The Organic Climber – Blogging about climbing, RAW foods, vegetarianism, running and cycling.

One aspect of health I think a lot of people forget about is their career. You might be asking yourself, what does my career have to do with my health? Well, way more than you might think. There are many aspects of health and well being that are tied to your career or vocation.

Currently, you might just have a  “job.” By this I mean, you go into work, you punch the clock, perform your duties, and then leave. You may even be great at what you do, but on the inside you are miserable. It’s possible you are even in a job where you don’t even like what you are doing. There are lots of people out there who merely have a job. But, having a “vocation” is what you really want.

Those individuals that have a vocation, or vocational calling will be more likely to succeed in their work. They will be happier and healthier individuals, overall. If we remain in jobs we hate, we cause our bodies unwanted and unneeded stress. When our bodies are stressed our immune system is weakened (after prolonged periods of time) and we become more susceptible to sickness. Additionally, we end our days feeling drained and lack the desire for physical activity, often. Although, I do believe you can be dissatisfied in your job and be very active physically – in fact, I encourage it.

I believe that our overall happiness is vitally important to our health.  Additionally, our health suffers as a result. Brendan Brazier in his book Thrive states, “Stressed people do not burn body fat as fuel as efficiently as do those who are not stressed.” As a result we have a lack of energy and our bodies don’t operate as efficiently as they could be.

Stress is also linked to one of the leading causes of illness, so why would you remind in a job that is taking a toll on your health? I know a lot of people will say that their job is secure or that they have to provide for their family. Aside from the fact that simply isn’t true these days, what good is having a secure job if it brings you misery and affects your well being at home and your overall health? It’s only a matter of time too before your body just can’t take the stress anymore and begins to break down and sickness sets in.

Stress can also lead to adrenal fatigue, which can lead to all sorts of health related issues. The most noticeable problem though will be a lack of energy. The adrenal glands control our energy levels, amount other things. Most of the recommendations to overcome adrenal failure involve diet, but many do not. Some suggestions are, getting more sleep, exercising, eliminating negative people in our life, and laughing. I would venture to say that you could throw in worthwhile career in there as well.

There is no reason you can’t be working in a job you love, and I truly believe that by doing so you will be a happier and healthier person. For the past several months I have been doing a lot of reading, including Dan Miller’s 48 Days to the Work you Love and No More Monday’s, Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It as well as other blogs and success stories of people who have stepped out in faith and pursued the career of their dreams.

I recently underwent career counseling with Kent Julian of Live it Forward and something he said was so simple, yet made so much sense to me. At the time I was working a job where I was good at what I did but hated the job itself, and to an extent did not like some of the work. But, Kent said it was like I was writing with my left hand (I am right handed). I can perform the job just fine, but it’s difficult, painful and the work that comes from it is not the best it could be. When working with your right hand, you are in a job you are passionate about, it’s where your best work will be performed and the place you will be most successful. Think about the richest people in the world. Do you think Steve Jobs or Bill Gates hated computers? Hell no! They loved computers and were passionate about the work the produced.

I firmly believe that our work will directly affect our overall health. I am currently into day three of self-employment and loving every minute of it. I have slept until 8 a.m. all three mornings (and woken up naturally without an alarm) and have been feeling more energized as a result of not waking up at 6 a.m. I am currently working on drumming up clients for design and web work, focusing on blogging more and working on a startup business selling raw snack foods and energy bars. I love the work I am doing now, and I firmly believe I will be successful because I am able to pour myself into what I am doing.

If you are currently feeling beat down by your job and have been thinking about making a career change or even going into business for yourself, I HIGHLY recommend you read the books mentioned above. I also suggest career counseling with Kent. It was a life changing experience for me. For the longest time fear had gripped me and kept me from moving forward, but Kent inspired me to go for what I really wanted since I was a little kid. Although you may think the career coaching is expensive, I assure you his fees are 1/3 the cost of other career coaches out there. If you decide to use his services, be sure to tell him I sent you. I promise, it will be well worth the investment.

