The race was on Saturday so I basically had my normal workouts that week. I just replaced my Thursday workout with some stairwell time trials at race pace (which is slower than my normal sprinting pace). Plus I took Friday off.
The drive was brutal. I drove down to Poughkeepsie to meet Tom on Thursday evening. Fortunately, my wife made me take her car after a bit of protest. Thank goodness. It started snowing halfway down the Taconic and her car is heavier with studded snow tires. We drove a few hours and stayed over at my Dad's house near Harrisburg. That meant we only needed to drive 9 hours to Indianapolis the following day. It was a short, but nice visit.
The following day we made it to Greenfield by 7:00 PM - roughly 30 minutes east of Indianapolis. The weather was much better than the prior day. A quick trip to Walmart to pick up some food and in bed by 10:30.
Despite multiple trips to the bathroom, I had a decent sleep. 7+ hours.
The 30ish minute drive to Indianapolis was tough. I was full of nervous energy and it was still dark. Indianapolis is still on Eastern Standard Time, but a full 12 hours west of Albany. So it gets dark nearly a whole hour later than Albany... and that means sunrise is a whole hour later too. We arrived at One America Tower around 7:40 AM. Still dark. Parking was a breeze as they let us use the near-empty employee parking garage next to the building free of charge.
Check in was smooth. A small auditorium was full of volunteers and I received my #4 bib quite easily.
I met up with Steve Marsalese near check-in. Just after 8:00 AM we scouted out the stairwell as a warm-up. I was all nerves. My legs felt like jelly and my heart was fluttering. But after a dozen floors or so, I felt a little bit better.
The stairwell itself is very straightforward. While I didn't get a proper step count of the bottom floors, most of the floors are 11/11 which in my opinion is very good for turning. However, the stairwell itself turns to the left, which (unfortunately) is my weak side. Another nice feature is that the rails are close enough to use both sides effectively. Lastly, the steps are a little shallow. I'd estimate they are 7 inches tall?
Compared to the Corning Tower in Albany, One America Tower is a bit shorter. 162 meters tall vs. 180 meters to the roof. Likewise, it has fewer floors 38 vs. 42, though Bop only races to the 36th floor. While the Corning Tower is definitely taller, the step counts are a bit closer: 780 steps vs. 824. That's roughly two floors worth of steps. So my estimate of 7 inch steps seems appropriate. Albany's steps are about 7.25 inches tall.
(One thing I regret is not creating my own stairwell map and measuring the steps, but alas I was too busy climbing stairs)
Looking at the history of the race, there have been a lot of good climbers. I believe Justin Stewart holds the record at 3:30 and fast climbers like Eric Leninger and Cole Hetzel have done the race in about 3:45. Other fast climbs include David Shaffron and Martin Wilkey who both climbed in the 3:50s. Rounding out the list is Jesse Berg. while he hasn't done the single climb, he has done the triple in under 12 minutes, meaning each of his climbs averaged under 4 minutes which is very impressive. I only looked at the results since 2008 so I'm guessing there are a bunch of other fast times in the building as the race has been going on for 45 years.
While I suspected I would have broken the 4 minute barrier pre-Covid, I'm older, fatter, and not in my best shape. Just looking at how slow my Albany times have been recently (4:53 vs. 4:33 PB) means I was likely spotting myself at least 15 seconds. Possibly more than that since I've never climbed the Corning Tower in peak form (the race always conflicted with Scale the Strat).
Maybe I could still break 4 minutes? I'd probably have to settle in the low 4 minute range, but I'd give it my best shot nonetheless.
The races started at 8:30 AM and after the practice climb I had maybe 15 minutes to go. I did some active stretches and burpees to stay warmed up. The active stretches didn't go well. I could barely stand on one leg because of how nervous I was. The burpees at least seemed fairly easy.
At the start line I had the #4 bib, but only Cindy (wearing the #1 bib) and the guy with the #2 bib were actually ahead of me. They started us off with 20 seconds between climbers.
I set my metronome for 125 BPM. Jill had mentioned that a 105 gets her in the 4:40s so a 125 should get me to the top in about 4 minutes. That's as fast as I've ever set my metronome for a race, but it made sense since the steps appeared to be relatively short.
