Climb On!


The past two weekends have been almost entirely devoted to an activity that is central to the Runnells household - climbing! 


Two weekends ago, the fun began with Adventure Rock's annual Quick on the Draw competition. Brian has long been involved, either as a participant or a volunteer, and I even attempted to climb at the comp once.  Suffice it to say that I am better suited for assisting with scoring and volunteering than climbing with about a billion people watching. Craig, our dear friend and a manager at the gym, always flexes his creative muscles when it comes to this comp.  There is guaranteed to be a creative theme, which finds it way onto the website, the walls (tape art), the T-shirts, and the awards.  There's always pizza, and there's always an after-party that puts all other after-parties to shame, at least in my book.  Seeing all of our gym friends and 'family' is the best part of the Q on the D weekend, for sure.


So, how can such a fun time with such great people be topped, you ask?  Only with the annual USA Climbing Bouldering National Competition -- in Madison -- on campus!  Brian has made quite a name for himself as a climbing media personality.  His blog was his entrance into the professional climbing community; his knack for talking about climbing and his endless stockpile of aptly timed one-liners have kept him a central figure.  He'd never admit it, but he's very good at what he does.

Not only does USAC Bouldering give me an opportunity to brag about my husband, it's also a chance to hang out with friends, speak our own language (crimps, slopers, dynos, oh my!), and spend multiple days getting inspired to train harder and climb stronger.

This past weekend was also a chance to visit a few college (and MadTown) hotspots, The Great Dane, The Old Fashioned, State Street, Ian's Pizza, Nitty Gritty, and Monty's.  That, and a quick visit with Brian's Boulder bros, the guys of Louder Than 11, totally overrode the impending near-death cold that was descending upon me. And once I kick this cold, it's back to the gym for me; if I'm ever to come close to kickin' butt at climbing rocks, I've got some work to do -- good things I have lots of inspiration and a really awesome climbing pal or two!


Chris and the Climbing Narc - way to go, Buddy! 


perhaps the most dedicated female climber in.the.world

another personal fav in the climbing world 

Home :) 

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