Pushing my Limits

On Wednesday I attended my very first professional training session with my sponsored team. We were introduced to our trainers Ged and Mark who explained how the training sessions were going to work and what was expected of us as a team. We were given a list of the BASE expectations which are as follows.

• To keep a diary to record every aspect of our training and climbing
• To adjust our mentality toward climbing
• To increase what we perceived as our maximum effort
• And to change what we perceive as failure 

Ged also explained that there will be a level of ability we have to have reached with in two months from now in order to be able to maintain the sponsorship. 

• To be able to complete a specific traverse with skill focus.
• To be able to climb at a V4 grade continuously
• To be able to do 6 pull ups (girls) 15 (boys)
• to be able to complete 3 reps of a press up routine
• To be able to climb every single green route in the climbing hanger in 15 mins

The session we the went on to partake in was 2 hours of pure endurance training. Needless to say I have never in my life been pushed so far towards my physical limit. I reached points in the 2 hours where I was physically no longer able to carry on and I did carry on. It was absolutely fascinating to experience reaching a physical limit and then to realise that I was actually capable of pushing myself that little bit further. The whole experience was mind blowing, exhilarating and amazing. Although I finished the session exhausted beyond words, hurting everywhere and missing a good proportion of skin from the palms of my hands I still managed to finish! 

I am 100% determined to reached the required level of fitness that is required of me with in the next two months. It will require me to attend the training sessions every friday, to train one more day a week on my own accord, to climb another one day a week to run once a week and to attend a gym class once a week. I also aim to compete where ever I can in order to maintain a competitive mentality. 

If this whole process isn't screaming to be used to create art I don't know what is.