I will also leave you with a few tips on how to pursue work that will bring joy and good health into your life.

Define where you are going – Figure out where you want to go. Make sure the work you pursue lines up with your passions and skill sets. Don’t settle for another job doing the same thing you currently do. For the longest time I continued to seek out jobs doing the exact same thing I used to do, but for a different company. Narrowing things down also helps with your job hunt. You won’t waste time applying for jobs that are not even a good fit.

Figure out your strengths – Take some strength finding assessments such as DISC and StrengthsFinder 2.0. They will help you figure out your strong points. To some it may be a surprise; to others it will confirm what affirm what you already know. Use this to encourage you and guide you in the type of work that will help you pursue a vocational calling.

Plan ahead – Work hard to plan your career move, especially if you will be going into business for yourself. You will want to have a good bit of money saved up before starting. Or build your business on top of your current job until you get to a point you can leave.

Ignore the road blocks – Just because you encounter a hindrance to your pursuit doesn’t mean you aren’t called to that. Years ago when trying to start up my photography business full time I gave up because I couldn’t get private health insurance. In hindsight, that was the dumbest thing I ever did. I know that if I pursued that diligently I would have succeeded and insurance would not have been a big deal. I could have easily saved money to pay for expenses that came up. Accept the challenges ahead of you, and don’t back down just because things get difficult. This is probably the most important piece of advice I can give.

Work with a career coach – This was the best thing I ever did. Working with Kent helped define my strengths and figure out what type of work I should be doing. Career coaching basically put a supped up engine and gave me the traction needed to go roaring off into the right direction. I’m happier than I have ever been before.

Read, read, read – Get inspired by what others have done. It’s the main thing that is keeping me going right now in my business pursuits. Anything you want to learn now days can be found in a book, e-book, or blog. So, get to reading and start dreaming up your big career change. There is no reason you shouldn’t be happy in your work.

Be Proactive – This is VERY important, especially when seeking out clients or a new job. Before the last job I held, I spent five years off and on looking for new work, and it took me that long to finally find something. The reason why it took so long is that I wasn’t proactive. There is no way you are going to differentiate yourself by firing off resume after resume. You have to create what Kent Julian describes as Top of Mind Awareness. You want the person doing the hiring to see your name at least three times. This means you have to do a lot more than just sending a resume. You have to make phone calls, send letters, write emails, etc. Do whatever it takes to bring your name to the top. Also, do your best to get the name of the person making the actual decision (and contact them). It my take a little work to find this information, but chances are if you try hard enough you will find it. This diligence will be seen by the person making the hiring decision. Lately I have hard a lot of horror stories in the news about people who have been out of work for over a year. Well, chances are they are not being very proactive in their job hunt.

Health & Fitness by OrganicClimber
career, health, vocation, well-being
1 comment

Hello, from Austin! Today’s edition of Smoothie Tuesday comes to you from my new home in Austin, Texas. You may remember my recent post about a lovely lady named Kristy. Well, we are engaged and getting married in November. It feels great to be in such an amazing city. There are some many vegetarian friendly restaurants here; there are even several raw food establishments. The one that is most well known is called Daily Juice. I actually haven’t been yet, but will probably make a trip there sometime soon.

Not only does Austin have lots of great food, but also there are plenty of recreational opportunities here. I will have not shortage of places to run, cycle, and climb. The live music scene here is also awesome. I think I am really going to feel at home here.

Anyway, today’s smoothie recipe is truly a superfood. Inspired by Naked Juice, I decided to make my own at home because I love the taste of the Naked drinks, but I’m unable to digest them well. I always end up with a weird stomachache. I assume it’s because of the flash pasteurization the drinks are put through. The process kills a lot of the beneficial enzymes that aide in digestion. But, this homemade version leaves all those nutritious enzymes fully intact.

