tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346278235015472322024-03-26T15:13:45.184-07:00Climbing to the TopMy journey to living a healthier lifestyle and becoming a competetive stairclimberAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-25661984639913660982024-03-26T15:13:00.000-07:002024-03-26T15:13:11.506-07:00Shaking off the Rust<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"There is a water station just a couple floors up", one of the volunteers offered.</span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmo9a-GjiIsM4TiEVg46Vwzm67mC0THe459kTkL8XSkVPxj6Xqcg4J1tIsfLjEQS6oJOd1PCXWVHORxHBgYDL_uxq-4CV78aERyBnQGy_k41H7Ebfb-A8wavACaOL_2KW2O9h5PKApdPHydPJctX2imoOoeqMaGJn_X3W3Uhq2VZ3d6t2fZohi1fdyf4/s3805/IMG_1106.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3805" data-original-width="1848" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmo9a-GjiIsM4TiEVg46Vwzm67mC0THe459kTkL8XSkVPxj6Xqcg4J1tIsfLjEQS6oJOd1PCXWVHORxHBgYDL_uxq-4CV78aERyBnQGy_k41H7Ebfb-A8wavACaOL_2KW2O9h5PKApdPHydPJctX2imoOoeqMaGJn_X3W3Uhq2VZ3d6t2fZohi1fdyf4/s320/IMG_1106.jpeg" width="155" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One Penn Plaza, NYC</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was somewhere in the 20's and by now I was having a hard time keeping a single foot on the landings. My arms were jelly and my heart rate was beating out of control. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I stepped out of the stairwell and took a drink of water. Spots of perspiration were already showing through my T-shirt. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Shit. I was only halfway to the top and I was already exhausted. With time ticking away, I re-entered the stairwell and continued my climb. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">What was I doing here? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After my uninspiring return to competitive stair climbing at the Stratosphere, I signed up for One Penn Plaza in NYC. I knew I needed a couple more races under my belt before I attempted the World Championships at the Taipei 101.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Training had gone well over the last month, though I regretted going out to eat a handful of times. Other than that, I had stayed on point with my diet. Oatmeal and Salad. Oatmeal and Salad. Somewhat depressingly, the scale showed me just north of 180 lbs. a couple days before the race. I had gained 1.5 lbs in just two days?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I *knew* this was just normal fluctuation - probably due to water weight (and such) - but it didn't help my confidence.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Both Steve M. and David R. were in the lineup, so I knew this race was going to be competitive. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">David is an amazing athlete, though "extreme" might be a better term. He climbs tall mountains (like K2 & Everest) without oxygen and has been top 100 at the NYC marathon. If you want to follow someone hardcore yet unassuming on social media, he's my pick.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Steve is my Tower Masters teammate. Ex-Marathoner turned stair climber. Back in the day he was as fast as David. Though he's 58, he's proven that age is just a number and he hasn't slowed down in the 10+ years I've known him.<br /><br />Inevitably as a competitive stair climber, you make comparisons with your rivals. If this climber beat so-and-so at this race and that climber beat so-and-so at that race, than this climber is faster than that climber. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So when I saw that Steve just beat Alex (Jill) at a recent Milwaukee power-hour* and Alex (Jill) clipped me at the Stratosphere, I knew Steve was in great shape.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">*to be fair, I believe Alex (Jill) had a double header that weekend.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But I digress. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The point is, I was still 10 lbs. overweight and spotting a couple strong climbers 25* seconds... and I found myself on the 30th floor feeling both nervous and winded.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">*after the fact, I did the math and it was more like 20 seconds.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As I crested the 40th floor, I could hear another group of volunteers chatting up ahead. The final water station. This was my designated "Go to" floor but by now I was a hot mess and the clock was still ticking.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Screw it. I was done. Cooked like a turkey. I pulled out my water bottle and took a swig. Time to take the elevator down.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With my warm-up complete*, I rushed back to the waiting area. I donned my racing jersey and changed into my damaged racing flats - hoping they'd hold out for another race.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Sorry for any confusion. I still had 10 minutes before the official race start.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After a final round of burpees, I headed to the start line. Behind me, my friend and traveling companion Tom called out "Good luck!"</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB7DZJsXr21ickUQJpuqdVZX1Dq0l5loEa8b7Tw5XxHPVotzxklf6ZFJRAjQY-12HusXx4JA06O7JRWb7Ji7fSgdwyG3K6Nd3REkzMyaIppeKdjcCMPYWVr4RzIGYDEdJXHR1hs2H-H3IYmf9q6KWbymT4j3dmJlDJ6hw-c4BnKCcK7MywHpV_lV0Llk/s4032/IMG_1107.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB7DZJsXr21ickUQJpuqdVZX1Dq0l5loEa8b7Tw5XxHPVotzxklf6ZFJRAjQY-12HusXx4JA06O7JRWb7Ji7fSgdwyG3K6Nd3REkzMyaIppeKdjcCMPYWVr4RzIGYDEdJXHR1hs2H-H3IYmf9q6KWbymT4j3dmJlDJ6hw-c4BnKCcK7MywHpV_lV0Llk/s320/IMG_1107.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 Seconds to Go!</td></tr></tbody></table>The ALA race organizer, Paul Curley*, started lining us up. David was likely the strongest climber - despite his recent shoulder injury - and took to the front. I tucked in 3rd behind Steve - he won the race last year and had the #1 bib. I suspected that my under 7 minute goal time would be faster, but his recent win in Milwaukee and my less than stellar performance at the Strat meant he deserved to start ahead**. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">*A competitive stair climber in his own right. He's a former cyclo-cross semi-pro and masters champion.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**The truth is, I hate having my rivals start behind me. Getting passed by a rival is one of the worst feelings and I try to avoid that whenever possible.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Right at 9:00 AM, David entered the stairwell. The organizers were doling out 30 seconds of space, so I had time to wish Steve good luck before he took off climbing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">9:00:57, 9:00:58, 9:00:59. GO!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I set my metronome to 91 BPM, roughly 50% faster than my warm-up pace. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">When I first did this race back in 2012, my goal time was to beat 7:00 minutes (6:40 stretch goal) so I figured I'd use a similar pacing strategy. Back then I climbed in ~6:54 with a 90 BPM pace.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why was this still a reasonable pace? Glad you asked!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking back, my best time in this building was <span style="background-color: #d0e0e3;">5:</span><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">55</span> set in 2018 when I was in close to top shape. I remember I had recently dropped weight for an indoor rowing race (Crash B) so I was also fairly light (like 170 or possibly 169 lbs.). Considering I was 10+ lbs heavier now, that meant I was spotting myself a solid <span style="background-color: #04ff00;">20</span> seconds (<span style="background-color: #04ff00;">10</span> lbs. / 180 lbs. = <span style="background-color: #04ff00;">20</span> seconds / <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">355</span> seconds). Add in another 20+ seconds for fitness (estimate) meant that the best I could hope for was a 6:35 in the stairwell. Let's round that up to 6:40 as the extra climbing time meant I'd have to decrease my pace even further to accommodate*. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Remember, the added weight and decreased fitness means the building "feels" like a taller building... and the taller a building is, the slower you need to set your pace.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So after careful consideration, this race matched perfectly with the 2012 edition. However, I added 1 BPM to my metronome for extra insurance.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With a proper warm-up under my belt, I quickly got into the groove. For the most part, I tried to keep one foot on the landings, though considering this was a 10/10 stairwell configuration*, this was somewhat challenging.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">*10/10 means each floor has two 10 step flights with a 180 degree landing in the middle. If you take 2 steps at a time, this means that you have an odd number of footfalls each flight which puts you on the alternate foot each time you turn.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Though still nervous, I felt that I could keep the pace going until at least the 27th floor - about halfway up the 55 story building. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Steadily I climbed into the teens. I could feel my calf muscles working overtime. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The biggest difference between running shoes vs. racing flats is the lower heel drop. This meant I was climbing more on my toes/forefoot and using my calves for support.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Truth is, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I hadn't worn my racing flats in</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> 4+ years and the difference caught me a little off guard - not good considering I was in the middle of a race.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">By now I was in the upper teens. I could hear another climber coming up from behind. Was it Paul Curley? Or maybe that other racer who mentioned he climbed up 1WTC? My pace wasn't fast... but it wasn't necessarily slow either. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">During my practice climbs, I force myself to strict two count (2 beats per inhale, 2 beats per exhale). However now I was breathing with a one-count. Controlled and maximal... just barely under the red-line.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I knew that whoever was behind me would be even worse off. I kept faith that I'd pull away eventually.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sure enough, by the time I passed the water station on the ~22nd floor, I could sense the gap widening and by the time I hit the midway point on the 27th floor I could could no longer hear anybody below me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I entered the 30s full of doubts. At the Stratosphere, my biggest mistake was conceding to my metronome which put me in range of - but not actually under - my goal time. Would 91 BPM actually get me under 7 minutes in this building? As I was marching up, the remaining time on the clock was ticking down. I'd need to make my move soon or lose the opportunity. The problem was... I was already gassed and with 20+ floors to go, it seemed inconceivable that I'd be able to maintain a faster pace for that long.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Slowly the ticked off each floor and somewhere in the upper 30's I could hear cheering from up above. That would have to be Steve crossing the final water station in the lower 40s. Still a pretty good lead, but at least I knew he wasn't too far ahead. 5 or 6 floors? Hard to tell. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As I crossed the 39th floor I knew I had a big decision to make. Should I go for it on the 40th floor? or wait and see how I felt on say the 45th? What to do?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Firstly, stop second guessing. The 40th floor is the GO floor because it's less than twice the length of my super short practice stairwell. That means less than 2 minutes of climbing to go which is the bare minimum necessary to make up any sort of meaningful deficit.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Secondly, just GO, damn it!</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So I <i><b>finally</b> </i>listened to myself and picked up the pace. I didn't touch my metronome. I just climbed faster. 100 BPM? 110? I couldn't say. But my footfalls started skipping over the beat. Again and again and again.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I cruised by the final water station on the 42nd (?) floor. This is where I ended my warm-up. And this is where I'd make up lost time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">43, 44, 45...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ten more floors to go.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">By now I was in the pain cave. I could *still* keep up my pace, but I didn't have much left in the tank.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">46, 47, 48...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I knew that if I could just make it to the 50th floor I could cruise to the 55th on fumes if need be.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">48, 49...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I could hear another climber just a few flights ahead. I was actually catching Steve?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">50, 51...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I couldn't believe it! I was less than a flight away from catching Steve.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">52, 53...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Steve ducked out of the way for me to pass on the inside. I was breathing so hard I couldn't even thank him. It probably cost him a second, too*.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">*Shoot. I really should have started one spot ahead. Apologies, Steve.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I attempted to pick up the pace on the final two floors but my muscles wouldn't respond. Like, I still had energy, but couldn't climb fast enough to use it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I crossed the finish line exhausted, but still able to move on my own. Then, a few seconds later, the fatigue hit me like a truck as my heart rate caught up to my final burst of speed. I leaned against the wall for a moment until my heart rate finally started to settle down.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I walked off the fatigue for another minute or two before I was finally able to speak to Steve and David. I didn't have a watch so I needed to rely on them to estimate my time. In my foggy mental state all I recall is that David finished well under 7 minutes and based on Steve's time (7:15? 7:20?) I had likely been somewhere in the 6:40s.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was definitely stoked. Win or lose, I had beaten my goal time of under 7 minutes and came close to my stretch goal of 6:40. Furthermore - assuming Steve watch was correct - I definitely climbed faster than I had in 2012.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As we were waiting for other climbers to finish, David noticed the door to the balcony area was unlocked and we took a quick peek outside. Even though it was raining pretty hard, it was a magnificent view. I wished I had my camera with me. This was the first time I had seen the view from the balcony as it is usually blocked off... and sure enough, after a few minutes the staff cordoned off the area.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The waiting area became ever more crowded as the other climbers made their way to the top. It was time to head down to relax, though not before we took a few "Tower Masters" team photos.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At the bottom, Tom congratulated me. Apparently, I finished the race in 6:40. Not only did it match my stretch goal, but I had taken the win by a mere 3 seconds!*</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">*While David may wish he dug a little deeper to make up those 3 seconds, I suspect our positions will be reversed come ESBRU.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was a welcome surprise. Before the race I suspected David would handily take the win leaving Steve and I to duke it out for 2nd place. However, after I finished, I knew that my sprint from floor 40 onward had taken a bite out of that margin.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I chatted for a few minutes with Tom and David before David headed back home (he's a Brooklynite). Later I caught up with my Tower Masters teammates as I haven't seen any of them in over 4 years.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Lastly, while waiting for the award ceremony, I took Tom for one last look at the stairwell. Though he has traveled with me to some big races (e.g. Taipei 101) he's never actually participated in a stair climbing race, let alone climb up a tall building (sorry - 8 stories doesn't count).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So he started his stop-watch and up we went!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We were the last climbers to start prior to the full-gear fire fighters, so Paul asked us to count how many people we passed and let the organizers at the finish line know how many climbers were left in the stairwell.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I set a conservative pace. Tom tried to get me to go faster... but I didn't budge. Let's see how we feel at the first water station... </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">and by then it was time for single stepping and a quick water break!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We slowly reeled in our first climber towards the halfway mark, offering encouragement along the way. By the time we had reached the final water station, we had slowed to a crawl, though we managed to catch a few more climbers during the ascent. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">By now we were all "warmed up" and after another quick water break, we finished the remaining 15+ floors at a faster pace, finishing the climb in a respectable 16 minutes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u>Epilogue:</u></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It turns out the award ceremony occurred during our "fun" ascent. Whoops!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Peanut butter balls (You know what I'm talking about, Tom)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A nice lunch at "Five Senses" in Korea Town near the Empire State Building.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Rain! Completely soaked by the time we got to Grand Central. Should've bought/brought an umbrella.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">More Rain in Poughkeepsie</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Driving carefully because of flooding.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Freezing Rain?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Snowstorm!?!</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Overall I give myself an F for the umbrella, but an A+ for the studded snow tires.</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mVzIdmPNZMBCznvcR8PfjJC-au4RInBWtUuD7F5zdJZtYEfdbN9SQdEW0NRA6vOP3NDXXdMhZwHEtaBOedwHRiOP3TIV7PBY8dF0mQP6PlNYKfYNdm_0RfaqouSIykzYzcREc-Xj0Ti8LvFS-p4E8Q_a0jz2FVdvvLzWMbrgfluNNtqFjThtKdqVUkY/s3023/IMG_1114.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1731" data-original-width="3023" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mVzIdmPNZMBCznvcR8PfjJC-au4RInBWtUuD7F5zdJZtYEfdbN9SQdEW0NRA6vOP3NDXXdMhZwHEtaBOedwHRiOP3TIV7PBY8dF0mQP6PlNYKfYNdm_0RfaqouSIykzYzcREc-Xj0Ti8LvFS-p4E8Q_a0jz2FVdvvLzWMbrgfluNNtqFjThtKdqVUkY/s320/IMG_1114.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Freezing Rain?!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegIVwb4U4j1ce9jcTPg3tojcYfUTZY7bhaGP4l8x347zzj2HCW_7r5AcCo1oqBOhBN4uZ3TG2qwwuJGJ1ljDCPbOpIjWHQ8qaV985mSnHgXH6lI_wkJ-H-NvsUfSxx7ySfCGsKShY2UeHXUiWFsGxlBvZZ4ZEwHTed4-bW6Xl0gGzMsINvCoKg50RlLU/s4032/IMG_1109.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegIVwb4U4j1ce9jcTPg3tojcYfUTZY7bhaGP4l8x347zzj2HCW_7r5AcCo1oqBOhBN4uZ3TG2qwwuJGJ1ljDCPbOpIjWHQ8qaV985mSnHgXH6lI_wkJ-H-NvsUfSxx7ySfCGsKShY2UeHXUiWFsGxlBvZZ4ZEwHTed4-bW6Xl0gGzMsINvCoKg50RlLU/w150-h200/IMG_1109.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Times Square!</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u><b>Grades</b></u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u>Effort</u>: A minus - A bit timid up to the 40th floor, but I turned it up a notch afterwards. At the finish line, I was still standing... but I did use the wall for support. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u>Conditioning</u>: C plus - 5% off my peak</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u>Weight</u>: C minus - Still spotting my rivals about 10 lbs. of fat, but I'm trending lower.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u>Pacing & Technique</u>: A minus - 91 BPM was a little too slow. Maybe I should have tried 94 BPM? Clearly I had a huge negative split. In a perfect race, the splits would've been closer to even. Technique-wise, I'm glad I had a warm-up lap to practice the turns. During the race, I remember paying attention to my steps at least until the first water break. Then things get fuzzy. Likely some room for improvement.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u>Overall</u>: B minus - While the fitness and weight can't be fixed overnight, I did everything else right.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u>Final Thoughts</u>:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was very disappointed with my Stratosphere results, so coming back and having a solid race a month later really picked up my spirits. The biggest difference was that at the Strat, I didn't know how I would measure up, so I raced very conservatively until the last 8 floors of the "donut". That just wasn't enough real estate to mount an effective comeback and I was left with a half-tank of gas at the end of the race. In fact, I spent a few minutes after the race just staring up at the tower. Even from the outside, you can see that the "donut" is just a small percentage of the overall height.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At One Penn Plaza, I knew that sub 7:00 was achievable (the Strat <i><b>did</b></i> provide a solid data point with regard to fitness and pacing). The key moment came on the 40th floor. Though I raced conservatively for most of the race, the final 15 floors gave me a lot more room to play with (like 27% of the building) and I was significantly more gassed at the finish line. Compared with the Strat, I was willing to dig deeper and execute my plan at the right moment.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I'm very happy with a 6:40. It isn't close to my best (5:55) but that is something I'm learning to accept. The good news is my weight is trending down and my fitness is trending up. 6:40 is actually slightly ahead of where I thought I'd be and if this continues, I honestly believe my fitness will fully return.</span></div></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-44628631479290531942024-03-15T08:21:00.000-07:002024-03-15T08:32:47.173-07:00The Return<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaEmYk8hRiH243v9FgJAIHQvm8p7zTL6wCnaP-gMr8qHy8ThYvi7vNU1o9KImhuirRkDnLOZWQ67DaMoRZEy9YbMeZaEFFegNVFxKzeaNB9-rkWl92DlQv9oyDZ8UyRp3hj5Bkp6wRKE3kEhkPTepIiDZjqcuQRuiCunClD7gfq8k_xl3Q41eqGQOQi8/s4032/IMG_0917.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaEmYk8hRiH243v9FgJAIHQvm8p7zTL6wCnaP-gMr8qHy8ThYvi7vNU1o9KImhuirRkDnLOZWQ67DaMoRZEy9YbMeZaEFFegNVFxKzeaNB9-rkWl92DlQv9oyDZ8UyRp3hj5Bkp6wRKE3kEhkPTepIiDZjqcuQRuiCunClD7gfq8k_xl3Q41eqGQOQi8/s320/IMG_0917.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />I finished my final set of burpees in the Stratosphere Tower entry hallway as the volunteers continued to remind me that my water bottle wasn't allowed in the stairwell. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Yeah, no shit. I heard you the first time</span>*.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*I hoped my </span><span style="font-family: arial;">inner voice wasn't too loud - they were just doing their job</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">By this point the first international competitor had started the race. With 25 second intervals, I had a couple minutes to recover and prepare myself. After a bit of dithering, I got in behind Cindy and just ahead of Mark H.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Normally, I'd be right behind the faster international elites, but i</span><span style="font-family: arial;">t's been a long 4 years since I did a stair climbing race. In fact, my last race was exactly 4 years ago at this very same tower.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Why the hiatus? If you're reading this in the future, races shut down for the COVID19 pandemic... and during that time I became fat and out of shape.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">About a year ago I decided to make a comeback and it was harder than I thought it would be. First, I gained 22 lbs. - which was significantly more than I had intended. Considering I exercised regularly - though admittedly less than before - I was taken aback by how much weight I had gained. Second, my fitness took a moderate hit. Base fitness was certainly there, but the extra weight and decreased volume of exercise cost me my competitive edge.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite increasing my training volume and watching what I ate, I only managed to lose a few pounds. By the Sears Tower race (November) I was finally below 190 lbs... but still nearly 20 lbs. heavier than my goal weight of 170 lbs. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">(I actually traveled to Chicago for Sears, but ended up getting sick and missed the race. But that is another story)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Right around Thanksgiving I decided to *really* step up my diet and exercise to prepare for the US Championship Race at the Strat.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So how did I do? You can be the judge.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The table below shows my average speed on my Precor Stepper for my 5 x 4 minute HIIT sessions. For reference, my pre-COVID speed was in the range of 180-182 spm (steps per minute).</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><div><b>Date<span> </span><span> <span> <span> </span></span></span>Weight<span> </span>Speed<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Delta Speed</b></div><div>14-Nov-23<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>188.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fcff01;">150.4</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fcff01;">DNF - Did Not Finish</span></div><div>21-Nov-23<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>189.25<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>151.3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.19</div><div>28-Nov-23<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>189.75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fcff01;">150.8</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fcff01;">DNF</span></div><div>05-Dec-23<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>186.75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>151.6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.29</div><div>12-Dec-23<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>188.50<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>152.3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.69</div><div>19-Dec-23<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>186.00<span> </span><span> </span>153.0<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.66</div><div>09-Jan-24<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>185.00<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>153.7<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.75</div><div>16-Jan-24<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>184.50<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>154.7<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.00</div><div>23-Jan-24<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>182.75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>155.6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.90</div><div>30-Jan-24<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>183.50<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>156.7<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.04</div><div>06-Feb-24<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>183.25<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>158.0<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.31</div><div>13-Feb-24<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>181.50<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>159.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.54</div><div>20-Feb-24<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>181.25<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>160.9<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.35</div></div><div><br /></div><div>While I dropped ~8 lbs. of weight and increased my speed a solid 10 spm, I didn't reach either of my goals. But it was still a marked improvement.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was a tough pill to swallow, but I knew I would be fighting to get under the 9 minute mark and likely over a minute slower than my previous times (all in the range of 7:42 - 7:58).</div><div><br /></div><div>A quick calculation shows that <b><i>at best</i></b> I could achieve would be ~180/160 x 7:45 = 8:43.</div><div> </div><div>Notice the emphasis on "at best". </div><div><br /></div><div>As the race would be a whole minute *<i><b>longer</b></i>* than usual... it would be as if I was racing in a slightly taller tower - and therefore I'd have to cut my pace a litter further to accommodate.</div><div><br /></div><div>So yeah... getting under 9 minutes was the goal... and considering all my rivals were in the 8:30 - 8:45 range... it meant I had only a sliver of a chance at taking the US Championship.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd be lying if I said wasn't disappointed. I used to be the guy people were chasing and taking a back seat was a blow to my ego as well as my confidence.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's more, I knew I would've been in the hunt had I only been down to my race weight. The extra 10 lbs. meant I'd be spotting everyone a solid 30 seconds. Fitness wise, I was probably on par with my top rivals?</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally it was my turn on the starting line. I was nervous, but it was good to be back.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd be climbing without my normal racing flats (broken left sole) and I chose to forgo wearing a stop watch. The absolute worst feeling would be to get half way through the race and realize I'm even slower than I thought I would be.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, I *was* wearing my metronome and I dutifully set it to 86 BPM.</div><div><br /></div><div>(The night before the race I read one of my older posts claiming that 97 BPM would get me to the top in around 8 minutes... so a simple ratio shows that 86 should get me to the top in about 9 minutes - i.e. <span style="background-color: #01ffff;">86 BPM</span> <b>/</b> <span style="background-color: #04ff00;">97 BPM</span> <b>= </b><span style="background-color: #01ffff;">8 min</span><b> /</b> <span style="background-color: #04ff00;">9 min</span>)</div><div><br /></div><div>Go Time!</div><div><br /></div><div>It felt strange being back the stairwell after such a long hiatus, but it was also quite familiar: the open stairwell, the abnormally long flights, and the oddly rectangular handrails that would inevitably blister my fingers.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first few flights were nerve wracking as I settled into my pace. My biggest fear was that my "slow" 86 BPM pace as still too fast and I'd bonk halfway through. </div><div><br /></div><div>I reached the 200s* pretty quickly and to be honest, the pace still felt easy. But from experience, I knew that the pace should feel manageable until about the halfway point. It's only in the latter third where you feel like hanging on for dear life.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Remember, this tower doesn't have "floors" and is instead measured by altitude (in feet). We start out a few dozen feet from ground and climb to the upper 700s until we hit the bottom of the "donut". Then climb another 8 short floors until the top.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>With substantial 25 second gaps between racers, racers more or less have the stairwell to themselves... but by the time I coasted into the upper 300s, I could see Mark a few flights below. He might've gained 10 to 15 seconds?</div><div><br /></div><div>I probably should have been concerned, but between concentrating on the climb and the intensity of the exercise, I had limited capacity to worry. While it was conceivable Mark could edge me out in this race, I knew that I had still had plenty left in the tank and if it came down to it, I could always speed up. In addition, at the bottom of the tower Mark mentioned he would be setting his metronome to 81 BPM and was easily keeping up with 86 BPM. I *<i><b>should</b></i>* be pulling away, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>Sure enough, by the 500s I had pulled away. </div><div><br /></div><div>I knew I had passed the halfway point so that meant 3-4 minutes left of climbing. This far into the race, I still felt pretty good, so I climbed a little bit faster than my metronome. It lasted only a few flights; the extra output put me closer to the red line and I was concerned that I'd burn out*. I figured I was already close to my sub-9 minute goal so I didn't wan to take the risk of bonking out. I could still turn on the afterburners when I reach the donut, right?</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I find your lack of faith disturbing.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The 600s crossed into the 700s and by now, I could feel the pace as I was starting to tickle the redline.</div><div><br /></div><div>I glanced up, hoping to see the donut, but all I could see were more loooong flights of stairs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Where the hell was the donut? Wasn't it somewhere in the 700s? Or was it in the 800s and I just forgot the building went up that high? </div><div><br /></div><div>I immediately regretted not reviewing <a href="http://www.1134.org/stan/Stairs/stratosphere-stairs-chart.pdf" target="_blank">Stan's Stair Chart</a> ahead of time.</div><div><br /></div><div>By now I was in pain and just wanted the race to be over. While I still had energy in reserve, tapping into it would be painful.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I let my mind wander, I finally hit the bottom of the donut. </div><div><br /></div><div>Time to jet.</div><div><br /></div><div>I ignored my metronome and darted up. Floors 101 - 104 went by in succession.</div><div><br /></div><div>I distinctly remember Jason telling me that he accidently left the stairwell on the 105th last year, so I when I saw the 105 placard, I made sure to keep climbing upwards.</div><div><br /></div><div>106... 107...</div><div><br /></div><div>I made one last attempt to increase my speed; foregoing the use of the handrails, instead pumping my arms to increase my turnover rate.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWZOC4TujH1Gc5nG8VaJK_EAec_n2jgIlknLsnSm229iNG5w6Z99vtzMVX5fK0UP0LPjU3mFkNhDitLbcjhgzrQ1EyHXz10S34pvGleH1qVzAPpA7f42Hlo074Y8g4qvYt9LwTK_RwDApfJEvREL2rrGOWU1xzF-nJCacgztFc2O4YTiBMefNtgn4FnM/s1000/IMG_0990.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Last Flight" border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWZOC4TujH1Gc5nG8VaJK_EAec_n2jgIlknLsnSm229iNG5w6Z99vtzMVX5fK0UP0LPjU3mFkNhDitLbcjhgzrQ1EyHXz10S34pvGleH1qVzAPpA7f42Hlo074Y8g4qvYt9LwTK_RwDApfJEvREL2rrGOWU1xzF-nJCacgztFc2O4YTiBMefNtgn4FnM/w200-h133/IMG_0990.jpeg" title="Last Flight" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Last Flight</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I darted through the open door and crossed the line on the 108th floor.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the final burst of speed inside the donut left me winded, I quickly walked it off.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was happy to finally have a race under my belt, but slightly disappointed that I didn't climb a little harder. Under normal circumstances, I should be lying on the floor panting for air. </div><div><br /></div><div>Still, I easily maintained 86BPM for the majority of the race and climbed faster than that during the final sprint. I was pretty certain that I broke the 9 minute mark.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the minutes ticked by, more racers finished and I had a chance to stretch, eat a banana, and see how everyone fared.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though I was confident I had met my goal, a small seed of doubt germinated in the back of my mind. I knew that Cindy - a perennial woman's champ - should be climbing in about 9 minutes and I never saw her in the stairwell... meaning she either maintained her 25 second lead... or increased it.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I was chatting with her, I did get a look at the online race results. Sure enough, she clipped me by a few seconds and it turns out I crossed the line in 9:07.</div><div><br /></div><div>In-line with the tail end of my goal... but still disappointing. Especially considering I had energy to spare.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the race, I went back to my hotel to take a quick shower and then back to the Stratosphere for the award ceremony.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was difficult to be there.</div><div><br /></div><div>While I was glad to finally make it back to the Strat and see my climbing friends, four years ago, I was the US Points Champion (best "point total for top 8 races) and runner-up American in very tight race. This year I wasn't even ranked... and I barely received an age-group award.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's worse, is I was so much slower - well over a minute off of my previous <i><b>worst</b></i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I felt... washed up. </div><div><br /></div><div>And to top it off, I learned that I was bumped down yet another spot in the rankings.</div><div><br /></div><div>Normally that shouldn't be enough to get me riled up, but the circumstances of it raised my hackles. You see, a competitor raced in the elite wave, but didn't push themselves. An hour or so later - after all the times were posted - did a *second* much faster climb. And of course that 2nd climb was 9 seconds faster than mine. While their 2nd climb was undoubtedly faster, I don't see how it can be counted. Are there any other types of races that allow a do over?</div><div><br /></div><div>You can see the final results <a href="https://halsports.net/event/scale-the-strat-fight-for-air-climb-las-vegas-2024-2/" target="_blank">here</a>. I was a distant 9th overall.</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Congrats to Wai Ching Soh for setting the course record*</li><li>Congrats to Jason Larson who won the US Championship on the men's side</li><li>Congrats to Jill (Alex) Paha who won the US Championship on the women's side</li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">*To be fair Ryoji Watanabe was only .008 seconds back which is probably within the timing equipment's margin of error. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>I spent the rest of the trip decompressing. I met a few friends for dinner that night which helped me take my mind off of the race. The following day I spent shopping and walking around the Vegas Strip (like 25,000+ steps) before taking the red-eye flight back home.</div><div><br /></div><div><u><b>Final thoughts</b></u></div><div>Part of me regrets going to Vegas. Had I skipped the race, at least my pride would still be intact. On the other hand, it gave an honest assessment of where I am at:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>My initial target of just under 9 minutes was pretty accurate. Yes, I was slower than that, but considering my confidence was poor and effort level was lower than usual, a 9:07 makes sense.</li><li>Dropping another 10 lbs. is going to take at least another 3 months, but it will shave off another 30+ seconds.</li><li>My fitness is still good, but it isn't at pre-COVID levels. I'm likely down 4-6%. While I may not get it all back, I am hopeful most of it will. My workout data supports that I'm still increasing my fitness at a steady rate. Admittedly, it is hard to separate weight loss gains* from fitness gains. I'll have a much better idea when I finally hit 170 lbs.</li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">*No oxymoron intended</span></div><div><br /></div><div>While I'm disappointed with my race, I'm more disappointed with myself for being at 181 lbs. </div><div><br /></div><div>The cold hard truth is that I came to the race <b><i>fat and out of shape </i></b>and it's <b><i>entirely my own fault</i></b>. It's not going to be an easy fix and I have <b><i>many months</i></b> of hard work to do before I'm race ready.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only silver lining with my weight gain and subsequent (partial) weight loss is that I have first hand knowledge of how weight impacts speed in the stairwell. I've always have *<i><b>theoretical</b></i>* knowledge, but that isn't the same thing as living through it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess there is one more silver lining:</div><div><br /></div><div>I have some unfinished business in the stairwell and I'm motivated to finish it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Grades</u></b></div><div><u>Effort</u>: C - Lack and confidence and a whole lot of rust</div><div><u>Conditioning</u>: C - I'm not yet close to my peak, but I trained my ass off to get to this point.</div><div><u>Weight</u>: D - Spotting myself 10+ lbs. is unacceptable.</div><div><u>Pacing & Technique</u>: B minus - 86 BPM is more like a 9:15 finishing time. Maybe if I paid closer attention to the turns it would've helped? There are ~70 turns and shaving a "step" off of each translates into 48 seconds, which is massive. I'm honestly not sure how efficiently I climbed, but it's clear that I should have either 1) increased my pace or 2) had fewer steps on the landings.</div><div><u>Overall</u>: D plus - Below average effort and slightly underwhelming pacing compounded by the fact that I was fat and out of shape made this my worst race ever.</div></span></div></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-30489813967239322322023-12-19T07:53:00.000-08:002023-12-19T07:53:16.614-08:00Dreams Pt.1<p><span style="font-family: arial;">19DEC2023</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I often dream about climbing stairs. They are often bizzarro versions of real stairs. I might as well document before I forget. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Premise</b>: I met a young, fit Asian girl and convinced her to try competitive stairclimbing. I took her to RPI to practice at the Approach (an outdoor stair case). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Dream</b>: For the first round, the goal was to climb as fast as possible to the top of the hill (Approach + Running + More Stairs) to test her fitness. However, I was slightly nervous as I was carrying an extra 20 lbs. But surely, I could still keep up with a newbie, right?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We started up the steps. Although we were at the Approach, the staircase looked different. The stairs were nestled between brick walls of apartment buildings reminiscent of a hilly NYC suburb. In addition, the pedestrians were well-dressed. Not the college kids, vagrants, and the occasional exercise fanatics I'm used to seeing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I kept up with her on the first extended flight. I was winded but so was she. I decided to pick up the pace.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The next flight was long and straight. About 100 steps. Rather than pass her on the stairs, I decided to take a parallel detour consisting of a dirt path carved into the grassy hill (note: this parallel path does not actually exist irl).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I ran up the pathway, pulling away from my trainee. However, at the very top of the path, a four-foot wall blocked my path. For some reason, I didn't notice the wall until the very top. Despite the rails (which struck me as odd considering I was on a dirt path) my muscles didn't have enough strength to get me over the top*. I was stuck.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Somehow I managed to get a leg over the wall and pull the rest of my body over the top. I had lost maybe 10 seconds. My trainee was nowhere in sight. I had either lost her on the previous flight or she was way ahead of me. Probably the latter. So I continued my ascent as quickly as possible. I couldn't let a newbie beat me to the top.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">*Imagine doing pullups to exhaustion. That is what it felt like. Enough strength to hold on to the pullup bar, but not enough for one more full rep.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The end.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Analysis:</b></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Clearly I dream way too much about fit Asian girls... and stairs. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite taking place at a real location (The RPI Approach) the dream version looked nothing like the actual location. The four foot wall blocking my path seems to be a common theme. Something *always* prevents me from finishing a race in my dreams.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">In real life, I'm actually struggling with losing the excess weight I gained during the COVID19 pandemic . It turns out I need to lose about 19 pounds, so from now on I'm just going to call it "The COVID19". It has a nice ring to it.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Like usual, the dream finishes without anything being resolved. Did I make it to the top? where was the trainee? More questions raised than answers...</span></li></ul><p></p>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-33641184342527834772023-12-12T12:28:00.000-08:002023-12-12T12:28:13.101-08:00Climbing Back... <p><span style="font-family: arial;">The last few years have been a disappointment - at least with respect to my relationship with stairs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Maybe I'll go into depth on the <b>why </b>and the <b>how </b>of things, but here is the tldr:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>With no races to look forward to, I gained 20 lbs and lost some fitness.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Sure, I trained ~4 times per week for the past few year - including stairs - but it wasn't enough to stave off the COVID weight gain or a moderate decline in fitness.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">About a year ago, as COVID was winding down and races started to pick up again, I increased my training, thinking I'd make my comeback sometime later in the year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But my weight wouldn't budge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For perspective, I like to be at 172 lbs or lower on race day and during January I hovered around 192-193 lbs... and if I'm truthful, I was up around 194-195 lbs at my peak weight.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Come September, I finally weighed below 190 lbs. I signed up for the Sears Tower race in November thinking that maybe I'd be able to shed a few more pounds and not completely embarrass myself. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But my weight wouldn't budge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Still, I signed up for Sears and I wasn't going to back out. At the very least I had gained some of my fitness back and I could use it as a benchmark. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Fast forward to Halloween and I made the trip to Chicago.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It was hailing. Seriously?!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Fortunately, the bad weather didn't last and I had a few days to train, relax, and experience the city.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The day before the race, I met up with David at Sears to pick up my racing bib. I hadn't seen him since pre-COVID and it was nice to catch up.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After walking around the city, I got back to my hotel room completely exhausted. My throat was scratchy and I had a headache. I took a short nap. My alarm went off just before dinner time. I had planned to meet up with a few other climbers for dinner, but by now I had a fever. Instead I took a couple Tylenol and tried to rest up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">How could this happen 12 hours before the race?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I felt even worse by bedtime, but set my alarm to 4:30 AM anyway. Maybe I'd feel better in the morning.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Racing was out of the question. I wanted to at least attend the race to see the other racers, but between bouts of chills and fevers, I wasn't sure I could <i>get </i>to the Tower let alone <i>climb </i>it. So I stayed in bed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It was the right choice. The next couple days were spent mostly in bed, though I ventured out a couple times to replenish my dwindling supplies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I managed to make it back home though the flight was <b>miserable</b>. I ended up missing a couple more days of work, too. So much for the "vacation".</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I was disappointed. Not only did I miss the race, but my fitness took a hit as well. I tapered my workouts while traveling specifically so I would stay healthy and be at my best on race day. But instead I ended up resting for an entire week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Though I was depressed... it somehow flipped a switch. Suddenly I was motivated again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Motivated enough to change my diet </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Motivated enough to step up my workouts </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Motivated enough to write my first blog post in 4 years.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've got 74 days until the US championships at Scale the Strat and a solid 15 pounds to lose.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /></p>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-48962145922447062002019-12-10T14:07:00.003-08:002019-12-10T14:07:49.146-08:00Midwest Madness<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Welcome to Chicago</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This would be my 9<sup>th</sup> time racing up the Sears
Tower. I’ve spent over 20% of my life training for this race and I’m still not
prepared.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O1XPZWdRahf1pZzK1nqb1lSL8xkv4PbKkAe0l08xzyUAaA6DWJY3SB0giXOAf06btyMDJPNvXPPAVnA7fNsWDlruLoMPXs2Xo00eJBRlH-ywL41ePSj1qWp7B_wBnJExJfsMROnlwxw/s1600/IMG_2345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O1XPZWdRahf1pZzK1nqb1lSL8xkv4PbKkAe0l08xzyUAaA6DWJY3SB0giXOAf06btyMDJPNvXPPAVnA7fNsWDlruLoMPXs2Xo00eJBRlH-ywL41ePSj1qWp7B_wBnJExJfsMROnlwxw/s320/IMG_2345.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve been juggling a lot of stuff recently and I’m not as
young as I used to be. At 43, I’m still in good shape - but these days I feel
like my age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The months leading up to the race were stressful. I’ve been
steadily working on the new house and finally made the big move in September.
