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Engraming

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25.01.2022 (TNP) 30/06/20 Got a bit of what have I become? training in a few days ago, once again up at the rock wall at the Clarence mtb park - been giving the Bachar ladder a rest for a week now, letting my elbows take a breather from repeated full-body pulls sans feet, thought a bit of easy traversing would be the go... Didnt count on wet rock, footers too slippery for sneakers, overgripping as a result, going barefoot a short-lived endeavor only because after a while my bloody to...es froze! L-R-L 40ish moves), check; short rest, R-L good, almost back to R end - FIVE FAILS IN A ROW, wtf!?! Sixth time with sneakers back on (cf, frozen toe), didnt even make R-L! Oh well, training is training, even though the overgripping on crimps only gave my elbows a Claytons rest - reverting back to static hangs for a while, the Ido Portal hangs (without Windshield Wipers) keeping some aspect of my climbing training alive...

24.01.2022 That was then, this is now (no hair up there = one easy to mark noggin!):

24.01.2022 (TNP) 18/04 Well, Ive flattened the curve by the looks of it: apart from doing bursts up/down the Bachar ladder once ea R/L conseq most days my bouldering/training regime has been zilch! Not too fussed, I know that this, too, will pass! When Im back on the rocks will still be there, waiting... Did get a quick muck around in at Clarence in Fri 15th - what else is a repressed boulder supposed to do while the kids are off mountain biking??? ... See vid Pic shows angle

23.01.2022 (TNP) 9/12/20 And just to make sure I can’t use my antiquated ascender/fig8 self-belay system as a procrastination tool to keep me from getting on problems over about 2ish metres high, look what arrived in the post from Mr Ali today - the perfect gift for an I-can’t-afford-to-drop-onto-my-right-foot-again-or-I’ll-end-up-crippled-for-life-worse-than-I-already-am-and-probably-divorced-as-well old ma: a spanking brand new grigri! Can’t wait to give it a burl sometime soon! Thx, Molesy - I owe you one!

22.01.2022 - pointing out alternate start option.

21.01.2022 Same first move, traverse R... Both still a long way off...

21.01.2022 (TNP) 31/07 Note to self: doing the JH 4-min plank/core workout with a belly full of Indian curry, a beer, a glass of red, and a coffee IS NOT A GOOD IDEA :(

20.01.2022 (TNP) 26/04/20 In the second day of repeating the SONW 2 workshop (online), remembering/realising again the importance of being natural in the body in regards letting it move, etc - the term "body free from us", referring to us letting go all of the postural and/or ease of movement control/s (any oxymoron!) I/we usually adopt and apply in some form or other, one of the keys, stopping us being the do-ers, and surrendering to the inherent wisdom of our bodies. Had a break fro...m the Walking, bolted up to my wall at home, and got on it wanting to explore the sensation/idea of being free from myself while climbing - and how good did it feel! Repeating problems I knew the moves on took away the need to stop and process the whats before me/how best to approach it/where do I put my feet/hands, etc onsighting demands, and it allowed me to drop into the naturalness of letting my body just do it without me (as much as possible). Did Minis 1, 3, 4, 2 3,4, 2, 1 with 30 or so secs only inbetween each, which was grand, but my wee moment of success in achieving that state, knowing I was in the flow without needing to think about it, really came when came when starting to go back left on Mini 4, fingers on fingers-only holds on the roof with feet low on the wall, a footer blew and I swung out like a veritable ape, replaced my feet, and continued on - doesnt sound like a big deal, but for me it was, particularly because the holds on the roof were not ones I could normally hang on easily, and whenever Id had a foot blowout doing either Minis 3 or 4 before Id either quickly embraced the effects of gravity or hung like a maniac while I got reestablished, and then been too pumped to make it to the end of the problem successfully. But, today, being free of me, as it were, I mustve tapped into some other body layer of my being that let it all happen easily, naturally - felt like how Dawes must feel in one of his stone monkey moments! Must be the new SONC (Secrets of Natural Climbing)! (We also had to do a quick run to get our heart rates up - I cant run these days, so a quick go up/down the Bachar ladder R/L et al once ea conseq did the trick!)

