Issues

I have some...

The aberlour a'bunadh (left) is mustard!

My New Year’s Resolution? To drink more world whiskies. Starting with Japan.

Merry Christmas

A belated Merry Christmas from all at Moose Towers

Tyre tribulations

Behold, have you ever seen a puncture quite like this?  I swear, a Stinger would have done less damage.

Not what you want in the pouring rain on the way home from work.  I took shelter in the doorway of a block of flats in order to change the tube (then still had to change the tyre when i got home) – of course I picked flats that were some kind of supported housing and had residents begging from me.

It certainly beats the shard of ’12.

North Norway Ice update

I have finally updated our guide-blog with the info Ian Parnell provided back in (rather ashamedly) February. I can only apologise for the delay – babies have that effect.

He has written a great article in this month’s Climb magazine (Jan ed.).  A preview can be found here but the full article includes some fantastic photos.

I’ll be picking up a copy, if I ever actually make it to the climbing wall again...

The ever-retiring climber

The below chart makes interesting yet depressing reading.  It is the total number of climbing ‘sessions’ I have had in each year. Sessions can be anything from a quick hour down the wall on the way home from work to a 16 hour beasting ice climb but the same rule has been applied throughout so it’s pretty consistent.

I haven’t counted anything done at home – so no fingerboarding (not that I do really) or climbing on the home wall (not that I do really) or any of this recent Ice Rig Training.

It’s no coincidence that my 7b redpoint came at the end of 2011.  Then came the run, the house and the baby.

Having a bit of a rest this week from both training and diet but back on it next week.

Nick’s lightness of being

The 32 days of my Birthday Challenge are over, and in the main, it has been a success.

The Ice Rig Training has shown great promise (if it is a transferable as I hope), especially in the last week or so when the time has really ramped up and I have seen big gains. In the beginning, ten minutes seemed a long time, now I can consider doing that long without a rest.  The neighbours have also noticed me now.  I intend to have a couple of days rest before starting back up with some short morning sessions and fewer longer evening sessions – possibly wearing some weight.

I have mostly stayed off sugar and dairy, without being particularly strict. For example, I am eating raisins and dates and not checking ingredient lists for sugar, but have avoid all cake and puddings.  Similarly, I have avoided ‘added dairy’, but have also found myself eating things like fish pie and pizza.  In fact the whole dairy thing was a bit moot, as it was pretty much enforced by the no sugar bit anyway (in my life, dairy means ice cream and cake).  The most important thing, while I fully intend to eat some cake tonight, I don’t feel like it will be very difficult to stick to.

The booze thing I gave up on – I am ashamed to say I used it as a crutch to get through the lack of cake. Oh well, I am over it already.

 

As for my weight, there has been a steady decline – in strict before and after terms, I lost 7.5lbs, but this is an exaggerated figure (it’s more like 5.5lbs) due to Armageddon going off in my guts on Friday. The worst episode of the Fiery Squits I have had since the famous Ecuador incident of 2004.  Unfortunately I was forced to miss Friday’s double T25 session – trying to do it would have only resulted in me sharting myself.  Those unpleasant 24h hours can best be described by way of the below pictorial metaphor:

On that note, good day to you.