Weeks 25 & 26: two moves remaining

What I did:

My planned multiweek trip to Berdorf ended up becoming a single weekend. I made some progress: I can reliable make it to the 6th bolt of Hermann Buhl. I've given the red point crux about 10 good tries, but it has proven to be too hard for me right now. I know what to do so I'll work on it next time again. I also found a great sequence from the 7th bolt to the anchor, so other than 2 moves I can do all the moves in the route.

I also started with Lattice hangboard training (twice a week) and technique training (three times a week). I'm super psyched and looking forward to improving!

Finally, I decided not to do the surgery. There's no rational reason to do it because there's too much damage already and based on scientific literature the best thing to do is to do nothing... Wait and see is not my best attribute, but I will do my best. I will try to stay far within my range of motion, and keep my hips strong. That's all I can do to slow down the deterioration of my hips. Other than that, it's out of my hands, and accepting that is surprisingly hard. At the same time, I realise how priviliged I am that I get to train this much and do the thing that I love. So I really should be complaning less.

Reflecting: 

I'm really enjoying the training. I feel a surprising amount of muscle soreness after 7/3 repeaters, and stiff fingers after every hangboard session. Because I have 3 days of rest a week, I think I'll be fine. Until now, I was focussing on mental skills and tactics, so I didn't need more than 1 real rest day a week. Now, even though I want to train as much as possible, I need to keep an eye out in case I need even more rest days.

The technique training at wild flower gym is surprisingly hard, because of the 45 degree spray wall. It is teaching me to keep pressure on my feet though, so it's good for me.

I recreated the cruxes of Hermann Buhl on kilterboard. Crux 1 was amazing, and helped me cruise through the actual crux so it was the perfect preparation. Crux 2 on kilterboard was far too easy compared to the real thing. I've since improved it a little bit, but it's still not good enough. I will publish it next week for everyone to try, this gives me one more weekend to try out the real thing and then fine tune the kilterboard replica. Keep in mind I've recreated my beta, so it only works if you're a similar size to me.... Still, this could be an interesting opportunity for those who are looking to flash an 8a+ :) 

What will I do next time:

Let's keep up this flow: Monday and Friday morning I do the lattice hangboarding and strength training exercises. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evening I join the 90 minute technique training sessions at my gym. Then in the weekends I try to get a cardio session in, as well as recovery exercises (finger care) and (upper body) stretches. If I go to Berdorf in the weekend, I will skip the technique training on Friday and Tuesday to keep the overall volume low enough to prevent injuries.

Next time I'm in Berdorf, I will spend some time working on the cruxes (and hopefully do all the moves), as well as some time grinding in the beginning and end. There's an interesting 7a combination route that starts off in a 6b+ and then crosses into the 8th bolt of Hermann Buhl. It could be interesting to do this one multiple times to really practise the ending. And for experience and psych, I will also try an easier route (6c to 7b) every time I'm in Berdorf. I will first feel it out and go bolt to bolt, then improve beta and finally try to send it (this process is spread out over multiple weekends). This way, I will practise the red pointing process on multiple routes, which will help me send Hermann Buhl as well.

Statistics:

Climbed 260 meters on real rock.

Climbed 0 meters of aerobic endurance laps (while doing movement drills).

Taken 22 falls while committing to the next move.

 Managed to do 30 moves on the 45 degrees spray wall at Wild Flower Gym