RunOut #35: Breaking Cynicism in 2020

This idea of setting resolutions at this time of year is such a peculiar ritual. For most climbers, myself included, the idea of focusing on self-improvement, particularly when it comes to making gains and ticking that next pro, is actually a year-round obsession.

Still, it’s easy to imagine what most climbers have written down this week in their little black books, their little training logs, tucked underneath their pillows each night filled with promises of low-glycemic diets and regimented campus board sessions that will most likely manifest as pizza binges and surfing the Moon Board channel on your phone.

I’ve dabbled in setting all kinds of resolutions around work, health, fitness, climbing, love, and detachment. I’ve even dabbled in anti-resolutions—just having no goals at all. That was one of my most aimless and least productive years yet, so I don’t necessarily recommend that approach.

By the time this episode releases in mid-January, you—if you are anything like most people—will have already failed in your new year’s resolutions. Eighty percent of resolution setters don’t make it to February. It’s hard not to be cynical about this, let alone everything else in 2020.

But that’s the goal, at least for me.

This is Andrew Bisharat, and I’m here with my lovely co-host Chris Kalous, and you’re listening to The Run Out.

To kick off the new year, Chris and I got together to take stock of our little podcast project, analyze what’s working and what’s not, and just enjoy an evening chat. It’s an informal episode, but that sort of seems to be one of the surprising joys of this format of conversation and entertainment. On that note, I have to say that the responses we’ve received from listeners has been truly encouraging, to put it mildly. So sincere thanks to everyone who has been an early adopter of The RunOut. Looking forward to kicking this thing up a notch this year and making it the best one yet.

Photo: Arnaud Petit and Andrew Bisharat in the Verdon Gorge. By Keith Ladzinski.