Adding to the stress was the fact that I had to do it alone since my SO was out
of town dealing with other stressful problems. It also meant I had to get Lance
ready for the school year by myself*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Lance is in 7<sup>th</sup> grade now and is participating
in *<b>way</b>* too many extra-curricular activities. I’m chauffeuring him to
Band, Stage Band, and Chorus every morning and picking him up from Crew
practice after school. Not to mention Tennis, Piano, and the “Music Studio
Kids” song and dance troupe. It’s far too much, really, but the kid’s got
potential. He’s already 5’ 11” (two inches taller than yours truly) and he’s a
beast on the indoor rower for a 12 year old. At the beginning of the crew
season, he could probably pull an 8:30 2K on the erg, but I bet he’s closer to
8:00 minutes flat nowadays. By the time he’s an upper classmen, he might even
be as fast as I am – but only if he trains hard. He’d rather be playing tennis.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With all that additional stress, it is a wonder I’ve been
able to train consistently. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The real problem has been maintaining my weight and
recovering from injuries. I’ve struggled to stay below 175 lbs. which I
consider the very top of my “race ready” weight range. And regarding injuries,
I have a bunch of old chronic issues, but In particular, my piriformis has been
a nagging injury and sitting down just makes it worse. Most recently, I injured
my hip. I don’t know how it occurred. A week before the race I was sitting down
at my desk. When I stood up to take a quick walk, I noticed I was in pain and
limping. I chalk it up to weird bad luck. It only curtailed a couple of
workouts, so I’m thankful it wasn’t worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fast forward to Sears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fitness-wise, I was in good shape but still a few pounds
heavy. Plus my hip still wasn’t at 100%. I didn’t think it would impact my
performance… but it was still a worry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I arrived at Sears around 6:15 AM and bumped into a few
other climbers I knew from the circuit. Some of us still didn’t have our bibs
(including me!) so we had to wait patiently for David Hanley, our sports
director, to show up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I should mention that I didn’t completely know who was going
to be at the race, so it was only when David showed up with all the bibs that
the lineup became clear. On the men’s side, here was my predicted finish order:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Frank Careno (COL)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alexis Trujillo (MEX)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goerge Heimann (GER)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jesse Berg<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alex Workman<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jason Larson/Mark Henderson (tie)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Oz” Osborn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mark Ewell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Josh Duncan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were a few big-name scratches: Terry Purcell, Justin
Stewart, and Sproule Love. Don’t ask me to guess a fantasy finishing order with
them in the lineup. All I can say is they’d all be in the hunt for 4<sup>th</sup>
place if they were present. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the women’s side, I was grasping at straws. Cindy Harris
would likely win but other than her, the remaining podium spots were up for
grabs. The big names I knew were Sherri Breese, Meg Santanna, Stephanie Hucko,
and Maria Lopez. This is not in any particular order; I just don’t follow the
women as closely as I should.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back to the start line....<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I began my active stretching, I ran into Mischa from
Towerrunning. I still hadn’t payed my annual dues (due to technical
difficulties of the website) so I paid him 30 USD to cover the 24 Euro fee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With my dues taken care of, I completed my active stretching
routine and followed it up with a couple rounds of burpees as I made my way to
the start line. For the record, the start line is two floors below the “normal”
start line. It’s been like this for two (now three) years so perhaps starting
in the basement will be the new normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t have my race-ready confidence and I felt like I
didn’t belong at the race. However, I needed the points. As long as stayed
within a couple spots of Mark Henderson I should be able to maintain my lead in
the TowerRunning USA rankings. Theoretically, I could skip the race and still
win the USA cup, but doing well here would cement my spot. Anyway, I signed up
for the race and I wasn’t going to back out now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The internationals were up front. Jason, Mark and I
discussed who should go next. I wasn’t volunteering because if I went next, it
meant I’d likely be passed at the beginning of a race only to re-pass during
the later stages. Jason wanted to keep me in his sights, so he wasn’t
volunteering to go next either. That left Mark. He didn’t want to right after
the internationals, but he *<b>was</b>* willing to go 2<sup>nd</sup>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I approached Jesse Berg and told him it was a “unanimous”
decision for him to go after Goerge. Problem solved!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I did a final round of burpees and a couple minutes later I
entered the stairwell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9q9WDiPYhRYN_QgQNgBy5V5yGODPToxJHnGoGfqZ1N-BkczLxlFnEVAX-nXDP3wjlqlY2SDmRFLvpS6c4OlR1jA0AVpgegbWQtwr1oYxAW5r27MM9I0bkYYH0MWCg_lJj6ZfD8mKCy4/s1600/Start.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="402" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9q9WDiPYhRYN_QgQNgBy5V5yGODPToxJHnGoGfqZ1N-BkczLxlFnEVAX-nXDP3wjlqlY2SDmRFLvpS6c4OlR1jA0AVpgegbWQtwr1oYxAW5r27MM9I0bkYYH0MWCg_lJj6ZfD8mKCy4/s200/Start.png" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I set my metronome at 81 BPM. By all accounts, this is one
of the slower paces I’ve used at Sears, but after consulting my blog post from
last year (the year I got locked out of my room and didn’t have my metronome)
that was the pace I planned to use. Considering I was a bit heavier than last
year, I figured it should be sufficient. After all, I’d rather be a little slow
and have a bit in the tank towards the end of the race. Going out too fast is a
death sentence at Sears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I tried focusing on being efficient for the first few
floors. It’s tough to concentrate during a race, but the slow pace made it
possible. By the time I hit the 6<sup>th</sup> floor Jason had nearly caught
up. He tucked in behind me and commented that maybe he went out to fast
(probably just to make me feel good so I’d let down my guard).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Together, we climbed into the teens. Slow and steady.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we reached the lower 20s, I could hear another climber
approaching. It turned out to be a kid named Nick Sdrenka (I looked up his name
after the race). I say “kid” because I’m twice his age. He’s likely in his
early 20s. I don’t know Nick personally, but I did recall him talking with
David Hanley after I picked up my bib.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He cruised past Jason and me, but from the sound of his
breathing, I could tell he was working harder than we were. Would he last
another 70+ floors? From experience, probably not… but you never know. Perhaps
this kid was going to be the dark horse of the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jason and I remained together for another decad of floors
and once again we found ourselves being passed. This time it was someone we
both recognized: Cindy Harris. She was tearing up the stairwell, but I knew it
was going to be somewhat short lived. She was breathing quite heavily - but
then again, she *<b>always</b>* breathes heavily (it’s kind of her signature
mark).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we approached the lower 40s, Jason had had enough of my
slow pace and moved to pass me. As he passed me I mentioned I planned to kick it
up a notch at the half way point (lower 50’s). This was more of a defense
mechanism of sorts because by now I felt guilty about going out so slow. Jason
quickly built a lead of one and a half flights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By now we had crossed the halfway point (about floor 52) and
I took stock of my situation. On one hand, I had already been passed three
times so my confidence was shot. On the other hand, I felt relatively fresh. I
*<b>knew</b>* I went out too slow. To be honest, I’ve felt worse during my time
trial training sessions on the Precor Stepper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was only one thing to do: Pick up the pace. I slowly
reeled in Jason and together we pulled passed Cindy in the upper 50s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now comes the hardest part of the race: The Dead Zone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With only 40 floors to go, I was well beyond the halfway
point, but 40 floors is still a loooong ways to go. If you’ve gone out too
fast, the Dead Zone is where you start to bonk. Even if you’ve gone out too
slow (like me) the climb becomes painful. Could I go faster? Yes! Did I *<b>want</b>*
to go faster? Heck no! The best I could manage was a step* closer to the
redline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Stairclimbing pun intended.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I ascended through the 60’s I was climbing nearly on top
of Jason. With the 70<sup>th</sup> floor approaching, I made my move to pass
and a few floors later we caught up with Nick who was being swallowed by the
Dead Zone. The fact that he managed to stay ahead for so long means he’s a
solid athlete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the upper 70’s I had maybe a flight or two on Jason,
which meant that he was still technically ahead of me at this point (as he
started 10 seconds behind me). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For Jason to win our duel, he just needed to stay with me.
For me to win, I’d have to drop him for good… but with just over 20 floors to
go, it was going to be an uphill* battle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Stairclimbing pun intended.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Time was running out as the final 20 floors should take only
3 minutes or so. The good news is that I was out of the Kill Zone and headed
into the Final Sprint*. Furthermore, the stairwell configuration in the final
section is a fast and narrow 7/7/7.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*The Final Sprint comes right after the Dead Zone. This is
the point where you are able to push past the pain and increase the pace since
the finish line is fast approaching. This assumes, of course, that you haven’t
already bonked. If you’ve bonked, the Final Sprint just becomes an extension of
the Dead Zone.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBMpShq1VdDefj6XMijarFyyTZd71VttlIKreQQlwu-vPM7p3jyWVfUiuGojcP9vwk1LmPMK2xh4AD-NV76E2xpJSmYyikbROFLe90DacPkYcYXs9kwNoWou0mW49f1SgU6qETWTBmBg/s1600/End.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="403" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBMpShq1VdDefj6XMijarFyyTZd71VttlIKreQQlwu-vPM7p3jyWVfUiuGojcP9vwk1LmPMK2xh4AD-NV76E2xpJSmYyikbROFLe90DacPkYcYXs9kwNoWou0mW49f1SgU6qETWTBmBg/s200/End.png" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I muscled up those stairs like a man possessed. I had way
too much energy left and I kicked myself for going out to slow. Yes, I was
making up time, but with only 10 floors left to go, I knew I had left some time
on the table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I headed into the mid 90’s I was truly suffering, but I
wasn’t about to slow down. I still had energy in the tank, although tapping
into it was going to hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I crossed into the 100s and above me I could hear the crowd
cheering. Was that Mark finishing? I had nearly forgotten about him… drat, it
was going to be a tight finish. I kicked myself again for going out so
conservatively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The final few flights were a bitch. Having sprinted the last
20 floors left me in pain and I couldn’t afford to let up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I crossed the finish line and stumbled a few steps before
putting my hands on my knees to catch my breath. Yes, I felt like crap, but 20
floors of sprinting tends to do that. The silver lining is that my recovery
time was pretty quick. Going out too slow for 80 floors tends to do that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t mention this before, but I raced without my stop
watch. It ran out of batteries a couple days before the race. As such, I had no
idea what my time was, although I figured I was nowhere close to my PB. I’d be
lucky to break the 15 minute mark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I walked around for a bit to help recover and asked Mark,
Jesse, and Jason about their times. Jason clocked in the lower 15s and I
thought I was a good 10 second gap between us, so I figured I would be a few
seconds faster. Mark mentioned he was in the lower 15s and I was nearly on top
of him when he finished (though I never saw him). Jesse timed himself as just
over 15 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was real nail biter until we got the official results. See them <a href="https://www.athlinks.com/event/325773/results/Event/889949/Course/1716662/Results"><b><span style="color: blue;">here</span></b></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The biggest upset was that Alexis outsprinted Goerge for the
win with both of them beating out the course record holder Frank Carreno who
held on for a distant 3<sup>rd</sup> place. Among the Americans, Jesse was the
fastest (he actually *<b>did</b>* break 15 minutes). I took fifth place
narrowly ahead of Jason and Mark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How did the dark horse fare? Nick finished about 30 seconds
behind which means I’d better watch out. If he learns how to pace himself in
the stairwell, he could easily drop 30 seconds. Or more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How did the women do? Cindy Harris won handily. For the rest
of the field, the big surprise was newcomer Anna Carlson taking 2<sup>nd</sup>
place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Race Grades:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Effort</u></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>:</u> <b>B-</b> ; My pace for the first 80 floors was too slow
(C-) but I made up for some if it by pushing hard during the final 20 floors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Conditioning:</u> <b>B+</b> ; I was in decent shape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Weight:</u> <b>B-</b> ; 170 or less is needed to score an A in this
category and I tipped the scales at a heavy 173/174.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Pacing & Technique</u>: <b>B-</b> ; My initial pace wasn’t
aggressive enough and I didn’t really change it until I was more than halfway
finished… but at least I was able to conserve energy and use most of it up
during the sprint. Technique was fair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Overall</u>: <b>B</b> ; Although I left some time on the table,
considering my weight, I’m pleased with the overall result. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Final Thoughts:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m relieved that I did as well as I did and pleased that I
squeezed ahead of a couple of my rivals. Yes, I could have gone faster, but my
game plan was reasonable. I wasn’t in top stairclimbing shape so I’m happy I
was closer to the 15 minute mark rather than the 16 minute mark (which I
thought was a real possibility). I think the only thing I regret was not
picking up the pace earlier in the race. I should have checked my status and
adjust my pace at the 30<sup>th</sup> floor rather than after the 50<sup>th</sup>.
I think the reason I didn’t check my status was:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
wasn’t confident.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coasting
by at a slower pace is waaaay easier.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Racing
head-to-head with a rival discouraged me from speeding up. In my head I
was thinking “Well if this speed is fast enough for Jason, then it must be
fast enough for me.”</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I do this race next year, I may consider going out at
83 or possibly 84 BPM if my weight is closer to 170 lb or even 85 BPM if I’m in
top condition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story doesn’t end here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I booked my flight to Chicago, the original plan was to
stay in the Midwest and race in Milwaukee a few days after Sears. However, this
year the Milwaukee race would be held a week later. Drat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is a climber to do? Find another racing venue!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Welcome to Missouri</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It turns out there is another well known race in the Midwest
called Master the Met in St. Louis. It’s held annually in April (drat!) but it
turns out that the stairwell of Met Square is open for public use (yes!).
Although I wouldn’t be able to officially take part in Master the Met, I could
at least race the course on my own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I stayed in Chicago overnight and the following day I rented
a car to drive down to St. Louis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">St. Louis is surprisingly awesome. It is roughly 3 times the
size of Albany so it boasts a decent skyline which is dominated by the Gateway
Arch, which I learned is made of fabricated steel, not concrete (I got up real
close to verify).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi8A8E06HYncpyxmRzTTYMUyTM9b1-1cRDd1r8EUcz1a-dwCeWnbetVSxmCz2RCaiuAkRFxCF3_yeRSEM5y7Hc27ZMJQkwtTGtjQ2_uNmCPIWHCltxwvrt_K8Rme0pyGf5eXSgb3cn0I/s1600/IMG_2468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi8A8E06HYncpyxmRzTTYMUyTM9b1-1cRDd1r8EUcz1a-dwCeWnbetVSxmCz2RCaiuAkRFxCF3_yeRSEM5y7Hc27ZMJQkwtTGtjQ2_uNmCPIWHCltxwvrt_K8Rme0pyGf5eXSgb3cn0I/s200/IMG_2468.JPG" width="150" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Close-up of the Arch</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although St. Louis has it’s share of sketchy neighborhoods,
it also had some fantastic public spaces. During my stay I explored:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Missouri
Botanical Garden (A+): Top notch botanical garden. Highly recommended.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">St.
Louis Art Museum (A-): Decent size, nice collection, and free!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">St.
Louis Public Library (A+): Wide selection in a historic building.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gateway
Arch Museum (A-): Small but very detailed and informative. Also free!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Old
Courthouse (A): Beautiful domed architecture and you can climb up to the 3<sup>rd</sup>
level to see it up close. Plus a small museum. Also free!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cherokee
St. Antique Row (B): Lots of Antique Shops but sadly only a few were open
when I went exploring.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPonGdkRve9fRF27RfYpH3Ou1v0oRpww0xw7BISSWuzV-516-7bme4K30-psG73yH1IfiEKH4uH74CWnYHd6uR8vapgWFzIXoGvYL87enC7tZo0257XYyZluXKXE-rYKZu4qw9o0zBu0/s1600/IMG_2437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPonGdkRve9fRF27RfYpH3Ou1v0oRpww0xw7BISSWuzV-516-7bme4K30-psG73yH1IfiEKH4uH74CWnYHd6uR8vapgWFzIXoGvYL87enC7tZo0257XYyZluXKXE-rYKZu4qw9o0zBu0/s200/IMG_2437.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Botanical Garden</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVmVRXPqxBF2n2o-lo_sjQmFqY_yr1LySGv61-yM81-bNdxC-wmt74tjUVYhynhgZsNEJwo187IV6fJB4uOFmrtG2K0xGB8c353Pjs7-qawTi3GinQyvdVG4F8-7LZx9mC5KLhrkCuS8/s1600/IMG_2479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVmVRXPqxBF2n2o-lo_sjQmFqY_yr1LySGv61-yM81-bNdxC-wmt74tjUVYhynhgZsNEJwo187IV6fJB4uOFmrtG2K0xGB8c353Pjs7-qawTi3GinQyvdVG4F8-7LZx9mC5KLhrkCuS8/s200/IMG_2479.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Old Court House</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were a few other places that I saw, but didn’t have a
chance to fully explore:</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Old
Cathedral (note: it should have been open during the time I tried to
visit!)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Forest
Park. Think Central Park NYC but bigger. I caught a glimpse of it when I
went to the Art Museum.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Christ
Church Cathedral. Next door to the Library.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last but not least, the surprise hidden gem was the
“Apotheosis Comics & Lounge” which is a comic book store... with a bar! The owner is friendly and introduced me to the series “Manifest Destiny”. It’s
the story the Lewis & Clark expedition… but with a supernatural twist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I digress too far… the purpose of the trip was to
climb up One Metropolitan Square (Met Square) so let’s get on with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On Wednesday, I met up with the John Wilmas, the
self-proclaimed “Stair Ninja” of St. Louis. I’ve met him once or twice before
at Sears, so I gave him a call when I decided to do a time trial at Met Square.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Met Square is a 42 story building with a listed height of
180.7 meters. That makes it the tallest skyscraper in St. Louis and 2<sup>nd</sup>
tallest in Missouri (1<sup>st</sup> place belongs to One Kansas City Place,
which is less than 10 meters taller).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Met Square is virtually the same height as the Corning Tower in Albany,
my hometown race, so I kind of knew what to expect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqg-EqqlbHCKzCKWMiJHhh1_awWnPW5l1FgFZq74mAQJlQf4YVMnSfPEr4GMFITL1-oCA5zwIegSLhyphenhyphenPHZpx0mEaUXtlSVNECWXU1vp0BZlVQYe_HZ7ssvDj8fPYGK51RVDV2QeUapvU/s1600/IMG_2494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="985" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqg-EqqlbHCKzCKWMiJHhh1_awWnPW5l1FgFZq74mAQJlQf4YVMnSfPEr4GMFITL1-oCA5zwIegSLhyphenhyphenPHZpx0mEaUXtlSVNECWXU1vp0BZlVQYe_HZ7ssvDj8fPYGK51RVDV2QeUapvU/s200/IMG_2494.JPG" width="121" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I met John in the lobby of Met Square just past noon. He was
already wearing his custom “Stair Ninja” racing kit. John is an office worker
in a nearby building but he noonlights as a fitness trainer. If you live in St.
Louis, you might run into him if you ever have lunch near the Gateway Arch. He
often leads Cross-Fit-esque workouts on the steps leading up to the Arch. In
fact, he is in the middle of opening up his own “Stair Ninja” gym. Somehow I
imagine the gym will be equal parts Cross Fit and American Ninja Warrior. Plus
some stairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Met Square is essentially John’s personal stairwell. He
works in a nearby office building so when he’s training for stairs, Met Square
is his go-to spot (his office building is “merely” 20 stories tall). To get
into the stairwell, all that is needed is to sign a waiver at the security
desk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we prepared to do a warmup lap, John confessed he wasn’t
in stair-climbing shape quite yet but planned to do more stair workouts to get
ready for the 2020 stair climbing season (which is generally in late
winter/early spring). Although he’d be climbing with me, he wouldn’t be exactly
“racing”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I set my metronome to 75 BPM for our warm-up lap. The
stairwell layout is a standard two flights per floor with right hand turns. The
width is fairly narrow so I was able to grip both sides of the tubular steel
rails pretty easily. I also noticed that there isn’t much of a gap between
flights so I was able to take the turns quickly. Taken together, this meant
that this stairwell would be a fast!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We chatted while climbing and John reminisced about prior
editions of Master the Met. Because St. Louis is so close to Springfield, it
often attracts top climbers like Terry, Oz, and Justin. Other editions have
attracted the legendary Sproule Love since St. Louis just happens to be his
home town. For such a “small town” race, it certainly has attracted some top
talent over the years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The stairwell switches up on the 19<sup>th</sup> floor
(about halfway) so we had to run down a short hallway to get to the next
stairwell. The new stairwell continues up to the 42<sup>nd</sup> floor, but the
actual race finishes on the 40<sup>th</sup> floor, so that’s where we exited.
It’s actually quite convenient because there is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>bathroom right near the elevator. After a short pit stop, we took the
elevator back down to the ground floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now I was getting butterflies in my stomach. Although I
wouldn’t be in official race, I knew I would be pushing quite hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is a secret: I *<b>hate</b>* pushing hard. It’s
painful. I dread some of my workouts because I know I’ll have to push hard over
and over again until I can no longer maintain the prescribed pace. Racing is
even worse because you can’t even quit – even when you bonk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After changing into my racing flats it was go-time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sproule owns the record at the Met which is 4:10 flat
although Justin has come within a couple seconds of it. Other speedsters, like
Terry have come in just under 4:30. In a time trial, I figured I should be able
to come in around 4:30. That’s pretty much my goal time in Albany, which is a
similar if not longer course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But what pace to use?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is what I knew:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
didn’t take any measurements of the steps although they felt about 7
inches tall (which is *<b>not</b>* a precise measurement). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Warm-up
lap was 75 BPM and we completed it in a bit over 7 minutes (I don’t
remember the exact time)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Race
Pace at Albany is about 120 BPM</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I couldn’t do math in my head to ratio 75 BPM with 7 minutes
(and change) to figure out what pace to use for a goal time of 4:30, but 120 BPM
sounded about right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So that’s how I set my metronome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the time trial, it was decided that I’d go first and
John would try to keep up with me for as long as possible. I ended up borrowing
John’s fit bit watch since my watch’s batteries were still dead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had to restart once because I wasn’t familiar with John’s
fit bit, but I finally got it to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first 10 floors were quick and easy and John stayed
about a flight or so behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we got to the 13<sup>th</sup> floor, however, the pace
really started feel brutal. It was the sucker punch you get when you haven’t
warmed up properly: things seem fine… until they don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the 15<sup>th</sup> floor, I was struggling, often taking
an extra step on the landings. Could I handle three more minutes of this crap?
I had my doubts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I made it to the 19<sup>th</sup> floor and ran down the
hallway to the next stairwell. Just about halfway through the time trial.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John was likely a couple floors behind by now. When I
crossed 21 or 22, I thought I could hear him down below as he crossed over to
the next stairwell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was suffering, but it would be embarrassing to quit in the
middle even if this wasn’t a “real” race. Oddly enough, I felt a little bit
better. Likely I was getting my “warm-up” back as my body adjusted to the pace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe I *<b>could</b>* do this…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the time I reached the 30<sup>th</sup> floor I was
climbing slightly faster than my metronome. The pace hurt, but I was handling
it. Only 10 floors left! 75% complete! 25% to go*. I got this!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I know it’s redundant, but that’s how my brain works when
climbing stairs.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I increased my pace yet again, madly tearing up each flight.
Although I could no longer single step the landings, I made up for it with
fury.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I rounded the 35<sup>th</sup> floor (5 floors left, 87.5%
complete, 12.5% to go!) I still had energy to spare, but boy was I hurting. The
little voice inside my head said, “Hey, this is only a time trial… there is no
need to burn yourself out. This isn’t a *<b>real</b>* race”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the end, the little voice partly won out as I coasted to
the top at my current pace. At least I didn’t slow down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I made it to the 40<sup>th</sup> floor, I looked down at
John’s Fit bit. The screen was blank! Frantically I pressed the touch screen.
4:35… 4:36… 4:37… and I finally stopped it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I stood there with my hands on my quads and waited for John.
Maybe I waited for another 30 seconds? I don’t know since I didn’t
restart/continue the fit bit. I’m guessing he finished somewhere in the lower
5s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We rested for another minute or two before heading back down
via the elevator. The time trial took a lot out of me so our next lap would be
our last one. I set my metronome at 65 BPM as a cool down. One fast climb was
enough!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YJ3dH3s7cv4DV-HdR9iZUYg4SgnKUH4fSe5Ja0MH_190ZR0-5jDMrhLbbbCbKcjYO4u__u0-Mjotn__on7bz4HfdEjEkksV5zTuocHOtwgb8cimCjEM2zB02zlA3ZNPqIAtTmLXmNK0/s1600/IMG_2516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1600" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YJ3dH3s7cv4DV-HdR9iZUYg4SgnKUH4fSe5Ja0MH_190ZR0-5jDMrhLbbbCbKcjYO4u__u0-Mjotn__on7bz4HfdEjEkksV5zTuocHOtwgb8cimCjEM2zB02zlA3ZNPqIAtTmLXmNK0/s320/IMG_2516.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the top of the cool-down lap we celebrated with photo.
Then I explored the 41<sup>st</sup> and 42<sup>nd</sup> floors just to see what
the rest of the stairwell was like. John told me that during the first few
editions of the Master the Met, the race ended on the 42<sup>nd</sup> floor,
but he rarely goes up that far during training since the doors are always
locked*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Except for that one time he ran into the cleaning crew and
got to see the top floor.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before our final descent, I took a closer look at the
stairwell, specifically the stairwell between the 38<sup>th</sup> and 40<sup>th</sup>
floors (as I didn’t feel like taking the stairs *<b>all</b>* way down).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Holy Crap! The stairwell is a fast 11/11 configuration*! I
asked John about the rest of the stairwell and he confirmed that floors 1-19
are somewhat random, but 19-40 are all uniform. Before exiting the stairwell, I
did a couple turns just to show John just how fast 11/11 can be. I wish I had
used that technique during the time trial.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*IMO 11/11 is the best possible stairwell configuration. You
can read about my stairwell analysis and suggested foot placement ad nauseum
<a href="https://alexclimbs.blogspot.com/2017/08/power-up-tower-part-4-aka-magic-number.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">here</span></b></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Time Trial Grades:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Effort:</u> <b>B </b>; I pushed the pace for most of the time trial but
I Iet off the gas with about 5 floors to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Conditioning:</u> <b>B+</b> ; I was still in decent shape and well
rested after Sears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Weight:</u> <b>C+</b> ; After Sears I switched from a lower sodium diet
to a higher sodium (pizza) diet so I’m guessing I was in the 175 lb range.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pacing & Techniq</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ue</span></u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>:</u> </span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">B </b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">; 120 BPM was challenging. My
stairwell technique was passable, but I did not utilize the efficient 11/11
foot pattern.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Overall:</u> <b>B+</b> ; I’m pleased with my results because it was a
solid learning experience. If this was a real race, I would have graded my
performance as a B-. There is room to improve in each category.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Final Thoughts</u>:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I suspect I wasn’t fully warmed up prior to the time trial.
If I ever come back to Master the Met, I’ll need to make sure I do some
sprinting or at least some burpees to get my body accustomed to the fast pace.
If I were to race again (at the same weight and conditioning) I would probably
bump the pace up to 122 BPM and focus on foot placement for the 11/11 section.
I think a good goal would be 4:30 with a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>stretch goal of 4:25. I bet a 4:20 flat would be possible if I get my
weight under control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Epilogue:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope to someday to come back to Met Square and put my
knowledge to good use, but what is a stair climbing trip without a couple of
WTF moments?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On
the outskirts of Chicago, they still have coin operated automatic toll
booths on the interstate. Seriously, who carries $2.60 in change these days?!?<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In
St. Louis, they have an eatery called “The St. Louis Bread Company”. It
sounded kind of awesome so I tried it for lunch. Big mistake. This cute
name is just a disguise for the “Panera Bread” chain*. Normally, I don’t
have a beef with Panera<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- other
than the fact I hate spending $10 for a sandwich - but this particular
branch was awful:<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo5;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
ordered a soup and waited for well over 10 minutes… only to be told that
they were out of soup and I’d have to change my order. I wasn’t happy,
but sometimes these things happen unexpectedly. No worries (yet).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo5;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While
waiting for my new order, I decided to use the restroom. It was
electronically locked with a key pad. The sign above the keypad said to
check your receipt for the access code. I pulled out my receipt. No
access code. When I inquired at the ordering station, the cashier
mentioned that they are supposed to put the code on the receipt… but for
some reason they don’t. I wasn’t sure how to reply. That’s like saying,
“We have rules, but choose not to follow them”. At least she gave me the
bathroom code. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo5;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When
my meal finally arrived, it came with a bag of chips instead of the bread
that I had ordered. I asked my server about the unexpected (and unwanted)
switch she told me that they were out of bread because they were busy
earlier in the day. Not only did I doubt that a place named “The St.
Louis Bread Company” was out of bread, but I took offense that she
thought that giving me something I didn’t order (or even want) *<b>without</b>*
asking me beforehand was okay. It’s like going to coffee shop and
ordering a cup of decaf… and then purposefully being handed a can of diet
coke (not even caffeine free!). It would have been one thing if the
server accidently got my order wrong… but she knowingly made the switch
even though adequate substitutions were literally right behind the
counter.</span> </li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That was the third strike. I had enough of this
nonsense and finally spoke to the manager to get a piece of bread after waiting
20+ minutes for my “fast casual” meal. Long story short: although they were out
of the mini-baguette that they usually serve with meals, apparently they *<b>did</b>*
offer a wide variety of other baked goods that they could substitute… you know,
because it’s a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">flipping sandwich shop
that makes bread.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Fun fact: Panera Bread started in St. Louis as “The St.
Louis Bread Company” and the original stores in St. Louis have kept that
moniker. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-62277627725056620442019-05-24T12:52:00.000-07:002019-05-24T12:52:01.702-07:00Six Hours in Salt Lake<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Less than a week after winning the US National Championship,
I headed to Salt Lake City. I spent the past few days bumming around Vegas and
Zion National Park. My experience is summarized by two pictures:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6whmf8qibxa09rCZWkwQiXKV7CC5_RcM-rS0dKjCAHzwb7xQgSHMS9ZLDWa9NOXVugx3L_ci4fcIPH2zU3bwliMqAyfTYMlPLWghVUDDN9JGKySszz_S-1V5bKZrRXJ1u49HcaiB42o/s1600/53261078_10156390282635939_7443521831157366784_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="716" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6whmf8qibxa09rCZWkwQiXKV7CC5_RcM-rS0dKjCAHzwb7xQgSHMS9ZLDWa9NOXVugx3L_ci4fcIPH2zU3bwliMqAyfTYMlPLWghVUDDN9JGKySszz_S-1V5bKZrRXJ1u49HcaiB42o/s320/53261078_10156390282635939_7443521831157366784_n.jpg" width="236" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNu5m__auPBMdUBb107rYuypJUTS3FeWfpgBuzTcNS0cvs9R_tZFmSyhVrJnlq6A3b5woJjgdpGm8L7ptwolfJC8vel5qMnoiVeoPYDGSqTt_OAlo4g1uIxNRHH-8Ru3wKMkqg7Pq7Bc/s1600/52846941_10156390282865939_5794028014652096512_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="716" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNu5m__auPBMdUBb107rYuypJUTS3FeWfpgBuzTcNS0cvs9R_tZFmSyhVrJnlq6A3b5woJjgdpGm8L7ptwolfJC8vel5qMnoiVeoPYDGSqTt_OAlo4g1uIxNRHH-8Ru3wKMkqg7Pq7Bc/s320/52846941_10156390282865939_5794028014652096512_n.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although I did bit of hiking, I only went to the gym once
during the week. Heading over to Salt Lake City, I found myself well rested,
though I also felt a little heavier than usual - likely due to the added salt
in my diet. The excess water weight didn’t bother me too much. Salt Lake City
was going to be a 6 hours of “fun”, with the goal of completing as many laps up
the Wells Fargo building as possible within the time limit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was going to be far longer than any of my previous
races. My longest race to date was the Dallas Vertical Mile, and the time limit
there was merely 2.5 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was also going to be unlike any other race I’ve
participated in. Believe it or not, I’ve never done a true power hour.