19.01.2022 (TNP) 12/11 Yesterday’s adventure - not sent yet, but almost! SDS on a small boulder in the jumble of rocks just behind the further end of the Symbiosis Boulder (lying down start possible, will add a move and probably a grade), whole thing looked like one pull and it’s over but no, because of its shape/configuration the weight is forced onto the right hand, the minimal footholds making it tricky to release and get the right foot up on same for final rock-over... It’ll go asap... Working title ‘Ugly Bug Ball’, *V2/3ish...

19.01.2022 Pic: back of mtb ramp shows angle - upright posts are vertical

18.01.2022 Bit more of same...

17.01.2022 (TP) 3/08/20 Ah, the curse of the need for instant gratification... Weather cooler, rain about, dampness in the air, meant that when I walked up the back passed my wall and felt the holds the friction was good - who am I to doubt the serendipity!?! Quickly chucked my dilapidated training shoes on, first cab of the rank Mini 1 (SDS) straight into Mini 3 (23 moves all up), 1 min rest, Mini 2 (SDS) straight into Mini 4, looking flash but aaargh, came off heading back on the fi...nal bit (move 20/21 of 25) - NOOOOO!?! Another 60 sec rest, started up the 12-move circuit but only got, like, two or three moves in before twas not to be - damn you, Shakespeare! Had to finish on some sort of win - it had "to be", if you know what I mean - so quickly sent Minis 1 and 2 (stand) with only a quick shake in between them - phew, was obviously flash pumped but got them done ok! (Now, what was the question, again?) Whole misguided adventure took less than 10 min, enough to send me from heaven to hell and back again in regards the emotional roller coaster of result dependant succeed/fail/succeed, but nah, shook it off like water from a ducks back straight after and walked away smiling, no worse for the wear. Next time Ill give the same start a go (Minis 1(SDS)-3, then 2(SDS)-4... Gotta love the process!

17.01.2022 L-R, only part way. Stone wall, Clarence mtb area. Watch zoomed in closer, almost looks like real climbing!

17.01.2022 (TNP) 8/12 In regards the last post’s proviso: first Xmas drink sess not till tomorrow arvo, no time like the present - just cranked out 20 rvs grip p/ups on the jugs, 2 min rest, 10 min plank (first one in ages, nearly killed me, lol!). The remodeling of me has begun! Update: tonight I did up/down et al, once each R/L conseq on the Bachar ladder for the first time since the mtb incident! The edging (or crawling...) my way back to form might be more than just a pipe-dream, assuming I can keep my inner procrastinator at bay!

15.01.2022 (TNP) 8/12 Saw this the other night with Steve, got inspired to get back to training up again after watching the work over months to prepare and suss and finally the send of Valhalla 9a+, a mind-boggling mega route through a beyond-massive arch in China - if a route of that caliber can be pushed through, there's no reason apart from procrastination and EXCUSES that I can't get myself back into form and get the whole Duttinator Extension link sorted! Step one: back to 10min pl...anks to (re-)build core strength, as DE needs it; step two: get back on both finger board and home wall ; step three: get back on rock asap! Watch this space! PS: whereas we used to regal each other with tales of glory about boulder problems and/or climbs we’d done in between catch-ups, this time our conversation revolved around our old bodies and their propensities for injuries! (proviso: step one-point-five: get through this week’s rounds of Xmas drinks first (Wed, Thurs, Fri nights)!)

15.01.2022 (TNP) 22/05 Yesterday I nearly but not quite attained the training goal of doing 2 sets consecutively up/down the Bachar ladder - each set is up/down R/L once ea R/L consec, so two sets would be four consecutive goes up/down it. Close (failed mid final go up, L), but just not there yet... One set = Bat hang with feet on 3rd rung, hands on 2nd; hands to 1st rung, pull to 2nd with one foot still on, pull to 3rd with foot on but then drop foot, feet-free pulls 3-4-5-6-match-5-4-3-2, replace bat hang feet on 3, hands return to 1; rpt other side... Did R L R, failed L, 2 min rest, L.

