Hey Grant,
I’m posting this on the site as I’m not sure your e-mail is working…
Any luck finding a partner for your trip? We are heading north for cooler weather the second week of June. Do you have your dates finalized yet? Dan sent Ruby’s last summer. It’s a beauty. June might be a decent time to visit. It will be hot, but the crowds will be dying down. You can wake up super early and chase the shade around. I love being the only pair at a crag in the early mornings of August! I do know a guy that likes climbing big cracks and hopping on 13’s every once and a while. He scrapes by on odd jobs in town so he might be into the “guide” idea. Are you planning on checking out Mill Creek as well?
Next week we are heading to Red Rocks to climb long, easy classics that we have never done. Dan shoulder is bothering him and my back still isn’t quite right so a nice mellow trip should be right up our alley. I climbed four routes at the Creek yesterday and feel pretty out of shape after my 6-week hiatus. Oh well – at least I feel super-psyched to be climbing again. Forced rests are always good for the motivation.
I had an interesting conversation with my rolfer last week. She is convinced I am strong enough and need length not strength. There sure are a lot of different ideas out there.
Hope things are well.
Megan

Grant,

Wow, I am sorry I have not been in touch with you for a while. I ended up missing a week of work because of my back. And as soon as I started to feel a bit better and returned to work (very behind on the things I needed to accomplish), my in-laws arrived for a week stay in our very tiny apartment. At the end of their stay, Dan fell ill with a really nasty stomach flu that has been making it’s way around Moab. It has been madness here.

I would really, really, really appreciate any info you would like to pass my way in regards to back health. Sunday was the first day I was able to go for an extended walk and my back didn’t feel that great on it. I have had one rolfe session and have been doing a lot of stretching, but my progress still feels kind of slow. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to climb, which is weighing me down a bit (especially with our recent sunny skies). I am patient though and want to be healthy and fit for our road trip this summer.

I have done some core work with a couple of physical therapists in the past. I always thought it helped until a couple of years ago when I reached a point where nothing seemed to be working. That is when I discovered rolfing, I am interested in strengthening my core while still staying flexible and not creating a muscular imbalance. I think I have a typical climbers posture (if not a little exaggerated). My shoulders and chest kind of cave in causing some scrunching in my abdomen. I noticed that you mentioned stretching as part of the rehab though.

As far as my nutrition – it always seems to come back to the basics, doesn’t it? Eat whole grains, fruits, veggies, limited sweets. I will definitely be more aware of trying to eat more on rigorous days though (when I have them again). And I have really been concentrating on hydrating lately.

I hope all is well with you and look forward to hearing from you.

Megan

Thanks Grant, just ordered a copy. I have a book somewhere that has a lot of information on 'Macgyver WFR' as I like to call it. You know, using a bottlecap some string and two nickels and splinting a compund tibia fracture. :) I'll let you know the title of it as soon as I find it. I think you'd enjoy it.
wishing you well
-Sam
Licentia Haud Vestigium

Thanks for the information Grant. I need to start learning more about stress and repetitive motion injuries. I have plenty of knowledge of emergency and ALS care. But, thank God, I don't have to use my skills too often. Are there any other books that you would recommend?
Thanks!
Sam
Licentia Haud Vestigium

I’m not ready to invest in any calorie counting software, but last night I added up how many calories I might take in for a full day of Indian Creek cragging. On a good day (more food), I think I might eat about 1900 calories (about half of those calories come from pigging out when I get home). I went online and added my stats and activity level (they didn’t have explicit directions for choosing) into several different calorie calculators. Every calculator gave me a different answer ranging from 1, 800 calories/day to 2,500 calories/day. Needless to say, this research hasn’t cleared much up for me.

I am going to try and get an idea of how many calories I consume on a non-climbing day. Last weekend I injured my lower back in a casual game of kick the can with the neighborhood kids, so I should have plenty of time for recording my diet. I might not be climbing or running for weeks.

I have maintained a fairly steady weight since reaching my current height (just shy of 5’5’’) at around 16. I currently weigh about 111. I know that is light, but my brothers and I have always been really scrawny. The lowest I have been is 107 (pre-season freshman year before I fell apart physically). The most I have ever weighed is about 116 (for several years while on the pill). If I wasn’t getting enough calories wouldn’t I be losing weight?

I think you have pointed out one important habit though – I will sometimes not eat or have difficulty choosing a food, if I can’t find something healthful. And sometimes when my blood sugar level gets really out of whack (shaky, grouchy, mentally slow) I can’t find any food that is appealing to me. It is a very strange experience because I know I need to eat to feel better, but I can’t choose a food to get there. I’m going to try and be more conscientious about getting some food in even when I don’t like the choices.

What do you think about the calorie calculator results?

Megan

Grant,

Thanks for all the great information. I learned two great lessons about fat and iron back in high school when my parents were on a serious diet while I was doing two-a day workouts to get ready for college soccer. I ate what they bought at the store and ended up with a ferritin level of 7 by the time I got to school that fall. I was a decent runner back then and I don’t think I could have broken a 7-minute mile if my life depended on it – it was pretty desperate and I had no idea what was happening to me. Even when I am taking supplements though, my iron never seems to get very high. I also learned the painful way, through overuse injuries and exhaustion, to not over train. Unfortunately, I feel like I’ve never really recovered from my “lessons”. Maybe I’m just getting old or maybe some people just weren’t made to run ultras or do two-a-day workouts.

It was easier to refuel after exercise when I was a running or playing soccer, but I find this to be a tricky situation with climbing because I am usually at the crag or on a route all day. My partner and I usually crag at Indian Creek 2-3 days a week and road trip 6-8 weeks a year. I know this sounds pathetic but I am really small and hate carrying weight - Indian Creek racks are ridiculously big so I usually try and lighten my load by skimping on water and food. I do the same thing on long routes. And to be honest, I usually don’t feel that hungry, thirsty, or weak when I have a long day of climbing with little hydration/nutrients. Perhaps this is why my recovery is lagging though. Last weekend when I was trying to be conscientious about hydrating, I didn’t even manage a liter of water over the course of the climbing day.

Do you know if there have been any studies correlating allergies/nutrition to tendentious? My partner recently realized he was lactose intolerant after a couple of years of digestive problems. After cutting lactose from his diet for a couple of months, tendentious in his elbow, plantar fascittis, and ITB syndrome have all cleared up. He has seen a drastic improvement.

I have also had great results in the past year from rolfing (rolf method of structural integration). Problems with my SI joint continued through several years of PT and some attempts with chiropractic work, but my back and headaches have seen some drastic improvements with rolfing. I am sure success depends on the rolfer and patient, but I have had great luck with the practice.

I’ll check out Eric Horst’s book.

Thanks again,

Megan

Hello Grant. I feel as if I haven’t been recovering as well as I should be after long climbing days – muscle soreness and fatigue. After reading one of your blogs, I wondered if I wasn’t hydrating enough. I tired to drink more out at the crag yesterday and even more when I got home last night, and I feel a little better than usual today. Do you have any other suggestions? I seem to always mess up with nutrition – it’s frustrating. Thanks, Megan