The Recipe (serves 2)

• 2 Apples
• 1 whole mango (a smaller one)
• 2 kiwis
• 4 chunks of chopped pineapple
• 1 whole banana
• 1 small hand full of green
• 2 Tsp of wheat grass powder
• 1 Tbsp of Spirulina
• Apx. 2 cups of water

Place all the ingredients in a blender and process thoroughly. If you have a Vita-Mix blender this will be a fairly quick process, but other blenders will take a lot longer to break everything down, especially the greens.

I also apologize for there being no photo this time. I tried, but the lighting in my fiancees apartment is horrible, I couldn’t get my own reflection out of the glass, no matter how hard I worked different angles. Hopefully I get this figured out before next weeks post.

Smoothie Tuesday by OrganicClimber
homemade, juice, naked, smoothie, spirulina, SuperFood, wheat grass
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Hint of Mint Green Smoothie

The other day I randomly got the idea of using finely ground mate in a smoothie to create an energy drink. I got the idea after discovering a green tea powder some friends of mine had. I inadvertently put a scoop of it into our smoothie, and it was wonderful! So upon arriving at home after that weekend I decided I would try a similar drink with peppermint yerba mate, thus creating a raw energy drink.

Although mate is caffeinated, it’s only about the equivalent of 1/4 cup of coffee and is naturally caffeinated. The mate I used for this smoothie was by Explorer’s Bounty. The mint flavor was just right, and became a bit stronger the longer the drink sat. Mate is a common ingredient in a lot of recipes by Brendan Brazier, as well as my own Shot Blok recipe. Mate is an excellent source of natural energy.

The Recipe

• 1 large hand full of spinach
• 1 large banana
• 1 packet of finely ground (using coffee grinder) Peppermint Mate*
• 1 cup of water
• 8 cubes of ice

* You can use your choice of mint flavored tea if you don’t have mate. Also, if you want to increase the amount of mint flavor, simply add another tea packet.

Place all the ingredients in a high speed blender, (preferably a VitaMix), yes I am partial, and blend.

I can’t attest to how effective the drink is in providing energy, but combined with healthy greens and the sugar from the banana, I’m pretty sure it will be quite effective.

Also, if you have been considering a Vita-Mix you can get free shipping through ordering from my affiliate links. I do get a small commission on the sell to, so I would greatly appreciate purchasing through my site.

Smoothie Tuesday by OrganicClimber
drink, energy, mate, mint, peppermint, RAW, smoothie, yerba
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Me, near the final pitch of the ridge traverse on the First Flatiron.

Note: I apologize for the long delay in getting this post up. I have had it half way written for about three weeks now. Due to the length of this post I also decided to break up the trip report into three parts, so this will now be part two of three.

Also, I am pleased to announce I am now an engaged man. If you want to know more about the wonderful lady, read this post that I wrote a couple months ago. Anyway, enjoy the trip report.

Climbing Fandango (5.5 II) last year was perhaps the highlight of my climbing career. It was 7 pitches of enjoyable run-out climbing. So, it would only make sense that I would be psyched about climbing the Direct East Face (5.6 III). The climb pretty much goes directly up the middle of the First Flatiron (in Boulder, CO) and then traverses the ridge, west, to the summit block. It’s 10 pitches of pure enjoyment on easy terrain.  The climb this year did not disappoint.

We woke up at 5 a.m. with the goal of being at the base of the climb at 6 a.m., but due to a slow start leaving the Hostel in Boulder and making a wrong turn off the trail we didn’t make it to the base until about 7:15 a.m. There was also another couple getting started at the base of the climb, so after waiting on them we probably got started close to 7:45 a.m.

Naren lead the first 5.6 pitch, which actually ended up being two pitches rolled into one. Naren ran out a full rope length to a good ledge. I actually had to take him off belay and stop down from my belay ledge to give him enough rope to put me on belay from above. The first pitch was the hardest pitch of the day, and I was thankful Naren had taken the lead. The first pich had two bolts on it due to the inability to place protection, but that was very surprising considering the only other bolt on the entire 1,000ft face was at the top of the second pitch for an anchor.

