One more thing

Today would have been my father's 90th birthday. He died too young, at age 68, after decades of cigarette smoking and twelve years of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. He always used to say "if you have your health, you have everything"...and now I understand what he meant.

Here's to our collective good health!

Gratitude

I'm so grateful for good health; it enables me to handle my responsibilities, and also challenge myself to things I never would have dreamed I could do. Started training this week on the treadmill with a weighted pack, and the incline up to the highest level. (Five years ago I actually thought I was accomplishing something when I went to the Rec Center to read a book while sitting on my *** on a stationary bike - what a joke.)

Anyway, so far I'm doing well on the new plan and will be going to the rock gym this week to practice both climbing and belaying. Learning to lead climb, so I can eventually go across the ceiling there, will be so cool. I'll still have fear to deal with when doing the real climb, but if I can get strong and skilled enough it'll be more of a mental struggle than a physical one...with a little spiritual challenge thrown in for good measure.

the hills are alive...

thank you, bfftrainer, for the Julie Andrews visual...she might just (unbeknownst to her) become my ad hoc guardian angel...the one i can mentally turn to when i hit a tough moment!
: O

and the tough moments are sure to happen. not sure what the exact European location will be yet; all that is definite is that whatever we climb is going to be very, very tall, and there will be no losing nerve halfway up. also, there won't be any nifty built-in handholds and footrests like at the indoor rock gym. no color-coded routes. and, no springy, rubbery stuff on the ground to cushion falls.

it would probably be good to approach this systematically - that way i won't get overwhelmed. the first thing to "conquer" is the summit in downtown Chagrin Falls, aka Summit Street. the incline up to the top where Main and Summit intersect is pretty steep; so far my record is going up and down three times. Jack recommends twenty times. with a weighted pack. pretty much going up and down repeatedly until i'm practically falling over and barfing. because..."the only way to get in climbing shape, is to climb."

wheeeee!

Note to Self

do not press the "publish post" button until you're absolutely sure there's nothing more to add, change, etc. the title of yesterday's post, for example, would have sounded better as: "am i crazy...or is it just me?"

and, i should've added a "Thanks, Jack!" after the first paragraph.
: )

anyway, thank YOU for letting me think out loud here. now i'm going to dig out my backpack, throw some weight in it, and hike around J's woodsy, hilly neighborhood a couple times. 'cause every day is training day...and, i have appropriate fear of The Climb.

carpe diem.

Is it just me, or am I crazy?

i just accepted the biggest challenge of my life, thus far. i'm going to spend the next 5+ months getting in the best shape ever, physically and especially mentally, for an outdoor climb. in Europe. with a guy who will not under any circumstances let me slack or throw in the towel.

i will not be climbing into an elevator again, anytime soon; it'll be stairs all the way. (that'll be awesome fun on the days i grocery shop, living on the fourth floor as i do.) i will need a very regular gym schedule, and cardio will entail a treadmill set at the highest incline, and a weighted pack on my back. as for the rock gym, just making it to the top of the easiest routes will be child's play; if i'm to have the strength and cajones (figuratively speaking) to climb outdoors in actual MOUNTAINS, i damn well better be able to do just about anything in that rock gym, including the up the wall-across the ceiling-down the other wall thing.

hear me roar.