The Castle – The Return of Sarah (by sarah)
Yesturday I went to the Castle climbing centre I was cery nervous as I didn't know if I would even be able to get up onto the bouldering walls from the floor, nor how the pelvis would react to such an activity.
I haven't attempted climbing since the day after our wedding, sure we've taken the scouts climbing a few times but with Jean being there and time constraints etc... we have never managed to have a little climb at such events. I was excited and worried and then too my suprise my body sort of remebered things though I was still pretty dreadful!
First off I refused to try things until we found a stretch of relatively flattish wall with like no one else around using it. I pulled myself onto it and intially had the problem that I always want to go up but once I realised I was supposed to go along thats what I did. Being me though I got a bit confused as there where too many hand holds and foots holds so the first time I went along the wall I just used what ever was handy then Al showed me that the different colours where different hardnesses of route so I did the 4a holds which are basically the easiest and then had a little go at the black holds later on but had to give up with trying them as pelvis had gone click.
My pelvis actually with stood me falling off onto crash matts whilst trying to navagate a tricky corner - Al tended to fall off at this point too. This was in the bit behind the protrusions they've called envy and lust. I did alot of trying to climb round the pink one of those too, again just using any old hand holds! Al said lots of girls tend to climb on that one becuase it is pink - I thumped him. He on the other hand was obessed with getting around using the wooden hand and foot holds on Envy which are apparently 4a's aswell though he had to stretch to do them so I don't know how I could manage them.
I managed another horizontal stretch of boldering wall but alas I tried to do a specific route and basically stretched too wide with my legs resulting in pelvis click. It didn't hurt but I know from bitter experience that once it has clicked it is very easy to make to properlly mobile and therefore painfull once more so I did the thing I find the hardest to do and stopped.
We had a sandwitch in the cafe place and then went back - I was sort of optomistically hoping the pelvis would have settled down but it hadn't so I just helped Al for our second half showing him where the holds where and sorting out the slight issue of why he was getting so breathless whilst climbing - to wit - he was concentrating so hard he was holding his breath and trying to wizz around the bolder before oxygen deprivation got him!
The after math today is that I have slightly acted up the pelvis but my disc (which I acted up on Wednesday probably as I didn't do my normal amount of daily wallking as I had acted up my knee on Monday by us walking from Angel to Highgate) feels alot better and my shoulder has so far really behaved itself much to my joy :). This makes me really happy as I really miss doing all the climbing and stuff and it makes me feel more like me 🙂
Fri 18th Apr 2008 10:20 am 
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By @ndy Macolleague, Fri 18th Apr 2008 @ 11:56 am
Hi,
This is good news. 🙂
Keep yourself mobile and your muscles will very quickly adjust.
I find that if I stop climbing sometimes I can go for months and when I come back I was as good as I ever was and sometimes I go a few weeks and I'm completely hopeless and have dropped 2 or 3 grades. I think that the most important thing is to eat before you go and warm up extensively: that makes everything else easy.
If I've not been climbing and my grade drops then I find that I can get back to where I was in just a couple of weeks if I go at least twice a week.
By far and away the biggest thing is confidence: if I start the day on something too easy or fall off something too hard early on then I can't complete anything else for the rest of the session. So, always start on something in the middle of your ability but slightly towards the top end. Take it easy and make sure you complete it.
I haven't been to The Castle for ages as it's just so far away. However, we climb at the Westway quite often (tho' we've all been pretty busy lately). Do you want to join our mailing list? You're welcome to come with any of us or just tell people when you're doing your own trips: I think more people would come across to The Castle if there was more prodding. 🙂 People on the list tend to climb at Westway, Ethos and The Castle. There are also some people who refuse to climb indoors at all. I don't think any of them go to Mile End. Perhaps we should try there sometime.
Good luck.
By Angie (Mum), Fri 18th Apr 2008 @ 12:34 pm
Well done, but it is important to remember to breath! Your shoulder Sarah I think benefits from being stretched, I know that if I can manage to stretch seriously a lot of the aches and pains go away. I know that you all enjoy climbing and perhaps you could all meet your brother some time, he has been to Mile End on a number of occasions and is often happy to travel further afield. I am glad you have both gone back to it, the exercise and enjoyment will calm and refresh an overworked brain.
love
Mum