2010-04-25 11:00 - 16:00

Rock climbing @ Malibu Creek State Park

Met my climbing group and hiked in to the Century Dam on a beautiful blue Sunday.

All was going well, did a couple of easy 5.8 and 5.9 routes and found myself with the opportunity to onsight a 5.10b, which looked doable but is a bit above my grade.  Made it about midway up and found myself facing a move that I couldn’t make, so I tried to circumvent it by going to the right.  Mistake.  About 4 feet to the right of and 5 feet above my last bolt, I was flagging my left leg with my weight on my right foot, while reaching my right arm for a hold above.  The foot slipped, and I took a pretty ugly pendulum style whipper.  As I came onto the rope I whacked the hell out of my left foot when I hit the wall, and I knew immediately that something was wrong with my ankle.

I lowered and tried to shake it off.  It hurt, but I could put weight on it and move it fairly freely, so I didn’t think it was broken.  I belayed a bunch of other climbers and it became progressively more sore.  I thought I’d give a short 5.9 a shot, and I did successfully send, but the ankle was super sore so I figured it was time to split.  Packed up my shit and headed out.

The canyon is very steep and filled with boulders at this point so the first few hundred yards were a real nightmare, with the added burden of a 25 pound pack.  Getting over the 7’ fence by the dam was no picnic either, but I was happy to have the roughest part behind me, since I was now in real serious pain.  The trail out is probably 1.5 miles and I felt every step of my left foot through my entire body.  Made it back to the car and let out a sigh of relief.

At home I finally got some ice on it but it was very swollen and the pain kept building.  I figured that I would wait until morning before making the emergency room go/no-go decision.

Aftermath:

Woke up with the ankle THROBBING, so I went to the UCLA emergency room.  The X-Rays showed a small bone with a crack.  They shot me full of morphine (NICE) and put a splint on it.

I’m going to be out of commission (at least my leg) for a few weeks but I am already looking forward to getting back at it…  I’ll probably utilize this time to work on seated weight training exercises.

Peace

2010-04-22 18:00

Running @ Temescal Canyon

My best running times seem to happen on the third run of a 2-easy 1-hard run cycle.  This meant taking it relatively easy today, so I thought I would run the Temescal loop in the opposite direction from what I usually do, meaning the flat section first, then the long gentle hill past the waterfall, and finishing downhill on the steepest section.  The flat/uphill part was very easy and lots of fun, and I reached the peak in 22:00 and the beginning of the downhill in 24:30.  The hill was simply too steep to enjoy running down.  It was all I could do to just keep moving without falling.

In the future I’ll either stick with my usual route or run the reverse route just until the beginning of the downhill and then turn back around.  That should be about a 41:30 run at today’s pace (and closer to 4 miles), and eliminates the hill which is a bitch either up or down.

Thanks again to my frog friends for the company.

Time: 39:05

Aftermath:

Didn’t stretch at all, and feel fine 15 hours later, except for my nicked up elbow.

Peace

2010-04-20 16:30

Workout @ Globo-Gym

So much running lately… time to get in the gym and do some strength training.  A slightly revised version of a workout I did once or twice before:

3 rounds:

12 Wide-grip pull downs (145#)
20 Squats
10 Dumbell shoulder press (30#)
10 Knees-to-elbows
20 Pushups
20 Situps
12 Dumbell curls (25#)
30 Sec. side plank hold (each)
60 Sec. plank hold

Time: 27:15

Tried to sustain as rapid of a pace as possible.  Each movement individually not that difficult but the cumulative effect was quite tiring.  Nice to get in and out quickly too.  Most of the other people in the gym simply aren’t used to seeing anything like this and the looks I get are quite enjoyable.

Aftermath:

One little pain where triceps tendon inserts into right elbow still hurting from a snowboarding crash a couple of months ago.  Annoying.  Only hurts when loaded (shoulder press/pushups).  Not really improving either…

Otherwise all-good.  Nice to get a little weight training in from time to time.

Peace

2010-04-19 18:00

Running @ Temescal Canyon

As soon as I saw the blue skies on my way out of the office and thought about the coming rain, I knew it was a running evening.  My original plan - GloboGym - would be better suited for tomorrow.  Made it home, changed, and to the trail in record time.

