Commuting seemed more like a chore than anything, and the cool rain didn't help that issue. I was glad to cut my route short and change into a dry pair of clothes that much sooner. The evening ride out to Rockville was better, but I'm still feeling pretty beat up from the weekend.
Climbing, on the other hand, made up for my lack of enthusiasm in other areas yesterday. My right hand is healed and just needs a little bit of TLC to prevent the dead skin from cracking too much. I taped the trouble spots for good measure and hooked up with Dean for some lead climbing. Before I could comfortably belay him, I told him he'd have to take a fall. Recall the reason for taping my hand in the first place is that the last time I lead belayed for Dean he took a fall and I broke that fall largely with my grip. Rope burn.
So he climbed up to about the second bolt on a moderate route, we both braced ourselves, and he dropped. No problem. He took another drop without warning a few seconds later. No problem. I'm sure this was twice as nerve racking for him given that he's the one who would get hurt if he actually hit the ground.
It's amazing how much better I felt about it all after going through this exercise. Lesson learned.
We hit a handful of other routes, all below 5.9. The lead aspect makes an easy route more challenging, and I was content to focus on smooth movement, breathing, etc. Afterward I spent some time in the bouldering area. I nailed a V5 after a few attempts, one of two problems I've completed at that level. My form is getting better and it is getting clearer how important this is in preventing strains and climbing with efficiency. I left the gym feeling very satisfied, and I'm looking forward to more on Thursday.
The greyness of the sky complements my ambivalence about turning my legs in circles so I'm not biking today.
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