Remember, the Dallas Vertical Mile is set at 12 laps and you can take as long a
break as you want between laps as long as you start your final lap within the
2.5 hour time limit. My breaks in Dallas were a whopping 7 minutes and I was
able to push myself fairly hard each lap. The only other power hour I’ve done
was many years ago in Calgary, and in that event, I had to climb down the
stairs rather than ride the elevator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 6 hour SLC climb was on the opposite end of the
spectrum. I had to pace myself fairly slowly and minimize my breaks –
theoretically only resting on the elevator ride down. Plus, it was far longer
than anything I’ve ever experienced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite having little practical experience at such an event,
I did my homework.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My friends Josh, Martin, and Christine all own records at
the event having climbed the building 52 times (Josh & Martin) and 50 times
(Christine). So a few weeks prior to the race I asked them all for advice and
they gave it freely. The most useful piece of information of all was
Christine’s lap split spreadsheet. It showed both the ascent and descent times
for all 50 of her climbs. This armed me with a critical piece of information:
The elevator ride down takes about 2 minutes on average, but can vary widely. I
was warned that sometimes I’d have to wait for the elevator and sometimes
people would get on & off on the 19<sup>th</sup> (break room) floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As far as climbing is concerned, I’m roughly 5% faster than
Josh and Martin and perhaps 15% faster than Christine in a *<b>single</b>*
climb. I stressed single on purpose. I have very little experience in
ultra-events. My strength is really in the 4-5 minute range although I’ve
trained hard over the years to be strong in longer events too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I figured I should shoot for the record and try to
get in perhaps 54 climbs in (9 laps per hour). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To achieve 9 laps an hour, I’d need to have a round trip of
6:40. Assuming it took ~2 minutes to descend and get back to the start line,
this meant that I’d need to complete each climb in about 4:40 or so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tested out this pace in my training building before I left
for the Strat and It came out to be about 75 BPM. It felt extremely slow, but
that was a good thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fast forward to the night before the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I met up with John Rosswog, the race director, and had a
quick preview of the stairwell. I used 77 BPM since this stairwell had shorter
steps than my practice building.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBHWARG-9P1jf6LE9ZT0zZIF_Lnme3m8hcw5jOezaF9r1ihKVnZ4pd5nF-zmpoqPKAXJ6qtOxktyR6K6B1xi7wmSRoIm66E5bhFzyIedcbcXEzT4N9k1WiV6GZHEqvTnev3nQFZaqpWo/s1600/800px-2006_Wells_Fargo_Center%252C_Salt_Lake_City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBHWARG-9P1jf6LE9ZT0zZIF_Lnme3m8hcw5jOezaF9r1ihKVnZ4pd5nF-zmpoqPKAXJ6qtOxktyR6K6B1xi7wmSRoIm66E5bhFzyIedcbcXEzT4N9k1WiV6GZHEqvTnev3nQFZaqpWo/s320/800px-2006_Wells_Fargo_Center%252C_Salt_Lake_City.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wells Fargo Building (From Wikipedia)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here was the layout: The first couple floors were pretty
tall and had 3 flights per floor, all turning to the right. This led to a short
hallway on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor, perhaps 5 paces or so long. The remainder
of the course (floor 3 – 24) was fairly uniform and turned to the left. I
believe the step configuration was primarily 13/13 (but don’t quote me). All in
all, the stairwell was fairly efficient. Not only could I use both sides of the
rails, but the turns were fairly tight. With effort, I could usually keep one
foot on the landings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I finished my practice climb I glanced at my stop
watch. 4:40 on the dot. I couldn’t have asked for a better result!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This pace seemed quite easy and although I was breathing
quite heavily at top, I felt like I could keep this pace for several hours
without fading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The biggest surprise – which Josh and Martin warned me about
– was the long hallway leading from the stairwell to the elevator. The
stairwell dumps you out in a reception area (for some financial firm I think).
After about 5 paces, it leads you to a long hallway overlooking the 23<sup>rd</sup>
floor (as the 23<sup>rd</sup> and 24<sup>th</sup> floors share a tall open
area). This hallway is a good 100 feet long. At the end of the hallway is the
elevator bank (immediately after a hard left turn). All in all, you end up
running for 10-15 seconds to get from the stairwell to the elevator. What’s
more is that when you exit the elevator downstairs, you have to jog outside to
get back to the stairwell, adding at yet *<b>another</b>* 10-15 seconds even if
you run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Essentially, the “break” each lap wasn’t a total break. For
example, if the “rest” on average is about 2 minutes, then ~30 seconds of that
(i.e. 25% of the break) would be jogging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Armed with this knowledge I went back to my hotel room to
prepare for the next morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I woke up right just after 5:00 AM and ate a quick meal of
oatmeal and a hardboiled egg. I usually have something lighter for my pre-race
breakfast, but I figured I needed the extra calories. Next I headed to the race
to pick up my jersey and drop off my race fuel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Altogether, I had 5 energy gels and 12 bitesize chews (candy
and caramels). I also carried a small bottle of salt pills as well an emergency
bottle of pickle juice to in case I developed cramps. The plan would be to eat
gel and two salt pills every 9 laps (1 per hour) and eat one candy every three
laps. I also brought a banana in case I didn’t want to eat candy throughout the
entire race. For hydration, I planned to take a couple sips of Gatorade from
the downstairs rest station and a sip of water from the upstairs aid station.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At 5:30 AM, I arrived at the building. I brought two small
bags for fuel. One carried my salt pills, pickle juice, banana, 3 gels &
about two thirds of my candy. The other bag was smaller and contained just two
gels and the remainder of my candy. I picked up my racing big and dropped off
the larger of the two bags near the front of the building (about 20 feet from
the Gatorade station and exit door). Next, I took the elevator to the up to the
24 floor to drop off my smaller bag. I placed it in a corner of the reception
area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made my way back downstairs and then headed to the 2<sup>nd</sup>
floor to use the bathroom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was locked!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Someone mentioned the 19<sup>th</sup> floor bathroom was
open and I dashed to the elevator bank. No time for the stairs!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Around 5:50 AM John Rosswog introduced a few of the elite
climbers. I did my active stretches while waiting. I didn’t do any burpees. I
figured the pace was slow enough where I’d naturally warm-up in the stairwell
during the race. I was one of the last climbers to be called up and I was
announced as the current US National Champion and 3x National Points Champion;
I fed him that info earlier in the week and I kind of regretted it because now
I had to live up to those titles!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shortly afterwards John led us to the stairwell. The
stairwell entrance was outside so we had to walk outside. It was cold and dark
outside and there was faint dusting of snow still on the ground from last
night. The time was just about 6:05:30 when he let us start. There was a huge
digital clock right displayed right on the start line just inside the
stairwell. It was kind of a mass start, although people seemed to take turns
going. I wanted to get in quickly but I ended up about 4<sup>th</sup> into the
stairwell. My official start time was 6:05:35.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lap 1<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I switched on my metronome and started the climb. I was soon
passed by both Christine and Josh. What the heck? I knew my 4:40 pace was
slightly aggressive so I was surprised that they’d want to pass me*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*I later learned that our fastest lap counted towards the
sprint climb so it made sense after the fact. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was passed one more time by Admir, a local athlete I met
the night before. However I was able to keep up with him fairly easily.
Actually, it is more accurate to say that my metronome’s pace allowed my to
stay close behind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got to the 19<sup>th</sup> floor I must have
accelerated ever so slightly because when I crossed the finish line I clocked
in a 4:30 – roughly 10 seconds faster than my planned goal pace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I grabbed a quick drink of water and then ran to the
elevator. I caught it immediately. I got back downstairs, grabbed a quick shot
of Gatorade, and made it back to the start line in less than 90 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lap 2<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had pretty much recovered from my first lap. After all,
the pace wasn’t very taxing. I switched on my metronome and entered the
stairwell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was still fairly close to Admir and I climbed behind him
for much of the 2<sup>nd</sup> lap. When I got to the top, I was a little bit
slower. 4:43. Still a pretty good time and still on track for 9 climbs per
hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I grabbed a quick drink of water and chased after Admin who
ran off ahead. When I turned the final corner to the elevator Admir was already
gone, leaving me to wait for another elevator. “Fuck!” I cursed. He didn’t wait
for me. I only paused briefly for a cup of water and now I had to wait another
umpteen seconds for the next elevator. “Fuck!” I cursed again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It took a few moments to calm my myself. I knew I couldn’t
keep ranting in front of the volunteers. It wasn’t their fault. I felt like an
asshole for letting my emotions get out of control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I caught the next elevator down and to my dismay I ended up
waiting for another couple of climbers to get on board. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally I made it back downstairs. I grabbed a quick drink
of Gatorade and reset my stop watch. It took a whopping 2:15 to get back to the
start line. I had lost around 40 seconds. Damn it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Laps 3 - 9<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I climbed pretty steadily for the next hour. Climb times
held steady at 4:45 or so and my rests ranged from 90 seconds to about 2
minutes. Not bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every three laps I’d grab a piece of candy. My upstairs bag
wasn’t in a great position and it probably added an extra 10 seconds to my lap
time whenever I’d grab something from it. After my lap #6 (my 2<sup>nd</sup>
piece of candy) I moved the bag down the hallway next to the elevators and the
water station. This made a lot more sense. Now that I could see the elevators,
I wouldn’t randomly waste time. If the elevators were going down, I could just
get onboard. If I had to wait, I could use the extra time to casually take the
candy out of my bag and have a drink of water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for the race itself, I started out in 4<sup>th</sup>
place, but by the 5<sup>th</sup> lap I finally caught up to Admir. I lost him
briefly as I took a drink of water. Oh no, not again! I had to wait until the
next lap to finally overtake him. I saw him greet several other climbers and
volunteers so I knew he cared about the charity and its mission; it wasn’t all
about racing. I felt a little foolish for getting so bent out of shape on my 2<sup>nd</sup>
lap. While I passed Admir, he mentioned the pace was just a hair too fast and
would need to slow down a bit. 4:45s were doable for an hour, but not for six
hours!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that I had passed Admir, only Josh and Christine
remained ahead. I was nearly an hour into the race still no sign of them. Where
were they? I knew my pace was solid and it was hard to imagine that they were
going much faster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I caught up to Josh around lap #8. Or was it lap #9 or #10?
We exchanged a few words of encouragement and Josh mentioned that he lost sight
of Christine somewhere on the 2<sup>nd</sup> or 3<sup>rd</sup> lap when he
missed the elevator. She couldn’t be that far ahead, could she?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh yeah, it was now it was light outside. Yay!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Laps 10-20<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was in a solid rhythm. I could still maintain 4:45
although once in a while I’d hit a 4:50 or so. It couldn’t be helped. Traffic
in the stairwell was becoming heavy as more waves started. Honestly, it wasn’t
much of a problem because people tended to hug the outside rail and let me pass
by on the inside. Yeah, I lost a second or two here and there, but it could
have been a lot worse. As a matter of fact, most of the lost time occurred on
the bottom two floors. People just didn’t want to get out of the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It finally dawned on me what was going on. The other
climbers were told to let faster climbers pass on the left. This is great for
floors 3 – 24 which all turn to the left. Not so great for floors 1 & 2
which turn to the right. No wonder a couple people gave me dirty looks when I
passed them on the inside!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 2<sup>nd</sup> hour became increasingly difficult. Sure
I could maintain 77 BPM but now I was counting down the flights once I crossed
the rest area on the 19<sup>th</sup> floor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My “rests” were also taking longer. Not only were the
elevator waits random, but there were more people getting on than before which
made the trip down hot and stifling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In other news, I couldn’t believe I was still chasing
Christine. Where the heck was she? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I finally caught up to her on the 19<sup>th</sup> lap. I
snuck into the elevator with her just as the elevator doors were closing. She
looked a bit ragged, but then again up until this point, she’d been going
faster than me and I wasn’t feeling great either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I stayed with her for the first part of the 20<sup>th</sup>
lap but then slowly pulled away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the top, I got into the elevator fairly quickly, but it
was *<b>crowded</b>* and of course we ended up stopping on the 19<sup>th</sup>
floor. After the doors closed again, it seemed to take forever to get back down
to the ground floor. I wasn’t imagining things. It was taking an inordinate
amount of time and I was worried that we were going to get stuck. Did I mention
it was hot and crowded? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thankfully the elevator made it down in one piece, but I had
lost over a minute in the process. Was I still ahead of Christine? I had no
idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Laps 21 - 30<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’d like to say the next few laps were like clockwork, but
they weren’t. I felt like I was slogging up those stairs. Yeah, I was still
climbing at 77 BPM, but I was barely keeping 4:50s. Part of it was fatigue, but
another part of it was the temperature of the stairwell. The first few floors
were nice and cool, but the majority of the climb was hot and humid. I could
especially feel it when I’d pass large groups of people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The highlights of the climb were the dancing nuns playing
80s music. And the big fan blowing air. God bless that fan!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rests were no longer a pleasant respite. I could barely
jog down the hallway (more like a fast shuffle) and I just couldn’t recover
efficiently in the crowded (read balmy) elevator. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Somewhere in the middle of all this suffering I heard one of the volunteers call for CPR
and an EMT. On the next lap I learned that another climber had a heart attack.
Poor guy (or gal). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I secretly wished they’d close off the stairwell due to the
medical emergency. At least for a few minutes. I really needed a break. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn’t get one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Around lap 27 or so I made the conscious decision to slow
down my pace from 77 BPM down to 75 BPM. Up until now, I had averaged a 4:45 or
so, but I couldn’t possibly maintain that pace for another 3 hours. Another few
laps? Yes. But 3 more hours would kill me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At first, the pace didn’t feel any slower. But by the time I
reached the 19<sup>th</sup> floor, I felt slightly better (or at least less
exhausted). My lap time was 5:00 on the dot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, maybe I can do this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Laps 31 - 40<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My climbs were getting slower and right off the bat I had
trouble with the elevator. Great.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the most part, I did my best to keep 5:05s, but every
once in a while I’d clock in at 5:10. I knew that 54 laps were out of the
question. But maybe I could still hit 53? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I lost track of my lap count. I asked for my lap count
upstairs and it seemed a bit low. I needed to finish my 40<sup>th</sup> lap
with at least 90 minutes to spare in order get #53 in. I suspected I was behind schedule, but I couldn’t do the mental
calculation so see just how far off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After switching to 75 BPM I had felt a little better, but
sure enough, fatigue was catching back up to me. This time, however, I didn’t
have 3 hours left to climb. I had less
than two. Ok, let’s round it down to 90 minutes. Yeah. I could survive another
90 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Somewhere along the line I lapped Josh. He asked me how I
was doing. I told him I felt like crap, but was hanging in there. He looked
like he was in slightly better shape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lap 36 almost ended my race. On the 21<sup>st</sup> floor my
left calf completely seized up as I was passing a group of people. It felt like
someone took a sledge hammer directly to the muscle as it balled itself into a
knot. I felt sorry for the people I just passed because now I was going slowly
and taking up the entire stairwell in an effort not to put pressure on my leg.
It f’ing hurt! At least it happened near the top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was in agony as I dragged myself to the elevators.
Immediately upon entering, I began stretching the muscle. I could help but
think this was it. I’m done. Finished.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Down at the bottom, I hobbled over to my fuel bag and downed
my emergency bottle of pickle juice. Please work. I didn’t want to lose this
race due to a muscle cramp, especially since I had been faithfully taking my
salt pills. I spent another 20 seconds stretching my calf before resuming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lap 37 was touch and go. My calf was not longer completely
balled up, but it still hurt. I didn’t dare put my entire weight on my calf.
Instead I placed my weight on my heels*. It was awkward but it worked. I made
it up in under 5:10. Okay, if I could make it up once, I could do it again…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*This bears some explanation. Typically when I climb stairs
I’m usually on the balls of my feet and my heel hangs slightly over the edge.
This is mostly due to geometry. My feet are nearly the same length as the tread
of the step, so keeping my heel planted on the tread is awkward. I suspect if I
had smaller feet, it would be a lot easier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Laps 41-50<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh how I wanted the suffering to end! I was still
maintaining a 5:05 pace but instead feeling it near the top, I was feeling it
closer to the 12th floor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With just under an hour left to climb, I realized now that I
wouldn’t make 52 laps let alone 53. I was starting lap 43 and it would take
exactly 60 minutes to complete 8 climbs assuming I kept my lap times to 7:30
flat. Eight more climbs would give me a total of 50 laps. If I could go
slightly faster, I could get in the 51<sup>st</sup> - as long as I made it into
the stairwell before the 6 hour time limit, they would count my final lap, no
matter how slowly I climbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The problem was I had slightly less than an hour to climb
and I was having trouble keeping my round trips under 7:30. I knew it was
going to be close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From here on out I was determined to jog the hallways. Or at
least shuffle quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I lapped Josh again. He was looking pretty good all things
considered. In the elevator I bummed a salt pill from him and drank one of his Dixie cups of water even though I had my own stash at the bottom. I think I was
becoming slightly incoherent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The clock read 11:36:50 as I entered my 47<sup>th</sup>
climb. I had started right around 6:05:35 so I had less than 28 and a half minutes
to finish 4 climbs and start my 51<sup>st</sup> lap. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That meant my laps had to be like 7 minutes or so, right?
Christ, I couldn’t even do simple math! All I knew was that for the past few
hours a bunch of my laps had been in the 7:15 – 7:30 range. In fact, I couldn’t
remember the last time I pulled in a lap time under 7 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, if I hurried and had some luck with the elevators,
getting in the 51<sup>st</sup> lap would be possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I lapped Christine somewhere along the line. She bounced up
and down in the elevator and I envied her energy. She looked fresher now than
umpteen laps ago. What the heck?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was fortunate that the stairwell was far less crowded
this late in the race. I cranked out my next two climbs in just over 5 minutes
apiece and my total lap times were 7:10 and 6:50 respectively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started my 49<sup>th</sup> climb right at 11:50:50. If I
could maintain a 7 minute lap pace I could get in my 51<sup>st</sup> climb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really wanted it now. 51 Laps might not be the record, but
it would be pretty darn close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I cranked the next two laps both in 5 minutes flat and my
total lap times were both under 7 minutes. I had done it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lap 51:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I entered my victory lap with about 45 seconds to spare
(apparently, they were going to close the course right at 12:06 and not at 12:06:30
like I had expected).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I knew I could climb as slowly as I wanted but at the same
time I didn’t want to totally blow it off. After messing around on the first
few floors I decided to finish strong with my 75BPM pace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My final ascent was 5:30. Sure it was my slowest lap of the
day, but still not too shabby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the top they gave me my finisher medal with 51 laps taped
to the underside. I felt proud I had completed the entire 6 hours. I eventually
collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. My whole body was fatigued!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found my way to the 19<sup>th</sup> floor. They were
giving out fudgesicles and I was hungry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">John Rosswog gave me a plaque for winning the race. It was
special because it was made from granite – the same material the Wells Fargo
building is made from. I also got to wear the fancy winner’s belt, so I
briefly felt like a WWF champion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It gets better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The timers told me I had actually completed 52 laps! I *<b>did</b>*
remember thinking my lap count seemed a little low earlier in the race. That
meant I tied the record!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Final Thoughts:</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I knew this was going to be a hard race and words can’t
completely describe how awful it felt during the final couple hours. But I’ll
try:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It
felt like the final interval during interval training... only doing it over
and over again. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It
felt like my left calf was about to tear.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It
felt like I was half drunk, but not the mellow & happy kind of drunk.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ve felt worse before, though. A couple climbs come to
mind: The Strat in 2015 (or 2016?) and even more so at US Bank in 2013. Those
feelings of pain were far more intense and it took me a looong time to recover
afterwards. I never want to go through those experiences ever again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m pretty happy about my performance and I’m not that
disappointed that I didn’t reach my 54 climb goal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I believe my preparation helped me achieve that 52<sup>nd</sup>
climb. 77 BPM might have been a little too fast, but it was pretty darn close
to optimal considering I’ve never done a 6 hour climb before. Yes, I ended up
slowing down… but not by much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would like to come back to Salt Lake City and get 53
climbs in. I think it is achievable with a slight change of pace and better
attention to logistics. If I could shave off 8 seconds per lap – roughly 7
minutes in total - I’d be within range.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s completely doable and here is where I can shave off
time:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each
lap I stopped for a drink of Gatorade a the rest station at the bottom.
Skipping the Gatorade and taking my own fluids while waiting for the
elevator would easily shave off <b>2.5
seconds</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Carrying
a gel or candy with me would save me from stopping by my fuel bag once
every three laps. That would likely shave off another <b>1.5 seconds</b> (per lap).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Prioritize
the elevator first before drink/fuel. I missed a few elevators by a hair
because I was busy drinking water or grabbing a candy. Missing an elevator
could cost up to 30 seconds. I’d rather waste a few seconds drinking
Gatorade at the bottom than losing 30 seconds at top. This is yet another
reason for carrying an extra candy/gel with me at all times.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jogging
rather than slogging could shave off <b>2
seconds</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
could eke out another <b>1.5 seconds</b>
in the stairwell. My average pace was 4:56.7 and I bet I could handle 4:55
using a 76 BMP pace (remember I was climbing ~4:45 for the first half, so
this slower pace is theoretically doable for the entire duration).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Logistic wise, I’d rely primarily on my upstairs fuel bag
rather than my downstairs one. I’d also include my own bottle of Gatorade. When
I’m waiting for an elevator ride, I might as well have a drink and top up on
supplies. That said, I’d still have a redundant downstairs bag just in case.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lastly, I really have to hand it to Christine, Martin, and
Josh. I knew the race would be tough, but I didn’t realize just how challenging
getting 52 laps would be. I assumed my fitness level would allow me to easily
keep a 4:45 pace for the entire 6 hours. I found out the hard way that it’s
sustainable for only 3 hours. Having barely survived the race myself, I have
newfound respect for these 50+ lap climbers. A six hour climb is no joke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Race Grades: </u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Effort: A </b>; The
first hour or so was “easy” per plan. The remainder of the race took some guts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Conditioning: A </b>;
Still fresh off of Strat, I was in great shape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Weight: B</b> ; Likely
a pound or so heavier than I was at the Strat. Maybe 173ish? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pacing &
Technique: B+</b> ; My initial pace was only a hair faster than it should have
been. Considering this was my first attempt at 6 hours, I couldn’t be more pleased.
In fact, I almost gave myself an A. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Overall:
B+</b> ; As a first attempt, I’m very pleased with my
race. The only reason I gave myself a B+ rather than an A is because there are
several small improvements I could make (as detailed in the previous section).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Epilogue:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The climber who had a heart attack was a competitive climber named Brian Zamboni. I didn't know him personally but I recognized him from some of the other climbs I've done (Sears Tower, Dallas Vert Mile, etc.). In fact, he was good enough to be on the podium at some of the local races, so it took me by surprise when I learned that he was the one who had the heart attack. During the race, I had just assumed it was a local person doing a single charity climb.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The doctors put him in a medically induced coma to help him recover, but unfortunately Brian never woke up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/brian-zamboni-obituary?pid=191789210" target="_blank">RIP Brian</a>. You'll be missed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-80578003316827951112019-03-15T15:01:00.000-07:002019-03-15T15:01:32.253-07:00National Championships at the Strat<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-sU5kOy5-Z8OFB1EmXUhvYm5ITp4dYjhDS_6pJjcfeAsgBtGbOUsPAHaMh9-NBrfuI_9dnlvU2xfI8FTLWsC90DrPU8IVav65jT1CCyuZ28it9W84YOxJHsu49YhBu_MDl_AiFxtrKk/s1600/DH1_0297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-sU5kOy5-Z8OFB1EmXUhvYm5ITp4dYjhDS_6pJjcfeAsgBtGbOUsPAHaMh9-NBrfuI_9dnlvU2xfI8FTLWsC90DrPU8IVav65jT1CCyuZ28it9W84YOxJHsu49YhBu_MDl_AiFxtrKk/s200/DH1_0297.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve yet to figure out the Scale the Strat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This race is the US National Championships and during the
past seven years I’ve been the National Champion twice*, yet I’ve never won the
race. Both times I’ve been beaten handily by a foreigner**<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Once officially, and once unofficially as there wasn’t a
governing body back in 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Goerge Heimann is my hero. He just turned 50 and he just
keeps getting faster.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you look at my times year over year, you’ll notice they
are very consistent and I’ve been getting faster each year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOa8IqipB_tn_NH4pCVg15ekVu833dbbB9RdOYFdU-acA7ku-9940OzV5xDRPmxSm1lsCPXXRmNGGgJCkvywN2H8puoqgo3TOjM1lj1WDXQhn2xDzzFoxxMnE-Fmb3v0qdUWH4AdXbak/s1600/strat+times.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="487" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOa8IqipB_tn_NH4pCVg15ekVu833dbbB9RdOYFdU-acA7ku-9940OzV5xDRPmxSm1lsCPXXRmNGGgJCkvywN2H8puoqgo3TOjM1lj1WDXQhn2xDzzFoxxMnE-Fmb3v0qdUWH4AdXbak/s640/strat+times.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taken at face value, you’d think I’d be pleased. However I’m
not; A 7:42 isn’t a whole lot faster than a 7:57, especially considering I’m in
better shape and I’ve had plenty of experience in this particular tower. Since
my first race in 2013, my goal has always been 7:30 and I’ve yet to crack even 7:40.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As far as consistency is concerned, each race has a completely different story to tell, so to me it seems odd that my times have been so close. In my first attempt, I raced too conservatively and had to play
catch up. Another year I completely bonked toward the end of the race. There
was also that time I raced sick*… and that time when I was in top shape…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I had a fever before and after the race, but miraculously,
I felt okay the morning of the race. Go figure</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel like I’ve hit some weird plateau such that no matter
how good *<b>or</b>* bad feel, I’m<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>going
to beat my previous PR by a mere second or two, yet still not break into the 7:30s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You’ll notice that the above chart skips over 2018* so the
last time I raced at Strat was in 2017. I wrote a blog about that race but
never published it (I just wasn’t in the mood). Summary: I *<b>thought</b>* I
climbed a solid race until I learned the results. Not only was my time still in
the 7:40s (goal 7:30) but I came in 5<sup>th</sup> (worst place yet) and missed
a podium spot by 11 seconds. I was super disappointed afterwards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*In 2018, I raced at the Crash B Indoor Rowing Championships
which was held the same day as Scale the Strat. Up until that point, I had come
in 2<sup>nd</sup> place at the Strat three years in a row. I was a bit
disappointed to learn out that the winning time at the Strat in 2018 was 8:10 –
a time that was well within my capability. As a consolation, at Crash B, I
ended up 2<sup>nd</sup> in my age group (ironically yet another 2<sup>nd</sup>
place). The winner was the former captain of the Dartmouth rowing team and the
race wasn’t very close - he was taller and had far better technique, not to
mention he had an extreme amount of horsepower.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year I was determined to break through the 7:40
plateau.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My original plan was to cut weight and race at Crash B which
was fortuitously scheduled the week before Strat. If I could set a PB at
Crash-B, I would undoubtedly crush Scale the Strat since I’d be racing at my
highest power to weight ratio ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The plan started to unravel a week prior to Sears Tower (late
October 2018). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had been training seriously on the erg (indoor rower) for
months and my split times were dropping (at that point I estimate my 2K time was right
around 6:37 FWIW). During my long workouts, I had been noticing that my butt was
getting sore (not much of a surprise) but a week before Sears, I realized it
was more than just a sore butt… I had aggravated an old piriformis injury and I
needed to take a break from the erg.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fast forward to early February, my piriformis wasn’t fully
healed so I still couldn’t train on the erg. However, I knew I could still bang
out a quick 2K without too much pain. I still wanted to race Crash-B for fun,
although breaking 6:40 probably wasn’t in the cards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My dieting, however, didn’t go according to plan. I needed
to be 165 on race day which meant I’d have to be around 169 a week prior to the
race (4 lbs of water in one week isn’t too hard). Instead I was around 172. An
okay weight for climbing stairs, but it would be impossible to make weight for
rowing without becoming too dehydrated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was my own fault. I just didn’t buckle down and do what
needed to be done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Otherwise, my fitness was very good. I didn’t break
any workout PBs, but I had several close 2nds all in the span of couple weeks. If I wasn’t in the best shape of my life… I was awfully close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The days leading up to Scale the Strat I checked out my
competition. My main rivals from the Dallas Vertical Mile would all be in
attendance (Jason Larson, Harrison Kieffer & Mark Henderson) and I estimated
I had a good 20 second advantage on each. Added to the list was Tristan Roth
who is usually right around Jason’s level of fitness. Last but not least was
Greg Billingsley. He was the dark horse. He climbed the building in 8:12 in
2018, but that was just his first stair climb and he apparently started with
the general wave (not the elite wave). Plus he was still only 20 years old
(less than half my age I might add!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, I felt I had a very good chance of finally
winning the race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That feeling didn’t last long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A day before the race I learned that Team
Mexico would be attending in full force which meant Alexis Trujillo – Mexico’s
fastest tower runner - would be on the start line. He’s young and fast enough
to challenge the Scale the Strat record. Totally out of my league.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’d be racing for 2<sup>nd</sup> place yet again. But since
Alexis is Mexican… I still had a great shot at taking the US National
Championship!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Sunday, I was full of race day jitters. This year the
gathering point was in a slightly different location due to construction, so it
took a little bit longer to get my bib. It was cold outside!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 30 minutes prior to the start, I headed to the gym with
my friend Napoleon to warm up. They happen to have a Precor Stepper (albeit
with a barely functioning control panel) so I was able to complete my normal
pre-workout routine: 6 minutes of active stretching followed by 6 minutes of warm up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With five minutes to go, I headed back to the staging area.
They were running a few minutes late so I got in a couple rounds of burpees in
the casino hallway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4pW02bPChSz5iK4YMAlQ0YG_T9Eci1X6G5VC19LFWNH58IdzTPfsg_NL9S3t1S99kRdcj953_k2SZS7DZjqcR7ympODEJkA7-ZcniLsznT2RS96_mukGSkmG1hYlCG0VlLhUUxIiTsA/s1600/DH1_0308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4pW02bPChSz5iK4YMAlQ0YG_T9Eci1X6G5VC19LFWNH58IdzTPfsg_NL9S3t1S99kRdcj953_k2SZS7DZjqcR7ympODEJkA7-ZcniLsznT2RS96_mukGSkmG1hYlCG0VlLhUUxIiTsA/s320/DH1_0308.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally we were called to the staging area. We followed our
guide all the way to the Skydeck entrance and about 10 of us crowded into the
elevator to go *<b>all</b>* the way up to the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor start line (typically
we’ve taken the stairs, but this year the Strat was doing some remodeling).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In previous editions of the race, we’ve had to wait in the 3<sup>rd</sup>
floor hallway for up to 20 minutes before the official start of the race, but
this time we started a couple minutes after we arrived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alexis was first out the gate as we all knew he was the
fastest climber.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was up next… and I was in for a bit of a surprise. I’m
used to 30 second gaps at the Strat (which helps avoid unnecessary passing) but
this time it I was ushered in after just a few seconds!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I quickly turned on my metronome and checked to make sure it
was set to 97 BPM. Showtime!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alexis was out of sight by the time I entered the stairwell
but I could hear him a couple flights ahead. He was going out fast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few seconds later heard Jason start behind
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My pace felt relatively slow and my first thought was that
Jason would soon overtake me. But then he settled in about a flight behind,
which upon further reflection made sense<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>– Jason is too experienced to go too fast right off the bat. We both
knew the “slow” pace would become brutal in a couple minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prior to the race I debated what pace to use. My goal was
to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>climb in 7:39 or less (roughly a 101
BPBM pace) but I also knew my competition would likely struggle getting under
the 8 minute mark. Prior experience told me that a 97 BPM would get me to the
top in about 8 minutes and I contemplated splitting the difference. However, my
desire to take the US Championship outweighed my desire to go for a decent PB.
Going out too fast increased the odds of bonking near the top which would
jeopardize the US Championship. Anyway, If I felt good during the middle of the
race, I could always go faster and still meet my goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jason eventually settled in about a flight behind me. I
risked glancing at my watch. 2 minutes down and I still felt strong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Behind me, things were getting tense. I could see Jason
climbing head to head with another climber. Presumably Harrison. Now I had to
deal with two climbers breathing down my neck. Considering they had started
roughly 5 & 10 seconds behind me respectively, I was likely sitting in 4<sup>th</sup>
spot. Great.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike a traditional skyscraper, the Strat is a tower and
the vertical position inside the building is marked off in feet rather than
floors. To be honest, I don’t exactly know where the half way point is, but I
knew that it was somewhere in the low 400s. I was now approaching that point
and out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone blast past Jason & Harrison.
Crap… now I had to deal with Tristan, too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just after Tristan passed, I did the math. Tristan likely
started 15 seconds behind me and with this trio hot on my tail I was now likely
in 5<sup>th</sup> place with just under 4 minutes of climbing left in the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was fully winded, but the pace didn’t seem brutal. I knew
I had climbed fairly conservatively for the first half of the race and now it
was time to pick up the pace and drop my rivals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But here is the thing: I was scared and doubting my ability.
The only thought going through my mind was that this was the US National
Championship and I was losing! Plus, the pace was hard enough that it was
beginning to get uncomfortable. In this mental state, it took a lot of
willpower to force the pace… but I did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the next couple minutes, I slowly pulled away, climbing
just a little faster than my metronome on each flight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I reached the 700s, I could sense the final part of the
race was coming up. I thought I could faintly hear Tristan down below so I
figures he was still in the hunt for 2<sup>nd</sup> place. Oh how I wished I
knew exactly how many seconds he started behind me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzGju3lY4Eh49jrCHkNv1Cs9yCUwYH79fQwtdB2VXv4ZtAhsN3hhwShdM1XmWH07vDnL0-UqL9X66WxN421BkjotjPW6ZJO1mAoBGm3vPwOqDvFTGPIPlJpB-kYc9gS-4r5D3E_defv8/s1600/0976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzGju3lY4Eh49jrCHkNv1Cs9yCUwYH79fQwtdB2VXv4ZtAhsN3hhwShdM1XmWH07vDnL0-UqL9X66WxN421BkjotjPW6ZJO1mAoBGm3vPwOqDvFTGPIPlJpB-kYc9gS-4r5D3E_defv8/s200/0976.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With a quick right turn, I exited the tower into the
occupied “donut” section. I had maybe 7 or 8 floors left to go. Unlike the
tower core, this section had true floors consisting of shorter yet wider
flights and tubular rails. I think it starts at floor 100 and ends on the
Skydeck at floor 108.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was it. The final push to determine who would be
crowned US Champion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had way too much energy left, but it was still a struggle
to sprint these last flights. Faster pace, yes… full out sprint, no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I burned what energy I could, but I knew I had left
something on the table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I crossed the finish line tired, but still standing upright.
