I rock at climbing!

Sorry for the cheesy title, but I couldn't resist. I'm branching out to a similar but novel subject because, while an eight mile run is enjoyable, it's not exactly exciting. My morning thus far has consisted of a nice, long, easy run, which really wasn't very interesting. I found it very relaxing, though, to run through the budding trees and past the now-thawed ponds on my regular route. The air is still crisp when I walk out the door but it no longer nips at my face while I'm running. It also isn't too humid yet. The water in the atmosphere is not yet dense enough to stick to my skin and mingle with sweat, so I can run without having the sticky mixture coat my body in an unattractive sheen. It's no longer too cold and not yet too hot; perfect weather for running. But, while the weather may be conducive to my sport of choice, I recently experienced another activity that has me intrigued. Last night I went indoor rock climbing! While I've been before, this was much more fun, intense, and engaging than the previous times. I also realized for the first time that rock climbing is an amazing form of cross training! It may not work exactly the same muscles as running, but it engages just about every muscle on your body, down to your fingers. I didn't even know I had muscles there... In addition it actually elevated my heart rate. Upon reaching the top in one of my many rainbow routes (the easiest way to the top, using all the handholds instead of limiting yourself to one color) I found that my pulse was over 150 beats per minute. This means that I'm reaching target heart rate-- climbing is a legitimate workout! Strength training, a cardio element, and good deal of stretching and problem solving. Even more importantly, though, it was the most fun Friday night I've had in a long time! I went with an experienced friend. She used to be on a team, is incredibly strong and nimble, and was really into the whole activity. We started out on some very easy walls (for her, I should clarify) and then she encouraged me to try a color coded path. As I mentioned before, a specific color of tape marks each hold, and if you limit yourself to one it gets much more difficult. I accepted the challenge, though, preparerd to get stuck halfway up and have to repel, defeated, to the floor. As I started to climb, however, my competitive drive took over. My fingers and triceps were already fatigued, the handholds seemed far to small to gain any purchase, and my breathing was heavy, but with every movement I made up the wall I grew more determined to conquer the synthetic rock. I could feel bruises blooming on my knees from my increasingly scrappy tactics. I came to the point, about five feet below the top, where I could find no foothold or handhold to make the final stretch passable save for one distant knob that my left hand could barely reach. In the heat of the moment, it was an immediate decision. If I held on to my current position much longer my muscles would give out and I'd be forced to come down defeated, but the hold seemed just out of reach. I decided it was do or die... So I jumped for it. In my mind, I was like spiderman. I gracefully leaped for this elusive object, grabbed hold, and swung my body powerfully up to the top. In reality, I'm pretty sure I looked like an absolute spazz. Yes, I got my hand on the hold, but proceeded to smack my knees into the uneven wall to reach another nonexistent foothold. From there I did a sad rendition of a pull up, complete with feet frantically kicking to take some of the weight off my biceps, and thrust my hand out to touch the top before falling back into my harness. It may not have been pretty, but the point was that I did it. There is something so fulfilling about reaching the top, and knowing that I mastered my body reminded me of the powerful mentality I have during a good interval workout. The outlook I had on climbing, as well as the physical aspect, was akin to racing. I would suggest, if you've never rock climbed before, that you try it out. It was a super fun activity as well as a great way to get some physical activity other than running. Come to think of it, it would be an amazing way to train for Nordic... Either way, my experience with it hopefully made me physically stronger and definitely challenged both my physical and mental capacity.