After arriving at the belay ledge with Naren I took a short rest, took the rack and began the second pitch. My first piece of protection was about 10-15 feet from the belay ledge. After that I didn’t get another piece in for at least 20 feet. At this point I began to wander off route towards what I thought was the path of least resistance. As it turns out, I was getting myself into 5.9 terrain, and Caleb doesn’t do well in run-out terrain like that. After much contemplating about continuing on my path of destruction, down-climbing, and then climbing back up again, I decided to completely down climb all the way down to my last piece of protection and then traverse left to meet back up with the route I was supposed to be on. I gave Naren a good scare too, he thought we ware going to have to bail off the route and call it a day, but I managed to collect my cool and proceed with the route.

Me, coming up pitch three of the Direct East Face on the First Flatiron.

Naren then lead the third pitch without any problems, other than passing a good belay stance, which required a bit of down climbing to return to the proper belay. I was up for the fourth pitch, which turned out to be a really run out 5.4 – 5.5, and was the headwall pitch. I didn’t find any gear right off the bealy, and was a good 30-40 feet above the belay before slinging a large horn. My second protection point was another slung horn – my only two places of protection on the entire pitch. The top of the fourth pitch had a nice large ledge that we decided to rest on. At this point a guide and his two clients caught up to us. They were moving very fast. The guide would solo the pitch, just hauling up twin ropes and would bring both clients up at the same time. What an efficient way to lead a part up 1,000+ feet of rock.

Naren, near the top of the fourth pitch on the Direct East Face of the FIrst Flatiron.

Naren lead pitch five, but ended up far right of the correct belay, thus adding an extra short pitch for us, which ended up being a short traverse that I lead. I contemplated connecting the entire pitch, but the guide that ended up passing as at this point had conjured up some mental blocks in my head my telling me a certain way was easier than going up the obvious gulley. I wavered back and forth for about ten minutes then decided to break up the pitches and bring Naren over. The anchor here was also pretty sketchy, so upon Naren arriving at the belay I made sure he didn’t put any weight on it. Since we had created an extra pitch here, Naren took the lead what became the seventh pitch. Since we ended up combining the first two, this put us at the correct number of pitches to reach the summit ridge.

From here we had several ridge line pitches until we reached the summit block. Since I had lead all but one pitch on this ridge I let Naren lead most of them. They were all very easy, with one 5.5 crux section, which was really the only place we needed to be roped up.  The exposure on the ridge was quite nice, but the terrain was so easy it never became an issue.

After reaching the summit we made the rappel down the backside of the Flatiron, that took almost a full 30 meters.  Other than having to pull the rope off a ledge on the way down, the rappel went perfectly smooth. Upon riving back at the car we had spent close to a full 12 hours. Not too bad considering we got slightly lost on the way in and ended up having to wait on two different parties during our climb; not to mention my wayward route finding skills.  The journey was a blast, and I look forward to doing more Flatiron routes in the future. Hopefully one of them will be with my wife to be!

Parting Shot. Me, near the final pitch of the ridge traverse on the FIrst Flatiron. This is probably my favorite climbing picture I have had taken of me.

Climbing, Trip Reports by OrganicClimber
Boulder, Colorado, Direct East Face, Direct Route, First Flatiron, Flatirons, rock climbing, trad
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I’m a little apprehensive about posting this, but sense my goal is to start posting more again I figured I would. Plus, I’m behind on part two of my trip report to Colorado. I have some pretty big news to share. Even though nothing 100% official yet I have begun work on a raw food snack company along with a friend of mine from Austin. I have already started trying to perfect recipes, test larger batches, and research production. We will be having our first actual business meeting tomorrow morning.

This may not come to a surprise to those of you that have tried my recipes before and even suggested I go into business selling them. It has been an idea I kept in the back of my mind for a long time. But, after recent career coaching with Kent Julian of Live it Forward, and reading Dan Miller’s books 48 Days to the Work you Love and No More Monday’s, I have decided it’s high time I go into business for myself.