I glanced at my watch as almost an afterthought. 7:45. Crap. I stopped my watch
a little late so likely was a little faster, but chances were that I didn’t
break the 7:40 mark. Now I just had to wait for my rivals to show up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn’t have to wait long. I heard Tristan whooping for joy
as he crossed the line. He was perhaps 15-20 seconds behind me so I knew the
race had been close. Damn. If I lost the National Championship by a few seconds
it was going to sting. I briefly put my hands on my quads for a rest but stood
up after a few seconds. I was winded, but feeling good enough to walk around. I
grabbed a glass of orange juice. Nothing to do now but wait for the results…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the other climbers filtered in, I chatted a bit and
learned that I had handily beaten everybody but Tristan (and of course Alexis).
Tristan self-timed himself at 7:45 so it indeed was a close race. I suspected I
was slightly faster, but too much uncertainty remained – I know from experience
that a few seconds is solidly within the margin of error.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After downing a banana and another couple glasses of orange
juice, I headed back down with Tristan to see the final results. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Up on the screen, I found my name up in 2<sup>nd</sup> place
behind Alexis. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Yes! I was finally the US National Champion!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I peered at the times. Holy cow they were close…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex Workman 7:42<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gregory Billingsley 7:43<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tristan Roth 7:46<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can find the overall results <a href="https://halsports.net/event/scale-the-strat-fight-for-air-climb-las-vegas-2/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">here</span></b></a>.</span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I felt bad for Tristan who had a good race, but was clipped
by a handful of seconds for not one, but two podium spots. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I knew I was lucky for
narrowly edging out Greg. He started further behind us so I honestly forgot
about him. Clearly he had a good race. Had he been climbing up front with the
rest of us, it might have been a different outcome. I certainly had enough
energy go faster but did I have the mental fortitude to back it up? Doubts
linger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would have been bitter about the results had I been in
Tristan’s shoes, but he seemed pretty happy about his performance. He easily
shattered his goal of breaking the 8 minute mark which is a great prelude to
the Columbia Tower (a similarly sized building in Seattle, where he lives).
Someday I hope to have such a positive attitude.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that was left was to take a shower and attend the awards
ceremony for the annual points competition. For the past three years I’ve been
atop the points rankings, but this year I gave up the top spot to Terry Purcell
who has had my number in 2018. With a couple of big wins already under my belt
this year, I hope to be top dog again in 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Final Thoughts</u></b><u>:<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple people came up to me to congratulate my 2<sup>nd</sup>
place finish at the Stratosphere, but nobody mentioned that I was the US
National Champion. In fact, the accomplishment wasn't even mentioned during the Towerrunning
USA awards ceremony. Boy that really stung.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few days after the race I checked out Towerrunning USA and
Stairlife.com to see if there was an announcement that I could share with my
friends and family. Nothing. Nada. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes I feel like climbing stairs doesn’t matter and I’m
honestly sick of training my ass off. I know I’m not the fastest climber, but
at least I show up and compete in the big races; nobody can accuse me of cherry
picking only races I can win. Officially winning the US National Championship
was supposed to be my time to shine and nobody gave a damn. To be honest, it
still hurts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Awkwardly, I contacted Stairlife and the Towerrunning USA
director a few days after the race. I felt embarrassed having to ask for my
name to appear, but upset enough to actually push for it. Thanks Stairlife for
updating the Stratosphere post to include my name.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, thanks to Towerrunning.com (the governing
international organization) who at least mentioned me in a brief post. That
made my day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for my performance, I’m happy about my place, but
disappointed with my time. Not *<b>that</b>* disappointed mind you. I’m another
year older and few seconds faster and I plan to keep the streak alive next
year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I learned a lot in the stairwell during this race. There
have been times were I’ve blown up at 97 BPM and this time I handled it with
aplomb. In fact, I had energy in the tank even after I increased my pace during
the 2<sup>nd</sup> half. For the 6<sup>th</sup> time in a row I believe a 7:30 is in the
cards (no pun intended being Vegas and all). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Effort</u></b>: B;
The first part of the race was more like a training session. I pushed it during
the latter half, but I left too much in the tank. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Weight</u></b>:
B+; I was likely around 172 or just hair above. Good but not great. I honestly
need to 170 or less.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Conditioning</u></b>:
A; I was in great shape this time around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Pacing &
Technique</u></b>: B+: The turns seemed to be efficient and the
blisters on my right hand can attest to using the rails. My strategy was sound
and I increased the pace during the latter half, but I should have used a
faster pace right off the bat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Overall</u></b>:
B; There is room to improve as long as I can maintain my conditioning (no small
feat, I might add).</span></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-57925177747026067672019-01-19T15:52:00.003-08:002019-01-19T15:52:46.882-08:00Record at Reunion<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dallas! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As kid, I’d envision J. R. Ewing* wearing his white ten
gallon hat with the “Dallas” theme song playing in the background. I’ve never
actually watched an episode of the TV show despite it being a television staple
of the 1980s (I was more of a MacGyver fan).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Played by Larry Hagman from “I Dream of Jeannie”.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dallas!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As an stair climber, I now picture the 560 foot tall Reunion
Tower – home of the Dallas Vertical Mile, one of the best climbs in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikE1UkWNEXKpzoqJJFcGo6BYzzcHEN0KIf2FUd-WYXEug97mJVJA3oDCggqUsbFOINMSLV1I7gY9WBPfAssRXM0_2lVfA_GS86754z1EMsnp10LoBAH15qdxoSAX2H4UWS7IiYvCfvA6M/s1600/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="407" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikE1UkWNEXKpzoqJJFcGo6BYzzcHEN0KIf2FUd-WYXEug97mJVJA3oDCggqUsbFOINMSLV1I7gY9WBPfAssRXM0_2lVfA_GS86754z1EMsnp10LoBAH15qdxoSAX2H4UWS7IiYvCfvA6M/s320/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-984.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As the name suggests, the race is a full vertical mile and
you need to climb the stairwell 12 times to reach a mile (as the stairwell is
“merely” 470 feet tall) within a 2.5 hour time limit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The venue also hosts three other races: The Half (6 climbs),
the Quarter (3 climbs) and the Vertical Sprint (1 climb).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This year the races were spaced across two days - giving athletes
a shot at two (or more) events without being too fatigued. Saturday featured
the Half and Sprint while the Mile and Quarter were on Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I chose to climb in the two most competitive races – the
full Vertical Mile (which requires the most endurance) and the Vertical Sprint (which
requires the most speed). As they were on separate days I figured I could go
all out on Saturday’s Sprint and still have a full tank to compete in the Mile
on Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This would be my 2nd year racing the event so I already had
a good idea of what to expect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I never formally blogged about my experience in 2018, so let’s
start off with a short recap:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2018, the race was held on a single day with all four
events (sprint, quarter, half, and full mile) happening either simultaneously
or back to back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My goal for the vertical mile was to break the hour barrier
which was essentially the winning time from 2017. That meant I’d have to do
each lap in just under 5 minutes. However, since Terry Purcell (one of the most
decorated stair climbers ever) was attending the race, I figured I’d need to
shoot for 4:50 laps in order to have a chance at winning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a chance to preview the stairwell the day before so
knew that a pace of 95 bpm would get me in that range.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the start line, I let most of the other top guys climb
ahead of me. They were planning to sprint the first lap since the first lap of
the mile also counted toward the Vertical Sprint race. However, since the Vertical
Mile was considered the “premiere” race (with the most points on the US circuit
on tap) I chose to climb conservatively – hoping that my rivals would
over-exert themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 237.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It didn’t quite work the way I had
planned. Although my first lap was on target (4:52) my rivals all had *much* faster times. Terry set a new course record with a 3:58 which meant that I’d
need to overcome a deficit of nearly a minute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 237.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 237.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the first set of climbs, my
times were in the low 4:50s to mid 4:40s. When I learned that Terry was keeping
low 4:40s to upper 4:30s I had already completed ~5 laps. At that point I knew
the race for 1<sup>st</sup> place was essentially over. I was already becoming
fatigued and in order to catch Terry, I’d need to make up ~90 seconds. Assuming
that Terry would continue pulling 4:40s, I’d need to pull 4:20s for the
remainder of the race. That would be a tall order even if I were on fresh legs!
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 237.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 237.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I climbed a little bit faster
during the 2<sup>nd</sup> half of the race. I knew I couldn’t catch Terry, but
I at least wanted to stop bleeding time. Plus, I had to pull ahead of my other
rivals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 237.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 237.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things nearly fell apart on my 11<sup>th</sup>
lap when my left calf seized up. I was painful, but fortunately I was near the
top. I managed to finish the lap using my arms and my one good leg. However now
my 12<sup>th</sup> lap was in serious jeopardy. I was on knifes edge of either
2<sup>nd</sup> place… or DNF.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 237.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I spent my remaining time massaging and stretching my calf.
I also downed a bottle of pickle juice (thanks Scott) to relieve some of the
cramping. It worked. With two minutes to spare, I climbed my fastest lap of the
day with a solid 4:29. My calf hurt, but it never seized up completely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rather than a DNF, I came in 2<sup>nd</sup> overall. I was
pleased. This was my first time completing a true endurance race and at the
very least, I showed I can compete at any distance. The only disappointment
came many months after the race when I learned that the TWA<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>awarded points for the sprint race rather
than the more competitive Vertical Mile*. I suddenly wished I hadn’t bagged the
first lap…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*There are two different ranking systems. TowerRunning USA
solely for US races and the TowerRunning World Association which ranks races
across the globe. The former offered points for the Vertical Mile, but the
latter strangely gave points for only the sprint. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fast forward to 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A week before the race, I learned that Terry wouldn’t be racing
since he was injured. He’s beaten me consistently throughout 2018 so I was
saddened I wouldn’t have another shot at going head to head. On the other hand,
I wouldn’t have so much pressure on my shoulders. This bears a little
explanation: You might think that being the #1 seed is more stressful than
being the underdog. Well, in my case it is just the opposite. I always feel
intimidated by faster rivals and I prefer the freedom of climbing at my own
pace. I hate feeling the need to keep up to my rivals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That said, the field was still deep. During Saturday’s sprint,
my main rivals were going to be Jason Larson and Harrison Kieffer who both went
under an hour at last year’s race (they were 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup>
respectively). Joining us on Sunday would be Mark Henderson and Martin
Pederson. I’ve only raced against Mark at the Sears and LaSalle double header.
I beat him by about 30 seconds in the main event (Sears) but he came back and
beat me an hour later at LaSalle (I was exhausted!). That meant he either raced
conservatively at Sears…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or he’s able to
recover quickly. In either case, it meant he was dangerous in long lap races
like the Vertical Mile. Martin was the dark horse. He travels
around for races (he’s Danish) and he’s built for endurance. If anybody else
was going to break an hour in the mile, I’d place my money on Marin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The trip to Dallas was uneventful and I arrived at my hotel
just before 8:00 PM. I spent the next couple hours hanging out with my roommate (Josh
Jacket editor of <a href="http://www.stairlife.com/" target="_blank">StairLife</a>) before hitting the hay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Sprint was scheduled to start at 8:30 AM so that meant I
had to get up by 7:15 in order to have enough time to get ready, walk to the
tower and warm up. Everything went smoothly, except that I spent too much time
chatting with other climbers and only completed a couple rounds of burpees
before heading to the start line. No matter -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was ready.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then things nearly fell apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was just about to jump into the stairwell when Lonnie (the
head timer) told me I had the wrong bib…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What? You’ve got to be kidding me!?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apparently, I was given tomorrow’s Vertical Mile bib rather
than today’s Vertical Sprint! I ran upstairs to the registration table and cut
to the front of the line. It took but a moment to switch bibs and
I dashed back to the start line. Fortunately, they had waited for me! With
nervous fingers I pinned on my new bib and entered the stairwell. At least my warm up was complete!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had one goal for the Sprint: Beat the course record of
3:58.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During my last race, I climbed Milwaukee’s US Bank Center in roughly 5 minutes using a
pace of 112 BPM on my metronome. It is a good comparison because both buildings
have 7 inch steps. However, this course was a bit shorter and I anticipated
finishing in just under 4 minutes. With that in mind, I chose to use a slightly
faster pace of 117 BPM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9OGXeii6KIx8ca2OollkfSL6mjC10W_XnIleXe_DmhWhgO4QWPpkXNR_uG2koWDNyqbpuuO9zQKVE6zIqpOSyUH_O6Cgp3n85fqigQ5QJt1lwzulMSP0axrLV8g1f416IViD0Eibmtw/s1600/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9OGXeii6KIx8ca2OollkfSL6mjC10W_XnIleXe_DmhWhgO4QWPpkXNR_uG2koWDNyqbpuuO9zQKVE6zIqpOSyUH_O6Cgp3n85fqigQ5QJt1lwzulMSP0axrLV8g1f416IViD0Eibmtw/s200/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-269.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It took a few flights to get into a steady rhythm. The pace
seemed almost too easy and I fought the urge to accelerate. I’ve raced enough
to know that it’s never a good idea to go out too fast and fade later. In the rare instance
you do go out too slow, you can still accelerate
in the latter half to make up lost time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sure enough, right around the minute mark I felt the strain
of the pace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Right around the half-way point there was a Gatorade stand.
I tried glancing at my watch but it was too dark in the stairwell. By now, I
was way over the red line. I could keep the pace up for a little while longer
but could I hold it until the end? Or would I fade?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I checked my watch again when I approached better lighting.
2:30. Less than 90 seconds left to climb!.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last minute was the hardest. In my periphery vision I
noticed volunteers cheering in the stairwell. I was so focused on the hand
rails and navigating the turns that I couldn’t spare a glance in their direction.
However, I did recognize a few friends through the sound of their voices
(Sue, Paul, etc.) and their words of encouragement kept me going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My lungs were on fire, but I knew the top couldn’t be far. I
accelerated. That record was going to be mine, dammit; even if it killed me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMo8777tL8RkrNYRlWvuASAWn3piIRHUGUk16NWChRKdA7AH6nM1rH8FeUr1XzXe7WB7Cdv8Vma0_n_q2Tk79oFLbq9CsvQvHeIJxQi8cCk3poHWT0EwZxZoTG_Oee_pmrwAsv7K85d4/s1600/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="915" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMo8777tL8RkrNYRlWvuASAWn3piIRHUGUk16NWChRKdA7AH6nM1rH8FeUr1XzXe7WB7Cdv8Vma0_n_q2Tk79oFLbq9CsvQvHeIJxQi8cCk3poHWT0EwZxZoTG_Oee_pmrwAsv7K85d4/s200/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-688.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> The purpose of this photo is to show the "fancy" steps.<br />I don't actually know this girl (but she's cute, right?)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Suddenly, the stairwell changed. Gone were the dingy, rusty
treads and rails. Now the stairwell was bright and clean – featuring glossy
black steps highlighted by fancy chrome rails.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I got to the top of the first flight and stopped. The
stairwell continued upwards, but it was blocked by a stack of electronic
equipment. There was a single guy in the stairwell looking directly at me. As I
contemplated jumping over the equipment, I frantically asked “Where’s the
finish line?!?”. “Right there.” he said, pointing to the open doorway to my
left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I nearly smacked my head it was so obvious. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I jumped out of the stairwell as my stopwatch passed 3:48.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite losing a few seconds to sheer stupidity, I still
shattered the previous course record by a solid 10 seconds! YES!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was tired, but not collapse-on-the-ground tired. By the
time some of my other rivals had arrived, I had recovered enough to able to
grab a cup of Gatorade without help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlYRRW2WQz7byViEgGuT_KKKjRvYu_R61mRNpMOEJh-sUYvdwR3TllaTFEdR9SQ9rLLIqAcm4iBhxBUthKmtZbC_E52Vrucpm8woNYg0Xsei6LsWlGcHA-49kYR9qv7spu_gdFFV_p5A/s1600/YAC-5dWfR3yL80kTzmZX8w.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="457" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlYRRW2WQz7byViEgGuT_KKKjRvYu_R61mRNpMOEJh-sUYvdwR3TllaTFEdR9SQ9rLLIqAcm4iBhxBUthKmtZbC_E52Vrucpm8woNYg0Xsei6LsWlGcHA-49kYR9qv7spu_gdFFV_p5A/s200/YAC-5dWfR3yL80kTzmZX8w.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Tired</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQZTilvVk3oz7Q_uX24Qa_aaAYFM5ni-EdFZsAftRLkIPLnOS2PzIz1gGPZ9UK4lcvLB7LjP9GKw3tqzFgdXPRyFLgCMXtohMBdPdplcVXBqrs2nFno6gsjSI61EKUk0Sn3aI013EbdM/s1600/T1K2FEBmSKeMHRbJWaysrg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="458" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQZTilvVk3oz7Q_uX24Qa_aaAYFM5ni-EdFZsAftRLkIPLnOS2PzIz1gGPZ9UK4lcvLB7LjP9GKw3tqzFgdXPRyFLgCMXtohMBdPdplcVXBqrs2nFno6gsjSI61EKUk0Sn3aI013EbdM/s200/T1K2FEBmSKeMHRbJWaysrg.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Less Tired</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hung on the observation d</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">eck for a good while to chat with
other climbers and pick up my fancy finisher’s medal. Paul (the race director)
really out did himself this time. The medal is essentially a flattened torus holding a
colorful spinning medallion in its hollow center – kind of like a gyroscope.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1sxAYJtcehtv90FbYCzygJ-pdWSuCama0p9t-JCPiiQggdeSm7F_fuGrs4DWL68JU-DGJWsY6nsl1w6nJ-L0FjEvrLxrq1OVJKxvmK7KNmd6R3VCcCvKw7oX4ZH9IwP2gykSn9H0550/s1600/Half+and+Sprint+11219-732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1sxAYJtcehtv90FbYCzygJ-pdWSuCama0p9t-JCPiiQggdeSm7F_fuGrs4DWL68JU-DGJWsY6nsl1w6nJ-L0FjEvrLxrq1OVJKxvmK7KNmd6R3VCcCvKw7oX4ZH9IwP2gykSn9H0550/s400/Half+and+Sprint+11219-732.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I then learned my official time was actually <b>3:43</b> since timing mat was as the top of the stairwell, not at the
stairwell exit. My moment of stupidity hadn’t cost me any time after all! Bonus!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I recovered, I felt fortunate that today wasn’t the Vertical Mile (with another 11 more laps to go). I wasn’t completely drained…
but I doubted I could put together a string of sub-5 minute climbs within the next couple hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Race Grades:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Effort:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A-</b>; Although I was above the red line
for most of the race, I wasn’t dying on the floor afterwards (which isn’t an
entirely bad thing). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Weight: B</b>; I was
around 172 but I need to be sub-170 to be truly competitive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Conditioning</b>: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">B+</b>; Training has been a mixed bag. My
speed has been top notch, but I’ve had trouble completing my key workouts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pacing &
Technique</b>: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A</b>; Pacing was spot
on. I could have hugged the turns a little tighter and had better foot
placement, but it’s hard to be perfect!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Overall: A</b>-; I
honestly think the record is still a little soft, but overall I’ve gotta be
pleased!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Immediately after the awards ceremony*, I had an overly big breakfast
(ham, eggs & pancakes) at Cindi’s NY Deli & Diner with a bunch of my climbing
friends. Although my energy levels were back to normal, I was developing a
headache at the rear of my head - right where my neck meets the skull. Also, my
lungs were pretty raw and I developed a mild case of climbers cough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I took 1<sup>st</sup> overall and our Tower Master’s team
came in 2<sup>nd</sup> in the team event.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After breakfast, a smaller group of us took he courtesy
shuttle to Whole Foods to pick up some grub. I picked up a salad for dinner as
well as some snacks for the trip home and energy bars for tomorrow’s race. Josh
and I walked back to burn off some of the excess calories from breakfast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite being fully hydrated, my headache was getting worse,
so I took a nap for an hour. I woke up feeling rested, but my headache
persisted. At least it wasn’t getting worse. Fortunately, I felt good enough to
grab dinner (pizza) with a large group of climbing friends. This time, I didn’t
overeat!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lights out came around 10:00 PM. My head was still hurting
and my lungs were tired from coughing. I needed a good night’s sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I woke up just before 5:00 AM. My throbbing headache had
disappeared although the back of my neck/skull was sore to the touch. My lungs
felt okay, but not 100%. Phlegm had settled in during the night and it took a
couple coughing fits to get everything out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The race would be starting at 6:00 AM sharp. This time
around I received my proper bib. Unlike yesterday, the check-in was outside
(read: cold) but we were still able to put our racing gear indoors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My goal was to win the race and my stretch goal was to beat
the course record (55:36). To do that, I’d need average splits of 4:37.
Considering that last year was tiring and my average splits were a mere 4:47, I
knew that climbing ten seconds faster would be extremely taxing. Certainly within
the realm of possibility… but frankly I didn’t give myself great odds*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*As Llyod once said: "So you’re telling me… there’s a chance? Yeah!!"</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fortunately I had prepared for this: I set my metronome a
couple beats faster than last year (97 BPM) and I plotted down my nutrition
plan in my journal:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Salt pills after laps 4
& 8 to alleviate cramping.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Energy gels after laps 3,
6 and 9.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A small bite from my<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>energy bar (maple & sea salt) if I
wasn’t scheduled for an energy gel.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gatorade after each lap to
stay hydrated. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last year I had climbed in sneakers because the race was so
long. This time around, however, I switched to my lightweight racing flats. If
my feet started hurting, I could always switch footwear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, I kept a pen handy in order to jot down my splits
in my journal after each lap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This time around I had a much more relaxed warm-up. The pace
for at least the first few laps shouldn’t be too taxing so the warmup wasn’t quite
as important as it was for yesterday’s sprint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At 6:00 AM sharp, I entered the stairwell (with no last
minute bib switching!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lap #1 (4:43)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWdag2BhEbAy3vtrq6WLGdQf7beaqHf4Th7c2lZlSYOYEPsI_Oy3Sgx1eaKBwjCOb3ZpVCC_LKV6zlVFwHALGxw9V0s52WK3PKulW-2WC_Zt0ajOFidk9mlv0_Aiq_tLm41vHRJ9AWS4/s1600/Half+and+Sprint+11219-019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="536" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWdag2BhEbAy3vtrq6WLGdQf7beaqHf4Th7c2lZlSYOYEPsI_Oy3Sgx1eaKBwjCOb3ZpVCC_LKV6zlVFwHALGxw9V0s52WK3PKulW-2WC_Zt0ajOFidk9mlv0_Aiq_tLm41vHRJ9AWS4/s320/Half+and+Sprint+11219-019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today I had more time to view my surroundings since the pace
wasn’t so brutal. The most notable aspect of the stairwell is the plethora of
motivational posters tailored to each climber. I also noticed the flight
numbers marking the way up the tower as well as posters announcing 20, 15 and
10 floors to go respectively. Lastly, I was welcomed by a cheering squad with 5
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>flights to go. If memory serves me
right, there are 55 flights in total?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I reached the top and exited the stairwell (this time around
I remembered the location!). I stopped my watch at 4:43. This might seem slower
than my goal pace of 4:37, but considering that this stairwell has<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an extra floor compared with the other
stairwell – remember we’d be completing the remaining 11 climbs in the 2<sup>nd</sup>
shorter stairwell – a 4:43 was nearly perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was tired but still able to walk around. As I rested, I
sipped on a cup of Gatorade and waited for some of my other climbing friends to
arrive. I didn’t need to hurry downstairs as I had roughly 8 minutes before I
needed to start my next climb. My plan was to enter the stairwell once every 13
minutes in order to start my 12<sup>th</sup> lap within the 2.5 hour time
limit*. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*Theoretically, I could start each lap at 13:37, but a 13:00
flat was easier to remember and would provide a decent cushion “just in case
shit happened”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took the elevator down with a few minutes to spare. While
downstairs, I jotted down my time, ate a bite of my energy bar and finished the
rest of my Gatorade. At the 13 minute mark I headed back into the other stairwell
for lap #2…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Laps #2 & #3
(4:40?,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>4:37)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I got into a good rhythm for the next couple laps. On lap
#2, I didn’t start my stop watch properly but considering I was using my
metronome, I figured my lap time was at most 4:40 so that’s what I jot down.
The stairwell was clear for lap #2, but I passed several climbers still on
their 1<sup>st</sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lap in the other
stairwell*. As more climbers finished the first lap and were into their 2<sup>nd</sup>,
I ran into a little more traffic on my 3<sup>rd</sup>. Fortunately, I didn’t
run into any bottle necks and I finished lap #3 in a solid 4:37. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Stairwells #1 & #2 are intertwined like a double helix;
they share the same space but are still separate.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While resting downstairs after my 3<sup>rd</sup> lap, they
posted some of the intermediate results. Mark was in 1<sup>st</sup> place, and
I was tied with Harrison for 2<sup>nd</sup> place with Jason mere seconds
behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crap. All four of us were on record setting pace.
Furthermore, my lungs were aching; I obviously hadn’t fully recovered from
yesterday’s sprint. This could turn out to be a dog fight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Laps #4, #5 & #6
(4:36, 4:38, 4: 37)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t panic. My lungs hurt, but it didn’t seem to be
hindering my oxygen uptake. I was surely getting tired but then again I was
climbing relatively fast. The pace had to be taking a toll on my rivals, too.
If needed, I could *<b>perhaps</b>* find another gear but I didn’t want to use
it until the latter half of the race. Gotta keep the powder dry*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*As Sproule once famously remarked.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By now the stairwell was getting fairly crowded. The good
thing about 13 minute laps is you can afford to choose when to enter the
stairwell. I had enough buffer to wait until 13:30, but if needed I could get
in at 12:30. To be honest the extra 30 seconds of rest had negligible impact to
my recovery. The trick was to find a lull in the crowd. This normally meant
waiting until a slug of people came up out of the elevator and hop in line
right before their arrival.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As such, the first minute of climbing was usually pretty
clear, but invariably I’d catch up to small clusters of people. I’d recognize
climbers here and there (sometimes with words of encouragement if it was early enough
in the climb) and most were happy to move out of the way. Once in a while,
however, I’d run into folks who simply wouldn’t budge. I’d usually say
something like “passing” or “coming up”, but when folks don’t get out of the
way, I’d take the inside lane and physically move them aside. I feel slightly
bad about it, but I wasn’t about to lose time because of slower climbers.
Perhaps next year I’ll offer to make speech about climbing etiquette. I’d hate
to ruin a newbie’s climbing experience. I’m sure they just don’t know any
better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My pace was right on target for the most part and there was
a point during my 5<sup>th</sup> lap where I experienced a (somewhat short
lived) 2<sup>nd</sup> wind in the latter half of the tower. However by the time
I had finished my 6<sup>th</sup> lap, I was definitely starting to tire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZ1P0qZ2sbBTMenjgwraF3K2k6sFVzn2mZtwANLkE8WKBU4zmN76FGettG9rIDnBeoOZ_cwwCZ1kQkf8awhXPaG7x5R9GT2LqJnJAbiWWp7o31IflBut12221Xb9qR6aUNOLbi0s7j-U/s1600/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZ1P0qZ2sbBTMenjgwraF3K2k6sFVzn2mZtwANLkE8WKBU4zmN76FGettG9rIDnBeoOZ_cwwCZ1kQkf8awhXPaG7x5R9GT2LqJnJAbiWWp7o31IflBut12221Xb9qR6aUNOLbi0s7j-U/s640/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-514.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing for yet another brutal lap...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Laps #7, #8 & #9
(4:38, 4:37, 4:37)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The race was over halfway complete! The ache in my lungs had
thankfully disappeared, but I was steadily becoming fatigued. In the first half
of the race, I didn’t really feel the pace until well into the 2<sup>nd</sup>
half of each lap. But now I was struggling in the 30s… and then in the 20s… and
by the time I hit the 9<sup>th</sup> lap,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I felt like crap as early as the 18<sup>th</sup> flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could still keep up the pace, but it was becoming more and
more of a mental challenge the further I progressed into the race. I also
noticed that my recovery at the top of the tower was taking longer and longer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By now I was solidly in 1<sup>st</sup> place. Mark faded
after his 3<sup>rd</sup> lap and although Jason and Harrison were still going
strong, they were averaging about 10 seconds slower per climb (they were in a
real dogfight for 2<sup>nd</sup> place).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Laps #10 & #11
(4:35, 4:28)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I finished my last energy gel*l prior to entering lap #10. I
was definitely tired, but I was still close to the record. No time to let up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Chocolate is my favorite and I saved it specifically for
lap #10. On the other hand, Citrus and Raz (whatever that is) both kinda suck.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Several climbers had already completed all 12 laps (e.g.
Josh & Martin) and it was kind of demoralizing knowing that I still had 25%
left to climb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lap #10 was slightly worse than #9. I felt crappier earlier
in the tower and my recovery was longer and more painful. But knowing I was
closing in on the record helped me over the hump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once downstairs, I looked at the times in my notebook and
compared them with the times shown online. My journal showed me climbing just
under record setting pace, but I found a couple discrepancies in the published
results which showed me going a bit slower on a couple of my laps. That meant I
had little to no buffer and my next couple climbs needed to be fast ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I bumped up my metronome from 97 to 98 BPM on lap #11 for
insurance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honestly, it wasn’t noticeably harder, but it was draining
nonetheless. Midway up I could feel my left calf starting to tighten up. Crap.
Not now! Fortunately it never completely seized, even when I pushed the final
10 flights. Thank goodness I took those salt pills. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lap #11 felt really tough, but with a time of 4:28 – my
fastest lap so far – no wonder! Though it took even longer to recover than
before, my energy wasn’t completely tapped. I knew I had another climb left in
me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lap #12 (4:18)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">OK… one lap to go! With a strong lap #11, I knew I was on
track to break the record. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Downstairs, I inquired how much time I had left before my
2.5 hours was up. I was told I had about 10 minutes to spare. I intended to use
the extra rest to my advantage. I also learned that Jason and Harrison were
neck and neck and this last lap would be the deciding factor. What a battle!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was tired and nervous, but also a little excited. If I
climbed well, I’d smash the record. But if I bonked, it could be over in an
instant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Knowing that 98 BPM would get me over the hump, I started my
last lap conservatively. The record would be mine if I could just stay on
course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I passed into the 20s, my left calf started to twitch.
Please don’t cramp… please don’t cramp… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I trode gingerly as possible up the stairs still going
strong at 98 BPM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I passed Alberto doing single leg hops up the steps just
for… fun?!?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had any energy to
spare, I would have cracked a smile. I think leg hops would have killed me…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The lap seemed to drag on forever until the 20 floors to go
banner. I was getting close and I could smell victory. However, I was also
climbing on fumes. This bears some explanation. On one hand, I still had
something left in the tank. Theoretically, I *<b>could</b>* accelerate. My heart rate wasn’t sky high and my legs were still strong. But on the other hand,
I was in pain and climbing any faster meant more even more suffering. I may not
have been at my physical limit, but I was certainly close to my pain threshold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Screw it. I’m not going to throw down a mere 4:28… I knew I
could go faster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With 10 floors to go I knew I was going to put down a solid
time. My heart rate still hadn’t peaked and my body was still capable of going
faster. However this time I couldn’t summon the mental strength to increase my
level of suffering. I had already won the race and was 99% sure I’d break the
record. The voices telling me to “take it easy” eventually won out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite the voices in my head, I kept my current speed. The
cheering squad at 5 floors to go made the final few flights bearable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could see the chrome rails signifying the final flight. I
bounded up the remaining few steps…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">… and my left calf seized up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I knew It was only a matter of time before it would happen,
but the fates were with me. I only had to take a couple more steps to cross the
finish line. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hobbled in pain over the mat and then exited the
stairwell. I stopped my watch at 4:18. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though my calf was in a knot, the pain didn’t detract from
the feeling of accomplishment. I said I was going to try for the record and I
did it! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unconsciously, I furrowed my brow and my lips turned
upside-down into a frown. It was all I could do to hold back the tears of
relief.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It took a couple seconds to compose myself, but moments
later I raised my fist into the air and cried out an emphatic “YES!” to
celebrate my victory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then back to reality. I had just climbed my fastest climb of
the day – on my last lap to boot! Recovery was definitely a bit slower than
after any of my previous climbs, but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>all
in all, I felt pretty good. I could probably have climbed another couple laps
at a decent pace (say 4:40) if I absolutely had to (and I would need a *<b>very</b>*
good reason).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I grabbed my finishers medal and went to tell my friends the
good news. A while later I learned my friend Jason had a fast final lap and was
assured 2<sup>nd</sup> place. Congrats!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After finishing a couple cups of Gatorade, I finally made my
way downstairs. It was time to switch into my comfortable sneakers and stretch.
As I had another 90 minutes until the awards ceremony I headed back to the hotel
to take a shower, pack and check out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The awards ceremony was held outside this year and although
it was cold, I barely noticed. I was still stoked about the race. My official
time was 55:13 for all twelve laps and I couldn’t have been prouder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHrJT5NcAJhTmRWSTsdmnPRuGdbIRTtnZWxXoE6hvj44za8sK5W-KBJiFs2oq4d1SszujGjgmJkq-3VleV_XVu0etm1Q4HygExipHboyu7vlXL-n-E6Dl17icXMabUiOrqCiHxicwl24/s1600/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHrJT5NcAJhTmRWSTsdmnPRuGdbIRTtnZWxXoE6hvj44za8sK5W-KBJiFs2oq4d1SszujGjgmJkq-3VleV_XVu0etm1Q4HygExipHboyu7vlXL-n-E6Dl17icXMabUiOrqCiHxicwl24/s320/Mile+and+Quarter+Mile+11219-947.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Podium: Jason, Alex and Harrison (I'm the one in the middle).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the ceremony I hung around the hotel for a while
sharing stories with the other competitors but at 1:00 PM sharp, it was time to
head to the airport - just in time to see the Patriots win.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Final Thoughts:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although I’m happy I have the record in both the Vertical
Sprint and Vertical Mile, I’d be the first to tell you that the prior record
was set when the first lap of the Mile counted towards the Sprint whereas I had
the luxury of a day between the two races. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite the day of rest, the sprint took more out of me than
I wanted. My lungs were raw during the Mile so I wasn’t quite back at 100%.
Don’t get me wrong – I was certainly race ready – but I know I left some time
on the table. Perhaps a second or two here and there?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From my experience, after clocking in a 3:43 sprint, I
couldn’t have been able to continue at a 4:37 average pace for another 11 laps.
