Keep Up the Psych!

So something I have learned while living out here in the Middle East is that I am a very goal oriented person. If there is not something that I am actively working towards, I tend to become a huge slacker and lazy bum. But on the flip side, if there is a particular goal that I am working towards, I can endure just about anything to make sure I hit the mark. This drive has been most obvious in my climbing training this semester. This upcoming trip (coupled with the lack of climbing here) has really driven me to calculated training.

Before coming to the mid-east, I was I able to climb nearly 5 times a week. Therefore, I never really has time to training specifically because my body was always trying to recover from climbing. Now I live in a place where getting out to climb 1-2x a semester is a huge ordeal. So I have resorted to following an organized training regiment.

Training has been really good this semester. I have seen huge gains in strength and power, but as with most things in life, motivation can wane over time. The good thing about rock climbing is it comes with a community. As opposed to some "sports" that I have taken part in, the rock climbing community thrives off of the accomplishments of its members. So I have to give proper acknowledgement to the climbing community for keeping the psych high over the last few months. It has really helped motivate me to aid gym bolt-ladders, jug free-ropes, and campus endlessly in preparation for our upcoming road-trip.

So here's a shout-out to a few blogs that have a permanent seat on my safari "top sites" page. Although you may never even see this post, know that you are helping to keep up the psych!

jstarinorbit, Vertical Carnival, Cirque Ladies, and Climbing Narc

The Beginings

So this might be ambitious, but I'm starting a blog. Co-authoring this blog with me will be my good friend Cameron Frisby. This will be our way of updating friends and family, as well as documenting our extended hiatus from formal education, as we are educated in the ways of the dirtbag.

This coming January, Cameron and I will have finished undergrad and grad school respectively. In celebration of these accomplishments, we have decided to go on a little road trip. This trip has many purposes and goals, but the main activity will be rock climbing...and lots of it. Because we will be chasing warm weather, we have decided to start off south of the border and then gradually make our way up the western half of the US, with the excitement ending in Colorado. We expect to have many adventures along the way and look forward to sharing.

I say this might be ambitious, because I am starting a blog about our road trip 2 months in advance. But my hope is that we can use this time to get accustomed to blogging regularly as well as keep everyone updated on the training and planning phase of trip.

So here is the first blog (of many, I hope) for your viewing enjoyment. So stay psyched, pull hard, and keep coming back for more. Peace!