Resting

I'm having a rest day today. I was supposed to be cycling in to work but I woke up this morning and felt like I'd had a fantastic nights sleep and an extra hour in bed would do me more good than cycling to work. I love having fab nights sleep like that, doesn't happen often enough.

I also went climbing last night for the first time in ages. Pam texted Jez and I to see if we wanted to go, it was quite timely really as I was just thinking the other day that I really need to do some upper body work.

It was good fun but I had quite a sore left knee by then end of it, I was making those muscles work and stretch in a way they hadn't done for quite some time and they really complained. I gave it a good rollering with my massage stick thingy and it helped a lot to ease it off but it was another reason to rest today.

May cycle to work on Friday instead.

More Climbing

Had another potter on the climbing wall this evening. I did better than last time but am very much lacking in strength in my arms, strangely my finger strength still seems ok. I was able to string moves together more but I was tiring quite quickly and my ability to do big step ups isn't great as my hip flexibility has obviously declined. As a short arse the ability to do big step ups is one of the cornerstones of my climbing, so I need to get it back.

I did have a few moments where I had to think about how to tackle something, I asked Pam a few times "How would I climb this?". Pam has belayed me for so long that she knows how I would approach things. Sadly the answer usually involved putting my feet up somewhere round my ears! Which is exactly how I would have climbed it six months ago but I can't quite make those moves at the moment. If I manage to keep climbing with some regularity I wonder how long it will take to build back up agian.

.........and Fingerprints

My cold is making a bid to come back so I took it easy today, I was intending on heading out for a ride of some sorts today but decided not to. Jez fitted the carbon fork to the Spesh and put new pads on the rear brake, then had to spend an hour or so faffing with it as the brakes kept binding. I did spit my dummy out a little as he said the brakes would "bed in" but I refused to ride a bike where the back wheel wouldn't free wheel more than quarter of a revolution. I've ridden it before in that state and it was horrible. I'm not sure what he did to it but it is spinning properly now, just need to think about mudguards.

I was due to be heading out for a curry this evening and the plan was to go to the climbing wall before hand. I haven't been climbing for about six months so I knew it would be hard work and would do a s a rest day workout! When I was climbing regularly I always seemed to dismiss climbing as "proper" exercise and then get caught out when I was too tired to climb well from running and cycling. It is a proper workout but its not aerobically knackering like running or cycling....at least not when I'm doing it regularly! It is tiring in its own way.

I found it aerobic tonight! I was puffing like a train at the top of the wall a few times tonight. The first couple of climbs were amusing as I had forgotten how to think and plan my moves like a climber, however that started to improve just as my strength faded. I've lost a bit of strength and stamina but I haven't regresses to beginner level thankfully, a few weeks would get me back up there. I could still tie on and belay though my climbing shoes appear to have shrunk since I last wore them.

I really enjoyed it again but will need to really think about fitting it in to what I do at the minute, Friday evening is looking promising though.