I bet I could have clocked in a 4:20 first lap (after all my last lap was a
4:18!) and maintain the necessary pace, but honestly I don’t know if I could
have matched Terry’s first lap (3:58) and still break the VM record.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If I had to guess, I would bet that Terry didn’t go quite
all out when he set the bar at 3:58. That’s my take, at least.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even if my records have stars associated with them, I’m
still <u>very</u> pleased. I crushed the Vertical Sprint and I shaved off over
two minutes from last year’s Vertical Mile. Let’s take a look at how my times
stacked up. I’m also including my self-timed splits to highlight a couple of
discrepancies I noticed after the fact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lap Number<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2018 Actual<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2019 Actual<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2019 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Self-Timed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:52<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:42<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:43<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:48<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:38<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:40*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:50<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:35<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:37<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:57<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:36<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:36<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:55<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:38<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:38<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:50<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:42<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:37<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:40<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:37<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:38<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:46<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:38<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:37<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:49<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:38<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:37<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:42<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:39<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">4:35</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#11<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:50<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:38<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">4:28</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 12; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 53.6pt;" valign="top" width="71"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#12<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:29<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:18<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4:18<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*I didn’t time my 2<sup>nd</sup> lap so this was my
conservative estimate (it was pretty close!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As you can see, I beat each of last year’s laps – often by
10 to 20 second margins. Considering I purposefully *<b>didn’t</b>* participate
in the Sprint last year, this is truly an apples to apples comparison. Needless
to say I’m pleased. I knew it would be possible to shave off 5 – 10 seconds per
lap, but to have climbed so consistently and fast? Even I’m impressed with the
year-over-year improvement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Upon closer look, most of my self-reported times are within
a second of the actual results. However two of the results are 4-5 seconds
different (laps #6 & #10) and my 11<sup>th</sup> lap was a whopping 10
seconds slower than what I timed. I could probably chalk up laps #6 & #10
to random error, but I know I used a faster pace on my 11<sup>th</sup> lap and
purposely pushed a bit harder. I’m guessing something was off with the timing
on this lap. Oh well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last observation is the just how different this race can
be for various athletes. This warrants a bit of explanation…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To get all 12 climbs in, you need to have a decent amount of
fitness. Even the slowest 12 lap climber is an athlete in my book. Logistically,
you need to start your 12<sup>th</sup> lap under the 2.5 hour time limit. Based
on data from the last couple years, it appears you need to have an average pace
of under 10:40 for the first 11 climbs. You also have to have a bit of luck with
the elevators so that you can get back to the start line in under three minutes.
In this case, the slowest possible time (assuming you don’t bag the 12<sup>th</sup>
lap) is about 2:07. Essentially, the slowest athletes spend over two hours
climbing with less than half an hour of total break time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fastest athletes, on the other hand, have lap times of under
5 minutes. Overall, they spend about 1 hour climbing and about an hour and half
resting (~5 minutes per climb with ~8 minutes of rest).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a <u>vastly</u> different race for those on opposite
ends of the spectrum!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Slower athletes climb nearly continuously and therefore have
to pace themselves underneath the red line (mostly cardio). For the fastest
athletes, the pace is often over the redline (mainly on the upper flights) so
the race is really like a HIIT workout (i.e. a good amount of anaerobic work).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I will say one last thing about the fastest athletes.
Personally, I was nearly recovered with just 5 minutes of rest. I took the full
8 minutes in the hopes that I’d<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>shave a
couple seconds off my lap times. I’m pretty sure I could have completed the
Vertical Mile in under two hours without sacrificing too much speed. On the
other hand, If I only had say 2-3 minutes of rest each lap (just like the slower
athletes) I bet I’d have a noticeable increase in my lap times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Race Grades:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Effort:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">B+</b>; I climbed this race conservatively
enough to make sure I wouldn’t bonk. This was a good trade off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Weight: B</b>;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(same as Sprint)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Conditioning</b>: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">B+</b>; (same as Sprint)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pacing &
Technique</b>: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A</b>; My splits were *<b>very</b>*
consistent and right where they needed to be to capture the record. Behold the
power of the metronome! As the pace was much slower (compared with the sprint)
my climbing technique was good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Overall: A-</b>; Yes, there is room to improve… but I wouldn’t want to try it any time soon. Overall,
I’m satisfied with this race.</span></div>
<br />Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-85669623453080949532018-11-15T13:56:00.002-08:002018-11-16T07:28:54.190-08:00Milwaukee's Best<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the Chicago Double (Sears & LaSalle) it was
nothing but sex and alcohol in preparation for my next climb in Milwaukee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, maybe I’m stretching the truth a bit, but Chicago
style deep dish pizza <b><i>is </i></b>the equivalent of sex.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a day and night of indulgence and a bit of sightseeing
around Chicago, I hit the gym with David Hanley on Tuesday. The RNG gym is
pretty swank; I almost felt guilty leaving a pool of sweat on the step mill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My standby workout is something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7 sets of 3-minute intervals on your choice of cardio
machine (indoor rower, step mill, etc.) interspersed with 6 rounds of either
pushups or pullups. The first two sets of cardio are at warm-up pace and the
last 5 sets done at “Sears” race pace. I try to keep my water break & pullups/pushups
to about 2 minutes, so the entire workout lasts under 35 minutes. The number of
pushups/pullups is about 2/3 of your max number of reps… but hitting those
numbers becomes increasingly difficult as the workout progresses. On the last
set, I’ll take an extra 30 seconds of rest and go to failure, cause why not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s tough workout…. but I’m always fully recovered by the
following day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note: David and I did *both* pullups *and* pushups as I
hadn’t been keeping up with my upper body workouts while traveling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next day (Wednesday) I rented a car and drove to
Milwaukee. Once again, I found myself drinking beer. This time it was at the
Lakeshore Brewery. For 9 bucks, you get a tour, 4 cups of beer, and a sweet
pint glass. Great deal!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhF4G5PMGZePZmyHGd1yRgRMEAQLqjQlacygSToUSSOy3yABFee-vFRsLN6h_MNF1fxxWv2qO-lDoI02_XOppyfp2Kb9GkaxnagJbOpoFlvO7un-rrOTsFYLJOPA0YS2gwE7ULIljDsM/s1600/46350456_1095909757281155_4165975624076230656_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhF4G5PMGZePZmyHGd1yRgRMEAQLqjQlacygSToUSSOy3yABFee-vFRsLN6h_MNF1fxxWv2qO-lDoI02_XOppyfp2Kb9GkaxnagJbOpoFlvO7un-rrOTsFYLJOPA0YS2gwE7ULIljDsM/s320/46350456_1095909757281155_4165975624076230656_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bottling line was used in "Laverne and Shirley"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That evening, I had dinner with my friend Josh (who lives
close by) to talk about stair climbing and diet. You should checkout his site: </span><a href="http://www.stairlife.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>www.stairlife.com</b></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following day (Thursday) was race day. The race was at
6:00 PM so in the morning I hiked over to the Harley-Davidson museum. The first
motor bikes (circa 1905) were nothing more than bicycles with a small motor
tacked on. However, but the late 1920s, they started looking like the hogs we
see on the street today. Highly recommended – even if you’re not a motorcycle
fan.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94h6N_-6B_gRzl7Mj6Tux7oINAn235Ghgh2B5TkAhHeGoVGEqjN0q2Ip5l_nvzSPeozOx-Ggb16niVGyTAsAgrsdfcwfq7PMZ220dGbRl9s3QtwABbvqAZ517VyrTtNRjSLp4eAsqoPo/s1600/46368210_2114264138835881_6446518655986434048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94h6N_-6B_gRzl7Mj6Tux7oINAn235Ghgh2B5TkAhHeGoVGEqjN0q2Ip5l_nvzSPeozOx-Ggb16niVGyTAsAgrsdfcwfq7PMZ220dGbRl9s3QtwABbvqAZ517VyrTtNRjSLp4eAsqoPo/s200/46368210_2114264138835881_6446518655986434048_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bicycle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9xmaDoDGPeQxkTW0oo_XaGMJl3PMaNhbTrO5e7v5Np3lqOTOO8Wp4QXNmxb_sb5Px37xqDoaIoJIh2kI6d83WNxJCw7EdqmiwrXNN52hR9r4vF0oe-BNWnpKox26IKyNZwgIRysldwg/s1600/46299555_1717482218351931_6184235766407757824_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9xmaDoDGPeQxkTW0oo_XaGMJl3PMaNhbTrO5e7v5Np3lqOTOO8Wp4QXNmxb_sb5Px37xqDoaIoJIh2kI6d83WNxJCw7EdqmiwrXNN52hR9r4vF0oe-BNWnpKox26IKyNZwgIRysldwg/s200/46299555_1717482218351931_6184235766407757824_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I got back to my Airbnb around 3:00 PM and spent the next
couple hours vegging out watching Netflix (Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown)
and surfing the internet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Around 5:15 PM, I started getting ready. This time I was not
locked out of my room, so I had my full arsenal of tools at my disposal: racing
flats, metronome, stop watch, & asthma inhaler (I had already taken my
long-acting Advair 50/250 that morning).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Airbnb was only a ten-minute walk to the US Bank Center
(the tallest building in Wisconsin) and I easily made my way to the check-in
desk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite this race being in a “small” city, Milwaukee’s
proximity to Chicago often attracts several competitive out-of-towners. This
time would be no exception. On the men’s side, we had Jesse Berg, Josh Duncan,
and Mark Ewell (and me of course). On the women’s side we had Natalie
Doolittle-Shadel, Olga “Stair”kova, and Jill Paha.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My biggest rival would be Jesse Berg. I barely squeaked
ahead of him at Sears and at LaSalle it wasn’t even a contest. If memory serves
me right, he’s won this race before and is PB is about 1 second off of Justin
Stewart’s course record of 4:50 (feel free to correct me, folks).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wasn’t feeling that confident going into the race. I
figured I had a shot at the low 5s, but honestly, all the beer and pizza in
between races didn’t help my cause.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The US Bank Building is 42 stories tall and stands at 183
meters. It is only few meters taller than the Corning Tower in Albany (180
meters) but since the race starts a few floors below ground, the race course is
a bit longer. The race is still considered a sprint race, albeit a very long
one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just before 6:00 PM, the top climbers made their way down a
series of escalators and hallways. I felt like a rat trapped into a maze
descending into the bowels of hell*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Yes, I’m exaggerating again… but I was still a nervous
wreck.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The doorway to the stairwell was non-descript and they had a
bathroom right next door (bonus!). After a quick trip to the porcelain god, I
continued my warmup burpees in earnest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were in a kind of a limbo waiting for the start of the
race. In some races, we start at a prescribed time, but in this case, I was
told we’d start “when the timing guy shows up”. When asked when the timing guy
would be showing up I got a non-committal shrug. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I cranked out another set of burpees and just then the
timing guy showed up. Just my luck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jesse and I dickered who was going to go in first.
Frankly, I wanted another minute of rest, so I tried my best not to be “the
guy”. Finally, the timing guy said: “You know, the race doesn’t start
until the first person enters the stairwell…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, one brave soul entered the stairwell (I think it
was Adam Bruss). I guess he had enough of me and Jesse hemming and hawing about
going first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was up next!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I set my metronome to 112 bpm. This is a little slower than
I use in the Corning Tower, but this was also a slightly longer climb. Plus, as
a newbie in this stairwell, I figured I’d rather err on side of conservative.
If I was really feeling good, I could always pick up the pace later in the
race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I settled into my pace quickly using just the inner rails
for guidance. I’m not quite sure if I could even reach both rails had I wanted
to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Knowing I was below ground, I didn’t bother looking up until
I climbed into the single digits. At some point I knew the steps would follow
my favorite 11/11 pattern and I wasn’t disappointed. By the 10<sup>th</sup>
floor I found my rhythm and I glided up the steps quickly and efficiently. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Up ahead I could hear Adam so I knew I was catching up
quickly. I eventually caught and passed him somewhere in the lower 20s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then I began to struggle. My heartrate had peaked, and my
arms and legs were starting to tire. Could I survive another 20 floors? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My turns became sloppy and started double stepping the
landings despite the efficient 11/11 step pattern. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, by the time I reached the 30<sup>th</sup> floor, I
felt a renewed sense of purpose. Yeah, I was tired and well above the redline,
but I knew I had another gear left in reserve. I couldn’t hold this pace
forever… but I *could* hold it for another 60 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With less than a dozen floors left to climb I cranked up the
pace*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*And no, I didn’t stop and fiddle around with my metronome…
I just climbed faster than the current beat.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 30s were a blur and soon I found myself crossing into
the 40s. With only two floors left I cranked up the pace again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">40 to 41 was longer than expected and I think it had a
couple extra short flights of steps. I hoped that the next floor wouldn’t be so
brutal as I was finally reaching my limit. As luck would have it, this floor
was even more brutal with 2 extra full-length flights. I grit my teeth and
continued to push.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then I reached the top. Success!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then I realized the doors were locked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FUDGE*!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I didn’t actually say fudge.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my semi-delirious state, I managed to turn off my stop watch
as I banged one of the doors in the hope that someone would come to the rescue.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Memories of LaSalle came to mind. At that race, I didn’t
really care about my time since I barely had enough energy to climb, let alone
race. On a fresh set of legs, however, it was an entirely different story. I
had a legitimate shot at winning!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About 10 seconds later, I encountered Jesse. I told him to
stop his watch because the doors were locked. I think he made to the 3<sup>rd</sup>
landing (i.e.completed 3 out of the 4 extra flights). He immediately started to climb
back down. Then it dawned on me that perhaps the finish line was on the 41<sup>st</sup>
floor!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hobbled down as quickly as possible and crossed the <u>real</u>
finish line on the 41<sup>st</sup> floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was a little upset, but such is life. I walked around the
perimeter of the floor (essentially it was a long square hallway) to catch my
breath and recover. Unlike Sears – where I was on the ground for several long
minutes – I felt pretty good. My lungs were raw, but I wasn’t completely
exhausted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some people think that short climbs are easier (i.e. less
physically taxing) than long climbs. Despite my recent experiences at Sears
& Milwaukee, I disagree. I believe it depends on energy expenditure and
pacing more than total duration. In fact, I’ve been on the floor feeling close
to death after quite a few short races in my career. My theory is that
Invariably you’ll bonk during a race (and if you don’t, you aren’t pushing
yourself hard enough). The sooner you bonk, the more you’ll suffer. I can say
that my most taxing races have come where I bonk somewhere down below and struggle
immensely just to even finish. The trick is to pace yourself conservatively in
the beginning of a race and pick it up towards the end – no matter the venue*. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Races lasting less than 2 minutes are the exception, but
they are a rare breed.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today, I pretty much nailed my pace. Sure, I could have gone
a little faster… but not by a significant amount.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile the organizers put a series of barrier cones up to
block off the stairwell to the 42<sup>nd</sup> floor to make sure there were no
other mishaps. Yet another reason not to go first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now to figure out what our times would have been had Jesse
and I not climbed an extra few flights of stairs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My stopwatch said 5:17 and Jesse’s said 5:14, but I think I
climbed an extra flight (as I remember stopping Jesse one flight before the
top). Wow – what a close race!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To be honest, I didn’t care so much about winning. Rather I
wanted to see my time relative to Jesse and Justin back in the day. Back then,
Jesse was the #1 US athlete and Justin was (and probably still is) the fastest
sprinter. Really my purpose in Milwaukee was to see I measured up to some of the all time greats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5:17 sounded underwhelming considering my goal was somewhere
between 5:00-5:10. But how much did one floor cost me? As it turns out, quite a
bit!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I asked the security guard permission to check out the
stairwell up to the 42<sup>nd</sup> floor. They said it wasn’t allowed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Me: Oh, that’s okay! [Climbs up anyway]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Security Guard: Hey, that’s not allowed! [Begins chasing]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m not typically a rule breaker and I’m not proud of what I
did, but I needed to count the number of extra flights and steps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><begin rant> I mean, come on! The doorway is upstairs
is locked and if you were so concerned with security… why didn’t you stop me
the first time around! Plus, there are literally 40+ other un-monitored floors!
<end rant><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Turns out the last floor had a 10/11/10/11 configuration.
Considering the race was officially 985 steps, 42 extra steps is significant
(essentially two extra floors).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With those numbers in mind, I estimated my finish time would
have been about 5:03 and Jesse’s would have been about the same. Far too close
to call with all the uncertainties of self-timing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eventually, all my other friends finished the race and a
group of us headed back down. At the bottom, Josh took Jesse and me to talk to
the head timer to see what (if anything) could be done about our times. The head timer appeared understanding as I told him my story.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By now, it was time for another (albeit slower) climb! I think we
finished just under 10 minutes, passing a handful of cheerleaders near the
top*.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYqseIaxJoRsphSgUs_L4e_PrEbixZP3JwGIjxgEg3Y_ljXPBIUlXywolQpaEVR_CZ8KY0R_k4tP_bg-g7fc7newtYo0RvKReWtFvHnLqXTNiRxr8XrfD0xWhCmjIUeMPfGgO9ur8hA8/s1600/46445995_324499098135958_3336353088276529152_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYqseIaxJoRsphSgUs_L4e_PrEbixZP3JwGIjxgEg3Y_ljXPBIUlXywolQpaEVR_CZ8KY0R_k4tP_bg-g7fc7newtYo0RvKReWtFvHnLqXTNiRxr8XrfD0xWhCmjIUeMPfGgO9ur8hA8/s320/46445995_324499098135958_3336353088276529152_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only 31 floors to go!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*At least Mark and I passed a few cheerleaders. David stayed
behind as a proper gentleman should.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The top was *really* crowded and the elevator line wrapped
around the hallway, so we chose to descend via the stairwell. Though it took
another 10 minutes, it was significantly faster than waiting for the elevator.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the bottom, I took a look at the timing sheet. Jesse came
in first with a time of 5:01 and I was in 2<sup>nd</sup> place with a 5:03. Oh
well. I really thought I had a shot at winning. Still, I was quite pleased with
my time of 5:03.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next up food and beer!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After listening to the MC talk about CF and how much our
support means to the CF Foundation they gave out the awards. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1<sup>st</sup> place: Alex Workman<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What?!?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I made my way forward and told the MC I think there must
have been some mistake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back at my table, Josh pulled up the online race results on
his smart phone. You can find the results <a href="http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=65712&num=15&split=TIME&submit_action=Refresh+Leaders#racetop" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now I was listed with a time of 4:53 in first place with
Jesse in second with a 4:55. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These times seemed way too fast, even given the uncertainties of self-timing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After further investigation, Josh found out that the timers
decided to use the data from the proximity sensors rather than the timing mat.
I’m not exactly sure how that works, but I think it means there was a secondary
timing device that picked up the timing chip prior to arriving at the mat. As
such, the sensor’s time was a bit faster than our actual mat time by about 6-7
seconds (according to Josh’s estimate).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A win is a win, but I take it with a grain of salt. I’m only
60% confident I won… and my gut feeling is I legitimately climbed the race in about
5:03. It is possible I broke the 5:00 mark, but I wouldn’t bet on it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As for the rest of the trip? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next day I headed back to Chicago, but first I took a
detour to explore The House on the Rock. I learned about this unique place when
I read “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman. The House is worth the visit and the
book is worth the read.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkBRVSwQYHr67yi0JQFrvjb5fNl5BwrZenTyqC2abof0UueLZZx_BzkUQp3IVGrJ0KpSwGj9e0HWRQF2-5F4GjnqIgOZ6-zchINE7cgzIFG6C3XWPEyVoNtXl4T3KiCwSWprfmyzhcv8/s1600/46491546_1802431769882820_78927407112781824_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkBRVSwQYHr67yi0JQFrvjb5fNl5BwrZenTyqC2abof0UueLZZx_BzkUQp3IVGrJ0KpSwGj9e0HWRQF2-5F4GjnqIgOZ6-zchINE7cgzIFG6C3XWPEyVoNtXl4T3KiCwSWprfmyzhcv8/s320/46491546_1802431769882820_78927407112781824_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many rooms with self playing instruments</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaB964JLBuRo-eiZAWDXaDTQk4CgnMfcyzMa56JOIBWLruNnPiZZIRUpCsU9xj5HF9ZekPK9lcfup4e5lU4tFT6x2oNdN-mB5uF-X_V5MAmreCHWf8R3f6SSf3rp_slj03AEY7PbdR2so/s1600/46452238_1032831716904555_3724341836588777472_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaB964JLBuRo-eiZAWDXaDTQk4CgnMfcyzMa56JOIBWLruNnPiZZIRUpCsU9xj5HF9ZekPK9lcfup4e5lU4tFT6x2oNdN-mB5uF-X_V5MAmreCHWf8R3f6SSf3rp_slj03AEY7PbdR2so/s200/46452238_1032831716904555_3724341836588777472_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To infinity and beyond!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Final Thoughts:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The benefit of going first is that you have a clear
stairwell. The downside is if shit happens, it’s gonna happen to you first. Yet
again, I’m kicking myself for not checking out the finish line! Although I’ve
blogged about it before, I still haven’t taken my own advice...<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First and foremost, I blame myself. I had the time to check
the stairwell ahead of the race. Plus, I had access to Josh’s stairwell map
which clearly shows the race ending on the 41<sup>st</sup> floor*.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Before the race Josh told me it ended on the 42nd floor... but sometimes memories aren't always accurate. "Trust, but verify" as the saying goes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Secondly, I blame the race organizers. Why can’t turns and
hallways be clearly marked, and wrong turns/extra steps be sufficiently blocked
off? It is too much to ask to have a volunteer direct traffic at these
junctures? I can forgive a new race in a new building… but Milwaukee is one of
the oldest (correct me if I’m wrong).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Race Grades:</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Effort: A-</b>; A slight mental lapse in the middle of the race
cost a little bit of time, but I pushed hard near the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Weight: C</b>; I didn’t weight myself beforehand, but for the past
few days my diet has been all you can eat. I likely gained a pound or two since
Sears though given the time frame it’s likely mostly water weight. Pizza has a
lot of excess sodium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Conditioning: A</b>; I was well rested from Sears where I graded
myself with an A.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pacing & Technique: A-</b>; My 112-bpm pace was solid.
Possibly I could have handled a little faster?? (The question marks are intended)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall: A-</b>; There is at least little room for improvement in all
areas, although the biggest bang would be to drop a few kilos. Easier said than
done. All in all, I’ve got to be happy with this race! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-89998093605519486882018-11-12T18:39:00.000-08:002018-11-12T18:39:17.589-08:00Double Dragon<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That is the sound my door made when when I locked myself out of my dorm room at the Airbnb. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fuck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I meant to leave the door unlocked on my way to the shared bathroom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was just over an hour until my race up the Sears (Willis) tower. I was wearing my tank top and racing shorts, but my watch, racing bib, metronome, and my lightweight racing shoes were still in the room… as well as my asthma medicine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Double Fuck!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only one other guest was awake at the Airbnb, and I let him know my situation. He let me borrow an undersized vest (actually his girlfriend's) and promised to get in contact with the landlord and (hopefully) find a spare key.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I power walked over to Sears (Willis) in the cold November wind and I could feel my lungs starting on constrict. It was drizzling on an off, but I made it to the building without freezing to death.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tracked down David Hanley in the hope of securing an extra bib. He got me in touch with one of the race directors who had a small pile of extras (thanks Janet!). I also ran into Jesse Berg, another asthmatic, and he let me borrow his inhaler for a couple puffs of albuterol.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was as ready as I was going to get. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made my way to the start line and started my warmup routine. Active stretching followed by several rounds of burpees to get the blood pumping. Then I made my way to the start line to assess the competition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Favorites were the international athletes Frank Carreno, Alex Trujillo and George Heinmann. No contest. Next up were the US athletes vying for 4th place: Terry Purcell, Jesse Berg, and Jason Larson. Terry was probably the strongest of the group as Jesse hadn’t been on the racing scene for a few years. However, Jesse used to be the #1 US athlete, so he couldn’t be counted out. He was definitely the dark horse of the race. Last on my list was Jason. He is consistently one of the top US finishers and we always seem to be next to one another in the standings regardless of the venue. It would actually be strange if more than one or two slots separated us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I figured I had a shot for 4th place, but beating all three of my rivals was going to be a tall order. I was in great shape physically but I was also a few pounds heavier than I should be. Actually, up until a few weeks before the race I had been sitting at 176 lbs, a far cry from sub-170, my peak racing weight. At the start line, I was probably sitting at 173. Not to mention I was wearing my heavy sneakers and custom orthotics which weigh a solid pound more than my racing flats.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did my final round of burpees and snuck in behind Terry and Jesse. Showtime!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok not so fast (insert sound byte of a record player violently stopping).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Terry made it out the gate, but Jesse got stuck at the start line. The timer’s magic wand stopped working due to technical issues.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course I did another round of burpees while waiting :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally I was in the stairwell. I started about 15 seconds behind Jesse and 15 seconds ahead of Jason.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn’t have a metronome to guide me nor a stopwatch to keep track of my time. Instead I relied on my internal clock as I played Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring*” in my head. I probably played it faster than my goal pace of 81 bpm, but at least I throttled my pace down to a manageable level.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Same song I play in my head at 1WTC - a similarly sized climb.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got into a good rhythm using only the inside rails for turning. By the 10th floor I could barely hear Jesse up ahead (actually, I could only hear the volunteers cheering him on). Jason on the other hand was clearly catching up. Oh well, nothing to do about it but climb.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the next 20 floors I focused on climbing efficiently - making sure I hugged the inside rail and kept only one foot on the landings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The floor numbers increased into the 40s. I felt the first signs of fatigue (increased breathing rate and tiring muscles) but overall I was still okay. Jason was no longer breathing down my neck and I could faintly hear the volunteers up ahead indicating that Jesse was still ahead of me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I climbed into the 50s and 60s. My turns were becoming sloppy because I was starting to tire. At some point I remember crossing a hallway into a different stairwell. The power walk/jog was a necessary respite. Now I found myself taking the turns to the left. Despite being my slower* side, climbing in the opposite direction helped take the load off of my tiring right side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*I've actually been practicing in a left turn stairwell once per week, so my left turns are nearly as efficient as my right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the 70s I had nearly caught up with Jesse. He was only about one floor ahead. However, I could not muster the energy necessary to close the gap. I was exhausted and my pace was probably slowing (I couldn’t be 100% certain as I didn’t have my metronome).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I crossed into the 80s knowing that I had about 3 minutes of suffering left. When I crossed 83 (basically 20 floors to go) I started counting out out the remaining distance in terms of percentage - where each floor represented 5% of the remaining distance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5, 10, 15%...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was slowly losing sight of Jesse but if I could just hold on a couple more minutes…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">25, 30, 35%...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Less than 2 minutes to go!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">50, 55, 65%...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just over a minute of climbing left and I'm at my limit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch Jesse, but perhaps if I dug deep I could match his final surge and come out ahead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I switched over to counting floors. With only 5 floors to go, I grit my teeth and pushed, despite being close to empty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn’t much of a push. As I crossed Into the 100s I simply had nothing left to give. My “sprint” was barely faster than my initial pace. But at least I didn't bonk. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two floors left. One floor...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I crossed the finish line fully spent. Was it enough to edge out Jesse? If not, it had to have been a close race.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I crumpled to the floor, unable to move. After a short while, I heard Jason finish. It seemed like a good 30 seconds or so, but my sense of time wasn’t all that great.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjve8exDJT0C7nidpmhP9KtBj2Gni6N774G1v2Ke7hZP-7sb0v6h78FFx7GBRd1oGxHKnS8s6CGSjylpqZIlspCxr1WEFCgH1UIoU3-uzrIEg1dEaLWHHA3BSJCgNfBvSUcKyOyO4Y3SYM/s1600/AlexandJLar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjve8exDJT0C7nidpmhP9KtBj2Gni6N774G1v2Ke7hZP-7sb0v6h78FFx7GBRd1oGxHKnS8s6CGSjylpqZIlspCxr1WEFCgH1UIoU3-uzrIEg1dEaLWHHA3BSJCgNfBvSUcKyOyO4Y3SYM/s320/AlexandJLar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"i TOLD you i'd kick your ass if you blocked me again, alex!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I lay on the ground for what must have been a good few minutes because by the time I managed to get up, there were several other finishers milling about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I slowly got to my feet and grabbed my finisher’s medal from a volunteer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I eventually ran into Jason and Jesse and inquired how they did. Jason wasn’t too pleased - having climbed slower than last year - but Jesse seemed upbeat after breaking the 15 minute barrier (as his goal time was “merely” 15:20).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually I learned my time (14:45) and found out that I edged out Jesse by a single second (I secretly pumped my fist). On the other hand, my other rival, Terry, ended up with a solid 14:26, which pushed me down to 5th place overall. You can find the results <a href="https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-43771" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With Sears out of the way, I somehow had to recover enough to climb up 300 N LaSalle. Did I mention today was a double header?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Josh let me borrow a spare windbreaker and I jogged behind a few other racers (Jason, Josh, Natalie, etc.) over to the next venue. *Well* behind. Despite the “relaxed” pace, I’m not a runner and I was still exhausted from the climb. I struggled to keep up. In fact, I nearly lost sight of the runners and had to push a couple of times just to make sure I didn’t get lost.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I managed to make it to 300 N LaSalle in one piece and received my bib without incident.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time around, I simply had no energy to warm up. Doing burpees was the last thing I wanted to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shortly after 9:00 AM the organizers lined us up. First through the door was Alex Trujlio followed by Terry Purcell. I was nominated to go third, despite my protests. Before entering the stairwell, I half jokingly said to Jesse, “Don’t pass me too quickly!” (note: we were given a fairly lengthy 30 seconds between racers).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still didn’t have a watch or a metronome, so I played “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” a bit faster than I did a couple hours ago at Sears. It was a fairly easy pace and I knew I could maintain it throughout the race. However, I couldn’t force myself into a higher gear. The last place I wanted to be was the stairwell and the thought of pushing my body to its limit for a 2nd time in a row terrified me. I couldn’t go to that place again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first 10 floors went by smoothly. The pace was manageable although I knew if I went any faster it would put me over the redline and I’d start to suffer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things were going well up into the 20s although by this time, I could faintly hear Jesse down below and he appeared to be getting closer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the thing about 300 N LaSalle - it is fairly isolating. There are several sections of stairs with carpeted treads, so sound is often muffled. Plus, there weren’t any volunteers cheering along the way, so I was literally climbing alone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I headed into the 30s and by now I could hear Jesse quite clearly. Crap, he was actually going to catch up to me!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the next 10 floors I debated whether or not to speed up. A small part of me wanted to race, but the larger part still didn’t want to push into the dreaded red zone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I crossed into the 40s, Jesse was only a couple floors behind. It was now inevitable that he would pass. I contemplated pushing hard for the next ten floors to stay ahead. I knew I had plenty of energy to sprint the final 10 floors but once again I couldn’t bring myself to do it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead, I moved over with about half a dozen floors left in the race. Jesse was looking pretty focused (and winded) so I offered a couple words of encouragement and gave him a little boost from behind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the next few floors I upped the pace by a little bit. I wouldn’t call it a sprint per se - rather I merely climbed a little closer to the red line.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With about 2 floors to go I heard a lot of commotion from upstairs and I heard Terry calling down to use our stopwatches (as if I had one - LOL). The doorway on the 56th floor was locked and we couldn’t get to the finish line!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finished the race slightly winded, but kind of glad the race was over prematurely. As we stood on the landing, I could tell Terry was pissed and we all knew the situation would just get worse as more climbers ascended to our floor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One by one, the landing became more and more crowded. Meanwhile, Terry tried using the emergency intercom (there was a big red button at the top) to let the building management know that were were locked in the stairwell.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After about ten or so people showed up, I decided to climb back down. No sense waiting around.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every few floors I ran into another racer and I told them the bad news. Around the 46th floor (I can’t remember really) I encountered a fully stocked aid station. Apparently, we were supposed to run down this hallway to go into another stairwell in order to finish the race. I bumped into a girl (possibly Natalie?) when the volunteers finally showed up to direct traffic. Fortunately, she had only climbed an extra flight before being called back down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the aid station I pocketed three Cliff Bars and I contemplated taking the elevator up to the finish line. However, at that point Hal showed up in his red and white striped jersey and I decided to finish the race legitimately. What’s another 10 floors? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I climbed behind Hal for the rest of the “race” and I crossed the finish line just under 14 minutes after I had started (at least that is what the official results say - I would have guesstimated my time to be slower than that).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By this time, the doorway to the locked stairwell was open and a bunch of racers were crowded around the timing desk to give them their “unofficial” times. I probably should have given my time but I wasn’t really in the mood. I knew I had a relatively slow time, plus I was still peeved about the locked doorway and lack of clear directions and volunteers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually I headed down for the post race party. Despite not really racing at LaSalle, I still deserved that Bloody Mary!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After hanging out and chatting with my fellow climbers, I saw the results. You can find them <a href="http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=66948" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Had I submitted my self-timed results, I would have placed myself around the 7:50 - 7:55 mark (I was 5-10 seconds behind Jesse and he started ~30 seconds ahead of me).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think the biggest surprise was that Alex Trujllo set a new course record. I certainly think he is capable of doing it, but I’m slightly surprised he did it after climbing so fast at Sears a mere two hours prior. Here is a quick gap comparison between Alex, Jesse, and Terry (all of which seriously raced both venues).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex beat Terry by 40 seconds at Sears and 62 seconds at LaSalle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex beat Jesse by 59 seconds at Sears and 55 seconds at LaSalle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Considering LaSalle is a much shorter building, the gaps at Lasalle seem larger than I would have expected.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other surprise of the day was the 7:30 by Mark Henderson. I don’t know him, but a 7:30 is fast especially considering he is over 50 (he did Sears in 15:16 which is also very good). Not that age matters that much in this sport (just look at George for inspiration).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Final thoughts:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I honestly hate double headers. I’d much rather have a power hour where I can dole out my energy appropriately. If I race all out, I simply can’t bounce back quickly enough for a second race - especially if I went out too fast in the first race.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB2o5OdqnFh0ugdEkCmr3cjQYd0rPM-U0leYiM-1oRLu7rMSUrrMa2uoEeSu57oYXflTNtIc1SzLRiRSFCNRWJOaVvcuSWDJarf8VIFmupOXctplUM4vC3aBJM9adfwEow8d7UiBrpI8/s1600/SEARS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB2o5OdqnFh0ugdEkCmr3cjQYd0rPM-U0leYiM-1oRLu7rMSUrrMa2uoEeSu57oYXflTNtIc1SzLRiRSFCNRWJOaVvcuSWDJarf8VIFmupOXctplUM4vC3aBJM9adfwEow8d7UiBrpI8/s320/SEARS.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ain't she a beaut?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />Race Grades:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>Sears</b>:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Effort</u>: A; I was on the floor for a good long while</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Weight</u>: C+; I should have been sub-170 lbs for me to be competitive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Conditioning</u>: A; I was in excellent shape - likely because I’ve been climbing “heavy” for the past several months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Pacing & Technique</u>: B+; Considering I had neither a metronome nor a watch, I felt pretty good about my pacing. I went out a little too fast and paid the price at the end of the race. However, I never bonked, so I’m still happy. My technique was good for the 1st half of the race but I became sloppy near the end (as I was tired).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Overall:</u> B+; I was under-medicated (i.e. I didn't take my Advair) and had on my heavy sneakers. Still, I managed to beat last year’s time by 5 seconds. In a normal year this would translate to something like a 4:25 or a 4:30, which isn’t that much slower that my PB of 4:19 (note: The past two years we started from the basement rather than the ground floor).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>LaSalle:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Effort</u>: C-; I didn’t need time to recover after finishing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Weight</u>: C+; As above</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Conditioning:</u> A; As above</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Pacing & Technique</u>: C+; At least I cracked the 8 minute mark. My technique was pretty good. That said, I had plenty of energy so I didn’t really have to think about it. Obviously, my pace was far to slow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Overall:</u> C; I was already tired so my effort level just wasn’t there. I think I could have climbed 7:30 or less (given my level of fatigue) but it wouldn’t have been pleasant. I keep telling myself that Sears was the race that really mattered, but I’m still disappointed with my level of effort at LaSalle.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-52792675402306024142017-08-10T15:57:00.002-07:002017-08-11T10:36:48.922-07:00Power Up a Tower: Part 4 (aka The Magic Number 11)<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve climbed a lot of
stairwells during the past 6 years and my two favorite stairwells are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One City Place - Hartford, CT <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">US Bank Tower - Los Angeles, CA<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although I’ve only
climbed these two building a handful of times*, I can tell you with certainty that
these are two of the fastest, most efficient stairwells on the circuit</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />
*One City Place: 3 times racing and 4 times for
fun. US Bank: 2 times racing, 2 times for fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">
Why?</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
They both share the magic number eleven. Eleven steps per flight, to be specific.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This edition of Power up
a Tower will explain why 11 steps per flight is so efficient and while covering
a few related topics such as:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Physics of Climbing & Turning<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stairwell Configurations & Efficient Footfall
patterns<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Part 1: The Physics of
Climbing and Turning</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
In this section I will share several principles that are 2nd nature to most
competitive climbers and provide evidence justifying why each principle is
true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Unlike my other Power up a Tower articles, there won’t be any fancy calculations.
