Preparing for the Mitsubishi City Chase Part 2: Rock Climbing

It was a quiet walk from the parking lot to the climbing gym.  My friend Marla and I are usually pretty chatty, but this time there were big things on our minds.  Marla's fear is heights. Mine is anything involving upper body strength or lifting my own weight. It was going to be an interesting evening.  

As we stood in front of  the doorstep, I looked up to the roof, about three stories up, and trying to be positive I said "O.K.That's not bad, that's as far as we have to go. We can do that no problem."  Marla looked a little concerned. 

"Let's just get in there." she said. 

Inside, the walls are stucco white with strangely shaped brightly coloured formations seamingly haphazardly jutting out from from floor to ceiling. There are ropes everywhere and people are litterally just hanging around. They are chatting, laughing, swinging.  Much more at ease than we are, clearly this is no big deal to them...fun even. 

With our sweaty palms and too tight climbing shoes we follow the instructor over the bouncy floor to the practise room.  During a lesson on figure 8 knots and baleying, Marla and I learn that we hold each others lives in our hands--because we aren't edgy enough already.

Marla, headed for the top

Marla is first up on the wall.  She's awesome.  Although she is clearly pushing the limits of her fear of heights, she succeeds. I also manage, although it's a bit of a bumpy ride, to get her down without incident. 

Now it's my turn. 

First attempt to climb.  I fall off the wall.  Can't even get up on the first ledge. I hear that old familiar inner voice say "I honestly don't know if I can to do this." For a fleeting instant, I experience that childhood feeling of dispair. Since most of my life my arms have been too weak to support me, my brain immediately tells my body "no" when it encounters a challenges like this. "Shut up brain, what do you know anyway."

Marla is talking to the instructor. Nobody sees. I give myself a good talking to..."Ok.  Try again.  You can do this. You have been working on your upper body strength for months. You hang on and pull yourself up."  They are watching me again, and.... YES!!! I am up on the first part of wall.  

I know this sounds ridculous, but I will tell you right now, each step I took towards the top, on that first climb, was a personal victory, a validation of months in the gym.  In the end we both made about five trips up and down and ultimately reached the three story height of the building.   

On the walk back to the car there was a lot more conversation.  There were even  "high fives" as we laughed and reminisced about the walk into the gym earlier in the evening.  While we agree that neither of us is going to take our newly developed climbing skills outside anytime soon, we are both very glad we had the chance to give rock climbing a try.

Never quit,

Mary

Next Challenge: Mitsubishi City Chase, August 11, 2012. 

Follow me through the Chase on Twitter

@MaryJ_43Project

Preparing for the Mitsubishi City Chase: Part 1

When I unleashed The 43 Project I pictured a series of challenges like milestones in careful sequence along the road to July 12, 2013. Each well thought out, the preparation, the nutrition, the rest and the training almost a religious ritual. After all, am I not a decidedly middle aged responsible woman--fully in control?

The 43 Project unexpected lesson #1:

An awesome July 12 birthday celebration

I am, and always will be, the same drinking, staying up all night and partying sophomore I was in 1990. The challenge for me this time was leaving the party and getting back on the straight and narrow.

After an incredible July, which I wanted to go on forever, August arrived. The specter of the Mitsubishi City Chase on the 11th, loomed large on the calendar. I had promised my Chase partner that I would try as many things as possible to get a good base of experience for the race. July had gotten away from me and I hadn't really held up my end of the bargain.  I had to pull myself together.

In order to sever the connection between the evil city, that I love, and my current mid-life urge to live every moment as if it were my last, I sought refuge at a cottage in the woods by Moonstone Lake. I needed to do three things; sleep, eat properly and get some exercise.  Once again, I got by with a little help from a friend.

Luckily for me, Mrs. Guinness, one of my best friends, has a cottage near Moonstone lake and she was kind enough to introduce me to what I think may become my new aquatic passion...kayaking.

After just 5 minutes I was hooked.

Many of you have been kayaking for years, and now I can honestly say that I understand why.  The movement on the water and the stability in wind and waves is beautiful.  What was not beautiful, however, was the way I sort of rolled out of it on my side.  But I am sure that with practice I will be able to elegantly disembark. The City Chase has a kayaking challenge so at least I will know how to get into the boat.

Now that I am back in the city, and in the swing of training again, there is one more pre-Chase activity that I will be trying...rock climbing. I admit it...I am terrified.  I will be doing this tonight, so stay tuned.  If I don't freak-out or end up smashed like an egg I'll be posting again on Friday.

For advance notice of whether I made it or not, you may also wish to follow me on Twitter @MaryJ_43Project or by clicking on the link above.   I will send my first ever tweet from the rock wall.

Never quit,
Mary

A note on the Mitsubishi City Chase:

The Mitsubishi City Chase is an urban adventure challenge where teams of two follow clues and complete 10 of 40 possible challenges around the city.  Most, but not all, of the challenges are physical, some involve fear factor activities like eating bugs and holding snakes. Teams have six hours to complete the challenges. City Chase takes place in cities across Canada.