New Things
Life has me focusing outside the mountains lately. Family time, mainly, is the current emphasis. Staying sharp for the mountains, especially with fairly high-end guiding gigs coming up, is nonetheless still a priority. Long drives, flat topography, holiday food, and non-physical work all seem to conspire against effective climbing conditioning. Turns out, not all training can be ideal. What's a city- or vacation-bound climber and ski-mountaineer to do?
Creativity, motivation, and foundational knowledge serve the ill-equipped athlete. Without mountains or routine, the easy path is to revert and retire. However, wherever you are there is always something to carry, somewhere to run, and time to breathe hard. In the easy times, build good habits and skill with binges of coaching and gym-time and actual climbing, and one can continue to train even under less than ideal conditions.
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| Pullups on the shore of Lake Huron. "Let me take a #Selfie" |
It is all in the attitude. Alpine climbing and ski mountaineering inevitably present unique physical and mental challenges. No two peaks, pitches, or moves are the same. One's training prepares the body for that, in many cases by mimicking the ever varied nature. The rest of life can do the same, or not. Seeking challenges and learning can be its own reward. It is a matter of perspective. On one hand, learning is scary and uncomfortable. "I can't" are the words, fear is the emotion. "This is hard and it hurts" are the words, discomfort is the feeling.
On the other hand, learning is empowering and inspirational. I have the distinct pleasure of spending a great deal of time with guests in the mountains, guests who are pushing their limits. Given how unfamiliar to them that environment is, I am constantly blown away by how seldom I hear "I can't." It would be easy to forgive these people, paying good money to be incredibly uncomfortable and challenged, for self-obstructive language and attitude. However, there is something inspiring about mountains and the guided experience that pushes people's attitudes out of their own way. Either that, or I am just lucky to work with only those of incredible fortitude of character. In any case, trying something new with mind open to the feelings instead of succumbing to the "I can't"s and the "This hurts"s is bound to deliver different results.
Try new things. Body and mind, unstressed, inherently weaken. It's that whole second law of thermodynamics. I am a professional athlete in my middle thirties. My body is ever more fragile, and ever more valuable to my livelihood. It would be easy to lay low and justify taking the easy path. Stick with what is familiar. However, my lovely wife recently pushed me out of my comfort zone. She pulled from her own open mind and athletic soul a childhood playground trick. She hadn't flipped from the horizontal bar in 30 years. But her muscle memory was there. When I was 7, when learning something like this was more socially acceptable and easier on the bones, I didn't happen to learn this move. Here I am, a 35 year old with a lot to lose, inspired on a new trick. It was scary. I almost cried. No joke. But Meagan talked me through it. I never said "I can't". Nor did I fall on my head and make youtube history. I learned something new and, most importantly, remembered that I can keep learning new things. One can't get better without learning new things. One can't learn new things without getting better. And one can't train one's body without getting better. Learning, improvement, and physical training are all intertwined. They are one and the same.