I just rely on basic physics principles and geometry, although I will recommend
one or two scientific papers along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<b>Taking two steps at a time is more efficient than taking one step at a time.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Most competitive stair climbers will nod their heads in agreement, but if you
want scientific evidence, I recommend reading a paper by Halsey et. al. entitled
“The Energy Expenditure of Stair Climbing One Step and Two Steps at a Time:
Estimations from Measures of Heart Rate”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
If you don’t have access to the paper or don’t feel like reading, here is the
gist of it: The authors hooked a bunch of people on heart rate monitors and had
them climb a stairwell multiple times alternating between single stepping (i.e.
taking one step at a time) and double stepping (i.e. taking two steps at a
time). It turns out that single steppers had a higher heart rate at the top of
the stairwell which indicates that single stepping requires more energy overall
than double stepping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
The paper suggests that it has something to do with bio-mechanics of single
stepping vs. double stepping. Single stepping has a much higher (roughly
double) turnover rate it means you end up swinging your legs (and possibly arms
if you aren’t using the rails) twice as much as double stepping. This
additional motion costs additional energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
If two steps at a time is better than one step, then how about three or even
four steps at a time? That is a question I’m not entirely prepared to answer.
It likely has something to do with bio-mechanics as well. My guess is it takes
too much power (i.e. leg strength) to climb three at a time - kind of like
trying to bike up a hill using a gear that is slightly too high. Furthermore
(at least from my experience) taking three steps at a time puts the body an
awkward position* that isn’t suited for sustained output.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span>*Usually I try to lean a little bit forward when
climbing and it is harder to lean forward when taking three steps at a time
because I'm raising my legs up so high.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Perhaps there are certain tall individuals who might be more efficient when
taking three steps at a time or certain buildings with extremely short steps
(e.g. 5 inches tall) where taking three steps at a time makes sense, but in
general, these cases would be the exceptions rather than the norm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<b>Tight inside turns using the rails is faster than other turning methods.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
This should come as no surprise. Race cars will take the inside line because it
has the shortest distance. The same holds true inside the stairwell. In
addition, using the inside rails (using upper body strength) can help you pivot
and accelerate around the turn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
I’ve been tracking my own performance inside my practice stairwell for years,
so I have a lot of data to back this up. For example, in my last training
session, I sprinted up a total of 12 times, with 4 – 5 minutes of rest between
each climb. Four of the climbs were done using the inside rails. Four of the
climbs were done using only the outside rails. Four of the climbs were done
using no rails whatsoever (i.e. legs only). The ascents were climbed
sequentially using the following pattern: Outside, Inside, No Rail, Outside,
Inside, No Rail, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Here were my average climb times (in seconds):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• Inside: 40.08<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• Outside: 43.30<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• No Rails: 43.80<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Using the inside rails is faster than the other methods and a brief analysis of
my previous training data* (spanning thousands of climbs) corroborates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span>*You’ll have to take my word since I’m not ready
to share all my training data. Perhaps in a later post…<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Geometry of the
stairwell has a role to play, especially when you consider the climb times
using the outside lane. In a narrower staircase, you’d expect the time gaps to
narrow. Likewise, climbing technique matters. Over the years, I’ve learned a
few tricks to eke out a tenth of a second or so of speed when turning inside my
practice stairwell. Every climber has their own unique climbing style, so
slightly different results would be expected between climbers*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />
*If you are a statistician, you might point out that data from a single climber
doesn’t pass muster. Point taken. I’ll be sure to update this post once I
have an adequate sample size, smartass.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is interesting to
note that the slowest climbs were done without using the rails. I don’t have a
clear-cut answer why this was the case, but I can come up with a few reasons:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Although I tried to stay
in the inside lane, I often steered toward the center as I was pumping my arms
rather than hugging the rail.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My turns were slower
because I could accelerate my body around the turn using the handrail; I could
only use the power of my legs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The “no-rail” assents
seem to be the most physically demanding so fatigue near the top of the
stairwell likely contributed to slower times.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<b>Turning on the landing is easiest when pivoting on the inside foot.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Most stairwells will have either a couple large balusters (i.e. vertical
members to support the handrail) or a wall which physically separates the
individual flights of steps from one another. To turn efficiently – no matter
which foot you pivot on – your foot needs to be as close to the baluster/wall
as possible. Pivoting on the outside foot is difficult* because the barrier
interferes with your inside foot as you bring it around to the next step.
Obviously, the closer your outside foot is to the baluster/wall, the less
clearance you have between the barrier and your inside foot, which makes the
turn even more difficult**.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span>*unless you are as flexible as David Hanley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">**unless you are as flexible as David Hanley.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Pivoting on the inside foot is much easier because your outside foot will not
interfere with the baluster/wall barrier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
You may argue that some stairwell configurations make it impossible to keep
just a single foot on the landing during the turn. This is certainly true if
there is a significant horizontal gap between adjacent flights or some other
barrier. However, even if you end up taking two or even three steps on the
landing, your final pivot around the baluster/wall is still easiest when
pivoting on your inside foot.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<b>Turning requires extra energy.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Simple physics will tell you this is true. After all, when turning in a typical
stairwell, you basically come to a stop and then turn on the landing –
essentially making a 180 degree turn. Then, once you are facing the other
direction, you quickly accelerate back up to full speed. All this acceleration
(including the turning) requires force and energy*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span>*If you don’t think starting and stopping
requires extra energy, try a few shuttle sprints. Though to be fair, it is easy to de-accelerate when approaching the turn thanks to gravity. I find that most of my energy is spent turning and then getting back up to speed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Calculating precisely how much energy is required to complete a turn is a
complicated matter and would require a decent scientific paper to cover this
topic adequately*. For example, figuring out how much energy is required to run
at a given speed in a straight line requires a good understanding of the
bio-mechanics of the human body as well as a foundation in kinematics to create
an accurate model. Modeling a pivot while using the rails would an even harder
problem to tackle, as the movement is complicated (e.g. each limb has an
independent motion) and the entire action happens over a brief period of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />
*There is a paper by Misetti et. al. “Skyscraper running: physiological and
bio-mechanical profile of a novel sport activity” which broaches this very
topic, but I don’t agree with their model. Otherwise this is a highly-recommended
paper.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<b><u>Part 2: Basic Stairwell Configurations</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Most stairwells inside tall buildings will have two or more flights of steps
per floor with landings* separating each flight. Flights usually alternate 180
degrees from one other at each landing. Most floors are of a uniform height so
you will see the same (repeating) flight pattern on multiple consecutive
floors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">* I consider the floor
to be a kind of a landing, too.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Throughout this article,
I will use the following notation to represent the </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">layout</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of a repeating
stairwell: X/Y*</span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">X represents the number
of steps in the 1<sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">st</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> flight.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Y represents the number
of steps in the 2<sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">nd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> flight</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“/” represents the mid-flight
landing.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For example 10/10
represents two flights per floor with 10 steps per flight.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*I also use the same notation for certain turns, where the numbers just mean the number of steps per footfall. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This article only
handles typical stairwells with two flights per floor, but this notation can
be expanded to include stairwells with additional flights. For example, The
“Lucky Sevens” 7/7/7 has three flights per floor with 7 steps apiece*. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*A separate article
isn’t going to happen for three reasons. First of all, 3+ flights/floor is
relatively rare. Second of all, there are too many combinations to document
(for example 3 flights/floor has 40 different configurations). Finally, a good
chunk of the time these 3+ flights/floor configurations mimic their two flights/floor
brethren. In the case of the Lucky Sevens (7/7/7), it is really nothing more than
a 7/7 (which is a shorter version of the Magic 11s (11/11) configuration which
you’ll read about shortly). Climbing up two floors of the Lucky Sevens is
virtually identical to climbing three floors of the 7/7.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
There are numerous exceptions, of course. For example, the Bennington Battle
Monument’s stairs wrap around the inside of the building using a series of 90
degree turns. In fact, the Empire State Building (arguably the most famous
skyscraper in the world) primarily has just a single flight of stairs per floor
followed by a short run to get to the next flight*.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*which is why I frickin' hate that stairwell.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
There are also numerous exceptions <i>within</i>
a building's stairwell as there are usually maintenance floors, fire doors, and
other irregularities which will mess up the repeating pattern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
However, in general, the flight pattern is repeatable and throughout the rest
of this article we’re going to focus on this repeating pattern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<b>Common Time (e.g. 12/12)</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
So far we’ve learned that best method to climb a stairwell is to (1) take two
steps at a time, (2) hug the inside rail on the turns, and (3) use your inside
leg to pivot on the landing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Wouldn’t it be just peachy if there was a stairwell configuration that
satisfied all three conditions?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
It turns out that a <span style="background: white;">(4m)/(4n)</span>
flight pattern (where m & n are positive integers) satisfies this
condition*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Set m=n=1 and if you read
music, you’ll understand why this stairwell is nicknamed Common Time.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
This occurs because you end up with an even number of footfalls per flight when
taking two steps at a time*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*With an <i>even</i> number of footfalls, you’ll end up
in the same position you started with. Conversely with an <i>odd</i> number of footfalls, you’ll end up on the opposite foot.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Figure 1 shows an illustrative example for a 12/12 flight pattern (where
n=m=3).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sX2iKCYVJb0N4RwelLLoMtCHHkokAr-UvA1bCgpm8ua6yyfcn1dCvUmUtQT1-mJAQ8RDvZKY79BSethZ3XdGQ4268tZMleH1aP3GZC-bmC_H5qcU9CVqguEtLph7k2r_2StODr0_gkg/s1600/Figure1_12-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="171" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sX2iKCYVJb0N4RwelLLoMtCHHkokAr-UvA1bCgpm8ua6yyfcn1dCvUmUtQT1-mJAQ8RDvZKY79BSethZ3XdGQ4268tZMleH1aP3GZC-bmC_H5qcU9CVqguEtLph7k2r_2StODr0_gkg/s320/Figure1_12-12.JPG" width="142" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure 1: 12/12 Footfall Pattern</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The figure represents two flights with 12 steps each. The red dots represent
footfalls and the shaded area represents the landing. The turning arrows
represent your pivot foot (which makes a 180 degree turn).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
The Common Time stairwell has a solid footfall pattern, but it has a couple
of limitations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
First, this step pattern only works if the horizontal gap between flight is
tight and there aren’t any major barriers (such as a wall or balustrade) on the
landing which hinders your inner foot placement on the landing. Otherwise,
keeping a single step on the landings may be difficult or even impossible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Secondly, turning requires additional energy (more about that in the next
section) which makes pacing a concern:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you try to keep a constant vertical pace (e.g. by using
a metronome*) your level of exertion will no longer be constant, and the
turns will sap your energy.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you try to keep a constant level of exertion, your
turns will need to be slower, which makes using a pacing device (like a
metronome*) difficult.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Of course if you don't use a metronome, these concerns are less important... but seriously, why would you not use a metronome?!? <span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How important are these
concerns? In my experience, they play a minor role in a short race, but become
more important in the longer races when you are climbing for an extended period
at just slightly above the red line (i.e. lactate threshold or whatever biological
term you want to use). In the latter case, even minor fluctuations of energy
expenditure could be enough to push you well past the redline - causing you to
bonk prematurely during a race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<b>The Magic 11s (e.g. 11/11)</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Is there a stairwell configuration which overcomes the limitations of a
(4m)/(4n) flight pattern?*</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*spoiler alert: Yes there is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes there is!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I present to you the most efficient stairwell configuration known to mankind:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">(4m-1)/(4n-1)</span> where m and n are positive integers*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*From now on just assume
that m and n are positive integers so I don’t have to keep typing it out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
For example, when m=n=3, you have an 11/11 stairwell, just like at City Place
in Hartford an US Bank Tower in Los Angeles. See figure 2 for the foot pattern.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd92nFDPY27JXnGbiuLoKMiNiptW2YxqhSUnZDoBKuZHRARdHcTdRUWJLg2ivAFY5_YACcN4-lIaURTBcF4LlspUhg0KWuocW1PjVTTMcJQvLg_e65HZszJ8Pdi8TzTyUK6RgiJB69f0/s1600/Figure2_11-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="166" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd92nFDPY27JXnGbiuLoKMiNiptW2YxqhSUnZDoBKuZHRARdHcTdRUWJLg2ivAFY5_YACcN4-lIaURTBcF4LlspUhg0KWuocW1PjVTTMcJQvLg_e65HZszJ8Pdi8TzTyUK6RgiJB69f0/s320/Figure2_11-11.JPG" width="148" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure 2: 11/11 Footfall Pattern</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
Basically, this pattern is just like the 12/12 step pattern (i.e. it has an
even number of footfalls) except you only take a single step when approaching
the landing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
This has two benefits:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
First, you can reach a little bit further onto the landing with your inside
pivot foot since you are covering only one step, not two. This makes turning a
little bit easier and efficient since allows you to plant your pivot foot closer
to the optimum spot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Second, taking a single step at a time requires less energy than taking two
steps at time*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*It is more accurate to
say that two single steps require slightly more energy than one double step
because of wasted motion.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Keeping this latter
piece of information in mind, I propose the following equation:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Energy used taking two steps (two steps at a time) ≈ </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Energy used taking one step (one step at
time) + </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Energy used taking executing a turn</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
I use the ≈ rather than =, < or > because I don’t have the
tools available (experimental or analytical) to determine exactly how much
energy is required to turn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, I think we can
safely bound this so called “turning energy” by the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Zero energy < Energy
required to turn < Energy required to climb <i>two</i> steps</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Clearly, the turning
energy isn’t negligible and if turning costs more energy than climbing two
steps than I should have died from a heart attack long ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Personally, I’m estimating
the turning energy is about equal to that of climbing a single step… and if my
upper bound is true, then at worst, my estimate is off by <i><u>less</u></i> than a single step’s worth of energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
What all this means is that (despite the uncertainty) taking a single step
while turning requires about the same energy as taking two steps at a time on a
straight flight. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
If you use a metronome to keep pace (as you should) your energy expenditure
will remain fairly constant…even while turning (and that is a good thing).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Seriously, this configuration is the bomb. Once you start pivoting on your
inside leg, you don’t even have to think about it. You automatically end on
your inside leg. Every. Single. Turn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Interlude: Common Turning Patterns<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Quick turns are
predicated on having your feet in the right spot as you enter a turn. The 12/12
and 11/11 stairwells automatically place your feet near the sweet spot so
that is why I hold them in such high regard. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="OLE_LINK10"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="OLE_LINK9"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="OLE_LINK8"><o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Unfortunately, not all
configurations are so convenient*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">*All together, there are
ten basic stairwell configurations* and we’ve already covered the Common Time and Magic 11s stairwells. Several of the remaining eight are more complicated.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Proving there are exactly 10 two-flight stairwell configurations is a neat math problem. If you have a few minutes (and are so inclined) I urge you take a short break from reading and solve this problem before continuing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We can’t<i> </i>change the number of steps per flight
in a stairwell, but we <i>can</i> change how
we take the turns. Before we get into more complicated
stairwell configurations, let’s discuss turning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Turning has two primary goals. The first (and obvious) goal is to
get around the current landing quickly and efficiently. The second (and less
obvious) goal is setting up your footfalls to make the <i>next</i> turn is as quick and efficient as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is an example to illustrate the 2nd goal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let’s say you are in a 12/12 stairwell and just started a pivot
turn on the inside foot. Should your next footfall take one step or two steps
at a time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Back in figure 2 we showed that taking one step after the turn is
optimal from an energy expenditure standpoint. But if we took only one step, we’d
find ourselves on the outside (wrong) foot when we reached the top of the next
flight! Clearly taking two steps at a time is the right choice*</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Unless you are a contortionist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The key to figuring out the best footfall pattern in a stairwell
is choosing the best type of turn that doesn’t screw up your next turn*.</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Note: I used bold typeface because this sentence is really important.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before moving to the remaining stairwell configurations, let’s
study the type of turns we have at our disposal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A: 2/2 Inside Pivot</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;">B: 2/1 or 1/2 Inside Pivot</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;">C: 2/2 Outside Pivot</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;">D: 2/1 or 1/2 Outside Pivot</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;">E: 1/1 Inside Pivot</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;">F: 1/1 Outside Pivot</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;">G: Double footfalls on the
Landing (Inside Pivot)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;">H: Skip Landing (Inside Pivot)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 2/2 inside pivot is the same turn used in a Common Time (e.g. 12/12)
stairwell. See figure A. The turn spans two footfalls and each footfall covers
two steps, so it is a fast and energy intensive turn. This turn may be
difficult to perform if the landing has any obstacles, so this choice may not
always be available. On a letter grading scale, I’d give it a solid B+.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ50jUx3dfToFsRBWsVd1FfBNx7kxysnoXKyDSy27FWPICCmpmTb4QiHy8p6d8_HZoiTc18j1NoKotSeNUI7sGemAYH1aEom3CjdRhiI9EcRmYLpbULCv-sLzL7kv_6AQVjE2EC7AL6xk/s1600/Figure_A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ50jUx3dfToFsRBWsVd1FfBNx7kxysnoXKyDSy27FWPICCmpmTb4QiHy8p6d8_HZoiTc18j1NoKotSeNUI7sGemAYH1aEom3CjdRhiI9EcRmYLpbULCv-sLzL7kv_6AQVjE2EC7AL6xk/s1600/Figure_A.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure A: 2/2 Inside Pivot Turn</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 2/1 & 1/2 inside pivot are the same turns used in a Magic
11s stairwell. See figure B. The 2/1 & 1/2 are interchangeable. For
example, in an 11/11 stairwell you could construct a footfall pattern using <i>either</i> type of turn*. The turn spans
two footfalls and on average, each footfall covers 1.5 steps (2 then 1 or 1 then
2 steps). Therefore, the turn itself is moderately fast, but energy balanced
(i.e. the energy it takes to get around the turn per footfall is approximately
equal to the energy it takes climbing up two steps at a time on a straight
staircase). Since one of the footfalls only covers one step, it is easier to
perform than the 2/2 inside pivot. On a letter grading scale, I’d give it an A+.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*To prove this to yourself, go back to figure 2 and change the
direction of the arrows to widdershins.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYube6ZxPjnXnG5lmsAE9Qw3K-FxzAmblUElnE2Aknwq4nhX97J9H3SVUPWyJJEY4POcnRTvpfsj6kj0JzOUaZUDfpIjEfbZ3nkREdfTKfOHpi0oZQX8PnqBpP0dF1LJWiJbW6LtKKzE/s1600/Figure_B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYube6ZxPjnXnG5lmsAE9Qw3K-FxzAmblUElnE2Aknwq4nhX97J9H3SVUPWyJJEY4POcnRTvpfsj6kj0JzOUaZUDfpIjEfbZ3nkREdfTKfOHpi0oZQX8PnqBpP0dF1LJWiJbW6LtKKzE/s1600/Figure_B.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure B: 2/1 & 1/2 Inside Pivot Turns</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 2/2 outside pivot turn is shown in figure C. Like the 2/2 inside pivot turn, it spans two footfalls and each footfall covers 2 steps. It is
fast and even more energy intensive than the 2/2 inside pivot because an
outside pivot is relatively awkward and inefficient. Because this turn is so difficult, it can only be
performed in a stairwell with little or no obstacles. On a letter grading
scale, I’d give it an C+.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qDyQfMBie3CcvYhU_N2QHDQG4BVjKWHi2qN1AogI8ZriWw24FIngVgBVk4kOPhkCxyYwsBxCeMdSsvSjUuHLPa4USqh6gaes4Wy9yqcEJqfA3ODIZqAoELxmeb3cpIEzT6ZtSoZzV6o/s1600/Figure_C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qDyQfMBie3CcvYhU_N2QHDQG4BVjKWHi2qN1AogI8ZriWw24FIngVgBVk4kOPhkCxyYwsBxCeMdSsvSjUuHLPa4USqh6gaes4Wy9yqcEJqfA3ODIZqAoELxmeb3cpIEzT6ZtSoZzV6o/s1600/Figure_C.JPG" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Figure C: 2/2 Outside Pivot Turn</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The 2/1 & 1/2 outside pivot turns are shown in figure D. Like
the 2/1 & 1/2 inside pivots, these two turns are interchangeable. Each turn spans
two footfalls and each footfall covers 1.5 steps on average. It is moderately fast
and slightly more energy intensive than the 2/1 inside pivot turn because an
outside pivot turn is relatively awkward and inefficient. This turn can be
performed in most stairwells; it is easier to perform the 2/2 outer pivot, but
harder than the 2/1 inside pivot. On a letter grading scale, I’d give it an B.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp5V3zgeL3LPB1u-o2PttFJHMMGK54Mei6WhVwX1qs4Y5O1TmN4Q01XBkstqqHdqzm5EbT3wzFDF-xVchgqQnaMCZZOyI6glNoRh218HjZyu2OOz9P-l1e-Aot5h5WbaoxijsNmFecXc/s1600/Figure_D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="135" data-original-width="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp5V3zgeL3LPB1u-o2PttFJHMMGK54Mei6WhVwX1qs4Y5O1TmN4Q01XBkstqqHdqzm5EbT3wzFDF-xVchgqQnaMCZZOyI6glNoRh218HjZyu2OOz9P-l1e-Aot5h5WbaoxijsNmFecXc/s1600/Figure_D.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure D: 2/1 & 1/2 Outside Pivot Turns</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The 1/1 inside pivot is shown in figure E. This turn spans two
footfalls and each footfall covers 1 step. It is a slow but easy to perform. As
such, it can be performed in most stairwells. On a letter grading scale, I’d
give it a C+, but I’d rank it higher if the landing had obstacles.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk_PHdE3QAWClCIok_mLs1TjoID7cDQwHld0G4U7NRRSKJRugzQBbB29B84lbh0npHAORz28qHtFFWEEztcwIVTk5_3Tc-EiITqHyp9EMv8T7ygs2QZIMumlT-HKjiobjsH_vVsyABEk/s1600/Figure_E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="95" data-original-width="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk_PHdE3QAWClCIok_mLs1TjoID7cDQwHld0G4U7NRRSKJRugzQBbB29B84lbh0npHAORz28qHtFFWEEztcwIVTk5_3Tc-EiITqHyp9EMv8T7ygs2QZIMumlT-HKjiobjsH_vVsyABEk/s1600/Figure_E.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure E: 1/1 Inside Pivot Turn</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The 1/1 outside pivot is shown in figure F. This turn spans two
footfalls and each footfall covers 1 step, which makes the turn slow. The
outside pivot is awkward, but easy to perform because of the single steps. As
such, it can be performed in most stairwells. On a letter grading scale, I’d
give it a C, but I’d rank it higher if the landing had obstacles.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Crap... I forgot to make Figure F. I'l have to do it later)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The double footfalls (on the landing) turn usually uses an inside
pivot turn*. See figure F. This turn is slow because it wastes an entire
footfall on the landing which makes the turn relatively slow and inefficient. The
main benefit of this turn is that it can be performed in most stairwells, as
two single step footfalls gives you a lot of extra room to turn. On a letter grading
scale, I’d give it a C, but if the landing had obstacles, it would be ranked
higher.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*I’d be hard pressed to find a situation where using an outside
pivot turn would be preferred. <span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4YBF-c1YBXVJGBJvHOacY0jk67LTVpmOBd0-bu1w8Jvp7mvNQIjXb9B1r9_ZsUs-WITjlSr4PF9YO7VgUBQ427rv4wAonL91R5zRd2xU_Pz9Sv0h7b10WiVa95JIFNHT4Jm_GooLZ7I/s1600/Figure_F.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="113" data-original-width="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4YBF-c1YBXVJGBJvHOacY0jk67LTVpmOBd0-bu1w8Jvp7mvNQIjXb9B1r9_ZsUs-WITjlSr4PF9YO7VgUBQ427rv4wAonL91R5zRd2xU_Pz9Sv0h7b10WiVa95JIFNHT4Jm_GooLZ7I/s1600/Figure_F.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure G: Double Footfalls on the Landing Turn</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The skip landing turn shown in figure H is probably the least well known turn. It is executed
with an inside pivot on the step <i>below</i>
the landing with the next footfall landing on the step <i>above</i> the landing – such that you completely avoid touching the
landing. It is a fast turn on par with the 2/2 inside pivot turn, but it is
slightly more difficult to execute. This turn requires a very good stairwell with
convenient handrails and very little gap between the flights. On a letter grading
scale, I’d give it a B.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNget53icFuWRctBqROyWiMTll4LhCD2c_mMvFlZCwkJAaZbX4dxN3C_8RJ5r_0-Vai9cuhabtcaCJJEnGit5pw-zC1PW4kInsMxefiM5B9t1hqucwwfLe0SfUi0Du9WH3rKONNSu1Dxo/s1600/Figure_G.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="97" data-original-width="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNget53icFuWRctBqROyWiMTll4LhCD2c_mMvFlZCwkJAaZbX4dxN3C_8RJ5r_0-Vai9cuhabtcaCJJEnGit5pw-zC1PW4kInsMxefiM5B9t1hqucwwfLe0SfUi0Du9WH3rKONNSu1Dxo/s1600/Figure_G.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure H: Skip Landing Turn</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now that we know all about turns, let's get back to business...</span><br />
<b><u><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Part 2: Basic Stairwell
Configurations - Continued<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b>We’ve covered (4m)/(4n)
and (4m-1)/(4n-1) stairwell configurations which both have an even number of
footfalls per flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
The discussion would not be complete without considering stairwell
configurations which have an odd number of footfalls per flight: (4n-2)/(4m-2) and (4n-3)/(4m-3)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
If you insist on taking 2 steps at a time, you’ll find yourself out of position
every other flight. This happens because you have an odd number of footfalls
(e.g. for a ten-step flight, you have 5 footfalls when taking the steps two at
a time).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Oddball Ten (e.g. 10/10)</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Let’s consider a 10/10 stairwell (i.e. (4n-2)/(4m-2) where n=m=3). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
In this configuration, you can do one of three things:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
A: Alternate between 2/2 inside and 2/2 outside pivot turns (figure 3-A).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
B: Uses two footfalls on the landing (figure 3-B). This pattern turns the total
number of footfalls from odd to even.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
C: Uses a 1/1 inside pivot turn (figure 3-C). This pattern turns the total
number of footfalls from odd to even.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqzZF9cYwlBiQR_sJjcDYxAXev1Vgf-2OuV8ibTcIDxTy8uo6K3hXlVSuq1HmsmaltnLEMjraEsGCC0PhYygYOcco1UHlF0gKg8lXWiPJRaVf4wa4nFVKq_3DXqudeG2F2P4z08cYwKw/s1600/Figure3_10-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqzZF9cYwlBiQR_sJjcDYxAXev1Vgf-2OuV8ibTcIDxTy8uo6K3hXlVSuq1HmsmaltnLEMjraEsGCC0PhYygYOcco1UHlF0gKg8lXWiPJRaVf4wa4nFVKq_3DXqudeG2F2P4z08cYwKw/s1600/Figure3_10-10.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Figures 3-A, 3-B, & 3-C: 10/10 Footfall Patterns</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pattern C is often overlooked because you must consciously decide to
single step before and after the landing. Unless you’ve practiced this pattern,
it won’t be reflexive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Personally, I like to use pattern A as it keeps my vertical pace constant. But
in practice, I usually end up switching to pattern B as fatigue sets in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
I don’t often use pattern C since the 1/1 inside pivot end up being too slow for
my tastes. That said, I keep the technique in my back pocket for special cases.
Certain types of landings make it very difficult to keep one foot on the
landings (e.g. wide gaps between flights, rails/balustrades that stick out,
etc.). In those cases, this step pattern might give you enough room to keep
just a single footfall on the landings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Double Odd 9s (e.g. 9/9)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Next, let’s consider a 9/9 stairwell (i.e. (4n-3)/(4m-3) where n=m=3)*. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span>*Colloquially called the Double Odd because each
flight has an odd number of steps and an odd number of footfalls.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
There is only one obvious climbing choice as shown in figure 4.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6cSNt9NmfpIbrdtwUeC2IkYv11ibC4QXdZXpqbsDX-d_ai5lYEE2T1spZcfB9ZaTAVv1-mVDWaDgYn6VauvJ29QlO6fWpYzGSQoDC0pTvk20KhWYWPMoKofE-LohlaLPVSHqRxecpTw/s1600/Figure4_9-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6cSNt9NmfpIbrdtwUeC2IkYv11ibC4QXdZXpqbsDX-d_ai5lYEE2T1spZcfB9ZaTAVv1-mVDWaDgYn6VauvJ29QlO6fWpYzGSQoDC0pTvk20KhWYWPMoKofE-LohlaLPVSHqRxecpTw/s1600/Figure4_9-9.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Figure 4: 9/9 Footfall Pattern</span></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This pattern alternates
between 1/2 inside pivot turns and 1/2 outside pivot turns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Turning on the inside foot is a piece of cake, but turning on the outside foot
is troublesome. Fortunately, the single step ameliorates some of the
awkwardness of doing an outside pivot because it allows you to plant your foot
step further into the landing (and the added room makes the turn less awkward).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Personally, I dislike the outside pivot turn, but otherwise this is a solid
pattern with limited downside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<b><u>Part 3: Asymmetric Configurations</u></b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Before continuing, I need to define the term <i>symmetric </i>and <i>asymmetric </i>with
respect to stairwell configurations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<u>Symmetric </u>means we have the same number of stairs per flight*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<u>Asymmetric </u>means we have different numbers of stairs per flight*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Technically I need to
tack on the phrase “when we set m = n” to the end of these sentences. For
example, the 12/12 configuration is clearly symmetrical. It comes from the symmetric
(4m)/(4n) pattern when we set m=n=3. But if we set m=2 and m=3, we get the
8/12, which is also symmetric using this expanded definition.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
So far, I’ve only described the symmetric stairwell configurations, so now
let’s turn our attention to their asymmetric counterparts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Close Cousin 11/12<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remember the Common Time
(e.g. 12/12) and the Magic 11s stairwells? Both feature an even number of footfalls per
flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Their asymmetric cousin
is the 11/12* pattern, formally written as <u>(4m-1)/(4n)</u>, which also features
an even number of footfalls per flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*By
the way, the 11/12 pattern is identical to the 12/11 pattern in a repeating
stairwell. To prove it to yourself, start your step count from the floor start
counting from mid-floor landing. Since we’re in a repeating stairwell, it
shouldn’t make any difference where you start counting from. For sake of
consistency, though, I always list the smaller number first (e.g. 11/12 rather
than 12/11).<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This configuration (like
most other asymmetric configurations as it turns out) is a bit hard to visualize
in a simple figure. Rather than do a fancy bit of resizing and re-scaling (which
ultimately is still visually confusing) I’ve opted to show the 11/11 and 12/12
patterns side by side to help visualize the 11/12 pattern. See figure 5. You
may ignore the shaded region, but I’ve left it semi-transparent so you can
still see the related 11/11 and 12/12 patterns as a reference.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQZXSdJyCR_LPk-G09FnIymmmtcUMqIFmkUJ282Hu2dA7YDQM0vPUE9dI3hK5KclvfADW8QkEDWi-tuXs9Vuookrg9oTgHWtiosIbv48-e5KFK-7E6P8pbWUo5SoKrCYm-7SF5-EmIL4/s1600/Figure5_11-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQZXSdJyCR_LPk-G09FnIymmmtcUMqIFmkUJ282Hu2dA7YDQM0vPUE9dI3hK5KclvfADW8QkEDWi-tuXs9Vuookrg9oTgHWtiosIbv48-e5KFK-7E6P8pbWUo5SoKrCYm-7SF5-EmIL4/s1600/Figure5_11-12.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure 5: 11/12 Footfall Pattern</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As far as stairwells are
concerned, this pattern is among the best. It alternates between using the 2/2
inside pivot turn (grade B+) and the 2/1 inside pivot turn (an even better A+).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As such, I like this
stairwell a little bit better than the Common Time (e.g. 12/12) stairwell, but it
falls slightly behind the Magic 11s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Close Cousin 9/10<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, we have the
asymmetric cousin to the 9/9 and 10/10 patterns; the 9/10 pattern - formally
written as (4m-3)/(4n-2). They are cousins in the sense that they all share an
odd number of footfalls per flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since there are quite a
few different ways to handle the 10/10 pattern (go back and see figures 3-A,
3-B, and 3-C), there are a bunch of ways to handle the 9/10 pattern as well. Here
are two of the best:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pattern A: This footfall pattern
alternates between 2/2 inside pivot turns (grade=B+) and 1/2 outside pivot
turns (grade=B). The outside pivot turn is awkward, but the single step makes
it palatable. See figure 6-A below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPO45DyplZxuj0lu41lpPE9Nr1c_FWZToRYCcmKQFtRTcEMgPzVyRxexqS343jN-KcJLg3dboZ5vcZVzwshu2cOSkqWuAKsq7y6NeIjWaf8i8zTZ4iQREJaAtPGg6wHLX3XsMQPhYOMQ/s1600/Figure6-A+9-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPO45DyplZxuj0lu41lpPE9Nr1c_FWZToRYCcmKQFtRTcEMgPzVyRxexqS343jN-KcJLg3dboZ5vcZVzwshu2cOSkqWuAKsq7y6NeIjWaf8i8zTZ4iQREJaAtPGg6wHLX3XsMQPhYOMQ/s1600/Figure6-A+9-10.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure 6A: 9/10 Footfall Pattern (A)</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Pattern B: This pattern is hard
to visualize, but that’s the price you pay for asymmetry. Rather than repeating
every floor, the pattern repeats itself </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">every
other</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> floor. On odd floors it cycles through a couple of 1/1 outside pivot
turns (grade = C). On even floors it cycles through 2/1 & 1/2
inside pivot turns (grade = A+). See figure 6-B below.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0otri6HIluQTEyf1ZnCv_HYEn4dh4cIlRHR5Ju15438PKD9P9HsxH7-H1s-S3YTbfIEecOu-xFyWJBGc_qsJ8MAkEl8_DcNsAUj5RB5d2zcIliNf6sqvB3Ugkkbp8gcz4S2w_qMjH0ag/s1600/Figure6-B+9-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="645" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0otri6HIluQTEyf1ZnCv_HYEn4dh4cIlRHR5Ju15438PKD9P9HsxH7-H1s-S3YTbfIEecOu-xFyWJBGc_qsJ8MAkEl8_DcNsAUj5RB5d2zcIliNf6sqvB3Ugkkbp8gcz4S2w_qMjH0ag/s1600/Figure6-B+9-10.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Figure 6-B: 9/10 Footfall Pattern (B)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The main difference
between patterns A and B is the that A uses a total of 10 footfalls whereas B uses 11 footfalls per floor. Pattern A is faster but requires a bit
more effort on the turns. Pattern B takes the turns very efficiently at the
expense of more footfalls. Which option would I choose? Probably option A since
I use a metronome, but option B is a solid 2</span><sup style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> choice - especially
if the stairwell has troublesome landings.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Ugly Stepchildren<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The final
configurations, the 9/11, 9/12, 10/11, and 10/12 (I’ll write the formal terms
later) have the following in common: One flight has an odd number of footfalls
(9 or 10 steps) while the other flight has an even number of footfalls (11 or
12 steps).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This means that the
total number of footfalls per floor is <i><u>odd</u></i>
(since odd + even = odd) and if you take two steps at time*, you will always
end up on the opposite foot when you reach the next floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*I should clarify to say
“two steps at a time <i>wherever possible</i>”.
