Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 51 of total 51 in this topic |
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 7, 2009 - 01:02pm PT
|
It's been a solid week since I got home from Yosemite but I am still beat and weak!
I just counted the pitches I did in my three week trip and came up with 114, counting the jugging and hauling to the pitch above Mammoth on the Shield.
We didn't do a bunch of hard climbing, there is probably less than 14 pitches of mid range 5.11 in there, much 5.10 and 17 pitches of jugging, hauling and aid climbing. Since we rapped off the Shield from under the roof, there is that many pitches of rapping and lowering the bag, we also climbed to Dolt and rapped off, and then to Mammoth on the Freeblast and rapped off and did the East Ledges rappels twice (we were getting pretty good at rapping off!).
All in all, 12 routes including the Shield attempt and the NIAD where I led the whole route.
I trained for this trip pretty much from February till the week before I left. Mt Biking, lifting weights for endurance and 45 minute laps on my local, boring, sport club wall were my regime, 3 days a week. After every workout I drank 16 ounces of a protein mix that really seemed to help me recover. When I arrived in Yosemite I felt rested and strong. I felt I was as fit and any 54 year old could be. I was easily down to my BITD weight and was feeling very confident and PSYCHED.
After the Nose, I climbed the Braille Book with my wife and then the East Butt of El Cap and the Nabisco Wall with my partner, John, each time mentioning that I was dead tired and couldn't climb another pitch.
I expect that I'll be this way for maybe the next month. I'm sleeping a lot, not doing much of anything but am still drinking my protein drink and daily Advil to reduce swelling in my joints (my knees and elbows are aching for the first time in my life).
My one regret is that I didn't train for power as much as I did endurance.
Anyway, I'm just sayin'. It's interesting
|
|
Srbphoto
Trad climber
Kennewick wa
|
|
No offense - you're old :) You are not 25 anymore. You just are not going to recover as well. All the training you did helped. But remember, you only worked out 3 days a week. You went home, slept in your bed, ate normally, probably got a lot more rest while at home. You didn't have to contend with the weather as much, etc, etc, etc. Plus you kept pushing it even when you were already whooped.
I think doing endurance training was fine, what you didn't do was rest enough while in the Valley.
This is actually very common, you will feel better. Just take it easy, do some easy exercising and relax. It may take a month or so to feel normal.
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 01:25pm PT
|
Yes, not resting enough while in the Valley, and yes again, I ain't young anymore. I expected to be beat, just not this beat. I can't say I'll do too much different for my next trip though, maybe try to work in a little more power training.
|
|
Srbphoto
Trad climber
Kennewick wa
|
|
You know this happens a lot to people who do their first marathon. They put months of training toward a goal and go out and do it. Then they have trouble even going out for short runs for a month (or more). They talk about how everything hurts and they don't feel very motivated. Even getting a mile or two can be a chore.
I wonder if any of our world travelers have similar experiences when traveling for a big climb, succeeding, and then feeling similar to you once home.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
|
|
Mark, don't sweat it man. You did great.
I did 110 pitches in three weeks there once, including an El Cap route,also the Harding route on Conness in a day......in 1985! And I was beat for weeks after it seemed.
I'm 48, and when we did 60 pitches in 3 weeks in RMNP I was tired too.
Of course I didn't train as much as you, but hey, it's a sure sign that you're still in there kickin'!! That's the main thing man.
Just feel good about it.
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
|
|
You kicked ass for anyone, and especially for someone our age. I need a cup of coffee just to read this.
What's next?
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 02:49pm PT
|
No, I'm not complaining at all, just making an observation. I knew it was going to happen and I'd do almost the exact same thing next time.
I want to get up on Freerider next spring and the only thing I'll do differently is to train more for power. A NIAD ascent, this time sharing the leading, might also happen.
I ain't dead yet so I'm going to keep doing this sh#t as long as I can.
