Senior World Cup Kranj

I was worried how I would perform as my hectic life has made doing all the training I want difficult.  However at least this was well timed for a few days away as it was reading week, so I would not miss too many lectures.  I gave Luke a lift to Stanstead on the Thursday night, to fly out on the Friday.  Friday night the running orders were announced and I was to be first up, with the difference in time I was to be competing at 8am UK time. 

Senior qualifiers

I had a good read of what would be my first route (2^nd qualifier), the plan was to go from the orange pocket, crossing left onto the crimp, then going right out to a sloper, then turning the left crimp to an undercut and finally crossing right to another sloper in the roof.  I was such an idiot, when I got to the first sloper I tried to left shoulder to the sloper in the roof – this was really stupid, it was too hard to undo my mistake and I fell.  How often do I make silly mistakes!  I was really disappointed; I passed the beta onto the rest of the team. I just had to focus on my other route.  This went much better, I stuck to my route reading and I could give useful beta to a decent height to the rest of the team.  I ended up 33^rd on this route, but 49^th overall.  It’s so frustrating knowing I have the fitness (so better nutrition is working), it’s just getting the brain to work.  Hopefully next year I will put two decent performances together at one of these comps.

For a lead climber I have been busy taking part in the Northern University Boulder Series (NUBS), I have done two of these rounds so far, my second round was an improvement on my first, (better route reading).

This weekend I took part in the Plywood Masters Bouldering Competition, and completely shocked myself by making the finals.  I was really worried about how hard the problems would be in the final, however I surprised myself again and finished 5^th overall.

Two lives in One.

Since my summer blog I have started at Sheffield University.  I was somewhat shocked to find my timetable had 30 hours of contact time, before I even start any own study.  On top of this there is finding time for cooking – or at least eating (and washing) – welcome to the real world!  Somehow I also need to fit in training, why else am I at Sheffield.

3 weeks after entering the real world it’s time for the BLCC, a nice 10 min drive to the wall (sometime things work ok), picking a few  mates up on the way.  Day one was the junior comp.  The day went pretty well, resulting in retaining my BLCC title.  This is now the 4^th time in a row I have won my category in the British Lead Climbing Championship!

Junior final route

Junior podium 

Back to student digs for the night.  Sunday dawned and I felt rubbish, I had just not recovered.  Three weeks of poor nutrition had finally taken its toll.  I was up 4^th and was not ready- great photo from Pete Wuensche you can just see I feel grim.  

Photo: Pete Wuensche

I was feeling much better a couple of hours later for my second route (making 7^th place) but my result of the first qualifier dragged me out of the final.  I was really disappointed not to make the finals, but learnt a huge lesson on nutrition.  It is very hard to be fully committed to two hugely time consuming lives – and trying to cram them in one life – and then remembering to eat properly.  I am pleased to say I am more sorted now.