The Diagnosis.

Torn Ligaments... The pain will go away, the swelling will go away - but the ligaments, once torn, will always be torn.

So it's a management issue for the rest of my days...

6-8 weeks before I can climb again.

And so it begins...
Stage 3: recovery.

Stage 2... Feeling Sorry for Myself.

The ankle business is starting to weigh on my mind... Before today there was a sort of denial that it might be anything serious until I made an appointment with my physio and then I sort of admitted to myself that there's a reason it's still swollen and very sore 4 days later despite diligent icing and rest etc...

It's hard to imagine that I'll be out for 4-6 weeks or maybe longer cause walking doesn't hurt too much, except when I turn corners and then I have to be a little more nimble than usual... Cycling is fine too, but uphill might pose issues...

A running pace had been established too and I was psyched to improve my distance, speed, fitness etc...

The fall I took on saturday has changed the next month for me...
Time to rediscover my love of being fluent in handstand,  and remind my hands of finger boards and make an introduction to the Co op campus board...

If the Co op is still there in a month that is...

It's not knitting we do...

The cutting edge of bouldering.

Putting up new lines...

Eoin found a new slab to warm up on and cleaned the scrittley bits of rock and moss and choss away as he climbed. The holds were good and the moves were quality. The top out was covered in heather though. Eoin made use of it and clambered over the top. A new line!

I was eager to follow him up and sure enough, made it to the final move before I became a little off balance. It was clear in the moment that there were two choices - I was either coming off or doing a dyno to catch some heather at the top. I threw for it as I heard gasps below me and caught it. My foothold was good and I breathed a sigh of relief - home and dry...

I thought...

I thought I was copying Eoin's method of topping out, but he later told me that he didn't pull on the heather. I did and it came away in my hands and before I knew it and to my complete surprise I was falling a long way down. We reckoned later that one piece of heather must have come away before the other because I twisted around and came clattering down on my ankle.

I twisted it well and Eoin brought me straight to the river beside us to dunk it in and perhaps contain the swelling...

I think the sorest part of the fall was my nail bending backwards on my hand... that was painful!

The day was a stunner and we relaxed in the sun for most of it. Some climbing was done but no one else tried Eoin's new slab.

'Wicklow Tea' saw a lot of action and everyone found their way up it. 

We headed up to the roof that John had found on the last visit and 'Karaoke Nightmare' got it's fair share of top outs too.

ROBOTS

Both my knees, the palms of my hands, my wrists, my forearms, my right index fingertip, my left shoulder blade and my lower back...

Were scraped to shit and bloodied.

I'm a wreck, but I can't remember the last time I threw myself at a boulder problem without interest in the consequences like I did yesterday afternoon.

Robots is a great slab. It's everything it promises to be... And it's HARD.

I tickled the top about 10 times, but no matter, cause that's the crux. James did likewise and then out of nowhere Dave topped it out, burling his way over. It looks like it's all in the shoulders for that last move.

I snapped the tiny foothold I was using near the top, but that's going to happen and it can be done without it, though my heart sank a little when we looked up and saw the scar on the face.

Pause

The view from the top of 3Rock last Weekend

Truth be told, I'm pissed off that I missed the Bouldering Meet in Kerry - but that's in hindsight. At the time, I was tired and felt out of shape... The point is, I'm psyched to get to Kerry again, or to Wicklow or to Fairhead or somewhere - but just not indoors... I don't want to train at the moment...

I don't want to train to climb anyway.

I've discovered the misery of pointing my bike at a big steep hill and cracking on up it quite appeals to me - Going until I feel like I can't breath anymore and my legs won't go and everything is telling me to stop and rest except my head!! I try to rest only when I feel like I'm going to fall over or that I might start going backwards if I cycle any slower...

There's progress being made too - I've never in my life before trained endurance and I've been heading for a steep hill cycle/week now for the last 4 weeks. It's been epic and largely unpleasant in the moment, but I absolutely love it.

My favorite cycle so far has been up 3Rock last weekend - I could barely see or walk properly by the time we got to the boulders at the top - but the view out over dublin with the sky above on fire as the sun set was remedy enough to allow me to forget my spent muscles and light head. The cold on the way home as we raced down the hill at what felt like lightening speed nearly broke my spirit, but in the end, only served to make dinner seem all the tastier!!!

I'm starting from zero with this new found addiction and progress is good and hugely satisfying, but hard earned.

Went for a run tonight, and it was really tough. All my body wanted to do was stop - but at this point I think it's just a mind game. My prescription is 3 x 20 mins of running each week.

I have no idea why, but it seems right to pause bouldering for now.

Michael Duffy

A video of Ireland's strongest boulderer, sending Ireland's hardest problems:

Michael Duffy

Shot by: Ricky Bell and Michael Duffy (I think!)
Edited by: Ricky Bell

Foot contortion

I just read this article about Sasha Deguilian climbing another 9a, and that's pretty cool - in fact it's very cool indeed.

Aside from the cool send, I was looking at the photo that accompanied the article (above) and I was drawn to look at her right foot!

The foot does not fit the face of this girl!!

Now one can say the colour is obviously the dye from the Dragons, but it lead me to ask, WHAT are we doing to our feet as climbers - my feet look the same as Sasha's (minus the red dye) my toes are contorted and a few of my toenails blackened - I hate my feet and a couple of years ago, I'd have said I had pretty well formed attractive feet for sandal wearing and barefoot strolling and so on... I'd never wear sandals now - my feet are a mess!!

This image of a model-like girl who's just come off a send of this savage route - Era Bella (9a) has me wondering what the implications might be from wearing the tight boots we use to send our own hardest lines.