TFM95: Training For Mountaineering, Cancelled Expeditions, and Readjusted Goals - Interview With Ojas

Um, so I know, as I said before, like a lot of people listening to this podcast, either in the past or in the future, have probably found themselves in a similar situation, whether, you know, a climb canceled pretty much right before they start.

If someone did find themself in that situation, what, what advice would you give them?

I'd say don't let the cancellation cancel your training.

That's probably the biggest lesson I think I took from this experience.

You know, it's very easy to think, well, the expedition is gone, so what's the point in continuing? But if you've spent months building yourself up, that fitness doesn't disappear just because the objective has changed, you know? I would say, you know, just go around, find another challenge.

You know, it doesn't have to be as big as the original goal.

It just needs to give you something to work towards.

You know, for me, that just became the 14ers in Colorado.

So, and I would also say that don't look at the cancellation as wasted time.

The training you've done has changed you physically and mentally, even if you didn't get to use it for the original objective.

So yeah, I mean, sometimes the goals changes, but the journey you have taken to get there is still valuable, and it's always not the destination, but the journey, you know, which is more enjoyable, is I think what I would like to tell the people, you know, who, who are going through that situation or who would eventually go through that situation.

Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely.

And, uh, and I feel like we've covered some, some really, really, really interesting stuff today and some really interesting insights into kind of like the different approach you've taken, and obviously [chuckles] the adjustment and plans, how you've bounced back from that.

And I will definitely, definitely have you back on the podcast further down the line to kind of talk through, you know, the future adventures and the, the updated goals and how that goes on over the long term.

But I guess before we wrap up, wrap things up today, um, was there anything else that we haven't had a chance to cover today that you feel like would be useful to listeners that, that you'd like to add?

Yeah, I think, you know, I mean, just in conclusion, I would say, you know, I think the biggest thing I'd add is that this experience completely has changed the way I think about training, you know? Summit Strength has just given me a very different perspective.

I used to think training was primarily about just working harder, carrying a heavier pack.

You know, just do more reps, run more, push yourself more.

Now I see it much more as a process.

You know, you build the right foundation, you progress gradually, you recover, you adapt, and you stay consistent.

And probably the most important lesson for me was learning to trust the process.

Aconcagua didn't happen when I wanted it to, but I still ended up stronger, fitter, and more capable when I started, you know, before I started.

So, and that's something I wouldn't have understood in the same way without going through the entire whole experience, and I, I would love to thank you, you know, I mean, for everything that you've done for me.

Yeah.