Showing posts with label Injuries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Injuries. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Ligaments and Lacrimation

So, I hurt my ankle. Nothing heinous, just a sprain.

The offending ankle
Last week, as is now becoming tradition, I foreran for ABS Nationals. As an integral part of the setting team (actually this is something of a falsehood, I've just got them convinced I'm an important part), I'm expected to take repeated and semi-controlled falls from the top of the bouldering wall. Being on the setting crew for a competition is a prime place to hurt oneself. There are no warmups, sometimes tweaky moves, and ladders and tools everywhere. Not that that has anything to do with the story of the ankle injury though, that's just an anecdote to impress upon you how cool I am. I hurt myself in a far less 'extreme' manner, and without an entertaining story. 

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

USA Mountain Running Championships 2013--Cranmore Mountain---A tough trip

I am a week away from the Cranmore Hillclimb!  This is my first time up this slope and  I am very excited to have the chance to run up this incredible slope with the BEST competition at a USA Mountain race ever. Not only will runners such as Max King, Joe Gray, Matt Byrne, and so many others but tons of fast road racers are giving this race the shot at making the team.  Whether I make the USA team or not, that is not my worry, I am going out there to compete and to have fun. Recently, I have really taken a liking of the ultra distances and though this race is a mere 12k, it incorporates some great elements you could feel in an ultra.  With tons of ups and downs, this race is very exciting and I look forward to another fun competition. Heading out to New Hampshire at least once every summer has become a starting tradition for me. With Acidotic Racing, one of my gracious sponsors, heading to New Hampshire feels more like a family reunion. I am so excited about the race and with smelling some of that fresh mountain air.  I will provide more with pictures and a full-race recap when all is said and done!


The push to the finish!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

After returning to the US late Nov 5 homeless and jetlagged, I went to Montana (place of origin) and stayed with my mother for more than two months. During this time, I started and finished writing a travel guide for the iPhone (available in the iTunes app store under "Wasatch Skiing Essentials)...


During this time, I also experienced no less than broken memory sticks and motherboard, 9 days of fever flu, MCL + meniscus "crunch" (drop-kneeing in the gym), another two week cold/flu, timing belt and engine seals replacement on Subaru, broken camera, broken external HD, lost Blackberry, front break replacement on car, a 520 Swiss Franc fine for being in the Schengen District too long (you don't know what it is, either? yeah. I do now), mmm... oh, and a dog "fight" in which my dog nearly dismembered my mother's finger and killed her dog.

Not surprisingly, I'm about a month late departing on a North American tour. Leaving SLC today. First stop: Southern Utah. Zion, then Moe's Valley.

My friend, Patrick Purcell, turns 51 this weekend and wants to celebrate by climbing 51 pitches in a day. He tried for 50 last year at Indian Creek, but had laryngitis, bronchitis, a sinus infection, and a very sick daughter. So showed up late, climbed sick, and "only" got 40 pitches. This year, he's going for the full 51 (allowing himself to repeat pitches). We'll climb at the Touchstone Buttress (lots of single-pitch routes), not at Indian Creek (as the weather is supposed to be cold and wet this time around).

Next, Moe's Valley. A good crew is rolling down from SLC and from Flagstaff. So we'll have lots o' crashpads.

I'll be tripodding for a while, but am definitely still psyched to get out and climb! Like Peter said, "Bring me a new year!" I feel like 2009 has been a bit delayed in leaving, but is (hopefully) finally on its way out.

-Christine Balaz