14.01.2022 (TNP) 29/07/20 Another first time in ages: just did Johnathon Hortss 4 min plank core workout, in what might be a fools errand attempt at trimming off some of my post-Covid lack of commitment to training belly - having a beer straight after is allowed, isnt it? Not to worry, though, as I can feel a real bouldering session coming sooner rather than later - exactly where and when remains to be seen, but its definitely getting close! (Got super inspired talking with Ali on the 17th, now I just have to get my old carcass to catch up with my enthusiasm!)

14.01.2022 Pic one: helmet after mtb stack. Pic two: my ‘racing stripes’ (helmet lacerations)

14.01.2022 (TNP) 11/06 Think Ive just understood the importance - nay, necessity - of static hangs for training, according to Zenos Arrow paradox: he says that if we divide time into discrete 0 duration slices (ie, the only time is now), no motion is happening in each individual slice of time - so, taking them all as a whole, motion is, therefore, impossible. That, then, means the act of moving itself doesnt exist - which means bouldering as a movement orientated activity doesn...t, or cant, exist, as it is actually nothing more than a collection of multiple static positions that we engage in, each frozen moment existing independently of each other (no moment lives beyond the confines of itself, and no moment can ever be lived twice), any semblance of movement nothing more than a collection of individual moments time-snapped one after the other (a bit like Muybridges photos), tricking our primary senses into thinking we are actually engaged in movement... So, by extension, the only training worth its salt must be static hang,s or holding contorted static positions on a climbing wall, because we never do more than hold static body positions on the rock, anyway. Thats both logical and nonsensical at the same time... WTF!?! (Reckon I need to go bouldering, asap, to get this stuff out of my head!) LOL!

13.01.2022 (TNP) 11/05 Point of note: it took courage to do some of the things I know wish Id never done - looking back, Ive come to realise that I may not be totally perfect and may not have always mede the most perfect choice, but parts of me/some of my choices are/were excellent! I mightnt be an 8au climber, but Im still a climber, despite my on again/off again routine - looking fwd to getting back onto The Duttinator Extension up the mountain now Wellington Park has reopened (today) - couldver been doing a whole lot more training in the meantime, but, hey, thats life! Must be about time to start doing more than quick bursts up/down the Bachar ladder and the occasional 5 or 10 min plank...

12.01.2022 Yesterdays pretend session: mucking around on some lowdowns in a kids playground while the fam were mtn-ing. (5 short vids)

10.01.2022 21/06 (backdated from 19th) Happy birthday to me! And yesterday I talked with Ali, who is very much alive and well (cept for a wrecked-but-on-the-mend knee) - and his latest idea was to invite me on a climbing trip to South Africa next year! Sounds grand, nice to have another carrot on a stick to heighten my training enthusiasm, and at least theres a long lead-in time to garner tthe dollars for it!

10.01.2022 (TNP) 07/08/20 Engraming - the science of movement was dragged out of the cupboard on Wednesday and had its dust and mothballs shaken off - spent a couple of hrs talking showing doing bits and pieces of some of it to a new friend, either regaling him with my multifaceted experiential posture and movement awareness or boring him to tears (he didnt cry, so might just have been the former...). Was great to have an interested listener, and for me to be able to impart/share some... of my knowledge - it mustve inspired me, because on the way out I showed him my inversion version Bachar ladder sequence (once ea up/down R/L conseq), and did it a second time only about 2 or so minutes later! And the next day (yesterday) did it again - ie, et al twice through, albeit with a half hr between goes... Results focused or not, damn it feels good when I can nail it! See more

