So I went to the doc's yesterday. I started feeling bad for the third time in about 5 weeks last Wednesday and this one was just as bad. The nice dr-lady said that it was a sinus infection and that it sounded like I had bronchitis as well. Oh yay.

But I decided to go climbing last night anywase. I warmed up on some V0's and V1's. I sure wasn't feeling very strong but Jason and Dan were there and were encouraging so I hopped on a V4 I had worked on Saturday. I could only get to the last two holds -- I wasn't able to top out on Saturday. I don't know quite what was different but I hopped on it, the beginning being a fun little traverse, and got to the last two crimper holds. I worked my feet up a little higher then I had on Saturday and thought to myself, "What the hell" and went for it. *Bam* -- I hit it right on the mark and was done with it. Fun climb -- not too hard up to the last move -- but that last move sure was a doozy! It's prob. about three and a half feet from these two little crimper holds to the top, on an overhang, the only thing that saves you is your feet. Good climb me thinks!

So then I showed Dan the other climb I had tried -- another V4 that I always barn-doored off of (thats swinging out from the wall -- like a big barn door, get it??). We both gave it a couple shots and just weren't getting anywhere on it. Thats when Sarah came back and started bouldering with us. She had just climbed her first V4 outside so she was pretty pumped and ready to get on all the V4's in the gym. Carl had set up a new route that had been unrated the last couple times I had been in the gym. It was finally rated a V4 and looked like a very solid V4. Again, like the previous 4 that I climbed, it was all feet, which is quite unusual for a climb of that rating. This can only mean two things. The moves are hard even with all feet and the holds for hands are absolute crap. This climb was no exception.

It started on a decent hold, moved to a small edge that you matched hands on. The next hold was quite a ways up and Dan, Sarah, and I all kept being spit off by the move. So I decided to try something totally different and did almost a layback move off the hand-matched hold and stuck my foot out onto the opposite wall (we were close to a corner). Snagged a hold with my toe on my second try and then dropped that knee and was able to pull it in and get up to the next hold. From there it was lots of sloper or funny crimper (like two finger edges -- or an upside-down-thumb-pull) holds to the top so I hopped off and gave it a shot from the beginning. Right on up the climb I went -- no problem!

So the only thing that I can think of is that me being sick makes me less strong which makes me rely more on technique and my feet. Whatever it is, I'm pretty happy -- thats the first time I've sent a V4 in a single night and it's the first time I've sent two V4's in a single day.

Big thanks to Jason and Dan and Sarah for their encouragement!

w00p!
--B--