Soon it was my turn. I felt that the setup was a bit strange because they had what appeared to be a timing mat on the floor, but were using a wand to scan the bibs (which held our timing chips). I heard an audible beep, but still had a good five seconds before they allowed me into the stairwell. Shrug.
I started my stopwatch upon entering. Though I hugged the inside with the inner rail, I couldn't seem to keep just a single foot on the landing. Every time I did so, I was a fraction of a beat behind my metronome, so I'd have to spend the next step or two catching up. At 125 BPM, this just sapped my energy a bit too much. I quickly switched to double rails with a mixture of single and double footfalls on the landings. While not optimal, it put me right under the redline.
Somewhere in the teens or twenties I caught #2. By this point my breathing was getting ragged, but #2 sounded like he was struggling even more than I was. It gave me a measure of hope and I continued climbing.
By the upper 20s I was in dire straights; At floor 26 I knew I had only 10 floors to go and started mentally checking off the floors one by one.
As I entered the 30s I could hear Cindy's footfalls and heavy breathing up ahead. I thought I was going to catch her, which would mean I'd be close to breaking the 4 minute barrier (she usually climbs in the 4:40s). On the other hand I was in really bad shape. While I was still keeping up to my metronome, my turns were pretty bad. When I hit floor 33, I started tripping over my own feet. Tunnel vision an fatigue had taken their toll. I could hear the volunteers cheering for Cindy. She was just up ahead. By the sounds of it, she finished just as I crossed the 35th floor. I had run out of real-estate. By this point had already tripped 2 or 3 times, losing a beat each time as I recovered. Not a good way to end the race. I managed to climb the last couple flights without incident. I quickly ran over the mat just inside the open doorway. I hunched over panting and stopped my watch. 4:13. Not what I had hoped for, but I had given it my shot. I stumbled another couple places and collapsed to the ground. I was completely spent.
I probably spent a good minute on the floor. I honestly have no idea. I don't even recall if #2 made it to the top before I finally climbed back to my feet. I was in a service hallway. Slowly, I shuffled to the recovery area near the elevator banks. I grabbed my finisher's T-shirt and a cup of water. I was so out of it I don't even remember if I met up with Steve or Jill before heading back down.
Downstairs, I circled around until I hit the cafeteria which served as a general hangout spot. There I met up with Tom and the other tower running regulars. I mentioned I had likely climbed 4:10-4:12 based on self-timed 4:13 taken a couple seconds after finishing.
I was still exhausted so I decided to take a rest on the floor using my bag and Tom's shirt as a pillow. My heart rate was still up around 100 BPM whereas it should really be below 80 when walking around or below 60 when sitting around.
I stayed on the floor for maybe 5 minutes before getting up to socialize.
Around 9:15 Tom was getting ready to have his first climb. I was still out of it, feeling equal parts dizzy & queezy. The thought of climbing three more times seemed crazy.
I probably should've mentioned this earlier, but Bop to the Top hosts two races simultaneously. The Single Climb and the Triple Climb... and I signed up for both. As they are two separate races, you have to climb a total of 4 times to finish both races. The good news is that you can do the climbs whenever you want within the time limit (8:30AM to Noon). My rough plan was to start each of my climbs on the half-hour: 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30.
Anyway, Tom was already on his way to do his first climb (he had only signed up for the Triple) when I decided to climb with him. In the back of my mind I had initially planned to serve as his pacer, but I was in such rough shape, the last thing I wanted to do was get back in the stairwell. But at the last minute I figured an easy climb might actually help me recover (as it did with Steve the last time we climbed the Corning Tower after the race).
I caught up with Tom as he was just getting in line.
His plan was to use 60 BPM and then double step for the first ten floors and then switch to single stepping at a 80 or 90 BPM. I had suggested that he just climb at 50 or 55 BPM and try to double step the entire way up, but it was his race, not mine. He'd have to learn the hard way :)
Tom entered the stairwell and I started a few seconds behind. I had taken off my bib just to be sure that I wouldn't be timed.
