dick williams

Friday is, as Roy agreed - a good day for resting. Saturday means real climbing, and in order to give myself the best possible chance of success on Saturday - Friday should be spent relaxing. Things at work have been rather fraught over the last month or so - pressure to deliver our wireless infrastructure is reaching a peak. When I go home from work I stop thinking about work, but even if the stress is indirect - i.e. other people are stressing about stuff, it rubs off on me and I can't help but feel a bit strung out too. Friday night then, we went to see a shit film called Water Horse. It was bad. 45%. Childrens accents very poor, about all I can say that I liked of it was the imagery of Scotland which was ace.

I meant to write something about Roy's Terminator training programme. His central principle is that I have built a top heavy pyramid (of power!), by training and training and training. I've built up strength that outweighs my technical prowess - I am good at climbing on the board, but I will flounder on onsights and on new rock types. This is true. I see this manifest as my being stronger than necessary to do problems, but taking ages to work out what to do on them. By taking a step back and building my technique base I may take two steps forward. I have, for the first time in 15 years of climbing, got a longer-than-a-week structured programme. I've always had a plan roughly for the year - summer, longer stuff and weights, winter boulder boulder boulder, and I've also always had a loose plan within the week - Monday = board, hard climbing problems, Wednesday = climb, socialise - hard climbing problems, Thursday = training, climbing specific exercises, volume or stam circuits, Saturday out. Now I have two month  phases to concentrate on - designed to produce a peak around trips and in time to achieve goals. Right now, we are in a volume phase until the end of march. Shouldn't be trying really hard things, more building up skills doing lots of easier things.

I'd read in the week that Rubicon was dry, and you will know of my ongoing siege of Tsunami, so I had intentions of heading down there - which is exactly what I shouldn't be doing! I kind of wanted to go, but didn't know how I'd be climbing, and didn't want to fail. Opted to stay local, hang out with Busby and go out on the grit - after all, Roy's programme is only going to work if I follow it - its all about the discipline! Busby was up and out early doors, questing aimlessly through the woods trying to find the secret garden. What a lovely morning. Following the approach path through the trees I became mesmerised by the sight of a bare chested Busby flitting between the boulders... Hadn't been to the secret garden in years. Did a 6b+ to the left hand side, followed by a 5+ that I nearly fell off, then had about thirty goes on another 6b+ that is clearly 8b. Never done beachball, and that's a bit of a classic, so after a few flounders from us both, I work out a new method and put it into practice to succeed. Do something else to the right thats steady, and then we move to Dick Williams - which the guide proclaims as one of the best problems of its grade on grit. High praise indeed. Its an amazing feature - a lovely rounded arete starting off powerfully, and becoming increasingly technical the higher you go. I remember the joy of bouldering with someone of similar abilities, each of us opens an individual move, slightly refining the sequence for the other one and before too long its looking like its on. The bit firmly between my teeth, it could be either of us at this stage, and I tell myself I don't care who gets it first, but I do - I want it to be me! Some guys turn up and Busby has a fantastic effort and I really think its in the bag for him - don't know why he doesn't succeed (probably letting go) but he doesnt. Our iterative sequence refining process has drained us and at our attempts move from being close to sketchy, our skin's wearing and we're getting tired. Joe and Vicky turn up. Vicky has just done Blind Alley. She's tres nonchalant about it but must be stoked - effort! Busby says game over and puts his trainers on, and I decide it really is my last go - I have to be home and my attempts are getting worse. Pull on, climb well - taking all the holds just right, and I stand up into balance at the top - it feels well scrittley, I'm sure I'm going to slide backwards into the chasm, but manage not to to get the tick. Feel dead pleased! Feel mildly sorry for Buzzarella whose fought hard but had it slip away at the last minute. Next time beast!

Spend the afternoon being productive. Fixed a dripping tap, do some diy stuff and make a lasagne to have for dinner with sister and fiance on sunday. We go to the top of the mayfield valley to look at the stars, and she finds the seven sisters. I find stars mesmerising. Years ago, we had a night in cyprus where we lay on sun loungers in the middle of nowhere just looking at the stars for ages. I think they're incredible. I suggest we buy a telescope - she takes the piss, and we end up deciding to remove the bed in the spare room to make way for a massive train track. Me being the conductor and her role playing a passenger. We stop talking nonsense to go to the Cobden view with friends.

Sunday is another gorgeous day, the cat is up early and really insistent that we get up so our lie in is cut short. Do some more housey stuff, walk to get her car back and I pop out on my bike for an hour. Sister comes round about six and lasagne goes down a treat. Too much red wine flows, fall in bed tired out at 10.

Tonight is the foundry comp final round. I think I read that Ned is with Variable in Font, so I might do ok! now I have written that a legion of beasts will turn up and I will be last. At least I think I will do ok on the whole series. Tomorrow Leeds wall, Wednesday Foundry - routes, thursday maybe the works, friday off - saturday gritstone greatness. And Finally... it feels great to be doing all these problems Roy has set for me - as I can actually do them, and do them quickly. Not only is this reminding me of the joy of climbing, but its possibly helping me build skills! Feel massively positive about it all today. its been a good weekend.