Testing Testing 1,2,3...

Tonight I needed to go to the works to offload my bags full of resin, it seemed sensible that as I was going to the climbing wall I might as well punter about and see where I'm at. After all, if the worst comes to the worst, the works is always a good place for a bit (a lot?) of a natter (in fact I think it does this best).
Over the last few days I've been unable to think about a much else apart from climbing. I've been reminiscing about days spent at Kilnsey, minor epics when I dare to do trad and my long nights spent beavering away on a cellar boards. Walking into my building this morning (ok, afternoon, late afternoon) I was thinking about pullups and getting psyched out of my mind.
I can only take this as a good thing, climbing isn't lost for me I've just hit another set back and although there have been many, a lot of them haven't actually been climbing related. After reading Keith's latest blog post the other night I got mildly depressed and started missing progress. I was feeling that for the best part of two years, there has been none at all but in reality that's not true. This christmas in Font I climbed the best I've ever climbed, not grade wise, thats irrelevant in this instance. I was moving well on he rock and getting up things that really didn't 'suit' what people generally think of as the type of things that fit me well. Maybe thats why Noir desir still remains one of my proudest moments to date in climbing, it showed that progress, a slight tipping of the scales as Keith put it, towards redressing the balance between all of my hard hours of training and my often neglected technique.
Recently in Albarracin I climbed well, I wasn't floundering and I generally felt like I was reading things well. My base level is significantly higher than it was two years ago and I'm less narrowly focussed towards one type of problem; basic and crimpy.
With Bonjoy this winter, I got involved with a route that if the grade sticks will be my hardest trad lead to date, my ascent wasn't ground breaking but its something that I'm very pleased with. The whole freezing affair was great fun with the BOY.
All in all I can't argue with that... Ok so I haven't been travelling the world, I missed my Europe trip and have yet another injury, but progress is there, lurking in the background. I just needed to learn that progression isn't necessarily always done at your top end. Bringing up your base level or attacking weaknesses are equally as valid and in the future they will move that glass cieling just a smidgin higher.
The climbing psych wasn't as high when I finally got to the works tonight, resin just isn't that appealing when you've just had a trip, add to that hordes of people and a fair dose of heat and I was feeling less positive.
Being sensible, I warmed up on greens but rapidly became bored. Stu suggested buddy taping as cross loading the sheath is apparently what causes the pain. He was right. I climbed like that for the rest of the night with a good deal less hassle than before. Its not perfect and there are certain things that two fingers taped together prevent but the session was in the end, a good one. I ticked the hard stuff on the comp wall, did a fair few yellows and even cheekily (when Dr Pinch had left) ascended the mother board.
I'm going to manage this injury properly, climbing may have to take a back seat but its not geting kicked into touch. Not this time!