09.01.2022 - [ ] (TNP) 25/07/20 Lucky Id posted about not being results focused with ones climbing/bouldering recently, as I got to practice it today! First go on my wall since forever, a quickie only (half hr): Minis 1, 3, 2, 4, 10 sec rests in between each, feeling strong, 1 min rest, 12-move circuit R - almost... Footers slippy, hole in right toe in exactly the wrong place, footwork not up to par - gave the same moves (last few moves of circuit) a handful of goes, got it a couple o...f times but not the full circuit, bailed on that and thought Id do Mini 3 again - but no, kept coming off on moves 9-10, tried same moves starting as for Mini 4 but kept coming off on the same moves... Too pumped too quickly - guess whod forgotten about the FLASH PUMP! Finally ended up with some sort of win, though: did Minis 1 and 2 twice each conseq before the end! So, started well but didnt close it down too well - BUT EVERY BIT OF BOULDERING (or training) HELPS! Whining about sessions not being perfect is a first world problem only, and a futile one at that - so, taking it all into perspective, having got back into bouldering again, I am one happy chappy! See more

07.01.2022 Remembering the fundamental nuts and bolts and letting go the need for speed in regards putting up new problems inspires me to get back out there! Master Tips for Climbing Your Very Best Climbing at your limitwhether its 5.10 or 5.15demands a Zen-like approach of effortless effort. Here are three tips for organically assuming this rare state of being.... 1. Observe objectively. Accept failed attempts as part of the process that you love. Embrace the feedback that the process gifts youthere may be better beta waiting to be discovered. Perhaps like Megos, youll find a better body position, nuanced grip, or sequence beta on send day. 2. Quell negative emotions. Dont curse failed attempts and near misses. Smileyoure learning and getting closer with each attempt! Love every moment of the effort you invest in the climb. This effort is a piece of your life force, so why would you want to curse and hate it? (Question: What are the more powerful forces in the Universe: Peace and Loveor Anger and Hate? Put the positive forces of the Universe behind your efforts!) 3. Let go of the need to succeed. Will your project take one day to send? Ten days to send? Is today going to be the day? Stop countingstop caringjust climb! Let go of the outcome, and it will sooner be your realityperhaps when you least expect it! The bottom line: Believe in, trust, and enjoy the process and, like Alex, love everything about this stupid sport!

07.01.2022 ... last bit R-L.

07.01.2022 just after FFA of Ugly Bug Ball V2 (SDS) (TNP) 19/11/20 Yesterday saw a return to Symbiosis Boulder area after a trip up there on the 11th where after not being able to pull the moves on The Duttinator Extension or the 'crux' of Spider Pig (wtf!?!) and playing around on the base of the V3 (Stand) trying yet again to work out a sit start for it (loooong term project!) I started working a new boulder just passed Mini Cave Rave - sussed the moves but didn't send it then, was bus...ting a gut to get back to it... Third go on it went, FFA Ugly Bug Ball V2 (SDS), then I had a look-see at an alternate (harder) start to it on the o/hung bulgy start at its right hand end - took a while but finally worked out the moves to get me back up onto the previous problem, though the send is yet to come... All in all a grand day out, made all the better having Ali ring me in the morning to catch up! Any vestiges of soreness etc in my right upper back were well and truly put to the test - it's a pumpy few moves onto slopers before pulling up onto the latter half of Ugly Bug Ball... Deep inhalations and sneezing still make me cringe, but otherwise it's healed back there... Looking forward to getting back up there asasp!

07.01.2022 Saturday just gone, new boulder to work - maybe 3 up problems, 2 traverse link-ups (location info on need to know basis only). First couple of moves )SDS). stepping up gonna be hard, committing, tenuous... Vid shows first (SDS) moves of potential up problem on far left of boulder.

07.01.2022 (TNP) 24:04 Not sure when Ill get out cragging again, life etc keeping me off the cliffs at the moment - but at least my sporadic training regime continues: EXCEPT my bloody phone just died - the screen is totally blank and no amount of recharging it is doing anything - Grrr Sux, because all my training since March was recorded in Notes, and now I cant read it - WTF!?! This has happened before, and I swore Id go back to hardcopy, seems Id better for real, this time...... Been doing not heaps of stuff but most days up/down the Bachar ladder (et al R/L once ea conseq), usually once, but sometimes two or three times throughout the day. That, the odd 5 min, the occasional 10 min plank, random bursts days where I do the Ido Portal (usually with Windshield Wipers). the odd set of offset p/ups here and there, and random bursts of 50 push-ups, a bit of SONW here and there... Not much in the scheme of things, but enough to keep me still feeling like a boulderer, despite being on a not-getting-on-either-rock-or-wall hiatus...

