Ending the Performance Phase

[Matt McCormick]

Hey guys,

I'm very impressed with the book and have been really enjoying reading through it. I just received the rptc and I'm psyched to finally have a board that it so thoughtfully designed to actually train on! I'm curious on how and when you decide to definitively end the performance phase? I'm in my 5th week of just projecting/redpointing 3 days per week (Sun,Wed,Sat typically) and I'm close to finishing off a route in Rumney that would be my hardest yet. I've also been making an effort to tick some easier routes that I can do in 2-4 tries. I have a trip planned to Rifle leaving July 18 and I was planning on doing a month long "micro-cycle" before that with a 6 HB sessions, 5 power days and a handful of PE days before I leave. I'm very tempted to keep trying my project rather than train before the trip and ultimately decided to commit one more day to project before committing the next 4 weeks to training. How hard and fast do you stick to a "cut-off" for your performance phase. How do you balance the desire to complete a project with the knowledge that going back into the training gym will undoubtedly make you stronger? 

In terms of grades, etc. I sent my first .13d this spring in 4 days and have done around 30 .13's mostly in the a/b range with a few c's. 

Thanks!

Matt

[MarkAnderson]

Matt,

That's a great question that is very difficult to answer. This scenario plays out for me almost every season. It's definitely NOT a "hard and fast" cutoff for me, it depends on many factors.   You can read about a couple real-world examples here and here (really, almost every blog post about me sending something starts off with "I was really close last season but then I decided to retreat for more training..."). It definitely helps to have a long history of training/climbing seasons to look back on, but even without that I think its possible to make an informed decision.  Obviously its very personal, but here are some factors to consider:

• Weigh the "value" of the your current project versus what you hope to accomplish in July.  For example, suppose your current project will be your first 5.14, and for Rifle you just plan to tick a few classic 13-'s.  If it were me, I'd go all in for the 5.14.

• Proximity: if your current project is local, you'll have plenty of opportunities to complete it in the future. It sounds like Rifle is a road trip, so your time is limited there, and there are definitely advantages to being at your very best when you're on the road.

• Conditions:  The conditions in Rumney are probably not ideal right now, in fact they're probably getting worse each day.  So if you can be patient, your current project will probably feel a bit easier in the fall.  Rifle won't be ideal in July either, but if that's the only opportunity you have to climb there, than Rifle's conditions aren't really a factor.

• Are you close?  I often fool myself into thinking I'm closer to sending whatever route I'm working than I really am.  Its worthwhile to do a really honest evaluation of where you stand, because its easy to waste a few weeks throwing yourself at a project that you're just not ready to send.  If you're on day 4 or 5, and you're still making substantial progress every climbing day, then its probably worth continuing.  If you're on day 14 or 15, its doubtful at this point that you're going to make significant technical/beta improvements.  Unless you have reason to think your fitness will improve (very unlikely at the end of a performance phase), you're basically just hoping to get lucky.  If this is this case you're probably wasting your time, and should spend a good hour or so writing down detailed beta for the fall (and get some video if you don't already have it).

The good news is, if you decide to retreat, and you do a good job of documenting your beta, the route will probably feel much easier, and come together much faster, the next time around.  

Hope this helps, 
Mark

[Matt McCormick]

Hey Mark,

Thanks a lot for your response. I appreciate it! This route I'm trying is not .14a but for me it's a much harder .13d than the other one I've done and a much different style. It's really unique in that the crux is literally the last move of the top boulder problem (a low percentage dyno to hit the lip of the crag. With some unusually cool temp this past weekend I decided that I would give myself one more day on it yesterday before launching into training for Rifle. On my 3rd go, after falling at the top, I ended up finding some new micro foot beta that makes the last move higher percentage but still fell 3 more times on that final move for a total of 6 goes and 6 falls from the final move! Frustrating but it's not the first time I've epic'd on a route;) I'm pretty motivated to climb well in Rifle and try and send some mid-upper .13's. The conditions in NH have gone from insanely good for June to the normal hot and humid so I've decided to commit the next month to training for my Rifle trip. I have 2-3 weeks out there and I'm psyched to try and send some mid-upper .13's. Rumney is only 2 hours from my house in Vermont so if the conditions suddenly get good maybe I'll sneak a day in somewhere in the next few weeks. I have some good footage of my attempts to review for the fall.

Matt