Winter Training

                             

It seems like winter has finally decided to show up here in Gunnison, and with it, the indoor training season. This it the time of year I spend a majority of my waking hours pouring over guide books and planning trips in an effort to stay psyched while training to the point of nausea in our aging plywood prison. I used to hate it when the snow would roll in and render even the cold weather haven of Hartman Rocks un-climbable. Over the years however, I have learned to love the forced ‘indoor season’ and the feeling of emerging from winter’s plastic training cocoon and crushing my projects from the past season.

If I could only pass on 3 things I have learned in my 10 years of training I would choose these:

#1 Injuries Suck, REST!

Have you ever been injured? Then you know what I am talking about. Climbing is one of those activities, like eating Nutella and smoking crack, that is so fun it can be hard to stop. This is where all of those nasty over use injuries, like tendonitis and pulley tendon ruptures, start to really harsh your style. Throughout the year, and especially during training, it is imperative to rest adequately. Listen to your body. If you are having trouble taking a day or two off, just camp out on your couch with a huge jar of Nutella, a spoon, and start working your way through all of the X-Files episodes on Netflix. At least that’s what I do.

#2 There is a Difference Between Training and Performance

Climbing performance is variable. Some days you feel like The Hulk, and other days you get pumped just trying to unscrew the lid of you Nutella jar in the previous paragraph. You just have to go with it. Don’t waste your energy getting frustrated. One of the worst things you can do for your body and your psyche is to confuse training time, with performance time. For me it is pretty easy: If I am inside, it is always training time, competitions included. A lot of times, climbing outside is still training time. In reality there are relatively very few times when I go climbing that I actually consider performance time. So what is the difference? When it is training time you shouldn’t be worried much about how hard you are actually climbing. The only thing that matters is how hard you are trying. If you are training properly, your performance should actually decrease at times. Performance time is that trip, or even just a projecting session, you have been planning and preparing for for weeks (or months). Learn to separate your training time from your performance time and you will be less frustrated, more motivated, and you will ultimately become a better climber.

#3 Eat (Good) Food

If you train hard and don’t fuel your body properly, you will get hurt. A quick Google search will have you neck deep in performance nutrition articles. I won’t advocate for any certain one, but I would encourage you to do your own research and get involved in your own nutrition. Learn how to cook. You’ll be healthier and it’s also a great way to impress girls.