On Rock Climbing

Hey!
I've been rock climbinb lately
I think its definitely one of my favorite 'cross-training' activities!
Its a freakin...amazing upperbody/core workout! Crazy!!!
And it toughens up your hands, that's for sure!

But I think that the bigger experience is in
the self-trust piece.

We usually just boulder when we're there
(which is where you climb lower, not harnessed in, and go more horizontal instead of just vertical)
and we're hanging on these ... 3" fake rocks...
while 7 feet in the air... with sweaty hands and shaking legs.
When it comes time to make another move...
you're letting go with one of those hands
and you Have to trust that
a: your hands won't slip
b: the rock won't come out of the wall
c: your hand doesn't get too tired and let go
There's the initial moment of hesitation before every challenging move
where you question your experience
your strength
your determination
your will to accomplish what you want (because you sure as hell don't Have to)
and There's that moment between letting go and grabbing on again
Where you either sigh with relief
or you gasp as you try your best to get your feet underneath you again before hitting the ground
But everytime you make it
.......wow.
And all that's left to do is... glance around for the next rock that will serve as a good hold.

Its one...great big hour long (or however long you want it to be)
self-trust exercise.
And I might just be addicted to it.

Good thing its free
(except those tuition 'activity fees' i suppose)