Obviously, you’ll have to take at least one step at a time before or after the
landing if you have an odd number of steps in a flight (like 9 or 11 steps).<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Compare that with the
symmetric configurations and their close cousins which have an <i><u>even</u></i> number of footfalls per
floor (since even + even = even; odd + odd = even).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Naturally, the ugly
stepchildren are fairly hard to map out since the map will often cover two
floors (i.e. four flights) worth of steps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Bastard (e.g. 9/11)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Bastard 9/11
stairwell, formally known as (4m-3)/(4n-1) is in a difficult position. If
the stairwell is perfect, it has one top-notch pattern…but all bets are off if their are any obstacles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The most efficient pattern
uses a combination of 2/2 inside pivot turns (grade B+) and skip landing turns
(grade B). This pattern works because it has the same number of footfalls as
the symmetric 4m/4n pattern*. See figure 7-A.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Its kinda cool when you
think about it. The 9/11 has exactly 20 steps and 10 ten footfalls just like
the symmetric 8/12*. Since the skip landing turn spans two separate flights
(i.e. covering one step in each flight), it essentially converts the 9/11 into
a symmetric stairwell. In fact, if you really wanted to, you could even use the
skip landing pivot turn in a regular (4m)/(4n) stairwell. I guess you could
call this pattern the legitimate “bastard” of the (4m)/(4n)**.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Remember that 8/12 is
in the (4m)/(4n) family just like the familiar 12/12 we studied back in figure
1.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Your father is
symmetric & your mother is asymmetric, but you are close enough to your
father to claim an inheritance.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHj62WPZV_3arcx9wr3zLSXFRYuhQ3e8__4jbj9kGG3sWIDk8x_TwTYsUACS-P74vCe7VJSeng9Tvk-uFYFbJLIMQkezOW8hoeb5UXu3EYdw62-819cwhYPpr0flim-Xdg5vvwoQmlWj0/s1600/Figure7-A+9-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHj62WPZV_3arcx9wr3zLSXFRYuhQ3e8__4jbj9kGG3sWIDk8x_TwTYsUACS-P74vCe7VJSeng9Tvk-uFYFbJLIMQkezOW8hoeb5UXu3EYdw62-819cwhYPpr0flim-Xdg5vvwoQmlWj0/s1600/Figure7-A+9-11.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure 7-A: 9/11 Footfall Pattern (A)</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The skip landing turn
makes the 9/11 into a solid stairwell choice, but if there are any obstacles
which prevent the skip landing turn, you are going to have to settle for another
complicated two-floor pattern*.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Which turns the 9/11
into an illegitimate bastard.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are several
variations of the two-floor pattern. I’m going to only show one of the variations
to illustrate, but I’ll give you enough information to construct the others for
yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Check out figure 7-B. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="OLE_LINK4"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="OLE_LINK3"></a>This
pattern (and all variations of this pattern) uses 11 footfalls per floor which
means we are taking a few single steps here and there to help us get around the
turns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNH7QWQzayzdZzgPw9iMEj-gP3oZpZWF8tmo07boLULhLkZ-67iXjWUIH4nIN1fsTxM9ffKJNVAdwGTndKbweLRNhSMHUxujHE_REUL_NEU5KuFY8Jwu48wJsi2oaAUCYFYwHAU_apTw/s1600/Figure7-B+9-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNH7QWQzayzdZzgPw9iMEj-gP3oZpZWF8tmo07boLULhLkZ-67iXjWUIH4nIN1fsTxM9ffKJNVAdwGTndKbweLRNhSMHUxujHE_REUL_NEU5KuFY8Jwu48wJsi2oaAUCYFYwHAU_apTw/s1600/Figure7-B+9-11.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Figure 7-B: 9/11 Footfall Pattern (B)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are four basic
types of turns illustrated<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A: 2/2 inside pivot turn
(grade B+)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">B: 1/2 inside pivot turn
(grade A+)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">C: 1/2 outside pivot
turn (grade B)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">D: 1/1
outside pivot turn (grade C)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can create other
variations of this pattern by pairing up the turns as follows: A pairs with D
and B pairs with C.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This give us the
following variations:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A, B, C, D (as shown in
figure 7-B)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A, A, D, D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">B, B, C, C<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of which, I think BBCC
is the clear winner since it uses 1/2 pivot turns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can also construct
similar variations by including double footfalls on the landing. I personally
don’t like these kind of patterns because if you must switch feet to get around a turn,
you might as well climb a step while you are at it (and with an odd number of
steps per flight, you’re going to have plenty of opportunities to do so).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Doppelganger (e.g. 10/12)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 10/12 stairwell, formally known as
(4m-2)/(4n), can look a lot like the symmetric 10/10 stairwell. The
difference is it will nominally take two floors to complete a cycle rather than
just one floor*. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*This makes logical
sense. 10/12 has an <i>odd</i> number of
footfalls per <u>floor</u> whereas 10/10 has an <i>even</i> number. In order for 10/12 to get back to an even number of
footfalls, you’ll need to complete two circuits (since odd + odd = even).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you just take two
step at a time (and you can because each flight has an even number of steps)
the step pattern is straightforward. It is very similar to the the 10/10 pattern
shown back in figure 3, but it covers two floors to complete a cycle rather
than just one. This 10/12 pattern is shown below in figure 8-A.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just like the 10/10
pattern, the 10/12 pattern will alternate between standard 2/2 inside pivot turns and
awkward 2/2 outside pivot turns. The only difference is that the pivot turns
alternate between <i>floor</i> rather than
between <i>flight</i> (i.e. you get the same
pivot turn twice in a row before it alternates).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6zQcCHyDafj4a0LagffIOdLdxKE-u7dJouUpovECReUz3jj8WsrQMR5zGOfnSujFxQrWImTP2pdU9TyuypQPkNPFkJACSJVDjx0ZmEYySCeTPVKb1etA_XFjn3TaT4KlUhQSlS9KnSY/s1600/Figure8-A+10-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="577" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6zQcCHyDafj4a0LagffIOdLdxKE-u7dJouUpovECReUz3jj8WsrQMR5zGOfnSujFxQrWImTP2pdU9TyuypQPkNPFkJACSJVDjx0ZmEYySCeTPVKb1etA_XFjn3TaT4KlUhQSlS9KnSY/s1600/Figure8-A+10-12.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Figure 8-A: 10/12 Footfall Pattern (A)</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">10/12 can mimic other
patterns as well. One particularly simple configuration cycles only once per
floor. See figure 8-B below. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1m3oMXdONxI5jh8HcHHW4-sZMl3KItcfZ06rZ4xuFXhCRWrnjRPp8GfhvWqrmbfWlJcygMPEdlC-iEnza-7U8n7ZeAKiLHW3nsM2JB4hl_z8NePU2RRX4otmB_zFn2BNKWwrlpWepO8s/s1600/Figure8-B+10-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1m3oMXdONxI5jh8HcHHW4-sZMl3KItcfZ06rZ4xuFXhCRWrnjRPp8GfhvWqrmbfWlJcygMPEdlC-iEnza-7U8n7ZeAKiLHW3nsM2JB4hl_z8NePU2RRX4otmB_zFn2BNKWwrlpWepO8s/s1600/Figure8-B+10-12.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Figure 8-B: 10/12 Footfall Pattern (B)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This 10/12 pattern is like
the 10/10 pattern shown in figure 4, but it is more efficient. In 10/10 figure
4, you have a double footfall turn </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>each</u></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
landing, but in this 10/12 pattern, you have a double footfall turn </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>every other</u></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> landing*.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*You can thank the 12
step flight. Since it has an even number of footfalls, it effectively delays
the double step to once <i><u>every other</u></i>
landing rather than <i><u>every</u></i>
landing.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The final 10/12 pattern
ranks right up there with the Magic 11s because it uses both 2/1 & 1/2
inside pivot turns . See figure 8-C.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-Qf3wnO4kSXzfmMTrMzV9FA8S3LOGAAWZesAgi6BMmibhLHlSbyp68K46PQoI-owfLTDgr5h-SXEkQdzXdlzPZgcTwD8BW8oJye3L2AaI14fxj7C8krafDEnMMZOCvyWzBXOAsKwe-Q/s1600/Figure8-C+10-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-Qf3wnO4kSXzfmMTrMzV9FA8S3LOGAAWZesAgi6BMmibhLHlSbyp68K46PQoI-owfLTDgr5h-SXEkQdzXdlzPZgcTwD8BW8oJye3L2AaI14fxj7C8krafDEnMMZOCvyWzBXOAsKwe-Q/s1600/Figure8-C+10-12.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Figure 8-C: 10/12 Footfall Pattern (C)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This pattern is very
interesting because it mimics aspects from both the 10/10 and 12/12 patterns:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The right (10 step) side
of the figure is just like the right-hand side of the 10/10 pattern show in
figure 3 - which has easy, but slow turns.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The left (12 step) side
of the figure is just like the left-hand side of the Common Time 12/12 pattern
shown in figure 1 - which has fast, yet energy intensive turns.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When combined, these two
patterns mimic the Magic 11s*. The only difference is with this 10/12 pattern,
you alternate between 2/1 and 1/2 inside pivot turns rather than just using one
or the other.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Which isn’t too
surprising since they share the same number of steps per floor. <span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Overall, the 10/12
stairwell offers a lot of versatility. The footfall patterns
shown above are all viable… but let’s face it, the final pattern gives the Magic
11s a run for the money*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*I still give the nod to the Magic 11s stairwell because you
automatically take 2/1 inside pivot turns – and that’s hard to screw up. With
the 10/12 you must remember where to place your feet, so you need to be on the
ball to get the correct pattern. I will concede, however, that the alternating
1/2 & 2/1 inside pivot turns are perfect balanced between legs. In either
the 1/2 or 2/1 patterns, one leg will end up doing a little more work than the
other (since one leg will be always be doing a single step rather than a double
step around the turn).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Politician (e.g.
10/11)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On the surface 10/11 (i.e. the (4m-2)/(4m-1)) has a lot going for
it. It has the same number of footfalls as it’s big brother the Doppelganger (10/12)
and the 11 step flight makes it appear similar to the Magic 11s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But looks can be deceiving. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can construct a lot of different patterns with the 10/11 and
all of them are compromises. Look at figures 9a and 9b to see what I mean.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5ascWvZWHSXnrT75_-gnnlyFjiKzR-fyZoi3CPCnRHMpgQx3DrJ88NALum1mWCwpCt9z13tm_6HqqzMU5Q1at4K0ji4wakYnzpZBBGkmotQhbnysxeFFDKCQ0fMxG8KoJjeWsBw6b98/s1600/Figure9-AB+10-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="595" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5ascWvZWHSXnrT75_-gnnlyFjiKzR-fyZoi3CPCnRHMpgQx3DrJ88NALum1mWCwpCt9z13tm_6HqqzMU5Q1at4K0ji4wakYnzpZBBGkmotQhbnysxeFFDKCQ0fMxG8KoJjeWsBw6b98/s1600/Figure9-AB+10-11.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Figure 9-A & 9-B: 10/11 Footfall Patterns</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In figure 9-A, the top turn is a 2/1 inside pivot turn (yay!) but
the bottom turn features a 1/1 inside pivot turn which makes the turn easy, but
slow (boo!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In figure 9-B, the bottom turn is a 2/1 inside pivot (yay!) but the
top turn features double steps on the landing, which is slow (boo!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, let’s take a look at figure 9-C.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWYH8veJE3cwYLLu6ISgGPSbbV4nUw12qxtKZMOB6PTX5ZfQZcdPAhjtFhI8ECXPKgVhBZE9BVO29kp3kXKQ10tKxTgmVPW4pPStrEPH_-MEHmOo4pY680aRguXsU069eGEaZaq3huk0/s1600/Figure10-A+9-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWYH8veJE3cwYLLu6ISgGPSbbV4nUw12qxtKZMOB6PTX5ZfQZcdPAhjtFhI8ECXPKgVhBZE9BVO29kp3kXKQ10tKxTgmVPW4pPStrEPH_-MEHmOo4pY680aRguXsU069eGEaZaq3huk0/s1600/Figure10-A+9-12.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Figure 9-C: 10/11 Footfall Pattern (C)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This pattern cycles one every two floors and features the
following turns:</span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A 2/2 inside pivot turn
(grade B+)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A skip landing turn (grade
B, but only in a perfect stairwell)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(2x) 2/1 outside pivot
turns (grade B)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The bottom line is that no matter what pattern you choose, you always
end up with a less-than-stellar compromise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Shortcut (e.g. 9/12)</span></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The final stairwell configuration is the 9/12 (i.e. the (4m-3)/(4m)),
I like to call it the Short Cut. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The basic pattern is straightforward. See figure 10-A. It features a double footfalls turn (grade C) and a 2/1 inside pivot turn (grade A+).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Crap.. once again I forgot to include the figure. I'll add it later. Good news is that the pattern is illustrated on the left hand side of figure 10-B. Just ignore the green arrows.)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This pattern ain't too shabby. But guess what, there is a shortcut! See figure 10-B. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5mVvVTWk5lI9YsH49ODD0aR_kvVioKqRZC2ANQMreFftSOLv8KI2JhSxUNqkvRQBVQh_BWKWC_xTiOmdsUA-QAF8j73LIqSTPlM0atYTYaiXCPwZzx_l7eraLYTFock5CmhimbLqav4/s1600/Figure10-B+9-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5mVvVTWk5lI9YsH49ODD0aR_kvVioKqRZC2ANQMreFftSOLv8KI2JhSxUNqkvRQBVQh_BWKWC_xTiOmdsUA-QAF8j73LIqSTPlM0atYTYaiXCPwZzx_l7eraLYTFock5CmhimbLqav4/s1600/Figure10-B+9-12.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Figure 10-B: 9/12 "Shortcut" Footfall Pattern</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This pattern starts off the same the basic one, with a double footfalls turn (grade C). For the next turn, rather than use a 2/1 inside pivot, instead use a 2/2 inside pivot (grade B+). This will set us up for a couple of back-to-back skip landing turns (grade B).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These two patterns are equally viable. The difference is that the basic pattern uses 12 footfalls per floor whereas the "shortcut" uses a combination of 12 and 10 footfalls on alternating floors. This means that the "shortcut" pattern is faster, yet more energy intensive on the whole. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<b><u>Final Thoughts:</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This article has covered
the common footfall patterns for all two flights/floor stairwells. It provides
a lot of detail – admittedly too much detail for the casual reader – so I’ve
made a quick summary of the different configurations in Appendix A for easy
reference.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(OK - I haven't actually made up the Appendix, but I will eventually)</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many of the patterns
require a near perfect stairwell with good landings and rails. But
in real life you’ll find plenty of stairwells which require an extra step or
two. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Therefore, I leave you
with the following advice:
Study your stairwell and figure out an efficient
footfall pattern suitable to your<i> </i>turning style.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
You can thank me after you shave a few seconds off your PR.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-13643328343921647092016-12-16T13:16:00.001-08:002016-12-16T13:16:30.628-08:00Bogota!<div class="MsoNormal">
After Willis (aka Sears) I was a mess. First off, my lungs
took nearly a week and a half to recover. Heavy breathing during strenuous
exercise made my lungs hurt and I had to tone down the intensity of my
workouts. Secondly, the race really took its toll on my mental health. I was
simply numb to the World and had zero will power to continue dieting. During
the next week or two I gained nearly 5 pounds. To top things off, I got sick
the week of Thanksgiving resulting in 5 days without exercise and several more
“active recovery” days to ensure I wouldn’t relapse. If time travel were
possible, I’d like a redo for the entire month of November.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I headed to the Pan-American Championships at the Torre
Colpatria in Bogota, Columbia 100% healthy, but a few pounds overweight and a
bit undertrained. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A lot of mixed emotions were going through my head. Under
normal circumstances, I’d never choose to go to Bogota on my own dime. Bogota
sits at 8700 feet above sea level which puts low-landers like me at a pretty
severe disadvantage compared to the local athletes (for comparative purposes,
Mile High stadium in Denver sits at a paltry 5280 feet). But as I qualified for
a travel package that covered most of my expenses (I still had to shell out
$250) I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I was only in decent, yet not great shape and was worried
about that altitude, my confidence going into the race was pretty low. On the
bright side, I didn’t really have much to lose as the race was pretty stacked
so I didn’t have much of a target on my back. If anything, my goal was simply
to not embarrass myself on the international stage. That meant treating the
race with a healthy dose of fear and respect and climbing an ultra-conservative
race.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took a puddle jumper from Albany to EWR on Wednesday
morning, killing about 4 hours in the terminal awaiting my international
flight*. While lining up to board the flight I ran into Sproule. At least I
wouldn’t be making the trip by myself**. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The Kindle Fire is my new best friend (Terry Pratchett’s
“Hogfather”)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">**We’d later learn that Cindy missed her connection flight
and wouldn’t be joining us on our adventure.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a 5+ hour flight*, we touched down just after 10:00 PM
(no change in time zone) and we met our ride to the hotel around 11:00. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The Kindle Fire is my new best friend (William Gibson’s <s>“Shadowrun”</s>
“Neuromancer”)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bogota sits at 8,700 feet above sea level, which means it
holds considerably less oxygen. I was worried that I’d feel lightheaded or get
altitude sickness since I’ve never been at high elevation (Mount Marcy’s peak
is a shade over 5000 feet). The air felt
fairly dry, but otherwise I couldn’t tell the difference.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We checked into the
IBIS hotel shortly before midnight and found out I’d be rooming with Sproule.
The room was decent, but fairly small. Although we had two separate beds they
were sandwiched together, so it appeared to be a single queen sized bed. At
least we each had separate blankets.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lights out at a little past midnight, but as it was a
national holiday in Columbia, random fireworks kept me up for another 45
minutes or so. Next time, I’ll bring my ear plugs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the elite wave didn’t start until about 11:00 AM, we were
able to sleep in till about 8:30 before heading downstairs for breakfast. There
I ran into Mishca (Towerrunning Executive Director) my Canadian friends
Napoleon and Veronica, and met a few of the competitive Mexican athletes
(Gustavo, Roberto, etc.). I only ate a couple pieces of bread and some fruit as
I hate racing on a full stomach.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After breakfast I headed back to the room to change and
gather my gear. At 9:30, I met up with all the other Towerrrunning athletes and
our guides escorted us ot the start line and VIP waiting area.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our hotel was only a 5 minute walk to the Colpatria. The road
was closed off from vehicle traffic and the closer we got to the building, the
more crowded it became with cyclists, spectators, and runners (presumably
warming up). By the time we got to the start line, people were standing nearly
shoulder to shoulder. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were led to the gated VIP area which was also fairly
crowded. After receiving my racing bib we were introduced to the race sponsors.
Everything was spoken is Spanish so I didn’t have a clue what was really going
on, so I just shook hands and smiled.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We dropped our stuff off at a private tent behind the VIP
area and as we still had an hour or so to kill*, I decided to head back to the
hotel to rest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The start time wasn’t exactly clear, but appeared to be
somewhere between 11:00 AM and noon.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right around 10:50 our minders met us in the hotel lobby and
we headed back to the tent behind the VIP zone to warm up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right before I finished my active stretches, they brought us
to the VIP area to finish our warm-ups. While everyone was jogging, I did
several round of burpees. It was my first exertion at altitude. Truth be told,
I didn’t feel any difference.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few minutes before the official start, we were corralled
to the actual start line. I finished my last round of burpees as everyone else
completed laps along the long straight away behind the start line. Fans and
cameras were everywhere! With a couple minutes ago, they lined us up somewhat
randomly (not by bib number) although last year’s winner (Frank Carreno) was
positioned last.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other than last year’s finishing times I had very little
information about the race course and only a vague idea how the attitude might
impact my performance. Sproule finished in about 6:01 last year so I figured
I’d ought to be within 20 seconds. From that, I gave myself a goal of 6:30 with
a stretch goal of 6:15. However, executing that pace with my metronome was
going to be a shot in the dark because I knew very little about the stairwell
(e.g. step heights) and how much the altitude would affect my performance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I did a quick back-of-the envelope calculation to figure out
my target pace. I read online that above 5000 feet, performance drops about 3%
for every additional 1000 feet*. As the race starts at ~8700 feet and ends
at ~9300 feet (taking into account the
height of the tower) the average elevation of the climb is about 9000 feet. As
such, I estimated that I’d need to go ~12% slower than normal. I figured the
race should be comparable with One Penn Plaza (time wise) where I typically go
out at 95 BPM. Assuming similar step heights (a fairly large leap of faith)
that would mean I’d need to set my metronome at roughly 85 BPM – which is even
slower than my Sears Tower pace. It seemed insanely slow for such a short race,
but I wasn’t going to argue with physics.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I doubt the performance drop is linear with respect to
altitude, but that is a topic for another day.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was 5<sup>th</sup> in line* and they gave a 20 second gap
in between climbers. When it was my turn, I ran toward the tower. It is about a
20 seconds run to the building entrance and maybe another 5 seconds to get to
the stairwell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*right behind Franklin Saenz, the guy who cheated at the
World Championships in Doha back in 2015. Just sayin’.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once inside, I kept up to the beat of my metronome fairly
easily for the first few floors. It seemed incredibly slow, but I didn’t dare
adjust my pace for fear of the altitude. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The stairwell turns to the right and appears to use a 10/10
pattern. I tried using both rails for the first few flights but eventually just
stuck to the inside rail. The rails were slightly too far apart for my tastes.
The inside rail was the tubular metal kind, but was of a larger diameter than
what I’m accustomed to. The other thing I remember about the stairwell is that
the landings are fairly easy to turn. The first step juts out a bit and the
railing only extends to the 2<sup>nd</sup> step. This means that there isn’t
much impediment when you happen to turn on your outside foot.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the time I reached the 5<sup>th</sup> or 6<sup>th</sup>
floor, I was passed by the racer who started just behind me. I was perhaps a
minute or two into the race and he passed me like I was standing still. I was
feeling like a fish out of water. Was I really going that slow?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By now I was feeling the pace. It didn’t hit me like a ton
of bricks (which I was dreading). Instead it was as if the pace dialed up from
“easy” to “medium-hard”. Fortunately, I could tolerate “medium-hard”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I crossed into the double digits and then into the teens. I
was a bit more than a quarter of the way through the race (considering all the
running) and I was feeling fairly good. I felt like I still had something in
reserve, but still didn’t know if the altitude was going to wreak havoc on the
upper floors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I cruised into the 20s and checked my watch on the 24<sup>th</sup>
floor (the presumed mid-point). I can’t
remember my split, but I remember thinking I was on track for a sub-7:00 climb.
Not very competitive, but not embarrassing either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I readjusted my pace and climbed ahead of my metronome. To
break 6:30 I knew I’d need a strong 2<sup>nd</sup> half.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I climbed into the 30s. The 10/10 pattern was broken only
twice with sets of spiral stairs (don’t ask me what floors). Before I knew it I
had less than 10 more floors to go. I was right at the red line by this point,
meaning that I was hurting and could keep up the pace for only a few more
minutes before bonking.. But with only 10 more floors (a minute or two at most)
I should’ve dropped the hammer. Instead, I just maintained my pace; I lacked the drive, that special “fire”
that comes wanting to win. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I climbed I could hear another climber ahead of me;
probably the guy who sprinted past me in the beginning. By the 46<sup>th</sup>
floor I could hear him just a floor or so above. At first I was like, “Ha!
Serves him right for going out so fast!” But then I realized I had only a few
floors to go. Even if I did manage to re-pass, I wouldn’t be able to make up
the 20 second deficit. I redoubled my efforts for the next couple floors. Too
little too late. On the 48<sup>th </sup>floor
I became a little disoriented. Suddenly I was out of the main stairwell and
directed up a concrete ramp to the outside of the building. Around the next
turn I could see my opponent climbing the final flight of outdoor metal steps.
At that point I knew I wasn’t going to catch him as the finish line was likely
just beyond view. I climbed the last flight a little dejected, but determined
to finish strong. I glanced at my watch. It was approaching 6:30. Shit, I had
to hurry! I dashed to finish line a
couple of seconds shy of 6:30. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was out of breath (of course) but I quickly walked it off.
I had come under my goal time, but knew I left way too much in the tank. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other climbers finished one by one. I was pretty much
fully recovered by the time Sproule crossed the line. I walked around a bit
waiting for the guys to recover and the ladies to finish. The view on top of
the roof was spectacular. Mountains form a ring around the city and because of
the climate, everything is green year-round.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walked over to Sproule and Gustavo who were sitting on a
mat recovering. They both came under the 6 minute mark, which left me feeling a
little bit depressed (last year they finished in ~6:01 and ~6:15 respectively).
I shouldn’t be 30+ seconds behind either of them. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By now the roof was filled with athletes and camera crews
were interviewing some of the top athletes. Eventually, we were herded back
down the tower for the award ceremony.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the bottom, I could barely see & hear the awards
ceremony because there were so many people (not to mention the language
barrier). The podium was dominated by the Colombians, although one of the
Mexican climbers managed to earn 4<sup>th</sup> place (and snag some decent
prize money). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I later found out that Sproule came in 7<sup>th</sup>, just
a couple seconds shy of 5<sup>th</sup> place. I came in 11<sup>th</sup> place
for the men and 12<sup>th</sup> overall (yes, I hate getting chicked). Here is
a copy of the results. Keep in mind that the elite wave is a separate race. The
other 3000 athletes climbed the same building, but ended on the 48<sup>th</sup>
floor rather than the roof. I’m guessing the extra distance would have taken
perhaps ~15 seconds, so there were probably a dozen or so other climbers in the
regular race who would have been faster than me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the race we walked back to the hotel and I had lunch
with Sproule in the dining room. As other racers filtered in, I made plans with
Napoleon, Mischa, and another girl to hike up to the church overlooking the city
atop the nearby mountain (I later learned it’s called Monserrate Mountain).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The journey started out fairly well as we navigated through
the city to get to the base of the mountain. At one point we meandered our way
through a local public park. It was quite beautiful, but what struck me as out
of place was all the graffiti covering nearly every available surface.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We eventually found ourselves on a road which snakes its way
across the base of the mountain. At this point it appeared we were on the
outskirts of the city as all the commercial buildings lay beneath us and only a
few clusters of colorful shacks (which can be appropriately described as
“favelas”) separated us from the steep slope of the mountain. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we walked along the sidewalk, I noticed a group of men
coming down from the residential slum across the street going in more or less
the same direction as we were. My spider sense started to tingle, but I didn’t
think much of it. After all, it was in the middle of the day and we were on a
somewhat busy road. But I remained slightly cautious and hung back a few
paces behind my companions. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Suddenly, the men rushed across the street directly towards
us. I didn’t even have time to warm my companions as I sidestepped out of their
way. They appeared to be four young men in their late teens or early 20s. One
of them grabbed at Mischa and his backpack. Another one stood next to him with
a knife in hand. Shit! At this point I was on the balls of my feet and I backed
up another few paces. I glanced behind me to make sure we weren’t going to be
surrounded. As I turned my head towards the scuffle, the four men took off and
ran back to the slums. Incredulously, the girl who was with us chased after the
thieves. She was running full tilt up the hill and was going to catch up to one
of the stragglers. Knowing the men were armed, I called out to her from across
the street to come back. She didn’t heed my warning until the thief turned and
pulled out a wicked looking blade. She reluctantly stopped pursuit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By this time a small crowd had gathered and folks were
leaning out of their windows to see what was going on. We flagged down what
appeared to be a police officer with a police dog, but he told us he couldn’t
help (we later learned that some of the “police officers” are just private
security guards). Finally, one of the locals pointed down the hillside and told
us there was a police station nearby. As we walked, we compared notes. Mischa
lost his backpack and phone and had his shirt pocket ripped (as he was carrying
his phone in his breast pocket). The girl suffered a similar fate - sans ripped
clothing. A man with a club came after Napoleon, but he managed to duck out of
the way. As he turned back toward the scuffle, he tripped and fell to the
ground. Luckily the attackers were already fleeing and didn’t take anything
from him (other than wounded pride).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a short walk down a public staircase, we arrived at
the police station and told the officers what had happened. They couldn’t do
much about the attack since the inhabitants of the slums usually cover for one
another. In fact, it appeared the police rarely try to venture into that
particular district. That said, the police took a report and met us back at the
crime scene and then did a cursory look inside the heart of the shanty town on
motor bike. Unfortunately, the didn’t turn up any leads but offered to escort
us back to our hotel. We took them up on their offer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back at the hotel, I *<b>finally</b>* took a shower and then
told Sproule about our ordeal. He told me he was bummed he couldn’t go with us
(due to work commitments) but when he learned about the attack, he was thankful
he wasn’t involved. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By now it was dinner time. None of my other friend were in
the mood to go out (because of the attack) but Sproule and I ventured out on
our own. He knew of a nice little restaurant (Restaurant “Bruno”) in the city
that he enjoyed the last time he was in the city. We took a cab and shared a
nice quiet meal, talking about a range of topics including politics, family
life, and of course stair racing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the time we got back to the hotel it was almost time for
bed. Although our flight left at 9:30 AM, our ride to the airport was picking
us up at 5:00 AM (yikes!) to avoid traffic delays.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other than having to wake up super early, the next day was
uneventful. Sproule, Napoleon and I hung out at the airport for a few hours*
and on the plane ride home, I managed to make a few seat exchanges so the three
of us could sit together.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Fun Fact: The money exchange kiosk at the airport is a
pretty good deal. I exchanged nearly $400 worth of pesos for only $7.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Effort B- </b>; This race
scared me so I went out very conservatively. When I had excess energy in the
latter half, I didn’t push the pace hard enough.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Strategy: B+</b>; I set the bar fairly low and didn’t screw up.
That has to count for something, especially with so many unknown factors in
play.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Execution: B</b> ; Even though I didn’t know the course, I still
climbed pretty efficiently. I did push the pace in the latter half, albeit not
to my full capacity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Overall: B </b>; Considering all the unknowns, I did a fair job.