Through reading Dan’s books and being coached by Ken I have been inspired to finally pursue work I truly love. I have always known I’m not truly cut out for the traditional 9-5 job, but have always been afraid to take a leap of faith and start my own business, or when I did, I quit pursuing at the first road block that came my way. I’m tried of mediocrity and know I’m fully capable of achieving something great. I have decided to take my passion for raw foods (especially snack and energy foods) and start something I can truly pursue and enjoy with all my being.

I have become a firm believer that we don’t have to settle for a job we hate just because it’s “secure”. With the current state of our economy, no job is truly secure. So why not take charge of your career path and begin working for yourself? Or, if you truly feel you need the structure of a traditional 9-5, then don’t just settle for a job because it pays well or has good benefits. If you don’t like your job it’s not worth the misery, and you will never truly succeed unless you are doing something you genuinely care about.

So, I would encourage any of my readers that may be frustrated with their job to take action and start living your dream! The two links posted at the beginning of this blog post are a great place to start for inspiration. I have spent the past seven years simply performing a job that I’m not truly cut out for. Fear has kept me from pursuing greater things in the past, but the material I mentioned above has helped me break free from that fear. I am looking forward to this business venture and will be sharing details here as they unfold. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and add me to your blog feed if you haven’t already.

Well, my weekend officially begins after work today. I’m headed down to Austin for a nice long four day weekend. I will be meeting with my business partner, spending time with my girlfriend, and rock climbing. It should be an exciting weekend!

RAW Food by OrganicClimber
48 Days, career, company, Dan Miller, dream, dreams, inspiration, job, Kent Julian, RAW Food, startup
1 comment

Mixed Berry Smoothie With Cherries

During my recent trip to Colorado I ended up buying a batch of cherries to snack on, but ended up coming home with at least half a bag. So, I decided to use the rest in a new smoothie recipe. This one is great for all you runners, climbers, and other athletes out there. Cherries are a great anti-inflammatory. In it’s concentrated format, it has 10 times the strength as one aspirin; and, it’s all natural! To make this an even better recovery smoothie, I added chia seeds to help boost energy levels. You could take it a step further and add flax seed, but I didn’t want to mess with the flavor too much.

I don’t typically buy cherries that often, but this smoothie was so tasty, I could easily see myself buying more and throwing them in the freezer. Simply adding them to my normal daily mixed berry smoothie would be a welcomed treat. The tart, sweet taste just hits the spot, and the hint of vanilla I added via a flavored rice protein powder just stepped this recipe up an extra notch. So enough talking up the smoothie, enjoy this delicious and powerful recovery smoothie, or just simply drink it for no other reason but to enjoy it.

The Recipe

• 1/4 of a 10oz bag of mixed berries
• about 5 oz of fresh cherries (or fresh-frozen cherries)*
• 1 heaping TBSP of vanilla flavored vegan rice protein (alternatively you can omit this and simply use vanilla extract)
• 1 TBSP of your favorite greens powder
• 1 dropper full of Liquid Stevia (or some variation of sweetener)
• * Make sure you blend this smoothie very well, especially when using fresh cherries, you want to make sure you destroy the pits and stems of the cherries. This is one instance where having a Vitamix is a huge advantage.

If you happen to be interested in purchasing a Vitamix, doing so through clicking the links on my website actually helps me out. I get a nice little commission, and you end up with free shipping on an amazing, must have machine for any raw foodie, vegan, or smoothie addict. (coupon code for the free shipping on a Vitamix 5200 is 06-004609)

Mixed Berry Smoothie With Cherries

Smoothie Tuesday by OrganicClimber
anti-inflammatory, berry, cherry, inflammatory, RAW, smoothie, Vita-MIx, vitamix
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RAW Chocolate Covered Cashews

Ever since discovering the RAW Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie, I have been somewhat addicted to this wonderful substance known as cacao. But, I will say this. As with any food, moderation is key. I have recently cut back my cacao intake after hearing of some negative side effects of the tasty powder. However, I’m not totally convinced that the positive benefits don’t outweigh the negative.

