like a bat out of hell I'll be gone

Today, a new recent personal best in running: 11 minutes continuous at 7mph; 1.5 miles in 13:30, 2 miles in 19:10. Thirty-five minutes on the exercise bike, as well - I do think it helps my wind.

It seems, though, that my weak ankle may be playing up, so I might have to run less often.

Climbing: I flashed an orange 4, and on-sighted, with several pauses, an alleged grey 6B+. I believe strongly that the routes are graded inaccurately, though: that was a 6A, maybe 6A+, no more. (Although there are some graded 6As that are Bs, or even Cs, according to consensus.) I struggled partway up two of the aforementioned - decent effort, but no biscuit. I also made an attempt at an accurately graded 6A: got ost of the way up, but the last metre is all overhang, and the sloper just before it took a lot out of me. Also attempted an accurately graded 6B, to about halfway - awkward crux on the overhang - and sent a blue 5 on the slab that I flashed on Thursday - it's lovely and simple.

And that was quite sufficient exercise: I made it across town, barely, in time for my bus, and commenced part two of my present 3.5 hour daily commute.

And gods, I hurt now. And I am so very tired.

like a bat out of hell I'll be gone

Today, a new recent personal best in running: 11 minutes continuous at 7mph; 1.5 miles in 13:30, 2 miles in 19:10. Thirty-five minutes on the exercise bike, as well - I do think it helps my wind.

It seems, though, that my weak ankle may be playing up, so I might have to run less often.

Climbing: I flashed an orange 4, and on-sighted, with several pauses, an alleged grey 6B+. I believe strongly that the routes are graded inaccurately, though: that was a 6A, maybe 6A+, no more. (Although there are some graded 6As that are Bs, or even Cs, according to consensus.) I struggled partway up two of the aforementioned - decent effort, but no biscuit. I also made an attempt at an accurately graded 6A: got ost of the way up, but the last metre is all overhang, and the sloper just before it took a lot out of me. Also attempted an accurately graded 6B, to about halfway - awkward crux on the overhang - and sent a blue 5 on the slab that I flashed on Thursday - it's lovely and simple.

And that was quite sufficient exercise: I made it across town, barely, in time for my bus, and commenced part two of my present 3.5 hour daily commute.

And gods, I hurt now. And I am so very tired.

idle hands, work thereof

I have a confession to make.

I've been writing again. Re-writing, actually, since I got so stuck at 30K with the ongoing project way back in January, and have had neither time nor brain enough to examine why until the last month. This will be the third year of me working on the same book. Possibly the fourth: my records don't go back that far.

Each iteration of the first 20-30K words has gotten closer to the shape of the story I want to tell. I'm hopeful that this time, since I finally know who my antagonist is and what she's doing in the story, that this might be the iteration that ends up closer to a complete draft: I've spent the last two-three weeks patching old material in with new for the first 10K, and although it has far too many flaws, I'm still excited about it.

Three, four years on, I'm still excited about working on this. So I guess I'm stuck working on it until the excitement dies the final death, or I finish.

I'd really like to finish. But I have this thesis thing this year, so I'm not going to put myself under any pressure. What comes, comes.

idle hands, work thereof

I have a confession to make.

I've been writing again. Re-writing, actually, since I got so stuck at 30K with the ongoing project way back in January, and have had neither time nor brain enough to examine why until the last month. This will be the third year of me working on the same book. Possibly the fourth: my records don't go back that far.

Each iteration of the first 20-30K words has gotten closer to the shape of the story I want to tell. I'm hopeful that this time, since I finally know who my antagonist is and what she's doing in the story, that this might be the iteration that ends up closer to a complete draft: I've spent the last two-three weeks patching old material in with new for the first 10K, and although it has far too many flaws, I'm still excited about it.

Three, four years on, I'm still excited about working on this. So I guess I'm stuck working on it until the excitement dies the final death, or I finish.

I'd really like to finish. But I have this thesis thing this year, so I'm not going to put myself under any pressure. What comes, comes.