Motivation and lack there of...

It is amazing how at times, there is so much motivation pulsing through my veins it is like riding a lightning bolt. Other times I feel like a deflated balloon, empty and flat.


Right now I am the balloon. The stress of school, work and Alaska's short days as we approach winter solstice have zapped my energy and my will to train.

After a long and stressful day in the Revelations this spring. This is how I feel now.

Flash back several months ago when I was hitting the rock-gym four times a week, running, lifting weights, riding my bike. I was running on an emotional and motivational high. My ambitions were all I thought about and being my best fueled my every thought.

Take one sip of beer. Add one bowl of ice cream, four term papers, 40 hour work weeks and no immediate objectives. Now repeat four to five times...with the beer, quantify by 100. That's where I am at now. But it isn't where I want to be.

As far as ice climbing goes, I feel like I'm climbing better than I ever have, but that isn't enough. I need to get out and put in some long days in the mountains. I need to feel the burn in my thighs from post-holing up some precarious snow slope as fast and efficient as I can. But, I don't want to. Where is my motivation?

There is an infinite multitude of amazing online sources for training that I have been looking at lately. Here are some of my favorites that at least spark the motivation.
Kelly Cordes Training for alpine climbing

Andy Kirkpatrick's website: Pyscho Vertical

I find the best motivators for me are old pictures from previous climbs and trips. Not only do they get me thinking about fun times in the mountains with my friends, they also get me thinking about how alive I felt in those situations.

So, here's a few shots from over the years to get me, and you... MOTIVATED!