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
hey there mark... say, rest up and revel in the wonders of what you've done...
thanks for the shares, and even more so---as to how your body fared, and how you prepared....
say i have been very busy of late, trying to write my stories, so i am missing some very great trip reports here (due to the fact that i can't wait for the pics, to download)... so:
my question is... do you have a link you can post for this trip report... (hhhm i dont THINK i've seen it, anyway?)..
thanks so very much... will then try to get to see all the glory that was earnestly worked for... :)
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
inspirational for sure! I have a hella bit of work cut out for me, at 55... Mark's NIAD and Mike's 5.14 in Maple Canyon...
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 03:06pm PT
|
The trip report for the NIAD will probably be trip report for the whole trip, since it involves all the work, climbing and emotional ups and downs. It might be a while. I have photos of the rest of the trip but only Tom's photos of us on the Nose for the NIAD.
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
hey there say, mark.. thanks for posting... :)
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
|
|
what she said!
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 03:13pm PT
|
Okay, okay, I'll start working on the NIAD trip report.
|
|
Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Oh, you know.....Here & there
|
|
Excellent! I look forward to it.
Props.
|
|
rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
|
|
Age; it gets the best of us. Hell, even when I was young I needed a week to recover from a wall. Now its more like a month.
And by the way, I don't think I've done 100 plus pitches in the last ten years COMBINED. you're killing it.
But I can say that I notice, the older I get (55 now) the harder I have to work just to stay even. Its pretty discouraging. At this point I pretty much know I'm not going to get better. But it takes hours and hours of working out each week just to maintain general fitness. Sometimes (like the last 3 or 4 months in particular) it hardly seems worth it. I'm up 20 lbs in the last 8 years or so, but I find it really hard to get motivated to go out and run or ride everyday, which is what I need to keep the weight off. And in the end I'm going to die. duh
|
|
rotten johnny
Social climber
mammoth lakes, ca
|
|
at 54 i have maintained my endurance and virility by drinking a quart of tamalax once a day.....try it on your next wall...the stuff works....
|
|
Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
|
|
I feel your ache. The last time I got off El Cap I was so sore, it took days before the total pain subsided enough for me to realize I completely ruptured my achilles tendon.
Our bodies know how to go as far as we demand them to. When that's over, the body submits the bill.
Pay up!
Karl
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
|
|
"Pay up!"
That's perfect Karl....it really is.
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 07:07pm PT
|
Dang though, I'll pay this price again and again as long as I can keep doing it, eh?
|
|
micronut
Trad climber
fresno, ca
|
|
You probably have Bird Flu or SARS.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
Mark- What stopped you on the Shield, if you don't mind my asking?
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 07:46pm PT
|
I know, I know, I'm going to die but hopefully though, not for a few more years.
John got sick. We late found out that his whole family got sick the day after he left home. He was exhausted and dizzy the whole time once we hit Mammoth. We spent the night on Gray Ledges but when we got to the roof, it was decision time and he was just not feeling well enough. I was devastated but it was the right decision. He recovered a few days later and we finished up by having a great trip. We have plans to go back next fall. (third times the charm, eh?)
|
|
healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
|
|
Mark, I'm 57 and was plagued by shoulder pain / arthritis for quite a few years and doing the daily Advil thing as well until this year. I swapped out the advil for the brew below at the start of the year, despite a healthy amount of skepticism, with the result I've been off advil and essentially pain free for the first time ever. The only downside is it seems you pretty much have to ramp up to some sort of saturation levels and so it takes about three months or so for the full effects to kick in. But, for me, the payoff has really worth all the hassle and expense. The advil is just tough on the liver and kidneys, particularly while trying to recover from extremely demanding levels of physical stress when they are already working that much harder.
Vitamin D3
Turmeric Force
Zyflamend
Resveratrol
EGCg Green Tea Extract
Quercetin with Bromelain
glucosamine/chondroitin
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
|
|
you said it Mark! That expresse's why so many of us codgers are still in the game.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
Thanks Mark. Best reason to bail that I know of. Takes all the fun right out of climbing.