The first few floors were actually kind of tough. What was I getting myself into? It took a bit more effort than I had anticipated to catch up and stay behind Tom. Furthermore, I had forgotten to start my stopwatch, so I quickly started it up. We were probably less than a minute into the race, but I decided to call it a minute just to be safe.
By the 10th floor, I was finally feeling a bit better and I felt my energy starting to return, but this was also the spot where Tom started single stepping, meaning the pace was even slower (like 45 BPM when double stepping). Easy peasy.
Around the 18th floor (nearly halfway) I checked my watch. Just over 3 minutes which probably meant we just passed the 4 minute mark.
Tom's goal was to at least break the 10 minute mark. He did 10:45 at the Corning Tower which roughly translates to 10 minutes at Bop. As he's been training a bit since then (he bought a Stair Master) he ought to be even faster.
Now that my blood was pumping, I felt a lot better. Fatigued, yes, but no longer queezy. As Tom climbed I'd call out a little bit of encouragement and reminded him to hug those turns. I checked my watch again around the 27th floor. I can't remember exactly what my watch indicated, but I knew we were about a minute ahead of schedule.
Continuing our ascent, we passed by the landing of the 31st floor which meant we had nine more flights to go. I started calling out the percentage complete as of that point: 11%, 22%, 33%, etc. Probably not the most straightforward way of thinking, but it helps me stay focused.
Tom charged up the remaining couple of flights and I stopped my watch around the 8 minute mark. I think he broke the 9 minute barrier!
I was in much better spirits at that point. Tom, however, was on the floor panting. Believe me, I know how it feels! Eventually Tom got to his feet and we hung out a few minutes at the top before taking the elevator down.
Now it was my turn to start the Triple Step.
I felt a lot better after climbing with Tom, but I was still exhausted. While 4:40s should be possible, I'd be hurting the entire way up and I doubted I could do that three times in a row. Instead, I bumped my metronome down to 100 BPM thinking that would get me on track to just break 5 minutes. I wasn't in any condition for heroics.
The first 10 floors were okay, but the further up I climbed the crappier I felt. At this point, the race became mental rather than physical. I really didn't want to be in the stairwell; I could handle the pace but it was sapping my energy and my willpower. I didn't even pay attention to my technique and I pretty much used both rails the entire way up.
Oh yeah, I forgot to change into my climbing shoes. Maybe I was carrying an extra pound?* At least I was climbing in comfort.
*You'd think I'd know the exact weight of my shoes, right?
Around the 27th floor, I checked my watch. I had just crossed the 4 minute mark. Thinking this was still a 4 minute race (rather than 5 minute race) I figured I had only another minute left to climb. Totally doable if I hustled a little bit.
Somewhere around 33 or 34 I checked my watch again. Crap. I don't remember the exact time, but it was somewhere in the 4:40s. That meant I had only 15-20 seconds to climb 3-4 floors. I just wasn't going to make it. I bounded up the few remaining flights to try to limit my losses. I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch at 5:09 or so (5:08.87 official). Oh well. I wasn't super disappointed because although I was tired, I didn't push myself over the redline like I did in the first race.
While I physically felt like crap (exhausted, nauseous, etc.) I was able to recover from the exertion without collapsing to the ground. Soon my heart rate was back to normal levels and I headed back down to recover more fully.
Around 10:10 or so, it was Tom's turn to climb.
This time around we climbed in the "Left" stairwell rather than the "Right" stairwell. Bop uses two stairwells - which eases congestion - and you can choose which one to climb. They are nearly identical; same height and configuration except for the first few floors (So I'm told - I can't remember). The other difference is that the Right Stairwell is mostly concrete - the big exception is on the 10th floor which uses a hard rubberized surface with raised circles (coins). The Left Stairwell is also concrete, but has many more floors with the coin surface.
Tom set his metronome a little bit slower - like 55 BPM - with the hopes of maintaining this pace a little longer and then switching to single steps at 90 BPM.
This time around I started my stopwatch on time - which gave me a much better sense of our pace. Like clockwork, we climbed up the first ten floors. Around the 12th floor, Tom switched to single stepping. We passed by the 18th floor at the 4:20 mark so I knew we were on track to breaking 9 minutes. The problem was, our pace had slowed down after switching to single steps and we'd have to pick it up again near the top to have a shot at slipping under nine.
