La Rambla is a 5.15a-rated climb, which is considered to be the hardest rating possible.
I cant even remember having thoughts.
I was so joyful and felt disbelief.
Greg Mionske
I had to have a friend pinch me,Hayestells SELF about conquering La Rambla.
But Hayes is not your typical teenager.
Combined with her commitment and work ethic, it seems like nothing can get in her way.
Clayton Boyd/The North Face
Spoiler alert: It’s a little different than most 19-year-olds you probably know.
Shes had an apartment in the latter since September 2016 and plans to stay through October 2017.
Hayess first meal of the day normally consists of oats oroatmealand a protein shake.
Greg Mionske
Her go-to recipe: overnight oats with almond milk and flax seeds.
Some days Ill be at the gym for hours, climbing and running or conditioning, Hayes says.
When Hayes is in France, she also adds a lot of walking to her daily routine.
Greg Mionske
She can walk anywhere from five to 10 miles a day, she says.
She walks to her French classes, to the gym, and to the grocery store.
I mostly work with my own body weight.
Greg Mionske
Sometimes Ill do something withlighter weightsor machines, but really not very often, she says.
To keep her arms strong, she’ll sometimes do pull-ups with additional weight.
(Even getting to La Rambla took just a 45-minute flight.)
Shell meet up with friends, hop on a train or bus, and practice her outdoor climbing.
I think outdoor climbing really complements competition climbing, and the reverse, she says.
Pretty much every night, I make abig salad, Hayes says.
The first time people see me eat dinner, theyre like, You eat that whole thing?
She admits that she eats super healthy, but she eats a lot of food.
Her go-to salad add-ons include salmon or chicken, plus brown rice or quinoa.
She also loves sweet potatoes,avocado, and chia seeds.
Sometimes [social media] can be too much coming in and its a distraction.
Its easier to ground yourself when all that is not going on.
As asleep meditatormyself, I was thrilled to hear that Margo does it too.
She was introduced tomeditationwhen she was very youngbecause of her competitive natureby her moms friends.
They saw she was very high energy and competitive as a child and could use a little mental breather.
That helped me learn how to focus on myself, so now thats not an issue for me."
She mostly focuses on her breathing and says it grounds her and helps her visualize.
Its an amazing tool for me.