07.01.2022 First go on real rock for ages!

07.01.2022 Modern art dilemma...

05.01.2022 (TNP) 2/06 Up/down the Bachar ladder and traversing a stone wall at the Clarence mtb area the extent of my bouldering at the moment - my climbing career has come to this, wtf!?! No biggy, though, cos as Ive said before, the rocks will still be there whenever I do get out again! Updates: yesterday I upped the ante with the Bachar ladder, doing it four times through (each time up/down R/L et al, once ea conseq)! Also, on both last Sunday and the Suns before Ive been on sa...id stone wall for an hour or so each time - its just like real climbing in some sense, as working out the moves (eliminating top rail) took a while, and wearing sneakers wasnt really helping... About 20ish moves either way, got it R/L back-to-back one time, but usually its one way, shake for a minute or so, then back the other way. Sustained sessions, to say the least! (Will show vida when can work out why my phone wont upload them...)

04.01.2022 (TNP) 2/08 And the lessons in not being attached to the outcome continue: up on my wall again today, Minis 1 & 2 from sit starts (10 sec rest in between), took a minute to shake out, remembering the flash pump failures from last time, Minis 3 & 4 from stand starts (10 sec rest in between) - looking and feeling good. Another minutes rest, started off on the 12-move circuit, got through to the final moves but, once again, slippery footer, hole in shoe in exactly the wrong spot..., over gripping as a result, too rushed = lack of composure, OFF! Never quite recovered, had a few more on again/off again attempts at this and that, finished off with doing Mini 1 (SDS), 10 sec rest, Mini 2 (SDS), 1 min rest, then both each again (stand starts, 10 sec rests in between), smashing it out till the end, forearms thickening with lactic acid, looking and feeling like bloody Popeyes, working my right toes like crazy determined not to foot slip - success! Whodve thought so much could happen in such a short time (less than half hr)!?! Couldve got the shits due to my lack lustre performance, but, nah - whats the point? Quick change in perception and lo: got a boulder session in, better than not getting a session in, its all part of the mix and all roads lead to Rome - even if its sometimes two steps forwards, one step backwards, Im still stepping! And Rome wasnt built in a day, thats for sure! Keeping the focus on the joy of bouldering and the fact that I even still can boulder and not being hung up on the outcome - not being only results focussed - is one way of keeping a smile on me dial! Are the best climbers the ones who send the hardest problems, or the ones who have the most fun?

04.01.2022 11/07/20 (TNP) Not that exciting except if youre me, but today I finally got back up on me good ol Bachar ladder after yonks! Had to give my elbows some time off, they were getting a tad sore - mind you, a few days mountain biking last week at Derby shouldve helped but didnt, as most of me following Joshua down green, blue, and some black trails was a combination of over gripping the handlebars and going Shit, fuck, shit, etc, or saying hello, sweet Earth. I like you, but we have to stop meeting like this! (is, at speed) as muddy berms, random stones, drops and tree roots threatened to and sometimes did get the better of me! I did spend more time on the bike than off it, but reckon Ill stick to climbing/bouldering: MTB is not my forte...

