sleeping in airports and rats running over me

So it's been a bit since my last post. Life has been super crazy busy lately. Lots of climbing, a little bit of work, hangin' out with my girls, camping, and quite a bit of traveling. Tired. But good. Training has been going really good. It's been a different kind of focus as of lately. For me, climbing is amazing. So much to the point that i can lose focus and climb for the wrong reasons. It's so easy to get trapped into the thought process of, "I want to crush" and lose sight of why one really climbs. I climb because i love the feeling. The place it puts me. The drive that lurks beneath, the challenge it presents...and mostly...the mental state that it allows me to look deeper into. Lately, as per my coaches suggestion, i've been spending a lot of time just getting mileage in. At first it was a little frustrating as the routes i want to send...well they're right there...but not quite there. However now, though, i'm enjoying the mileage thing. I'm starting to see progress. I can hang on longer, i can hold onto smaller holds with less stress. It's working...and i'm psyched. It can be humbling to step back a bunch of grades...but in the end, it only makes you stronger.

One of the biggest things that i've been focusing on is the mental side of things. IT's gone pretty deep. It's hard. Scarey, and well even disturbing at times. But it's good...rrrreal good. The mental side of things is so important...more so than most of us give credit for. Digging deep doesn't mean eating more wheaties. It means having the ability to turn your mental state on and off at the drop of a dime. It means acting the part, so much to the point where even you begin to believe. IT's tough, super tough. But mental toughness plays 40% of your activities roll.

A couple of weeks ago i attended the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City. It was cool, busy, lots going on. I enjoyed meeting with some of my sponsors as well as meeting other potential sponsors. Again, very busy place to be...but beneficial if you have direction and goals/purpose. From Salt Lake i then traveled to Vancouver to climb in Squamish for 4 days. But before arriving in Vancouver, my 8 hour lay over in Seattle led me to sleeping in the corner, on the ground, of the seattle airport. That's right...my layover took me through the night. So, i decided that i was man enough to find me a nice space on the floor and settle in for the night. It was weird...but kinda cool. Well, up until i was woken up at 4am by another brave sole who slept on the floor telling me that i had to get up and get in line. It was a rough night for sleep.

Arriving in Vancouver at 6am, despite the lack of sleep i was super psyched to climb in squamish. It's always good to get on different rock...it pushes you, changes you, forces you to think differently than on your normal local crag. It was humbling at first to get spanked, but then motivating to adjust and push back! 4 days of bouldering and sport climbing left my arms spent. From there, we drove 12 hours back to home.

4 days later i was off again with my buddy Justin up to the Valhalla's. 8 years ago he attempted the South Arete of Mt. Gimli and was turned away for various reasons. Well, we were back and we weren't leaving until unfinished business was settled (pic attached of what we sent). It was quite the experience from start to finish. Whether it was the rats running over our bivy's at night, waking up half way through the night on the ground (my sleeping pad popped), or even the mt. goats climbing up along side of us as we pushed up the route. The exposure, not to mention, was surreal. I loved it. It was hard, it challenged me mentally, but all in all an amazing experience...good company led to the summit and accomplishment of a great climb.

In amongst all of this, i was also gone for 10 days putting on what turned out to be the talk of the industry. I'm, along side my business partner, the director of a huge bike festival now in canada. The business of this event really pushed me beyond my normality. The dedication, the commitment, the lack of sleep, the focus. It was all very straining in many ways. But, it was successful to say the least. I guess that means it was worth it.

No more traveling for a bit. Got a bunch of stuff coming down the pipe in sept and on, but for now...home with my girls. Train train train.

God i Pray that my focus lays with you. That my eyes don't leave site of what it is that you have for me. So easily i can step out on my own, trying to do things my way...which always leads to destruction in some form or another. I pray that you would watch over me in amongst the business of life. I pray that you would keep me close, letting me know when things start to lose balance. I love you God, for who you are, and for what you are, what you represent, and what you stand for.

Amen