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hroldan
Sep 10, 2012, 8:53 PM
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marc801
Sep 11, 2012, 12:31 AM
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hroldan wrote: It's been so long since I posted here. My post count doesn't seem right  as I used to spend a lot of time reading and posting on this forum, not even the nicknames seem familiar  . A lot of memories coming back. Why this thread? I would like to read from people who stopped climbing and decided to come back. How was it? difficult? did you see any difference in your lifestyle? do you feel different now that you climb? time perception??? Little background: I started on the crags, trained on a gym but it was boring. Even built my own climbing wall and spent hours and hours every weekend at the local crags. Tried solo climbing (not free solo) and it was very fun to do a lot of tricks that you are able just because you climb, you know, your whole core system changes and it becomes fun to play at any bar than allows you to do pull ups. I had lots of energy and I mean lots, worked till late, very few hours of sleep, trained 3 times a week and hit the rock every weekend. Even had a few love relationships and yes had time for everything, always early, ready for climbing. Why off the climbing world? well I had a back injury, near surgery and it took me a lot of time to recover. The docs forbid me to run or doing any mountaineering. Good bye montains... I was forced to swim every week and take medications until the pain went away. I enter the biking world... Tried the mountains again and only got some serious pain again. I had no choice but to obey. Years later my whole lifestyle changed... I'm 34 and not even the shadow of my past days. After going deep into the biking world and some aikido I'm outside any sport now. Yes, nothing, zero now. The shame! One day at a local park a nice GF asked me to do some tricks on a bar. I tried and only got some deep pain everywhere ha ha ha  one pull up... that was it. Couldn't even lift my legs... so I remembered the climbing times when I trained roof climbing slowly lifting my whole body in horizontal position and then something made me say: " give me one month and you will see" and smiled. 15 days later I was doing 10 pull ups at full speed, stopping at 3 diff angles, no kicking. 5 more days after that I was lifting my body slowly in almost horizontal position and I can stop a diff angles without any pain or getting tired, and some other tricks... the flag is still too far away. What's the question I'm asking then? well about your personal experiences. My "power" is coming back but... I feel so sleepy now... I have little to zero interest and climbing seems like something I did on differnet life. I seriously lack motivation. I don't think I can go back, really. The climbing community in my country always been really small. Getting a climbing partner is harder than getting a girlfriend, you know that. And the gym is too boring for me. I'm older, I don't have that much time, etc. So my question is more related to well being in general, energy, motivation, lifestyle. I eat well, really wall, always been healthy but when I do some little training I get the feeling as someone stole 5 hours from me and all I want is to sleep!!!! sounds familiar or just getting old???  I already visited the doc and all the test come out as normal or above average (very good condition, still). Junkie??? a med suggested that perhaps I was so alive because of the constant climbing, you know, adrenaline and all of that, like a junkie, alive only when I climbed!!!!! Veterans are welcome.
You're posting all this and asking about being too old and you're only 34??? Child, come back when you have some serious miles and life experiences and we can talk. Like maybe when you're nearly 60.
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hroldan
Sep 11, 2012, 1:51 AM
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you didn't even get the idea: reading the post, not only the title... ruined the thread from start. It's about energy, motivation, not age. I invited veterans because they have experience over the years, not just "climbing"
silly post...
(This post was edited by hroldan on Sep 11, 2012, 1:52 AM)
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healyje
Sep 11, 2012, 3:26 PM
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Well, I'll take a stab at it as someone who's been at it over the course of 38 years, just turned 60, rope solos extensively, has been in and out of climbing / shape multiple times over those decades, and broke his back at 40 (not climbing).
The short story (for me) - it's all about emotional bang for the buck. When that's there, I'm climbing; when it's not, I'm not climbing.
The longer version? There isn't one. I'm pretty much a hedonist focused on what I enjoy as opposed to my many friends who are either disciplinarians who have never stopped climbing (whether they were enjoying it or not) or those who's identity is all about climbing and can't stop. While I may admire the former for their tenacity and zeal and pity the latter for such a weak external dependency, I suffer my own relationship with climbing and think we each have to find our own path and relationship with it. And for most that relationship is short and measured in months or years and seldom in decades.
It all comes down to what motivates and inspires you and - gasp - what makes you feel good in the moment. If that ever comes around again in a climbing context you'll put down the other half of that Suzy-Q and start doing what must be done (or not).
The odd thing is that after a certain number of cycles, in combination with PNW winters, I've come to actually enjoy the process of getting back in shape every spring and look forward to it. As I said, odd.
So without knowing your attitudinal leanings I certainly couldn't advise you as to a comeback or a swan song, but would mainly suggest you listen to what feels good and go with it. Come or go as you please, hopefully without too much agonizing and self-abuse in the process.
(This post was edited by healyje on Sep 11, 2012, 7:56 PM)
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tradmanclimbs
Sep 15, 2012, 1:39 AM
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The two things that keep me fired up about climbing.. Shareing climbs with special people. I may have done that climb a thousand times but it is a whole new experience to share that climb with someone that you care about.
Putting up new climbs.. And then shareing them with people that you care about.. sometimes shareing those climbs with total strangers is rewarding as well but shareing a climb with someone you are tight with is the real deal...
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billcoe_
Sep 16, 2012, 1:45 AM
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I think what Healyj says is pretty close. For me though, climbing, which I've done for @ 39 years now, has always seemed to have been an extension of love of outdoors and getting out into the wilderness and wild(er) places. I blew my shoulder out a while back and getting on rock recently has been somewhat painful. Thus I've been doing a lot less of it, and easy routes when I do, but I've been getting out into the woods as much if not more. I have a dog, for instance, that never goes to crags unless they are unknown backcountry ones, and she's been getting in all kinds of hiking mileage these days instead of staying at home. And instead of staying back with the dog while I go climb, my wife has been joining me on these excursions. It's been both fun to reconnect with her and to go on hikes to places where I had last visited 40-45 years back, and see the changes and relive some good memories while making new ones.
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hroldan
Sep 18, 2012, 2:43 PM
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Thanks rock climbers, it's been a long road leaving back rock climbing, biking, the mountains, caves, etc. I've been most worried about the metabolism slow down than anything else, Healyj gave me great insight via pm regarding that. I just hate getting sleepy after training, something that didn't happen before.
Sure we need motivation, sadly the community in my country is as autentic as a facebook fan page... and I have to admit, the forum doesn't seem as.... like... well you know.
I'm coming back but mostly to sports in general, I got slow (time is passing way slower than before and fast when I want it to slow down).
Lucky me I'm quickly recovering everything, I guess as Healyj said it takes a bit to speed up the metabolism again. I just get sleepy, I'm working on that.
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