This recipe is really simple and only requires three ingredients. It takes almost no time to make, other than the time to dehydrate.

The Recipe

• 1 Cup of Cashews
• 1/2 TBSP of Agave*
• 1 TBSP of Cacao Power

*In the batch I made I actually used 1 TBSP of agave, but felt like it was too much.

So, start by placing one cup of nuts in a mixing bowl, then pour in the agave and mix thoroughly. Once the nuts are well coated with agave (add more agave if needed) pour in the cacao powder and mix until well coated. Next, place them on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for 24 hours. After 12 hours remove the nuts from the sheet and place on the mesh tray.

Alternatively you could use your oven set at a low temperature as well. Since the nuts are not roasting it is okay if you use a lower temperature, just make sure you keep it under 116 degrees in order for it to remain raw. This tasty little snack will provide you with healthy fats, carbohydrates, antioxidants, and protein. This is also a good “energy” snack because of the carbs from the agave and stimulant like properties in the cacao (called theobromine). But I would avoid consuming too many of them before physical activity because nuts are generally harder to digest than raw fruits and veggies.

Nutty Friday, RAW Food, Recipes by OrganicClimber
agave, cacao, cashew, energy, nuts, RAW, snack
2 comments

Garden of the God's. Taken from Cowboy Boot Crack.

After driving about 11 hours straight, we arrived in the Garden of the God’s Visitor’s Center parking lot. After taking a quick restroom break and picking up our climbing permits we drove into the park and headed straight for Red and White Spire. It’s been my tradition for the last three years now to climb Potholes (5.7 PG13) upon arriving to Colorado. Usually, it stops here and he head on into camp, but we had plenty of daylight left so we wandered around a bit and found ourselves at the base of Cowboy Boot Crack (5.7), a climb I had been told numerous times I should do. However somebody had already occupied the climb. We stuck around a bit and talked to the guy that was belaying his daughter up the climb. He worked high angle rescue in the park and gave us some beta about the place. His beta was basically, don’t place cams and don’t trust the old pins. That wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, but he told us of people placing cams behind flakes and falling. The falls generate enough force to explode the flake, sending the person falling, and the flake on top of them.

A climber goes up Crescent Corner in Garden of the God's. Click for larger view.

After that bit of information we headed over to The Drug Wall to climb Mighty Thor, a 5.10b that didn’t look too bad, but the first piton was pretty run out so I opted to lead Crescent Corner instead, a 5.9+/5.10a. This one was fairly run out too, but I managed to make it to the first piton with one piece of sketchy gear placed before that. The next move was pretty committing and the feet were horrible, nothing but flat, downward sloping dirty sandstone. I ended up hanging on the piton to rest, along with several others along the route. From a distance the climb looked like an amazing crack with deep jams, but there was nothing but laybacks on a thin seam, just large enough for fingers. After much grunting and hang dogging I made it up the 80-90ft route. Naren seconded and finished the route with only one take that I recall. After this we decided to call it a day and headed to camp in the National Forest just above Woodland Park. To our dismay we were far from solitude. While setting up camp at least four cars drove past our camp and set up nearby and played loud music late into the night. We apparently chose a campsite, probably the one they actually wanted, that the local kids in Woodland Park come up to party at.

The next morning, after a surprisingly good sleep (ear plugs work wonders). We headed back to Garden of the God’s to climb Cowboy Boot Crack and Montezuma’s Tower. But, once again Cowboy Boot Crack was occupied by other climbers. We contemplated waiting for the climb to free up, but I was antsy to climb and they didn’t look like they would finish anytime soon, so we headed over to Montezuma’s Tower, a two pitch classic 5.7 climb. This ended up being one of the most fun climbs I have ever done.

Naren on to of Montezuma's Tower in Garden of the God's.