Haven’t pushed the pace in about a week, so I figured it was time to see what I could do.  I tried to be as consistent and quick as possible up the hill, and reached the top at 17:33, so I knew I was capable of a good time.  I figured that the 2nd half of the run (in terms of time) accounts for about 75% of the distance, and that finishing with a good time meant picking up the speed on the back half as well.  I tried to continue the quickest pace I could manage, but I was really sucking wind on the flat section at the top.

I focused on keeping my feet nimble on the way down, making every step quick and light.  With vocal encouragement from the gallery of frogs, I maintained maximum effort all the way down the hill, through the creekbed, and back to the trailhead.

Time: 34:38

Fun!

Aftermath:

14 hours later I’m pretty tired and feel a little beat up, but I am pleased with the performance.

Peace

2010-04-18 09:30

Running @ Paso Robles Wine Country

After a Saturday of tasting and topping barrels followed by dinner and more wine, a run through some vineyards seemed appropriate.  Started out on a dirt road on the west side of Paso Robles with the incredibly complex plan of running until I didn’t want to run any more.  The sun was surprisingly intense and the smells of wildflowers and horse paddocks were so refreshing.

After a few miles I jumped the fence at one of the vineyards that I buy fruit from and ran the perimeter of the 51 acre property including some REALLY steep hills.  Vines are just beginning to push in most areas, although some still dormant.

Among the wildlife spotted during this run: mule deer, turkey vultures, California quail, wild turkeys, countless lizards, and sadly, a juvenile hawk with a broken wing.  As I returned to my truck, I noticed what looked like a rock on the edge of the road, only this rock was moving!  It turned out to be a small tortise, which I didn’t think lived in this area.  Very cute little guy… but what was he doing here?

Time: a little over an hour; at my fairly mellow pace this must have been 6-7 miles.

Aftermath:

Keeping up with the stretching, which seems to be a good move.

Mind, body, and soul are all on the same very healthy and happy page.

Peace

2010-04-15 19:00

Running @ Temescal Canyon

Barely escaped from the office in time to make the run without lights.  Still a little worn down from the hike and climbing the day before, but wanted to get out and hear the frogs.  Took my time up the hill and was extra careful on the way down since it was getting dark quickly.  The frogs were singing their songs with the backing of the steadily flowing creek.  The sound was what I was out there for, so I spent a couple of minutes on the footbridge just listening to them.

Time: ???  Just ran for the sake of running.  Didn’t even start the chrono.

Aftermath:

Nothing to report.  No pain.

I need a rest day (or two) so I think the next activity will be a run on Sunday.

Peace

2010-04-14 10:00 - 19:15

Rock climbing @ Echo Cliffs

Rallied at the trailhead, packed up, and enjoyed the beautiful hike in under blue skies, calm winds, and perfect temperatures.  We quickly made it to the base of Easy Street and began to set up.

Possibly even more excited to climb than I was, Chris took the lead on the first pitch of Righteous Babe, an easy 5.7.  After Krista followed, it was time for me.  The climb itself was easy, and being belayed on toprope from above made this comfortable and I confidently met them at the ledge.  After a brief rest, Chris asked who would lead the next pitch and I immediately said, “I’ll lead that Fucker!”.  My first lead, and my first multi-pitch, all in one climb.  FANTASTIC!  After reaching the anchors and lowering back to the ledge, Krista cleaned the route and we all rappelled off the ledge.

After a quick rest, we proceeded back to the Kamikaze Cave and Chris worked on a difficult 5.12d route while I scouted out my next routes.  The Left Flank offered two long, adjacent 5.9 routes, Morning Glory and Bushwacked.  Armed with 15 draws, Morning Glory was up first.  A long fun, and somewhat tiring route, this was a fun and uneventful send.  Chris cleaned this and then attempted Espresso, but was denied by broken hold.

