ZERO gear since Baby Zu entered the scene. But Axis was one of the few lines left at Crowders Main Walls that I still needed to tick, and since it was near Steve’s project it seemed like a good time to try it. Since the anchors are shared with a great warm-up (Master Beta 5.10c), and since I’m kind of a trad pansy, it was easy to set up a toprope to work out the moves/gear. I’d gotten in 2 runs on it 6 weeks ago…and while I was able to do all the moves on it, the thought of linking everything AND placing the gear felt pretty impossible. But I felt a lot stronger on it this past weekend, which I credit to the power endurance training I’ve been doing out of the Rock Climber’s Training Manual (more on that next week.)

I took another couple of toprope laps on it on Saturday, then decided it was time to put my big girl panties on and tie in to the sharp end. I got established in the crack, slotted the first nut, and breathed a sigh of relief, as the stance is pretty tenuous. I eased carefully into the first crux executing my beta just as planned, but reached a little too high too soon and my smeared left foot slid right off.

I got back on and finished the route without much trouble, and though I was slightly disappointed to walk away without the send, it was the first time in a loooong time that I’d fallen on my gear (probably 2 years at least!) No matter how textbook you think you’re gear is, it’s always a mental boost to actually put it to the test!

First redpoint run…

2. CLIMBING SANS KIDDOS

The forecast for Sunday was shaping up to be a little warmer, and our friends were all headed back out the next day, but we had originally planned to stay home. With church we wouldn’t be able to get out there til noon, and Big C takes almost an hour to do the hike when his legs are fresh…it didnt’ seem worth the effort. But my hero of a husband suggested that I head out there by myself the next day after church while he watched both kiddos!

It was the first time I’d climbed outdoors without Baby Zu, and the first time I’d climbed without any kids at all since spring of 2013. I’d forgotten how much EASIER it is!!! I arrived in the parking lot just before noon, my partner and I were at the base by 12:30, and by 1:15 we’d both done some warm-up pitches and I was tying in for my redpoint burn! Seriously that process would have taken three times as long with the kiddos around!

I don’t say that to imply that I’d rather they not be around – I absolutely LOVE family climbing days, and would 99% of the time rather climb with them than without them. But I mention it because it reminded me of how blessed we are to have such great climbing partners that are willing to put up with our traveling family circus almost every weekend! Because of us they get in less pitches, carry in more gear, and are probably less focused than had they done a kid-free day. So to all of our partners, we probably don’t say it enough, but THANK YOU for all that you do for us!

Big C enjoying some time with April, one of his fave climbing partners!

3. HARDEST GEAR SEND!

And the extra day was worth it – I sent Axis on my very first try of the day, making it my hardest send on gear to date! I guess technically it’s mixed, but it’s definitely way more trad than sport. Previously the grade was 5.11c/d, but since the jug broke there’s been talk of bumping the grade up a letter or 2. My guess is that the grade is probably more settled in at 5.11d now, but I’d love to hear from any one else that’s done it in it’s current state.

SEND!

Climbing with a 5 month old (Reader Question from Megan D.)

Creating a Cragbaby.

1 Comment.

Mar 25 2015

When it comes to logistics of climbing with young kiddos, I’ve written about every age in the 5 and under set, sometimes more than once. But as my kids are growing (sigh), it’s easy for those posts to get lost in the archives, especially the itty-bitty-baby ones. So I thought I’d try something different with a question I received recently from Megan D out of Seattle, WA, about getting back into climbing with her 5 month old. As I was digging through old posts, I realized that it might not be a bad idea to share her question with the masses – to give her multiple perspectives as well as help any other mamas in similar situations who may stumble across this blog! But first indulge me some shots of my own sweet cragbabies at 5 months…sigh.

Cragbaby #1 at the New River Gorge, WV

Cragbaby #2 at Grayson Highlands, VA

The following is an excerpt of our correspondence…

Hi Erica,
I was wondering if you could give me some tips and tricks of climbing with a 5 month old. We were finally able to make it to a gym yesterday and actually did well with the little one. We left her in her car seat and let her watch us. She was content and we were excited to get some climbing in. I know the car seat worked for us that trip but I am a bit worried about when she is older, when the gym is busier, or when we go outside. When your little ones were smaller did you ever put them in a carrier on your back while top rope belaying?