Naren lead the first 5.7 crux pitch without much of a problem. Committing to the first bolt was the hardest part, but placing a large number five Black Diamond cam a few feet below the bolt gave him the confidence needed to make the move. After the first of four bolts on the entire climb, things eased out a bit (in terms of grade), but was very mentally committing. The moves were easy, but protection on the climb was sparse. It made for a challenging climb as the second too. After moving above the crux you start traversing out right and then up a narrow spine. Moving up the spine was the scariest part, even going up as the second, a fall would result in a huge and dangerous swing. While making this move, your only protection is a sling running through a sandstone pot hole.  But, I moved up the spine with confidence despite the potential fall factor. I find it pretty amazing when I actually collect myself and move through the hardest part of climbs with the greatest of ease! It’s when I start freaking out that I slow down, begin doubting myself, and risk injury.

Upon reaching the belay perch I took a quick rest before starting the short second pitch. It was about 40 feet straight up, slightly overhanging and only protected by 1 piton about 12 feet from the belay. I did manage to place a couple more piece of gear up higher though before reaching the rappel anchors. One of the funnest parts of the climb was just sitting on the belay perch while bringing up Naren and watching the tourists take pictures of us from the sidewalks. Anytime a climber gets on the rock out there it draws a crowd. I’m pretty sure there were people that watched us climb the entire thing, from start to rappel.

Me, on top of Montezuma's Tower in Garden of the God's.

After finishing up this classic fin, we headed across the street to Red Rocks Canyon open space, a city owned open space. We brought the guidebook with us, but pretty much settled for the first climb we found. I don’t remember the name of the wall we were on since we didn’t even open the guide book, but the pair that had just climbed it before us let us know it was a 5.7+. It was a fun slab climb with the crux occurring before you even reached the first bolt about 20 feet up. The rest of the climb was fairly easy and toped out above a hand-sized crack. The area is fairly popular and easily accessible so a lot of the climbs end up with polished rock, especially at the base. I recall working on one 5.8 climb a couple years ago that was likely more like a 5.10 now because of a super polished foot hold that was key to completing the crux.

After we finished this route we decided to go ahead and call it a day so we could make the drive into boulder and get settled into our room at the Boulder International Hostel. The stay there ended up being somewhat unpleasant due to not having any AC, and being stuck on the third floor in the far outside corner. This left us having to sleep with windows open and having to deal with all sorts of rowdiness outside, from firecrackers to gun shots. It was quite an experience.

The next day we climbed the Direct East Face of the First Flatiron, but you will just have to stay tuned for that portion of the trip report. I will be posting that sometime within the next week. Also, and a side note I have started working on a business plan to start selling my raw energy bars and other snacks I have made. I will be based out of Austin and will likely start locally with online orders available, so be sure to keep checking back for more information about that as well.

Climbing, Trip Reports by OrganicClimber
crack climbing, crack potholes, crescent corner, Garden of the Gods, gear, montezuma's tower, piton, rock climbing, trad
2 comments

Both feet after my first ever barefoot run. The grass was nice and wet and the earth damp and moist.

Last night I had my first taste of barefoot running. Prior to last night I had pretty much dismissed it completely and never saw it as something I would ever want to do. This sort of surprises a lot of people seeing as it’s often referred to as “natural running,” and I’m all about the all natural thing. But last nights experience was quite pleasant.

This week has been, and will continue to be a very busy week. The week ended up being short due to visiting my girlfriend in Austin, so I was a bit shocked when I realized late on Monday that it was actually Tuesday. My time frame for getting things done was dwindling. Still needing to get a lot done last night I decided to just go on a short run rather than a longer run.

Seeing how I was only planning on running two miles I thought it might be nice to change things up a bit and give myself a challenge since I was running a shorter distance – I decided to give barefoot a try. After getting a bit of advice from my roommate who only goes barefoot (even to work) I threw on my running shorts and shirt, and was out the door.

Close up of my left foot after my first ever barefoot run. Four miles and the little piggies don't look too bad, eh?

About one mile into the run I was feeling pretty good and decided to run another quarter mile or so – keep in mind I still have the return trip to the house. After finishing the extra quarter mile I was feeling great and decided to keep going. I was alternating back and forth between the sidewalk and the grass. Mostly because of dark areas in the grass where I could not really see what was there.