If you know a good massage practitioner, take advantage of some bodywork.
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
Joe
How did you come up with this brew and their ingredients?
Looks interesting.
And Mark, take a nap. You'll feel better ....:-)
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 08:13pm PT
|
Joe, yes, thanks, I'm on it!
Jaybro, I have no expectation of living forever, in fact, I don't want to live forever. I was once young and I had a young mans body. I'm getting old and I have a getting old mans body. That's just fine by me. One of these days I'll be dead and that will be fine by me also. Living life is what it's all about.
I'm 54 and I led every pitch on the Nose in 15.5 hours. If someone else is 54 years old and does it faster, I'm all over it and I'll cheer that person on and buy him a drink when he gets down.
|
|
nature
climber
Tucson, AZ
|
|
From the Turmeric Force page:
To Deliver the Wisdom of Nature thus relieving suffering and promoting optimal health.
look... I'm just sayin'.... Wisdom... well... I kinda blush at the concept but maybe.
Joe, No MSM? Get on that and add marine phytoplankton!
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
One of these days I'll be dead and that will be fine by me also.
Are you sure?
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 08:36pm PT
|
Don't you think, Werner? We can't do anything to prevent it, can we? I guess I could go live in a box and not take any risks but that is not living to me.
I don't want it to happen but I might get killed on the way to work on Monday. I don't want that to happen but I can't control that it won't. I have to be happy with the life I've lived so far. Every single moment of that life so far is precious to me. I have to be happy with it all so far. Really and truly, I'm happy with it.
If I die tomorrow,, raise a glass to me and say, "Hudon, he f*#kin' lived"! and then go out and live!
|
|
healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
|
|
Werner, I'm a software architect and a very non-athletic, but auto-injured project manager at one of my clients turned me on to it.
Oh, and on the dying thing. Trust me, I've never been here before, I'm never coming back, and after surviving to this point it's pretty much all gravy and I'd have no regrets if I checked out tomorrow.
You friggin' go Mark! Did you ever get out with Anglin at all before he checked out?
P.S. Nature - I'll look'em up.
|
|
KitKat
Trad climber
Lake Tahoe, CA
|
|
Mark- YOU ROCK! Awesome performance! Get your well-deserved rest and get back at it!
|
|
Ray Olson
Trad climber
Imperial Beach, California
|
|
Hudon, amazing performance man.
what an inspiration...
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 08:49pm PT
|
Joe,
Yeah, that's exactly right.
No, I met him once or twice and really wanted to get out with him.
Kitkat and Ray, Thanks.
|
|
nature
climber
Tucson, AZ
|
|
the marine phytoplankton isn't cheap. that can be skipped if budget is a problem. if you do it - Ocean's Alive brand is the only way to go.
MSM is something everyone should be doing IMHO.
And yeah... nice run in the valley, Mark. Wish I had three weeks to try and clobber myself like that :-). I'm just happy I came back from five days in the creek and felt better after I got home than before I left.
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
LOL Thanks Joe and Mark.
Nature what is MSM?
Sounds narly ....
|
|
healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
|
|
Total bummer on Anglin. After retiring as a fireman he was on an endless circuit between the Menagerie, the Valley, Indian Creek, Red Rock, and Mt. Hooker. And he really motored on Valley granite pegging fast times on any number of lines. I tend to move pretty fast as well and he was trying to get me to do NIAD with him saying we could put up the oldest combined age count on it. I'm a fair hand with rock, but granite and crack climbing really aren't my deal so I passed on it - you're the one who should have hooked up with him, damn. Mark Cartier is here in PDX and did NIAD with Hans a couple of years and would also be a good one for you to hook up with.
|
|
nature
climber
Tucson, AZ
|
|
MSM == Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane.
It's an organic form of sulfur and metabolite of DMSO.