04.01.2022 Sent by a friend for my birthday yesterday. Thx, Linden - wish I was there!

03.01.2022 TNP) 21/08 Gotta love freebies (once a dirtbag climber, always a dirtbag climber - most of the wires and even a couple of cans on my rack in my trad years was made up of bits and pieces Id appropriated from left-behinds, and I still use my old Clog ascenders I picked up for nix at Recycled Recreation years ago for self-belaying ..) - Im the trolleys outside the tip shop, check out the score of the week! The blurb on the back reads The account of the assault on Meru is a... magnificent piece of descriptive writing... Mr Masters writes from such a wonderfully rich experience of life that he could not be dull or insignificant if he tried. Cannae wait! (It is a work of fiction, but who cares - its still about climbing (among other stuff)!) Saw the pic on the cover, thought its been sooo long since I climbed anything I may as well do it vicariously! Then I realized Id forgotten to write up my last wall session from the 12th - so, here it is, plus the other scant bits and pieces of training Ive done since then: 12/08 4 min JH plank core; 13/08 Mini 1. 1 min rest, Min 3, 1 min rest, Mini 2, 1 min rest, Mini 4, And 5 min rest; 12-move circuit once ea R/L conseq (not quite on last move)( 2 min rest, 12- move circuit R once, 1 min rest, 12-move circuit once L fail final move); 2 min rest Mini 4 - two attempts, both fail part way thru; 2 min rest, Mini 3 - two attempts, both fail part way thru; 2 min rest, Mini 2 twice conseq, 2,min rest; Mini 1 twice conseq; 5 min plank; 30 min sonw;18/08 30min sonw, 5 min plank, 50 pushups; 20/08 50 wide arm pushups + 5 min plank... Not much in the scheme of things, but at least its something!

02.01.2022 20/06/20 Had a major panic the other day when I saw a facebook post that said a climber in his sixties had died at Fair Head - time difference between here and there meant it was a bit of a wait to find out if it had been, God forbid, my ol mate Ali or not - it wasnt (phew!), but an old legend of Irish climbing who apparently abbed off the end of his rope. A tragic outcome from an unfortunate lapse in concentration, perhaps... (from the Irish Climbers fbook page) Dear cli...mbers of Ireland, it is with deep regret and sadness I must inform you of the death of David Andrews following an accident at Fair Head yesterday. Davey was a much loved and respected member of the Belfast Climbing Cub and his death is a devastating loss to Belfast and Irish climbing. He was the best climbing partner I ever had. He was always keen for getting out climbing and Fair Head is where he loved the most. Davey and I spent so many good days there. He climbed with a stoic grace that any climber would be envious off. Although, occasionally that stoic persona would slip and he would let out a cheeky grin. He would often complain that I would take him up a climb that was too hard, and then proceed to cruise it, often in much better fashion than me. Before I knew him as a person, I knew him as this mythological creature that would be out shunting across the crags of the Mournes and Fair Head. Shunty Dave as we colloquially knew him then quickly became a friend and one of Belfast Climbing Clubs most loved members. He was down at the wall every Thursday night without fail. All the climbers I know had nothing but the best things to say about Davey and the highest respect for him and his ability. Davey was always there when I needed a partner. It is going to be hard to accept that when I roll up to Seans farm at Ballycastle at the weekends Im not going to be able to look down the Prow and see him on one of his favourites. Often Fireball or Midnight Cruiser. Daveys psyche was infectious. Today I miss a friend and partner. Rest in peace. Our thoughts are with Mabel and the extended family and friends at this sad time. Kyle Stewart See more

02.01.2022 Think I need to overcome procrastination at the moment (its either a fear of failure or a change in priority, but, either way, its not doing my climbing career much of a service... Good read:

01.01.2022 22/05 Just did it again! Still cant quite make the fourth run up it... Oh well, thems the breaks...

01.01.2022 (TNP) 27/08 Was inspired to have a quick session on my homewall again after talking with a climbing mate who did his ankle in skateboarding a few days ago - I regaled him with injury recovery advise, how to get through the next six weeks (Its all training, referring to turning getting around on crutches and physically managing an injury into a 24/7 attention to detail in regards movement training) - actually, thats only partially true. In reality I just laughed at/with hi...m, but did mention the its all training bit, and talking with him did lead to me getting up on my wall... It wasnt his first and it probably wont be his last, and hes young enough to still bounce back (gone are those days for some of us...). Session: Minis 3+1 once ea conseq, 1 min rest, Minis 2+4 once ea conseq, 1 min rest, 12-move circuit once ea R/L conseq (failed final move), I min rest, Mini 1 twice conseq, 1 min rest, Mini 2 twice conseq. Actually felt like a real climber again!

01.01.2022 Sad day for climbing. The passing of a true legend...