How did you handle climbing outside with a little one? We do not know any climbers out here so I have been trying to figure out how the three of us could climb outside safely together for when the weather gets a bit better. Also, how do you contain them once they are scooting around? Especially outside?

I appreciate any pointers and tips you can give. We love to go hiking together and want to get back into climbing g once it dries out here. Thanks and I love reading about the adventures your family goes on. It is nice to see a family going outside, there are so many families that stay home because it is easier.

Megan

My response:

Hi Megan!
Congrats on your newest addition and kudos to you and hubby for staying committed to getting out and about, whether it be climbing, hiking, or just staying active. To be honest, I have not had a ton of success when it comes to good gym sessions with baby in tow, unless baby is sleeping, which for us only worked in those first couple of “sleep anywhere” months…but I’ve had recent success belay-slaving for Big C (almost 5) while Baby Zu (11 months) watches on. We go when the gym is not busy, and when Zu gets fussy I put her in a soft-structured carrier on my back and belay on. With my hubby I never felt comfortable belaying while babywearing because of the weight difference. I also never felt comfortable with the babywear-belay outdoors because of the risk of falling rock and/or dropped gear, but I know people who do it all the time. A lot depends on the rock quality at your crag.

The ONLY way we’ve ever rolled outdoors with kids in tow is with an extra person.We were JUST feeling comfortable to start going out again with just the 3 of us…and along came Baby Zu. As you said you don’t know any other climbers out there, that may not help you that much, but if you can find a willing partner, it will be SO MUCH EASIER! That way they can scoot around and explore safely to their hearts content, and you aren’t constantly worried about them konking themselves out on a rock! The extra person really just pulls extra belay duty, unless they WANT baby duty, so it doesn’t have to be someone who is GREAT with kids, just someone that doesn’t mind a kid around…and also is cool with probably getting in a few less pitches in a day, which always happens as a party of 3, regardless of whether there are kids around or not.

Kudos to Megan for getting her family outside in all types of weather!

I’ve got several blog posts that i wrote back when C was little. Most were part of the Creating a Cragbaby series, and here are some specific ones that may fill in the gaps of anything I may have overlooked, as well as provide additional info about outdoor craggin’ with a wee one.

Indoor Tips:

Climbing Gym and Babies

How Parents Can Find Time to Train in the Climbing Gym

Bouldering Circuits: Quickie Power Endurance Workout

Outdoor Tips:

Tips for Breastfeeding on Outdoor Adventures

Crag Naps 101

Sleepytime Solutions
Because a Cragbaby’s Gotta Eat (Food)

Always on Doo-ty (Diapers, etc)

Choosing a Crag Part 1

Choosing a Crag Part 2

Weather or Not (Tips for Cold, Hot, or Rainy)

Gettin’ By With a Little Help From My Friends (the importance of extra partners)

Baby Bouldering Beta

Rules for the Ropes

Hope that helps!

E

Thanks to Megan D for allowing me to share your question – hopefully you’ll get a few more answers than just mine. And hopefully this will help some other new mamas trying to find a new climbing groove. Other mamas that have been there, done that, feel free to chime in with any tips and tricks that have worked for you!

Rock Climber’s Training Manual Part 1 (Base Fitness and Strength)

Training.

1 Comment.

Mar 04 2015

When I first started climbing, I didn’t bother with any sport-specific training of any sort. My formula for improving was to just climb. However, once Cragbaby #1 came into the picture, our midweek climb time was greatly decreased, which meant the time we did have needed to be a little more efficient. I started keying in on my weaknesses and choosing routes/problems/techniques that focused on those (for example, adding some off-set pull-ups and movement drills to increase lock-off strength.)