Motivated and confident by Morning Glory, Bushwacked was next.  The first 30 feet or so were slab just barely less than vertical, with tiny holds, making the initial climbing slow and difficult.  With the 3rd bolt behind I made steady but slow work up the vertical wall until reaching the crux just as I began to pump.  About 6 feet from the anchor, all I had to work with was a chest level horizontal crack with a slightly overhanging face above it, and no really useful holds to be found.  I gave it all I had but after a few minutes of trying to figure out a solution, I realized my hands were giving out and accepted the fact that I was going to fall.  I looked down at the last bolt 3 feet below and to the left of my left foot, and yelled “Falling!” as my hands gave out and I dropped in to a nice clean fall.  I dogged it for a little while and tried to figure out a way to the top but had to be lowered off.  Drag.  Chris cleaned and figured out the crux: right undercling on the horizontal crack while reaching with the left to a good hold near the anchor.  Beta for next time.

At this point the sun was getting low and it was cooling off quickly, so we packed up and hiked out.  I don’t know if it was adrenaline or just the result of all the training, but I felt like I could have carried my climbing partners on my shoulders back to the car.  What a fantastic day!

Aftermath:

Still pretty tired this morning.  Upper back, forearms, and hands are a little sore, but I feel fantastic.

A year ago I was still really fucked up from my surgery, taking a lot of meds and doing physical therapy, and generally not feeling that great about life in general.  Everything is different now.  The journey here was agonizing and difficult but the destination so great that I cannot begin to express it in words.

Peace

2010-04-13 18:30

Bouldering/Traversing/Lead Climbing @ Rockreation

Getting in a little last minute work the night before the big climbing trip to Echo Cliffs.

The highlight was practicing lead climbing, and especially lead falling.  Took a few 10 footers and felt confident about attacking some real rock.

Aftermath:

Stretching, stretching, stretching.  Felt like a million bucks except for the palms of my hands which are a bit chewed up.  Thankfully only superficial damage, no big tears.

Peace

2010-04-12 19:00

Running @ Temescal Canyon

Got stuck at the office and was very concerned about missing this scheduled run, but managed to escape just in time and lucked out with easy traffic getting home and to the trailhead.  While running in from Sunset Blvd the sun was appropriately just beginning to set over the ridgeline.

While resetting the chrono at the trailhead I realized that I last posted a time of 34:58, but the time on my watch was 34:52.  That’s the easy way to pick up 6 seconds.  T challenged me to make this run in 35:00, and I accepted.

The trail was surprisingly muddy, eroded, and torn up.  The weekend rains must have been substantial here.  Any flat or shady spot was essentially a mudhole which made for a messy run.  The footing really sucked, along with my stamina, and we reached the summit in 20:00 flat.

The downhill was very challenging with the erosion and diminishing light.  Pushed it as hard as I felt was reasonable, especially on the smoother/flatter sections.  It seemed like the rain motivated the plants to grow over the trail too, I hit branches with my face at least 10 times.

The creek was flowing steadily and the recent rain seemed to please the frogs, which were singing their song at full volume and temp.  What a beautiful sound.

Time: 36:50

Fun run; perfect wrapup to a busy workday.  Muddy enough that I actually had to use the hose down by the visitor center to rinse off the lower half of my body.  That water was COLD!

Aftermath:

Stretched everything out thoroughly, and feeling A-OK 14 hours later.

Rock climbing for real tomorrow… EXCITED!

2010-04-11 11:30

Hike to Echo Cliffs

Rather disappointed with the Malibu Creek State Park scene, I wanted to check out Echo Cliffs.  Further out in Malibu, and with a slightly more difficult approach, this was exactly what I was looking for.  Tons of walls, tons of routes, and only cool climbers here.  I will be back without question.

Total distance only 3-4 miles.  I did bring my pack again, mainly to increase the load.

Aftermath:

Feeling strong, lean, and mean, and glad to have found the place I want to climb.

Peace

2010-04-10 08:45

Hike @ Malibu Creek State Park

I was hoping to make it out climbing for real this weekend but the gods have once again conspired against me.  So, I figured I’d head out to Malibu Creek State Park to scout out the walls and see if I could find a climbing partner.

Probably hiked a total of 6 miles, searching and backtracking.  I brought my entire climbing pack which I weighed at 28lbs with a full hydration pack inside.  I figured that if I could use the gear, great - if not, it would add to the exercise factor.

By 10:30 a rather disturbing trend became established - the clientele patronizing the park were NOT the sorts that you’d want to hang around with.  Loud, throwing trash, carrying radios.  Shameful.

Aftermath:

A little sore in the calves, but A-OK.