We continued our ascent, slowly passing by other climbers. We hit the 30s and I glanced at my watch. We were approaching the 8 minute mark. Only a minute left to climb... but Tom was starting to flag. I urged him on as the clock slowly ticked. We hit the 34th floor and I started pushing on Tom's rear to get him to move a little faster.
Finally the top was in sight! we crossed the finish line and I stopped my watch. We had just missed the 9 minute mark. Not quite what we wanted... but it wasn't that much slower than our first climb. Still pretty solid.
Tom laid on the floor for a few minutes after finishing. I could tell he was tired, but not completely spent.
Around 10:30, it was time for my 2nd climb of the triple. I chose to remain in the Right Stairwell for consistency.
I still felt fatigued, though maybe a shade better than my first triple? I was determined to break the 5 minute barrier, but not willing to go much faster than that. Therefore I kept my metronome set to 100 BPM. The difference would be that I'd need to climb more efficiently.
I entered the stairwell again. Man, I didn't really want to be there.
Despite my trepidation, the first few floors felt easy... but slowly my heart rate climbed back to discomforting levels. By the 10th floor, I was back to hurting. Yuck.
Here and there I'd pass by climbers either on the landings or the inside rail. It kept my mind off the pain I was in.
I knew I should be hugging the inside lane more often but time and time again I'd find myself using both rails and making sloppy turns. Blah.
I reached the landing in between the 18th and 19th and risked a glance at my watch. 2:35. About 5 seconds slower than my planned pace. Not good, but not yet doomed. I'd somehow have to make up those seconds.
In the 20s, I made a conscious effort to hug the turns, though I still used both sides of the rails. I was suffering, but it was half mental. Deep down I knew this pace was more than reasonable.
I hit the 30s with a sense of relief. The suffering was nearly at an end. I even had the willpower to pick up the pace over the last couple floors for good measure. Thank goodness. I just slipped under 5 minutes (4:56.54 official).
Recovery this time around wasn't so bad. No collapsing, but I did sit on the recovery couch for a minute or two to savor the moment. I'm kidding. I still dreaded the fact that I had one more climb to go.
Back downstairs, I felt better as I hung out with the other climbers. Syd dropped by around 11:10 mentioning we only had 20 minutes left since the race ends at 11:30. I was a little surprised as I thought the climb lasted till noon and had initially planned to get my last climb in around 11:30. Oh well. A few minutes early wouldn't kill me.
This time around Tom would need to climb on his own and I told Jill that if she kept up with me I'd be able to pace her to hit 5 minutes.
I was first in, right around 11:20. I could've waited a few more minutes, but this late in the morning, it really didn't matter. Physically, I felt better relative to my last couple climbs, but only slightly. My body was still tired and running partly on fumes. The plan was merely to dip under the 5 minute mark and get this race over with.
I started my watch just before hitting the first flight and climbed up at 100 BPM. I contemplated using a slightly higher pace - say 105 considering this was my final attempt - but why change what worked?
Unlike most of the other climbs, the line into the stairwell was basically empty. However, by the time I reached the 10th floor, I was busy passing people - more so than usual. In fact, a couple of times I ended up passing by on the outside rail when they wouldn't move out of the way.
I was into the 20s when I heard Jill call "Pass" from down below. Maybe three floors down? Hard to tell. Then she said it again more emphatically. Then I heard a guy's voice cursing back at her in a loud whiney voice. "I AM just fucking wait" or somesuch. I had passed a heavy-set older guy 20-30 seconds ago on one of the landings so my guess it was him.
My first reaction was WTF? and my second reaction was how are you two still able to speak coherently? I certainly couldn't say anything more than a grunt or two.
Then a floor or two later I heard Jill call out to a volunteer that some guy was swearing at her. Always drama with her around.
Up until now I had been climbing on cruise control - using both rails and taking sloppy turns. I felt like crap, but was used to it. Towards the upper 20s I dug in a little bit, hugging the inside rail and taking the turns more efficiently. Why didn't I do this in the first place?
I climbed up maybe 5 floors efficiently before switching back to double rails, but now I was approaching the 30s.
