Tendinitis and so much more

Hey Lady,

So, since my fiance, Mike, has tendinitis in his arm, we put off climbing for a couple of days. Yesterday, however, he said he would belay me, if I wanted to go to the r
ock gym. At first, I rejected his offer: I thought it would be very boring to watch me climb my usual routes without him climbing at all. BUTTTTTT... after 4 days of not climbing, I couldn't resist. I definitely want climbing to be a part of my life for a long time... if not forever.

I am very much into this one overhang route that's ranked a 5.8 in our gym. I'm currently stuck on a part that requires me to transition from a 20 degree overhang to a 45 degree overhang... and let's just say my upper body strength just isn't there yet (and neither is my technique). After the overhang, I went to another 5.8 that I had completed at least two months ago, but I only finished once. Nailed it. I felt proud and definitely was the boost I needed. And then, I hit a 5.9 that was one of Mike's first routes. It is quite challenging, yet fun.

I've started to get into bouldering, and am currently trying to complete all the V1s in my gym. I've done a couple of V2s, already, but I like to finish the basics before moving on to the next level. Anyways, there was this one problem I couldn't solve; and a little girl goes up on the wall and flashes it no problem. I almost cried, I'm not kidding. But now I have the beta I need to move on ;)

When I did a little (and by "little" I mean I read something on wikihow) research on easing elbow tendinitis, it suggested an arm brace. Mike protested much, but once I showed him that amazon was selling a brace for basically $11 and it was prime eligible, he couldn't say no. He's had his tendinitis since he was in middle school: it would come and go depending on the exercises he would do. Although he's skeptical to try new things, and I'm afraid new things will turn out bad (though I hope not), he tried it and loved it!

Click on the pic, in case you're interested in seeing the Amazon ad:

Mueller Hg80 Tennis Elbow Brace

It had a lot of great reviews and it's super easy to put on. You can't mess up, and it doesn't cut off your circulation. Mike doesn't like the logo (which takes up the whole front), but as long as it works, I told him he should be happy. And I'm happy now that his tendinitis has eased a bit. He couldn't even pick up a bag of groceries before this brace!

Anyways, I hope you all have a great night. Anything hurting you lately? An epsom salt hand soak sounds really good to me right about meow.

Love,
Michelle

Talking About My Hands

Hey Lady,

So, I took a pic of my blistered hand...

So drai...

And, I'm not gonna lie, my calluses and blisters occupy my mind for the majority of my day. They're rough! I've had super soft hands almost 26 years of my life, and now sport climbing and chalk have turned my hands into scaly scales! My finger tips constantly mess and pick at them. However, I take much pride in how much they've developed. It means I'll become stronger (eventually) and be able to accomplish more difficult routes in the future (though, jugs do not seem too abundant in tougher routes).

My coworker, and close friend, Maria, is always trying to moisturize my hands. My job in a genetic diagnostic lab has me washing my hands at least 5 times a day. I keep trying this beeswax, all-natural hand balm, made with sunflower oil and shea butter because it's supposed to soften "hard-working hands". How I wish products would work as well as advertised. If I hadn't left it at work, I'd post the name right now. But for how greasy this product is compared to how moisturizing, the numbers would be horrible.

Anyways, I tried filing my calluses with a regular ol' nail file. That worked a little bit, but not too much. I'm thinking I just need to pull out my PedEgg to get these calluses to a manageable size.

Any suggestions on moisturizing hands? Which reminds me I still have to try the epsom salt wash/dip to ease hand pains.

Much love from a lady,
Michelle

Fear Getting the Best of Me

When I go to my local rock gym, I'm awed (...and... slightly jealous) of the youth team, fearlessly scrambling up the walls. They climb up and down, like it's no big deal. I want to climb like they do.

I have to breathe deeply for a few seconds before climbing a route that's a 5.7+ or higher. Right before a climb, I fight against my fear of heights, which, to be honest, is minuscule in comparison to my fear of failing. My belay partner/fiance tries to snap me out of my thoughts by saying I will most likely fail a route that's more difficult for me; so I should expect to fall, whether I go for the next hold and potentially not make it, or give up (which happens a lot). His words always seem to push my thoughts aside and I am able to finally start a route. Luckily for me, he keeps encouraging me along the way, keeping my devilish thoughts out of my mind.

After I get out of work, and if my fiance isn't studying for a quiz or exam, we'll hop on a bus to go to our rock gym. On the ride there, I feel like I'll conquer that 5.8 overhang I've been working on for a month... however, when I face the wall, I feel OTHERWISE. Maybe I become fearful because I feel unprepared (I only started rock climbing about 2-3 months ago... and my 'technique' is... let's say beginner-level); maybe I feel fearful because I'm still attempting to trust my climbing shoes. Maybe, I'm just a fearful person in general! I don't know, but I mostly don't like to dwell on thinking about it.

While on the subject of trusting my climbing shoes (which, in the last couple months, I've worn three different pairs), I rely more on my hands to keep me on the wall. My hands thank me every day, when I wake up and they're stiff, They slightly hurt to clench. When I talked to my mom about it, she said that since my 9-5 job requires me to type and use my hands all day, my fingers are becoming inflamed and swollen from overuse (and rock climbing). She suggested Omega-3s from chia seeds and gelatin (to replenish the collagen). I'll try that out soon.

My hands are also so rough and calloused from holding onto holds so tightly. I know I've got to relinquish my death grip on jugs... Yesterday, one of my callouses ripped off. I didn't have any tape (fortunately, my gym gave me some). I kept climbing as usual, but the area was tender and pinchy. My fiance had pulled his arm a little before my callous ripped off; so, fortunately, we called it an early night and left the gym.

I would like to keep posting in this blog about my progress as a 27 year old, short, beginner woman climber: all the ups, the downs, my learnings, shortcomings, fears, gear, etc. Please feel free to post a reply, or comment. Maybe when it's not midnight (and my fiance is sleeping), I'll post some pictures of my hands and gear and... stuff? We shall see.

Much love,

Michelle