A New Perspective: Breaking Free pt.1

I have not posted in awhile, which is a huge bummer because I have so much that I want to talk about! I have been extremely busy the past couple of months and it looks like there will be no slowing down! However I am going to update this blog a couple of times per week to catch everyone up with what I have been up to.

Before I go into what I have been doing the past couple of months, I just want to take a moment to reflect on this past year. Last year at this time I was not climbing. My fingers were in so much pain from tendovaginitis that I could not even open a door without whimpering. I would feel pain constantly whether I was moving my fingers or not. I also was in a boot from breaking my ankle while walking (yes I said walking, laugh all you want...okay stop). Not only was I injured, but I was just not satisfied with my life. I was very unhappy and things needed to change.

Six months later(Summer 2012), I had decided to make a lot of changes to my life. I began to step out of my box, which used to consist of just climbing...literally. My life revolved around climbing and that needed to stop. It needed to stop because I was limiting my happiness, my abilities, my health, and just myself in general. I also feared (and still fear) that my fingers will never allow me to climb at the level I dream of being at.

So I began to do crossfit. I started spending more time with people who did not climb, started running, started using rehab techniques such as foam rolling to increase my recovery, started paleo, started to study more in depth exercise science, and really started to enjoy the world and things around me.

Now I am what I think is the most happy I have been in my entire life. I am very fit, but that is not my main focus. I can climb again, but that is not my main focus either. Being able to experience crossfit competitions, climbing competitions, attend a pro climbing camp, study to become a certified personal trainer, coach, meet new people, and also recover from this injury are things that are making me thoroughly happy. Also, I have not had an injury in over six months! This is HUGE for me! To be able to maintain such a physical lifestyle and be healthy means the world to me.

I would like to share some of my recent accomplishments with you. I am excited to keep progressing with climbing, crossfit, and my recovery! Hopefully I will be able to show better PR's, better photos, and even better recovery news in the future!

- This is a photo of me comparing what I looked like in January 2012 (Left) to how I look in January 2013 (Right). The left photo was taken a little after I had gotten injured, but I felt as if I was in the best shape of my life. I feel really proud of myself when I look at the right photo. I have been working hard to become fit, and I love to see my results!

- Two weeks ago marked the first day I climbed with no tape since I began me recovery process in June 2012. Not only did I climb with no tape, but I bouldered all of the problems v6-v8 in our gym. I also spent time projecting v9's. That was the first true sign that my fingers are recovering. I have been climbing with and without tape since then, depending on how I feel. I don't want to push it. I am still recovering. I feel that I have not reached full recovery yet, but I will eventually. I am hoping that when I reach full recovery, however far away that will be, I will do amazing things with climbing.

-Three weeks ago I got a new PR on my deadlift. I deadlifted 305, and that was all of the weight we had in the climbing gym (The weight set is actually 295; we had to tie a 10lb weight to the barbell to break 305).

- Four weeks ago I attended a pro climbing camp held by Chris Danielson and Tonde Kaito at Earth Treks. It was the most amazing experience and I feel honored to have been invited. More info on this in my next blog post!!