6 Month Milestone

OK, so I'm a bit late - but it's basically 6 months since my surgery and about 9 months since the accident and my knee is about as good as you could expect!

It's been so long since my last post I'm going to have to breeze over a lot of stuff, so here goes:

Climbing

All the tedious hard work in my cupboard (where the beastmaker lives) has paid off - I've now been climbing about 2 months, started off just top-roping at the climbing wall but have progressed back to leading sport routes, indoors and out. Back to onsighting Fr7a, which is about a grade below my previous onsight limit. Fingers feel pretty strong but my technique has taken a fair hit - especially any funky footwork - I just seem to have forgotten how to use them (some would argue I never knew...)

Training/Rehab

The knee feels solid, no wobbles, no pain and it rarely stiffens up. I'm just back form 3 weeks of site work, wandering about a gas processing facility up ladders and stairs - probably averaging 3-5 miles a day. The main exercises I'm doing from the physio are:

• Front Squats - these work, but they also hurt (in the good way: muscular pain, not knee pain). Up to about 55kg x 8 x 3 reps and going as deep as my knee allows.
• One leg squats - I've been slacking on these a bit, trying to build up the weight and control. 10kg x 8 x 3
• Trampoline squat jumps and single leg bouncing (just bought the tramp, so just started these today - good lactic burn)
• Gym ball bridges, 1 leg bridges and hamstring rolls. All good control, must do MORE!
• Straight leg deadlifts, great for the glutes and hamstrings. 25kg x 10 x 3
• 1 leg hops. Onto and off a height, soft surfaces, 90 degree turns  - all good control stuff.

General Exercise: Been doing a lot more swimming and just had a cheap week of mountain biking in the Sierra Nevada - about 35km a day of brutal singletrack and not a grumble from the knee - can't be bad!


Hmm...that was all very factual...  It feels good to be back and in a state that is not limiting my climbing too much. It looks like the knee should return to about 90-95% of my good knee and I think I should be able to work around the limitations. I'm really quite psyched about the possibility of having a full season of climbing ahead and firing on all cylinders. I don't often set goals and targets but I have decided that, due to the inspiration from mark and his return from 15 years off, and jonny busting out Fr8a in minimal time even though he's really a boulderer, I really want to do a Fr8a (5.13b/29 depending on your persuasion).

After that, I will be much fitter than I was before. This should hopefully mean I can get back to the TRAD climbing in a big way. I have so much psyche for doing some big, blank, hard (for me), lines in the mountains. I did two E5s before I had my "enforced layoff" but I want to feel like an E5 climber. If you asked me then, the day after I did the 2nd route how I would rate myself, I'd have say "Solid E3 climber", so it's quite a way to go, but I know it's doable.

Last minute update - just back from walking up Ben Chonzie which is the first hill of any style I've done in about 11 months and apparently my 20th Munro (not that I'm counting). Other than a strangely tired and sore hip flexor, no problems at all!

4 more Munro's and I can go winter climbing....bring...on....the....ice!  And for some ice psyche - here's Andy Inglis cruising some nice ice on Beinn Udlaidh last year.