FWIW following calcium and phosphorus sulfur is the third most abundant mineral in the body. Nearly half of it is contain in muscle tissue, skin, and bones (and connective tissue).
it's also a natural antioxidant.
It's helped me work through minor injury and recovery from intense workout/yoga.
Makes your hair and nails grow long and fast too!
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
|
|
Mark, I'm with you, and don't think i said anything to imply that living forever would be a good thing. I was born in '56 and sometimes think I have a couple more El Cap routes in me. Cheers on your ascent, if that wasn't clear, before.
|
|
Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
|
|
Werner, it is: Methylsulfonylmethane
Used in animals, notably horses and now in the human population. Rather unfounded science on it. It is supposed to relieve osteoarthritis and reduce all kinds of evil in the body. Stems from the amazing and radical, DMSO, the original excitement from the fifties. (Dimethulsulfoxide); a compound that even if you just touched it you immediately tasted it; it just flies through the body. Give this stuff to a horse and it gets radical garlic-breath.
Mark you are my hero, man. You give me hope. Worked out since February, wow. What a stud. Hope the coffee business is doing well!!
best, Peter Haan
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
Whoa ...... thanks Doug
I'm going to look into all this stuff.
My quest to become superman will be realized thanks to you guys.
|
|
nature
climber
Tucson, AZ
|
|
dude... you already are superman.
i've got a long laundry list of suppliments I do to try and be superman:
MSM
marine phytoplankton
Acai
Cacao
Maca
AFA Blue-green algae
Turmeric
Chlorela
Spirulina
14 medicinal mushroom blend - including reishi, cordeceps
aloe juice
kombucha
bee products - honey, propolis, pollen, royal jelly
there's more... heh
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
Looks good
I don't like mushrooms, mold. Hmmmm I wonder why ....
I'm Mort meek.
You'll be superman in no time.
|
|
nick d
Trad climber
nm
|
|
54, and your elbows just now started hurting?
You don't, just by chance, have a big red S on your chest, do you?
My joints have hurt since I was a teenager, you must be one super-stud kinda guy. Pretty kick-ass performance on the Nose, congrats to you and your partner.
Seems like a top notch performance even without considering your age. I imagine most teams in their prime would be happy with that kind of time. I know I would!
Congrats again, and thanks for posting up! A very enjoyable read!
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
Right On, Mark! That is the spirit talking!
My father taught me to live on the same basis and I am right there with you.
I kept a journal when I soloed The Turning Point back in 1984. Very high on the adventure, I wrote the following, at twenty six: It makes me smile to think of myself as an old man with a gleam in my eye from having risked it all so often and gotten away.
Regret from not grabbing life by the horns is the worst fate of all.
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2009 - 09:58pm PT
|
Thanks to all again,
Jaybro. I understood what you meant.
|
|
healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
|
|
Nature, that's quite a list as well of stuff I've never heard of. I quit the MSM because someone told me it was problematic.
|
|
nature
climber
Tucson, AZ
|
|
I'd be interested in hearing about how it might be problematic.
|
|
SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
|
|
Mark
You probably deserve to be beat after what you did.
I hope you get to feeling better, in any event.
Thanks again for a great thread about your trip!
|
|
Hummerchine
Trad climber
East Wenatchee, WA
|
|
Mark, your description of how you feel is exactly the way I have felt after every ascent of El Cap, no matter my age at the time! I typically feel insanely great the day after the descent; and then physically ill for at least two weeks thereafter! I soloed Lurking Fear three years ago (I'm 52 now) and made the mistake of going to Indian Creek for the first time a week later. Let's just say that did not go so well...for more than one reason...heh!
I think your trip sounds freaking incredible! I'm way envious. As others have pointed out, what you did is quite impressive for anyone at any age. I'd love to do the NIAD, I just don't think I can climb that fast! I'd have to follow somebody like you. I saw you give a really cool slide show back when I was in College in Seattle, great to hear that you are still shredding!
|
|
| Messages 1 - 51 of total 51 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!