While I felt awful and my breathing was laborious, I felt a surge of energy. I was almost done. Unlike any of my previous climbs, I kicked it up a notch, climbing slightly faster than my metronome. I reached the 34th floor knowing I was pushing myself hard, but confident I could keep up the pace for a little while yet.
I crossed the finish line and glanced at my watch. 4:48 (4:50.93 official)!
The last few floors had taken its toll, but surprisingly I recovered quite well. Arguably I felt better than either of my other two triple steps despite this being my 7th trip up.
I waited at the top for Jill and Tom. Jill was rightfully pissed at the dude who wouldn't move out of the way. Tom arrived several minutes later, pleased with his solo climb. While this was his slowest ascent (by a mere fraction of a second) he felt pretty good and was able to recover quite quickly. He told me that he slowed down his metronome to 50 BPM and managed to hold that pace for a few more floors despite being fatigued from the start.
Aftermath:
The awards ceremony started at noon. I took home first place overall for the single climb (initially 4:20 but eventually corrected to 4:13.88) and second overall for the Triple. Race results are here.
After the ceremony, I snapped my picture with Joseph Kenny, a top climber 20-30 years ago. Later, Tom and I took a quick walk around Indianapolis and met up with Jill and her mom for a late lunch near their hotel.
And just like that we were on the road again. We had a snowstorm to outrun.
Grades:
Fitness: A minus - A little hard to estimate as weight plays a role in most of my workouts, but I think I've gotten back most of my Pre-Covid fitness.
Weight: B plus - At 175 lbs., I'm getting closer to my 170 lbs. target.
Single
Effort: A Plus - Pushed myself close to breaking and I paid for it!
Pacing & Technique: B minus - Pacing was hair too fast and my turns too slow.
Overall: B plus - The pace was a bit too much and my technique suffered, but I still put up a good showing
Triple
Effort: C Plus - I feel like I could've gone faster, but the fatigue of the first race made it hard to pump up those watts.
Pacing & Technique: B - Pacing was okay for my (somewhat underwhelming) goal of 5 minutes. My Technique improved a bit over the course of the three climbs.
Overall: B Minus/Plus - On one hand, my times were mediocre and I left a good chunk of time on the table. However, Holy Cow was I in rough shape because I over-exerted myself in the first race. It was a mental challenge just to finish.
Final Thoughts:
If I were to do this race again, I'd need to be 172 pounds or less and in top shape as my only goal would be to break the 4 minute mark. That's a tall order. The truth is, I still have several pounds to lose, but at the same time I'm not getting any younger. I remember climbing up the Bennington Monument (a true sprint race) several years in a row. Despite being in better shape year over year, I'd be a second slower each successive climb. That was in my late 30s. Now in my late 40s. I suspect my window for breaking the 4 minute mark at Bop has nearly closed. I can only guess how I would've fared back 5-6 years ago.
But if I do come back, I'd need to go out at a more reasonable 120 BPM and use the slower pace to hug the inside rail. While I'd lose about 11 seconds of speed, I'd potentially gain up to 35 seconds if my turns were clean. Heck, even 115 might squeak under if I sprinted the last 6 floors.
Regarding the Triple, I would be lying if I said I was happy coming in 2nd. The winner (a college runner) put up respectable times, and I lost by 38 seconds (cumulative). Had I been able to keep my best three climbs of the day - keeping my 4:13 and dropping my 5:08 - I would've come out on top, though just barely. I think had I only done the triple, I think I could consistently hit the low 4:30s. Maybe try 110 BPM if I were fresh? Just a guess.
Lastly, Tom did quite well. Considering he collapsed at the top of the Corning Tower in 10:45, I would've expected him to climb Bop in 9:45. But instead he put down a 8:47 and followed it up with a pair of 9:07s. It is quite a remarkable improvement. Realistically, I think he could've climbed up in under 8:30 if he had done just the single climb, which would've put him in the top 25%. In the car ride back East, we talked about pacing an he agreed that climbing up at 45 or 50 BPM and keeping that pace is probably a better strategy than going out a bit faster and purposefully switching over to single steps at 80-90 BPM halfway up. Hopefully we'll be able to put this plan into place during our next race!
