Now that school has calmed down a bit, I'm now trying desperately to get back where I was. I can still climb some 10c's, so my upper bound for top roping hasn't diminished, but my technique feels sloppier and my arms feel a bit weaker. *sigh*
Luckily, to kick my poor ass into gear, I've been taking lead climbing classes. Tonight was class 3 of 4, and it's been quite an experience. I got used to top roping at some point and learned that I was never really in any danger with Tom as my belay. Even with a not so great belayer, I had faith in the Grigri and never really felt alarmed. Starting lead climbing has lead me to discover fear all over again. It is terrifying to know that if I don't climb up to the 3rd clip of a route, I could easily deck and hurt myself pretty badly. Also, my belayer is way more important now, and an ATC is no absolute guarantee of safety.
The first class, we just practiced clipping and doing mock lead climbing while secured to a top rope. The mental aspect of the whole thing had me shaking on routes I could easily flash, with the added stress of clipping every 5 feet and managing to clip the anchors. The next class, we worked on the belaying portion, and learning when to give and take slack to give hard and soft catches. Still, I was a bit nervous, but felt more comfortable be the belayer rather than the climber.
Today, we actually lead climbed. And I actually lead belayed Tom. What a crazy concept. I climbed first today on a 5.6, and I was panicking as I reached the top. I clipped the anchors incorrectly, and my descent down was a rather slow one. Honestly, I'm not afraid of falling. I actually think falling is a lot of fun, especially if I know that I'm safe. However, the possibility of getting hurt in a fall, either by smacking into the wall or decking, is a very real one that I'm having to come to grips with. It doesn't paralyze me on the wall, but it makes me more uncertain and wobbly.
Clipping anchors is probably the scariest thing for me. Honestly, I should be more afraid going from the 2nd to the third clip. Not getting to the first clip means I'll hit the ground, but not from very high up. Missing the third clip is high enough to be hurt, and not high enough to be saved by the belay system at the same time. I got more afraid of that by the end of the day, but not too much.
We also did falling practice. First, just pushing off hard from the wall and practicing how to get our feet and hands out in front. Then, we climbed up a few moves and dropped. Finally, we went to the very top of the wall and dropped with the highest clip at about knee level. I did that a few times, and it was exhilarating. I actually had fun with it. Hopefully, I'll get comfortable with lead climbing pretty soon and will at least be able to get past the mental blocks.
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I'm nursing my first quasi-injury from climbing. I climbed three sessions in two days after a bit of a break from climbing. As a result, my left elbow started hurting me this morning whenever I brought it to a lock off position. It's like a twinging kind of pain toward the inside of the joint. It still hurts, but I did go climbing on it today for lead class. I didn't feel the pain much, but I do feel it now. It doesn't hurt to clench my fists or rotate my wrists around in arm direction. Making a screwdriver-like motion makes a popping sound, but little to no pain. I'm going to take a few days off of climbing and see how it feels. I have no desire to push myself with an injury.
I think that's all for now. I have to study for a math midterm tomorrow and get some sleep, so hopefully that will turn out well. Yay climbing!
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