When running in the grass I felt alive as I felt the wet grass and earth crush between my toes with each step. I hadn’t felt this alive since the first time I ran six miles, which was the launching pad for me getting into running seriously. I spent the next mile alternating between sprints and jogs, It felt great. It was a great experience because I needed inspiration to keep running. For the past few months I have been out of routine and less motivated to run.

The newness of barefoot running was exactly what I needed to get my head back in the game. I believe I bit off more than I could chew during my first run tough. When I got back and calculated the miles it turns out I ran four whole miles! Usually when I read other’s blog posts about their first experience with barefoot running, they only run a mile or two at the most.

Needless to say, my calves are barking today. I’m wobbling around all stiff legged and slow. I’m surprised nobody at work has asked me what’s wrong yet. I will have to make sure to stretch those suckers out good tonight. Hopefully I will be able to get one more barefoot run in before I leave for Colorado. I can see this becoming an obsession.

Vibram Five Finger Shoes

Oh, not only did I run further than I probably should have, I was completely barefoot. Most people transition into barefoot by wearing shoes such as the Vibram Five Fingers. But, I can be stubborn about stuff like that. I wanted to do it, so I did it. However, I do think I might eventually buy a pair so I can go trail running when I move to Austin. It would be awesome to go zipping past hikers and clumsy mountain bikers in a pair of those!

Who knows, eventually I may even run the trails completely barefoot. But, I will more than likely stick to something like the Five Fingers for trails since I am first and foremost a climber. I wouldn’t want to go tearing up my feet and not be able to climb. I’m actually glad I didn’t really tear up the bottom of my feet before my Colorado trip. Had I done that, the six mile hike in to the base of Crestone Needle would have been pretty brutal.

Cross Training, Running by OrganicClimber
barefoot, inspiration, Running, virbram five fingers
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Electric Green Fire Smoothie

Lately I haven’t quite been feeling myself. My stomach has been a bit upset, and I haven’t had as much energy as I usually do. I know there is a strong connection to the fact that I have not been eating as much raw foods lately and I haven’t been running as much either. I believe the combination of the two has lead to poor digestion and lower energy levels.

So, knowing this I decided to forgo a cooked meal this particular evening and make another green smoothie. This made for a nearly 100% raw day. Since I knew I really needed some greens I loaded this one up with lots of green stuff. It wasn’t as sweet as the berry smoothies I make that usually just have greens powder, or the occasional hand full of spinach, but the apple and banana made it just sweet enough to enjoy and the ginger added a nice kick to it, thus the fire!

One of the main reasons I put ginger into this smoothie was for it’s medicinal properties. Ginger is known for aiding in digestion and helping circulate blood flow. It’s also a good warming food for those colder months when you are consuming raw foods, but today it was primarily to help with digestion. I also cut some up and brewed a tea from it as well that actually tasted surprisingly well, I didn’t even add sweetener to it as I usually do with my tea.

Ginger is actually classified as a stimulant, which makes sense, seeing as how it helps increase the circulation of blood flow. As I mentioned already it helps with digestion, but also helps combat constipation and colic. My stomach pains lately are somewhat odd, but consuming the ginger really did help. I will have to start keeping this stuff around more often, especially when I’m not consuming a high amount of raw foods.

The Recipe

• 1 large hand full of spinach
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1/2 frozen banana (optional but helps sweeten it a bit)
• 1/2 granny smith apple
• about 1/2 of a medium sized piece of ginger peeled and cut into slices for easier blending
• 1 cup of water
• 6-8 cubes of ice

Blend thoroughly and enjoy! This particular smoothie is much “greener” than what I usually make, but lately I haven’t been feeling as well and felt I needed more greens.

RAW Food, Smoothie Tuesday by OrganicClimber
apple, celery, ginger, granny smith, green smoothie, raw smoothie, smoothie, spinach
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