Outdoor Mileage at Rocky Face Park in January

Then I broke my ankle in February of 2012. I knew I’d go nuts if I didn’t do SOMETHING, but I couldn’t very well hike in to the crag with my giant boot on, so I hit the hangboard instead. Six weeks later, I was amazed at how much strength I’d gained! After seeing such good results from training, I began to sprinkle in a few goal-oriented training cycles into my gym time every now and then – HIT Strips, and Interval Training for Bouldering and Roped Climbing.

But I’d always steered clear of a rigid, scheduled training program. My reasoning was that family climbing adds a whole lot of other logistics than just MY agenda, especially now that there are TWO cragbabies in the mix (well, I guess one of them is not a baby anymore…) It seemed selfish at best, and a scheduling nightmare at worst to try and incorporate a more sophisticated training program into my routine.

So when Trango athletes Mark and Mike Anderson came out with a detailed book about their Rock Prodigy Training Program, I wasn’t so sure I was ready to jump on the bandwagon. The science was solid, and everyone else seemed to be getting great results with it, but being the perfectionist that I am, I was hesitant to commit to it without knowing if I’d be able to make it work (the whole program takes 3-4 months to complete.)

However my two-kiddo mantra these days has been “Do the best you can with what you’ve got.” So after the holidays, I decided that I’d apply that mantra to training for climbing. I figured that even if I couldn’t do all the steps correctly, it would at least be a great learning experience.

The goal of this program is to take the climber through various phases of sport-specific training, each with a different objective – Base Fitness, Strength, Power, and Power Endurance. The idea is that after all of the training phases are complete, the climber can then enjoy several weeks of peak performance, planned strategically for a timeframe that would be most beneficial (ie, right before a long trip, or prime climbing season.)

I’m currently at the beginning of my Power phase, which means I have completed Base Fitness and Strength. Here’s my experience with it…

Base Fitness – (Building a Foundation)

This phase is all about long bouts of relatively low-intensity training. The goal is to be on the wall/rock for long periods of time in a “barely pumped” state – in other words, a lot of mileage on routes that aren’t necessarily easy, but not HARD. For me, this meant a lot of traversing and auto-belays, and running up/down laps on 5.10 over and over again. This is probably the phase of the program that I adhered to the LEAST strictly. I did pretty well in the gym, but outdoors was a different story. The “outdoor mileage” days are supposed to feature 8-10 pitches on moderate terrain. As a climbing mama with two young kiddos at the crag, one of whom is still nursing, that’s an unrealistic expectation. These days I’m doing really well to get in 5 pitches, including warm-ups. So my strategy was to work hard in the gym but go with the flow when outdoors and just get on whatever everyone else was getting on.

Sending: In two trips I managed to tick six 5.11’s at Rocky Face, most of which were routes that I’d previously “preggo-pointed” but hadn’t tried on the sharp end yet. I also sent Fashion Original (5.12b) with friends.

Pinch grip with added weight.

Strength – (Finger Strength)

Hangboarding is the primary apparatus for this phase, which is also the most monotonous and anti-social.The goal is to get in 6-10 hangboard workouts. I managed 7. Outdoor climbing is not really recommended during this time, but I did sneak out to Sauratown Mountain on two separate occasions.

I’ve always thought of power/power endurance as my weaknesses, and finger strength as one of my forte’s, but I was shocked at how difficult it was to hang from even the biggest grips when I first started this phase. There was a learning curve in figuring out what weight I needed, and judging from my results I think I need to start out with smaller grips next time. I started out using a pulley for some of the more difficult grips, but by workout 7 I had not only graduated from the pulley to body weight, but was adding additional weight on my harness for each grip! I was most pleased with my progress on pinches, which are notoriously difficult for me. I wasn’t able to quantify it as well, since I didn’t have a pulley option for the pinches I used, but I went from failing miserably halfway through every rep of every set to completing two entire sets at +10 pounds!

Sending: The Amazing Joe (5.12b) – This crag is only open during Jan/Feb, so I knew if I waited, I’d have to wait til next year. It gave me a great mental boost to get through the rest of the hangboard sessions.

Power and Power-Endurance involve a lot more actual climbing, as well as something that has intimidated me for a really long time – the campus board. Stay tuned for an update of the latter phases in a few weeks!

Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Performance Week 1: New River Gorge