2010-04-09 16:30

Running @ Temescal Canyon

After shaving off 30 seconds on my last attempt at this run, I wanted to see if I could make it even quicker.  I didn’t push it as hard as I could, but I did try to maintain an aggressive and consistently quick pace.

Hit the top of the hill at 17:50 and was about to puke.  Didn’t even pause on the transition to the rolling hills at the top, and then turned on the gas a little down the hill.  Tried hard to concentrate on foot placement and running smoothly, and really established a nice rhythm.  Didn’t look at the watch again, just told myself, “go, go, go” and kept focused.

Time: 34:58 (almost 30 seconds quicker…)

Traversing/Bouldering @ Rockreation

I love climbing and traversing.  That’s all I can say.

Aftermath:
Stretched, and feel fine.  Bye bye, PF/AT problems…  Big thanks to the ProStretch, which made all the difference in the world.

2010-04-06 18:15

Running @ Temescal Canyon

My former running partner/current blog stalker decided to get back in touch after reading my recent posts about pain-free running.  We had a bit of a falling out about 2 1/2 months ago due to a personal disagreement but decided to put that behind us and start running again.  T can consistently kick my ass at running any distance or speed, and thought I could improve more quickly if pushed a little.  (I guess that’s a nice way of being called a pussy)

The goal we agreed upon was to get me doing the loop in 32:00 which is down about 4 minutes from my most recent run.  The incentive we agreed upon was that if I could beat my most recent time T would buy the sushi and beer, and if not I had to buy.  Fair deal.

Easy warmup through the parking lot and up to the trailhead, then set the timer and go for it.  Made it to the top of the hill in 17:58 which I knew was not great.  Really sucking wind.  Caught my breath on the flats at the top and then tried to push it down the hill.  Only one minor ankle twist on the trickier stuff.  Coming out of the canyon into the lower flat section I knew I needed to turn on the gas to avoid picking up the dinner check.  Tried to move my feet as fast as possible and maintain momentum on the small rolling uphills.

Back to the trailhead… 35:36, just over 30 seconds quicker than my last run!

Nice to have the running mate again…. thanks!

Aftermath:

A little hung over from the sake, but otherwise, 100%.  No PF or AT pain.

Just Keep Livin’

2010-04-05 19:00-20:00

Climbing @ Rockreation

Traversing and bouldering.  Trying to improve grip strength along with the toughness of my hands in preparation for REAL ROCK CLIMBING later this week!

Stamina and strength is improving; very noticeably on the overhanging sections.  I am much more able to maintain body tension - which is also evident on the overhangs - no doubt due to so much ab work.

Slowly learning - or more like feeling - when to flag, back step, and step through.  Starting to get bored with the traverse here though.  Need to hit up Hangar 18…

Finished up by stretching the hips, hamstrings, and quads, to make sure I can reach all the footholds.

Peace

2010-04-04 12:30 - 16:00

Warm up:

Nada - I was planning on a trio of workouts anyway.

Work out #1: Running @ Temescal Canyon

It appears that my PF/AT issues are gone (knock on wood) so I thought I would try another run with only one day rest.  After doing this in 36:45 on Friday I wanted to see how much better I could do.  Pushed it pretty hard but felt a little weak probably due to the big bike ride on Saturday.  Made it to the top of the hill in 17:45 which is quite good for me, and the downhill was especially fun but still could only manage 36:10.

Work out #2: Weights @ Globo-Gym

With all the cycling and running I figured I needed to hit the weights a little bit.

4 rounds of:

12 Wide grip pulldowns (160#)
12 DB curls (30#)
15 Incline bench press (115#)
25 Situps
20 Knees-to-elbows

Wanted to pre-fatigue myself before the climbing gym and get in some ab work.  Managed a good pump from this but felt a little weak - I suppose that’s to be expected after running and on an empty stomach.  Nagging soreness in the left shoulder makes chest work a little challenging but relatively narrow grip incline bench presses were very comfortable.

Work out #3: Traversing @ Rockreation

Still practicing my movement on the wall.  Feels good, and my hands are holding together.

Aftermath:

Stretched (especially the PF/AT) and feel 100% the morning after.  I can’t express how relieved I am to be free of heel/foot pain.

I also can’t express how HUNGRY I was after this workout (completed around 4pm, and hadn’t eaten anything prior)!

Peace