Boulder!

Recently I took a two week trip to Boulder, CO.....To explain my entire experience there would take forever, but I do want to touch on what was great about being there.

I've always wanted to take a picture like this...

New England tends to suck a lot of ass and I usually feel depressed because of the attitude people have when winter occurs. Actually, I wound up taking almost all of December off due to a lack of motivation. I planned to take this two week trip back in November. I knew that I would need a break from the weather, and I was right! My planning for Colorado consisted of booking flights and booking my Nationals ticket. Beyond that I had planned to stay with my awesome friend Amanda, who lives out in Denver, and to somehow get to Boulder everyday.

(I guess I fit into the climbing community well since most people I meet have the same sort of planning)

The weekend before Nationals in Boulder, I decided to compete in the Dark Horse Championships. There I met and climbed with Sasha Digulian, Natasha Barnes, Tiffany Hensley, and Courtney Sanders. This comp was the first time I have actually climbed with girls that are the same strength as me! I am not dissing any east coast girls out there, by the way. Until this competition I was actually underestimating myself! I had heard of how all of these girls have sent hard climbs outside etc. etc...but I had no idea that I could keep up with them! Tiffany was also a lifesaver and offered for me to stay at her house during my time in Colorado...thanks Tiff!

Sending Food!!

Boulder, Colorado. I placed 15th in Nationals and met over a hundred new people.....if that's not enough psyche to get you out of a depression then you are not human! The people I met out there were great! I spent every single second enjoying my life and where I was. That is the way life should always be. I climbed every single day...which in total was 11 days on! I climbed in nationals, then went outside, then on the same day trained in a gym, then climbed outside again, again, and again... Oh, not to mention I am now broke because of Whole Foods. Never making that mistake again (but I might because it just tastes so good).

After Tiffany left for Bishop, I was able to crash on the couch of Lesly Ladlad's and stayed with her and Isabel Faus.
Thanks guys!

I'd like to make a big shoutout to everyone I chilled with in Colorado. It was amazing meeting all of you and I hope to see you soon! I am planning a road trip this summer, which will include a 2-3 week stop in Colorado. I also decided to compete in the rest of the UBC Pro Tour comps so if you're there, look out for me!

I'm excited for the weather to get better in New England (please for the love of God) so that I can send some shit outside and also train for these big comps/road trip. So, if you're ever in the area, give me a shout! I'd love to show some of you the climbing out here!

Bouldering=Good for the Heart

So last weekend was the ABS 12 Open National championships and also the first stop on the UBC Pro Tour! I competed in qualifiers and semi-finals and placed 15th overall. For me, 15th is a big deal. For one, I placed 30th last year and to go up 15 places makes me feel so good. I also am satisfied with how placed due to what went down in the qualifying round...

11:08 am...I began my first climb for qualifiers. Flashed the first and the second problems. I came down from the 2nd problem and sat down in the chair. Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat and started racing at 300 beats per minute! This heart condition is known as Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). I have had this before and it is still an unknown cause. When this happens, I have to sit down and do absolutely nothing until it stops due to the lack of oxygen going through my body. But, I was on problem number 2 out of 6....I'm not going to just wimp out and miss a chance at semi-finals. I trained so hard and flew in from Boston! So I decided to climb. I could only give the remaining 4 problems 1 good go and even still I would fall off halfway due to muscle failure from the lack of oxygen. Every climb was a constant fight for consciousness and my chest was unbearably painful. After the 6th problem, I stumbled over to the medical tent where the staff couldn't even count a pulse because my heart was beating so fast.

If someone has this abnormally fast heartbeat for too long, it can cause blood clots. I was going on an hour of a 300bpm heart rate and was therefore rushed to the hospital. There, they recorded a 260bpm heart rate which was definitely less than when I was competing. Luckily, the wonderful doctors at Boulder Community Hospital were able to bring my heart down to a 120bpm rate, which was out of SVT range. I placed 20th in qualifiers, making it into one of the least slots for semi's. The next day my heart was still beating at 120bpm, but fortunately didn't increase. I was able to move down to 15th place, where I now end my ridiculous tale.

I am blogging about this because I think it is important for people to hear that someone tried their hardest for something they love. I believe that there is no excuse to quitting and I certainly showed it. So next time you are climbing and you think your cut hurts and you don't want to push it, think of this blog post. It is a good reminder to realize what you want and to push to your limits no matter what. No one ever said that climbing was safe in the first place!

The Tendon Savior

Have you come out of a climbing sesh with fingers that are sore and achy? Or the cold blues gettin' your fingers down? I feel the same way. But, unlike you, I have a cure!

The cure is a secret weapon called: Epsom Salt. Yes! This stuff can be bought at any local drug store (I usually use CVS). Just dissolve a couple tablespoons of this stuff into a bowl of hot water and just soak your hands for a minimum of 10 mins.

10 Minutes? That's all? YES! Every night i come home from a hard climbing sesh, I soak my fingers in this salt from heaven and my tendons instantly feel better. If you have a hurt tendon it is suggested that you do not ice it, since tendons have a limited blood supply to begin with. Essentially what the Epsom salt's doing is soaking into your skin (which the hot water helps), and tends to the wounded fingers.

Now, all you hooligans should use this new found knowledge wisely. Along with soaking your hands, you should just keep them warm in general with gloves, hand warmers, and finger exercises. Follow these steps and kick those winter blues right out the door!