If I had to repeat the race today and ended up the same splits/results, I’d
give myself a C+.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Final Thoughts:</b> It’s funny how my perspective changed
before, during, and after the race. Had you told me I’d race a 6:28
beforehand*, I’d have been fairly pleased with my time. But now that I know
what kind of energy expenditure is needed at 9000 feet altitude, I would have
set my goals a bit higher (say 6:15 goal and 6:00 stretch). All-in-all, I’m not
pleased with my performance, but I also think I set myself up for a solid race
the next time I’m in Bogota (yes, there will be a next time). Now that I’ve
raced at altitude, I know how my body will respond. I still respect 9000 feet,
but I’m no longer afraid of it. The next time around I’d likely go out at 90
BPM and start cranking at either the 24<sup>th</sup> floor or the 40<sup>th</sup>
(depending on how I feel). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Note: We’d rule the world together with your supernatural
powers.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last note: While on the plane ride home, Sproule showed me a
comparison of his splits at Torre Colpatria between 2015 and 2016. He just
presses a button on his stopwatch to record the data on a given floor during a
race and his watch records the splits for use later. I’m going to have to see
if my stop watch has the same functionality. I often check my splits manually,
but I often forget my exact time in the middle of the race.<o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-13167345915244157292016-11-16T07:18:00.000-08:002016-11-16T07:18:25.166-08:00"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"After US Bank, I had 4 amazing weeks of training.<br />
<br />
Everything clicked together and each time I stepped into the stairwell or got on my Precor Stepper, I set a new PB.<br />
<br />
I attribute my fortune to three things;<br />
1)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I dropped weight<br />
2)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The weather<br />
3)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hard Work<br />
<br />
I had so many workouts during the summer where I had to bail out early that it became my new normal. Back then, I weighed in at 178 (at my heaviest) and the summer heat and humidity was brutal. You know it’s a hot outside when the rails of your practice stairwell are slippery because of your own sweat.<br />
<br />
However, once I dropped the excess weight, things started to get easier and once the temperature dropped, I felt like a new man.<br />
<br />
As difficult & depressing as those Summer workouts were, I know they helped me get into the best shape of my life.<br />
<br />
So yeah, I had pretty high expectations for Sears Tower.<br />
<br />
I’d like to say my trip to Chicago was uneventful considering all the drama I’ve witnessed on prior trips (you can read about my earlier misadventures elsewhere in my blog).<br />
<br />
No such luck.<br />
<br />
I planned to give my friend David a jar of homemade jam since he would be hosting me over the weekend. I placed the jam carefully in my carry-on luggage so it wouldn’t break.<br />
<br />
But of course it was confiscated during check in. In my defense, didn’t know that jam was considered a liquid.<br />
<br />
The TSA officer gave me a bunch of poor options, like checking in my bag, mailing it to myself, or giving it to a waiting friend. None of them made any real sense as I only had 15 minutes until boarding. After a few choice words I told them to just keep it. So much for David’s present.<br />
<br />
On my way to the gate, I filled up my water bottle and opened my pack of gum in preparation for boarding. However, when I finally arrived at the gate, I found out that the plane would be delayed for another 75 minutes.<br />
<br />
I might not be able to bring the jam to Chicago, but I was determined not to let it go to waste. I hatched a plan…<br />
<br />
I marched back to the TSA checkpoint and asked for my jam back.<br />
<br />
TSA Agent: Sorry, its gone.<br />
Me: I was here less than five minutes ago, what do you mean it’s gone?<br />
TSA Agent: Once you leave an object with TSA it is considered forfeit.<br />
Me: Give me back my jam.<br />
TSA Agent: We have a rule where blah blah blah (I’m not listening at this point)<br />
Me: Give me back my jam. It’s probably in that small trash can. <pointing><br />
TSA Agent: <picks up jam and hands it back once I’m past the security checkpoint><br />
<br />
I made my way across the bridge and headed to the parking garage.<br />
<br />
Phone booth? Nope – too out in the open.<br />
Gap in guard rail? Nope – won’t fit<br />
Back corner? Getting warmer...<br />
I-beam Post near car ramp? Yes!<br />
<br />
I found my hiding spot for the jam. No casual observer would be able to find it and it would be out of the sun. Perfect.<br />
<br />
I hastily got back in line for my 2nd screening.<br />
<br />
“Is this water bottle yours, sir?”<br />
<br />
Damn it, I forgot I refilled my water bottle. It’s an 8 oz. mini-bottle and it’s small enough not to notice.<br />
<br />
Me: Crap, I totally forgot my bottle. Can I just drink it? (remember it is only 8 oz.)<br />
TSA Agent: No sorry.<br />
Me: I literally just filled it up just a few minutes ago right there <pointing to the fountain near the bathroom>. Can I just dump it?<br />
TSA Agent: No sorry.<br />
Me: Seriously? Fine. Whatever.<br />
<br />
I march out of the security zone, dump the water out into the garbage can literally three paces away from the security zone, and get back into line.<br />
<br />
3rd time was the charm, though TSA decided to go through my luggage by hand. Again.<br />
<br />
Once on the ground in Chicago, David picked me up in his Porsche. Sweet ride. After pickup up a few groceries, we headed back to his place to eat dinner and chat.<br />
<br />
The next morning, we spent way more time than was necessary ordering a Towerrunning Banner online from Staples. Afterwards we headed down town to hang out.<br />
<br />
After parking the car, we headed toward Monadnock, the tallest brick building in Chicago. We were going to check out it’s fancy staircase, but security kicked us out*.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Note: Next time tell the guard you are there to see the doctor on the 9th floor. Bring a girl with you just in case the doctor is an OBGYN (we didn’t check).</span><br />
<br />
Next, we walked toward Millennium Park, the site of last night’s White Sox celebration*.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*It must have been a huge event; cleaning crews were hauling away porto-potties by the dozens.</span><br />
<br />
Next stop was the Adler Planetarium. During out stay, we learned about dark matter, read about the history of the Universe, and saw a movie about the 9th planet*.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Hint: it’s not Pluto </span><br />
<br />
After the planetarium we picked up Roxanne and took an Uber to the Willis (Sears) Tower to pick up our bibs. We stayed there for nearly an hour as I needed to speak with the RIC & Skydeck folks to make final arrangements for tomorrow’s race*.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*In case you didn’t know – I’m the President of Towerrunning USA and was responsible for managing the competitive Towerrunning/World Federation of Great Towers wave of climbers. It is a shitty job, but someone has to do it.</span><br />
<br />
After Sears we headed to the Chicago Public Library for a very quick tour of the indoor garden and to meet up with our pal Jason Larson.<br />
<br />
Finally, we headed to the Flattop Grill for our pre-race dinner and meet and greet. I just ordered an iced tea and ate the salad I brought from home (why change what works?).<br />
<br />
After dinner, David, Roxanne, Sue, Daryl, and I headed piled into David’s car (the Outback, not the Porsche) to head back home. Along the way we stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up more groceries as well as Staples to pick up our poster*.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Note to self: Why bother submitting the poster to online for same-day pick up if they’re just going to make you wait and print the stuff out when you get there? </span><br />
<br />
At David’s house we chatted for a bit before I heading to bed. I stayed up reading till about 10:20 before turning out the lights. Although I was nervous, I managed to get a good night’s sleep. The extra hour due to daylight savings was an added bonus.<br />
<br />
The next morning, we were up by 5:15 AM, out the door by 6:00 AM, and in the lobby by 6:30 AM. Several people were already looking for me because I had the box of bibs.<br />
<br />
At 6:40, I began my round of active stretches in earnest. Then at 6:45 I started my rounds of burpees, though I only got in 2 or 3 rounds before heading to the front of the start line.<br />
<br />
We had several strong climbers drop out of the race over the last few weeks including Sproule Love and Jesse Berg who’ve both won the race in the past. Still, there were several good climbers in the line-up. Here were my top picks:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Frank Carreno </b>(COL): Ranked 7th in the World. Definitely someone who could challenge Sproule’s record of 13:03. Despite racing in Boston on Saturday, he was still my favorite</li>
<li><b>Matjas Miklosa</b> (SLO): Ranked 6th in the World. Another one who could challenge the record.</li>
<li><b>Eric Lenninger</b> (USA): He’s probably the 2nd fastest American actively on the circuit and he’s won Sears before. He’s the only American left on the roster who has gone sub-14 at Sears. </li>
<li><b>Alex Workman </b>(USA): I gotta give myself at least *some* credit. </li>
<li><b>Dennis Curran</b> (USA): He’s come close to beating Eric in the past, so he’s probably a little faster than I am. I only give myself the nod because I have a bit more experience in this building (103 floors is tough)</li>
<li><b>Daniel Walters</b> (USA): Another good athlete from Chicago. He’s done the Hancock in 10:12, which is right around my goal pace. Again I give myself the nod because I have more experience at Sears.</li>
<li><b>Dr. Scott & Jason Larson</b> (USA): Tie - I’d spot them 30 seconds at most.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
Last year I did the race in 14:19, leaving only a handful of seconds on the table. This year’s official goal would be 14:10 with a stretch goal of sub 14. Unofficially, anything more than 13:49 would be considered a failure.<br />
<br />
I was ready to break 14. I was in the best shape of my life and a couple pounds lighter than last year. It wasn’t going to be easy; sub-14 would require a pretty good race. In my internal scoring system, I’d need at least a B+ or A- kind of race to come under 14:00. Certainly doable, but not guaranteed.<br />
<br />
Last year I set my metronome to 83 BPM, so this time I set it a couple clicks higher to 85 BPM. If I had the same kind of race as last year, those extra two beats should put me just under 14:00.<br />
<br />
I finished my last set of burpees a couple minutes before the start and then I got in line behind Frank, Matjaz, and Eric. Once Frank was through the door they gave us each a 10 second gap.<br />
<br />
When it was my turn I took a quick drink of water and set my metronome. As I crossed the timing mat I started my stop watch.<br />
<br />
The first few floors felt like they were in slow motion, but I knew my pace was solid; it’s supposed to feel easy this early in the race.<br />
<br />
I took each turn quickly, making sure I kept up to the beat of my metronome. At first, I tried single stepping the landings (i.e. keeping just a single foot on the landing when turning) but it felt too awkward. I soon switched over to double stepping the landings (i.e two footfalls on the landing). However, to make sure I kept the same pace, I made sure to have two footfalls per beat on the landing.<br />
<br />
I got to maybe the 10th floor and caught sight of Eric. By the time we hit the teens we were climbing together at the same pace.<br />
<br />
Things went fairly smoothly for the next dozen floors. When we hit the 26th floor (about 25% into the race) I glanced at my stopwatch. 3:20, which meant I was about 10 seconds faster than my goal. That seemed like good news!<br />
<br />
If I had stopped to think about it for a moment, it really wasn’t good news. A 3:20 meant I was on track for a 13:20, which is about 30 seconds beyond my capabilities.<br />
<br />
Anyway, my mind was solely focused on climbing, so up the stairs I went. I was getting tired, but I knew that I wasn’t at my limit.<br />
<br />
For the next 25 floors I followed behind Eric, steadily climbing to the beat of my metronome. He remained about half a flight ahead of me. At each turn I seemed to gain half a step and in the middle of the flights Eric would gain it right back.<br />
<br />
We hit the 52nd floor still going at a fast clip with a split time of 6:45 if I remember correctly. In the back of my mind I thinking I’m on pace for a 13:45, but in reality I’m on pace for a 13:30 which is still a bit faster than my capabilities.<br />
<br />
At this point I’m basically right on top of Eric and we’re bumping hands on every turn. I could tell he was struggling, but I wasn’t in much better condition; I was close to my limit, too. I knew I could keep up the pace for another dozen or so floors… but there were still 50 more to go.<br />
<br />
A few floors later, Eric moved out of the way to let me pass. Part of me was screaming “YES!” but the other part of me was in too much pain to care.<br />
<br />
I pushed on for another half-dozen floors. Nothing is worse than letting someone pass only to have that person suddenly slow down in front of you. I didn’t want to be that guy.<br />
<br />
Now I was at my limit. If this was the end of the race I could probably hammer out maybe ten more floors, but I still had over 40 floors to go. Immediately I started taking two beats on the landings instead of just one beat. Hopefully my 15 second cushion would sustain me until the end.<br />
<br />
I climbed into the 70s by myself. The stairwell changed direction (from right to left turns) and the sudden change in pattern seemed to sap what little energy I had left. Although I’m stronger at turning right, for the last 14 months, I’ve been practicing in a left turn stairwell to overcome this imbalance. “I’ve got this!”, I reassured myself.<br />
<br />
Through the 70s, I kept up to the beat of my metronome on the flights, but my turns were getting sloppier with each landing. I crossed the 77th floor (about 75% the way through) to see how close I was to hitting my goal of 10:30. My watch was stuck at 9:04. I must have accidently stopped it. Damn.<br />
<br />
Nothing to do but keep climbing. Perhaps it was better *not* knowing my split. After all, I knew I was bleeding time.<br />
<br />
I was truly in pain crossing into the 80s. At one point I paused for a beat, ready to throw in the towel. No, I *must* finish this I told myself. Just another few minutes!<br />
<br />
At floor 83 I told myself that from this point onwards, each floor is 5% of the remainder. I counted down 5%. 10%, 15% 20%, 25% complete...<br />
<br />
Eventually I hit the 90th floor and entered the final section of the race. Each floor had three flights of seven steps (7/7/7) with handrails close enough to grip both at the same time. This is one of the most efficient configurations I could ask for since turning in a 7/7/7 is usually easy and fast. This is where I planned to dig deep to finish strong, but I had nothing left. I tried single stepping the landings on a couple flights, but found it impossibly difficult. I just couldn’t find the strength to pull it off.<br />
<br />
Somehow I managed to continue my ascent. If you’ve ever bonked in the middle of race, you’ll appreciate how I felt: absolutely miserable.<br />
<br />
Time simultaneously slowed down and sped up: On one hand each flight seemed like an eternity of punishment. On the other hand, I was barely conscious and I scarcely remember anything but the pain.<br />
<br />
I finally hit the 100th floor. Only a few more to go. Up ahead I could hear another climber. Could someone be just up ahead of me? Sure enough I could hear cheering as I crossed 101, yet it seemed improbable that I could have caught up to Matjaz let alone Frank, who had started 20 & 30 seconds ahead of me and were better athletes to boot. Plus, I definitely was going at a much slower pace this late in the race.<br />
<br />
I tried to pick up the pace on the final two floors, which means I climbed slightly ahead of my metronome on the flights, but still slogged through the turns as if were standing in molasses. I had nothing left to offer.<br />
<br />
I crossed the line and glanced up at the main timing clock. It had just crossed 15 minutes. I crumpled to the floor. As three people started ahead of me in ten second increments, II likely finished in about 14:30, about 30 seconds slower than I had anticipated. I would have been disappointed, but I was in too much pain to think. At any rate, 14:30 was still a fairly good result especially considering I bled so much time from 70 onward. It could have been *a lot* worse.<br />
<br />
I lay on the floor for at least 8 minutes*. I was completely wiped and my heart rate was having trouble coming down. Eventually I felt well enough to stand but I was still woozy. One of the volunteers asked me if I wanted to take my finisher’s medal. I just gave her a blank stare, not really processing the question. In fact, I don’t really know how the medal got around my neck. Did I pick it up off the floor or did someone else? And how did it finally get around my neck?<br />
<br />
*Honestly, I don’t remember being on the floor that long, but I have photographic evidence which proves otherwise.<br />
<br />
I shuffled around the corner. By now there were a lot of climbers who had finished the race. I briefly congratulated Frank and Matjaz for their climbs. Both had used stopwatches and knew their approximate times. Frank came in about 13:10 and Matjaz finished about 14:25 or so – quite a bit slower than I initially expected, but still probably enough for 2nd place.<br />
<br />
I was still wiped but back on my feet. I congratulated a few of my friends and met up with Laurie from the RIC. She pointed me towards the Towerrunning and World Federation of Towers banner where we would be able to hold our awards ceremony. I shuffled my way around the Skydeck to find it. I found the banner hanging just past the elevator bank, away from the crowd at the finish line.<br />
<br />
Now that I was alone, I decided to take a rest. I was still pretty messed up from the climb. My heart rate was no longer racing, but I still felt woozy and my lungs felt like I had breathed in hot ash. I crawled over to one of the binocular stations and lay myself down on the floor. I closed my eyes.<br />
<br />
I was still on the floor when David stopped by and asked if I was okay. I looked up and murmured that I was fine and then closed my eyes again. He had the preliminary results in hand and I really didn’t want to see the damage; I was already in rough shape and I was dreading this moment.<br />
<br />
But David was upbeat: “Guess what? You came in 2nd place!”.<br />
<br />
Impossible, I thought.<br />
<br />
I propped myself up and looked at the sheet. There it was: Alexander Workman – 2nd place – 14:08<br />
<br />
I had clipped Majik by about 15 seconds. Apparently the person I sensed just ahead of me at the finish line *wasn’t* a figment of my imagination.<br />
<br />
I was in disbelief. I lay back down and started sobbing uncontrollably with my both hands over my face to cover my tears.<br />
<br />
Some of the tears were of those of sadness; watching my sub-14 race slip away on the upper floors was a rough experience, both physically and mentally.<br />
<br />
Some of the tears were of those of joy; 2nd place at Sears in such a deep field is something to be proud of.<br />
<br />
Some of the tears were those of relief; I was thankful just to survive this race intact.<br />
<br />
A couple people (volunteers I assume) noticed me crying and asked if I was okay. Between sobs I waved them away.<br />
<br />
After a minute or so I pulled myself together and stood up. The tears seemed to have washed away some of the fatigue and I was feeling oddly refreshed. That was fortunate, because I still had a job to do.<br />
<br />
Now that we had the results in hand, it was time to kick-off the award ceremony. But first, I wanted to take a closer look at the results. My 2nd place seemed legit, but my time of 14:08 appeared to be fast. If only my stopwatch hadn’t conked out!<br />
<br />
David and I consulted a few other climbers who had used stopwatches and it appeared that times were off 10-15 seconds across the board, which meant I had likely climbed the race in about 14:20 or so. Ugh! At least that didn’t impact the order of the climbers. The awards ceremony would go on!<br />
<br />
For the next few minutes we gathered all the competitive climbers together and herded them towards the TWA/WFGT banner.<br />
<br />
I didn’t have a microphone and my voice was hoarse, but I’m pleased to say that the ceremony went off without a hitch. Typically I’m nervous when giving a speech, but considering all I had been through over the past 30 minutes, public speaking was a piece of cake. Plus I was thrilled to actually receive an award.<br />
<br />
After the ceremony we snapped a bunch of group photos and since I was next to the elevator bank, I made my way back to the lobby. I could finally relax.<br />
<br />
I chatted for a bit with other climbers as David spoke to the timing folks to figure out what was wrong with the race results. All he learned was that the times were off, likely because the upstairs/downstairs clocks weren’t in sync – presumably because of daylight savings time (which I find to be a fairly weak explanation)*<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*as I’m editing this, we *still* don’t have a good answer and posted results are still incorrect.</span><br />
<br />
That left me with the rest of the day to relax. I hung out with a bunch of other climbers (Steve, Jason, David, Jeff, Bob, Sue, Daryl, Roxanne, and Will). Before heading to the airport, we decided to get some deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s, but as luck would have it the location we chose was take-out only. Instead we ended up at a nearby Italian restaurant. Jason and I split a pizza. It may not have been deep dish, but it was still pretty damn good.<br />
<br />
The flight back home was fairly easy and yes, my jar of jam was waiting right where I left it.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Race Grades:</b></u><br />
<b>Effort: A+</b> ; I pushed myself beyond what is normally safe. I bonked somewhere around the 80th floor and still pushed myself until the end. My lungs are still feeling the aftereffects a week later (as I’m editing this). This ranks up there with US Bank 2013.<br />
<b>Strategy: C </b>; I went out too fast and kept pushing the pace until it was too late. This is a recipe for disaster.<br />
<b>Technique: B-</b> ; I climbed fairly efficiently until just over the halfway point. In the end I was very sloppy.<br />
<b>Overall: B-</b> ; I did not have a good race, but somehow I kept pushing and limited my losses.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Final Thoughts:</b></u><br />
I’m happy to have come in 2nd place at Sears Tower. I attribute my placement to equal parts luck, perseverance, and experience.<br />
<br />
I did not have a very good race, but neither did Eric nor Majik. In essence we all bonked in the latter half of the stairwell. I was fortunate to have it happen relatively late in the race and pushed myself closer to my limits. In addition, there were several first time climbers (i.e. Matjaz, Dennis, & Dan) who are near my level or even better. Because the building is so tall it is hard to give the building the respect it deserves the first time around. In my own rookie experience I raced nearly a minute slower than my capabilities. I imagine this year’s rookies will experience a similar drop in time their sophomore year. Good news for me this year… but bad news for me next.<br />
<br />
The effort I put into the race couldn’t have come about if I wasn’t in the best shape of my life. I knew I was capable of going sub 14 and when I saw it start slipping away, I was able to push through the pain. My attitude near the end was: “Even if I’m not going to break 14:00, I’m still going to put up a respectable time. Even if it kills me.” If I wasn’t so set on (and confident of) breaking 14:00, I would have limped to the top considerably slower.<br />
<br />
That effort came with a steep a price. My lungs are still hurting more than a week after the climb and I’ve been binge eating all week (post-race) despite my better judgement. It took a lot out of me both physically and emotionally and it is a price I’d rather not pay. I honestly hope I never have another race like this ever again. It is performances like this one which make me dread racing.<br />
<br />
Lastly, here is my analysis of what when wrong:<br />
<br />
First off, my 85 BPM pace wasn’t what did me in. It was the fact that I kept up to the beat of my metronome on the turns so far into the race which did me in. In prior years, I gave up on the turns far earlier, but in my quest for sub-14, I refused to let off the gas pedal.<br />
<br />
Let me do a back-of-the-envelope calculation to illustrate:<br />
When keeping up to my metronome, I take essentially 5 footfalls per flight as each flight is typically 10 steps. Compare that with 6 footfalls per flight when I’m taking two steps on the landing (each to the beat of my metronome). That is a difference of roughly 17%.<br />
<br />
In other words I (foolishly) pushed myself ~17% harder than last year for maybe 20-30 floors.<br />
<br />
No wonder I bonked!<br />
<br />
Secondly, I did not heed the warning bells when I checked my pace at the quarter and halfway points. Heck, I didn’t even realize they were warning bells! When I saw 3:20 instead of 3:30, it never occurred to me that I was going way too fast. I kept pushing the pace even though I was already 10 seconds (40 seconds overall) ahead of my goal pace.<br />
<br />
Next year I’m going to re-tool entire strategy.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>First, I’m going to come into the race slimmer and in better shape. Hopefully. </li>
<li>Next, I’m going to re-tool my entire race strategy. I’m going to scrap my standard 5-beat climbing pattern and go with a (theoretically) more efficient 6 beat climbing pattern. I will likely have to increase my metronome’s pace to account for the extra climbing beat (say 96 BPM) but the two “rest beats” on the turn should help mitigate the higher cadence. It sure sounds suicidal… but on paper it might just work.</li>
<li>Lastly, I’m going to pay close attention to my pace at the 26th floor and adjust accordingly if I’m ahead or behind my goal pace.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Moral of the story: Confidence is a good, but don’t let it turn into foolhardiness.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-16356451804518388372016-05-15T14:14:00.000-07:002016-05-25T17:11:57.759-07:00Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The crescendo of excitement had been building since January.
It reached its climax in the wee hours of Sunday, May 15<sup>th</sup> atop the
tallest building in the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s been a tough road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After an awful performance at Empire in early February
(which still stings) I set the record in Boston despite having a meltdown on
the final few floors. It was a gusty -
if not foolhardy - win and I paid the price for it in the form of a
severe climbers cough… which turned into a nasty protracted lung infection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following month, I set a solid PB at the Stratosphere
despite my lingering lung infection and fighting off a fever. I developed a cold while
flying back from Vegas * and for the next month I struggled to find the right
balance between exercise and recovery. I kept most of my fitness, but by the
end of the month I was feeling half a step slower. I’m thankful because it
could have been far worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*My left ear sucks at flying. Since I was so congested on the
flight home from Vegas, my ear never adjusted to the pressure changes and
filled up with fluid. Believe it or not, my ear is <i>still</i> recovering from that incident and I’ve been partially deaf
for the better part of two months.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had three races in April. In each case I went out too slow
and had to play catch up in the 2<sup>nd</sup> half. None of them were records, but fortunately
they were all wins*. During the course of the month I felt stronger with each
race as my regular training resumed. By the end of the month my lungs were
finally back to normal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Philly was a particularly competitive race with both David
Tromp and Thomas Scott in the lineup.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I finally hit my stride in May. My times in the stairwell
approached (yet not quite reached) my 2015 peak and I managed to set a personal
record on my Precor stepper even though I’ve gained a few pounds. Fit but heavy. The story of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 1WTC race almost never happened. The Durst Organization
(who have a stake in 1WTC) lobbied to cancel the race (in a really dick move)
but the Governor’s office stepped in at the last minute and convinced them to
reconsider and work with the Tunnels to Towers (T2T) race organizer to make it
happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The race was finally greenlighted and it created a
significant buzz in the climbing community. Last year’s inaugural race was very
competitive but it ended “only” on the 90<sup>th</sup> floor. This year the
race was going to go all the way up to the observation deck on the 102<sup>nd</sup>
floor. Despite a hefty price tag ($100 registration + $250 fundraising
requirement) it attracts climbers from all around the country. Since I lived so
close by and it was worth 150 points on
the US climbing circuit, I quickly signed up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple days before the race T2T published the start list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To my surprise the men’s field was missing last year’s
winner (Tim Donahue) and runner up (Sproule Love). On one hand, I’d miss an
opportunity to measure up to my rivals/idols. On the other hand, it left the
keys to the race dangling within reach since I was now the #1 contender.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite a weakened men’s field, the pressure was enormous.
Not only was there a $300 cash prize (sponsored by Travel Pak and the WCL team)
but there was significant media presence covering the race. After all, that
building has serious mojo; a phoenix rising from the ashes of 9-11 and
(arguably) the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Winning was not going to be easy despite being the #1
contender. Dr. Thomas Scott was in the lineup and he has been nipping at my
heels for the last two seasons. He was right behind me at the U.S.
Championships in Las Vegas in March and he beat me at Empire in February. Also
in the hunt would be Norbert Lechner a well-known climber from Austria,
although I knew from experience that he doesn’t excel in taller buildings. Plus
(as in any other race) there was always the possibility of a top-caliber
athlete from a related discipline (like cycling or rowing) showing up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With less than 48 hours to climb, I did my final tune-up
workout in the stairwell. I tried to use the exact same pace I planned to use
at 1WTC*. I climbed my practice building a total of 12 times. Half of the
climbs were done using my metronome to get a feel for the pace. The six
remaining climbs were done without the aid of a metronome to get accustomed to
climbing without electronics (since electronics weren’t allowed during the 1WTC
climb). When climbing without a metronome, I kept the melody of Bach’s “Jesu,
Joy of Man’s Desiring” in my head. Although it is usually performed at a much
slower pace, I enjoy playing this tune a little faster and it just so happens
that my preferred playing tempo matches that of my planned 1WTC pace. Much to
my satisfaction, all my climbs were completed within a fairly narrow band of
times (between 55-57 seconds) so I knew the technique worked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*I planned to use 90 BPM at 1WTC but since the stairs at
1WTC are shorter than my practice building, I used 84 BPM (roughly my Sears
pace).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The day before the race started out as a fairly typical
Saturday. I hit gym early with a light upper body & core workout and did my
weekly grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s. After that I packed my bags and made
my dinner (salad and oatmeal) and placed them in to-go containers. I should have been out the
door by 3:00 PM to catch the 4:50 train to Grand Central, but time slipped by
without me noticing. Not only was it already 3:20 PM by the time I got in my car,
but I realized I had less than half a tank of gas!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I drove to the train station in record time - including a
quick pit stop for a single gallon of gas once the dashboard’s low fuel light
popped up. It was all for naught. I saw the train leave just as I pulled into
the station. I was bummed, but I didn’t lose my temper. It gave me time to eat
my salad and catch up on the latest Sci-Fi novel I’m reading (Tad William’s
“Otherland” Series).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I caught the next train an hour later. I hit Grand Central
around 8:00 PM and eventually made it to my friend Michael’s place sometime
after 9:00 PM. My friend Ken was also staying over, but since it was already
quite late and the race was horrifically early (5:00 AM) we quickly turned in
for the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I slept for perhaps 4 hours and I must have checked my clock
half a dozen times throughout the night. Ken’s alarm clock went off at 3:00 AM
although I stayed in bed for another ten minutes. We were out the door by 3:40
AM and picked up the subway before 4:00 AM with plenty of time to spare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then the train stopped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apparently there was an “unauthorized person” on the track
and the driver suggested that we find other means of transportation. We were
lucky that we stopped at a fairly big stop and there was another subway line
that could get us fairly close to 1WTC. We waited for a good 10 minutes, but at
4:12 AM with no sign of an approaching train and time running out, we decided
to leave the station and find a cab. Fortunately, it was easy to flag one down
and we were soon on our way to 1WTC*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Although we had to listen to the cabbie complain that we
were his last ride for the night and he was on his way back to Queens.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKWdu0Q9c2AWL4CYg60AmCeHji-sHhcyyIIBofKGEq7sRRS4vEIeUtiM5U-AbPaCSjl_ml8l1jeIOKrIV2RIRmxwxy1CRmirYuqwERzTdphUzaU6F18DZC7Cwre5OLUFUOd47Vozdgy0/s1600/DSC02949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKWdu0Q9c2AWL4CYg60AmCeHji-sHhcyyIIBofKGEq7sRRS4vEIeUtiM5U-AbPaCSjl_ml8l1jeIOKrIV2RIRmxwxy1CRmirYuqwERzTdphUzaU6F18DZC7Cwre5OLUFUOd47Vozdgy0/s200/DSC02949.JPG" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4:30 AM. Seriously!?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We arrived at 1WTC just after 4:30 AM and it was cold, dark,
and windy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I quickly changed out of my warmups and received my racing
bib & timing chip. To my surprise they also gave us an armband and told us
to slide our id’s into the plastic pocket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I ran to last year’s start starting corral to use the
outdoor porto-pottie, but the security wouldn’t let me bring along my water
bottle. Seriously? We weren’t even inside the building! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could see the porto-pottie station, but there was a
labyrinth of portable barriers in the way. I attempted to cut some corners (as
the queue was completely empty) but got yelled at by security. I threw a few
generic curse words but complied with the law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you ever used a porto-potie in complete darkness? I
have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After dropping trow, I ran back to have my last sip of water
and then through yet another labyrinth of portable barriers and into the
building. Apparently the start line was indoors this year - which was a relief
since it was freaking cold outside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As soon as I entered the building, the 1WTC staff stopped me
from going downstairs to the security line since it was too crowded. I was
literally next in line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In frustration I tried to explain that I was the #1
contender and I needed to get to the front of the line. They looked at me like
I was crazy and wouldn’t let me go citing "rules & regulations" and stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I watched as the downstairs queue slowly thinned,
seeing many familiar faces get past security while I stood by helplessly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I did a couple rounds of burpees while waiting and in between sets, I asked
another staff member if I could cut in line once downstairs and he looked at me
sternly (as if I were some kind of criminal) and said it wouldn’t be
appropriate, but admitted that he has no control over the matter once I was past the checkpoint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once the herd downstairs had thinned, I was allowed to
descend the escalator. Downstairs, I met my friend Jack in the security
line. We chatted for a few moments and then he suggested that I get my butt up to the
front of the line since the race had already started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I passed a bunch of people. Some folks gave me a dirty
glares but I balanced that by shaking hands and saying hi to my other climbing
friends*. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*If you’re going to cut in line, you have to do it with
style.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I finally got through security and jogged down another long
hallway to the actual starting queue. It was tightly packed, but that didn’t
stop me from passing folks –fortunately I knew a many of climbers and I
remained unmolested as I made my way to the front. There I met up with
Stephanie as well as my friend and rival Dr. Scott.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sure enough the race had already started, but the elite wave
still hadn’t entered only the stairwell. Only the (slower) firefighters were climbing and the organizers were giving them a good head start to make
sure the stairwell wouldn’t become congested.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My throat was parched but of course nobody else had water since water bottles had been confiscated by security. However, apparently oranges
were allowed and Stephanie Hucko graciously shared a few slices with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The race organizer manning the doorway told me we had
another 6-7 minutes of waiting before the elite wave would begin, so I began my final
set of burpees in earnest. Moments after I had finished, the same race
organizer indicated he was ready to let the elite wave start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What the heck? A moment ago you told me we had 6-7 minutes! Are you kidding me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My heartrate was sky high after my set of burpees so I
motioned to my friend Kamen and his daughter to start the elite wave. Dr. Scott was
waiting for me to go next, but I pushed him through instead. Then I gave him a
10-15 second head start before entering the stairwell myself. I would have preferred another
minute or two of rest, but I didn’t want to let Dr. Scott out of my sight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started the long climb up with “Jesu, Joy of Man’s
Desiring” playing in my head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first few floors were weird. For some reason, the landings turn to the left (as opposed to the right - like all the upper floors), but what surprised me most were the long sets of hallways
we had to pass through. Last year had some lengthy hallways, but this year
there appeared to be even more. Completely different stairwell I guess, not to
mention we were starting one floor underground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t really look up until I hit floor 20. From last
year, I knew the floor numbers up until this point didn’t make sense anyway either repeating, missing, or skipping numbers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By this point I was climbing smoothly, even keeping one foot
on the landing whenever it felt convenient. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I crossed into the 30s still feeling okay and soon enough I began to catch the slower fire fighters. All of them let me go by on the
inside (right) lane. I was still feeling nervous and had a dry mouth so I
grabbed a cup of water at the next aid station. I had one sip and then set the
cup back down on the next flight. Hopefully someone picked it up before it was
spilled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hit the 40s in reasonably good shape, but now the climb
was starting to take its toll. My march was steady and “Jesu” was no longer
needed. In fact, I couldn’t spare the energy to even think about the tune.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hit 45, which was last year’s midpoint and it became clear
to me that this race was going to be a struggle. I was already tiring and I
still had a few more floors before hitting the half.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I climbed through the 50’s and 60’s doggedly. I was close to
my limit but unwilling to slow down -
although I suspect that I unconsciously did. Every few floors I’d hear someone
up ahead. I hoped it was Dr. Scott, but each and every time it turned out to be
another firefighter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the upper 60s I could hear another climber up ahead.
Unlike the last few climbers, this climber was managing to keep ahead of me. A
few floors later, just a single floor separated us. On one of the landings I
risked a glance up. It was Dr. Scott and I could see the whites of his eyes
peering at me from above.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I got to within a single flight, but no closer. We were in
the lower 70’s and I was inching towards my limit. At this point last year I
was in dire straits. This year I was merely in trouble; the boat was still
floating, but had sprung a couple of leaks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Half of my brain told me to pass and seal the win, but the
other half was screaming to slow down. Eventually I settled in about a floor
behind. As long as I kept Dr. Scott in view I knew I would be able to eke out
the win.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Together we climbed into the 80s. Slowly Dr. Scot pulled
away and I struggled to keep up. The Doctor was no longer in sight but I could
still hear his heavy breathing up ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I crossed the 90<sup>th</sup> floor, last year’s finish,
and I remembered staggering over the
finish line fully spent. If the race
ended here again, I’d be standing (or lying down as the case may be) in the winner’s circle. This time around I still
had a little bit of energy left in reserve, but unfortunately, I still had a
dozen floors to climb. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started counting down the floors. With less than two
minutes left in the race I somehow had to keep my body moving. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I crossed floor 93. I had less than 10 floors left to climb
– the equivalent of my practice building. However I was nearing my limit. I
could still hear Dr. Scott up ahead but the sounds of his breathing were growing
fainter. He had me on the ropes and I knew that I was in serious trouble. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I crossed the next floor. I expected to see the number 94,
but instead the number “93M” appeared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">WTF?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another floor had been tacked on to the race? I felt like I
had been punched in the gut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My odds of winning were quickly dropping but at that point I
was in so much pain the statistics it barely registered. I was going to completely bonk within the
next few floors. I simply didn’t have anything left to give and there were
still a bunch* of floors left. I was pretty much toast but I knew Dr. Scott
couldn’t be in much better condition. I wouldn’t concede the race quite yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I could no longer do simple math at this point so I’ve left
out the specific number of floors remaining.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I crossed the next floor and looked for the floor
marker. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was half expecting to see floor “93N” because let’s face
it - my luck had been pretty shitty up until this point. Yesterday I missed my
train. This morning the subway stopped because of some random dude on the
tracks and when I finally made it to the race, I got held up by security. To
top it off, they started the elite wave a few minutes too early and I didn’t
get a chance to properly recover from my last round of burpees. What’s next, an
endless stairwell?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then a miracle happened: The marker said I was on the 100<sup>th</sup>
floor!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wouldn’t have been able to handle a small-yet-significant
number of floors*, but I could certainly handle two more**. My heart soared in
joy***. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Again, simple math escaped me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">**I still could handle 102 – 100 = 2 without thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">***Figuratively as my heart couldn’t handle anything more.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I bounded up the two remaining floors running on fumes, but
with the finish line so close I pushed with everything I could muster. It
wasn’t pretty. I escaped the stairwell on floor 102. Only a short hallway
remained between me and the finish line. I glanced around hoping to catch a
glimpse of Dr. Scott, but he was nowhere in sight. With one final push I dashed
forward knowing that each second would count.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I crossed the finish line completely spent and I spent the
next minute or so hunched over with my hands on my thighs for support. I
eventually staggered to the water station and collapsed to the ground. It would
take several more minutes to get my heartrate down to a manageable level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My mind was a complete blank as I lay on the ground. I was
simply thankful that I had survived the climb in one piece. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Slowly I came back to my senses and a volunteer helped me up
off the ground. I wasn’t completely ready to stand, but I knew I ought to move
away from growing throng of climbers. One question still remained unanswered.
Did I win the race?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had built up nearly a 10 second lead in the 70s, but I
knew I lost some of it in the 80s and
90s when the Doctor climbed out of sight. The fact that I could still hear him
up ahead in the 90s meant I couldn’t have been too far behind, but was it
enough?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t have to wait long to find out. A volunteer
approached me and told me I had won the race by 8 seconds and sure enough,
there was a flat screen monitor with the preliminary results with my name at
the very top of the list! You can see the final results <a href="https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-20952">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the next ten minutes or so, various news agencies came over to interview me and I had my picture taken with Stephanie Hucko, the winner on the woman’s side. I’ve never had so much media exposure in my life and I was a little bit starry eyed as I traveled from one news program to the next.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1d0Lobtfzht7DK5MMoNjZfOULkRcd5tFz5-Zmecor7gPfXHeF2B-wv2jyYgppe8_RWUG9Qcp1Mo9YctDwJs6SNioewZSs_o4ueACLZcCwcX3fe_DW70tu8L-sr10FgoguwITkhf5l2MY/s1600/t2t+winners+workman_hucko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1d0Lobtfzht7DK5MMoNjZfOULkRcd5tFz5-Zmecor7gPfXHeF2B-wv2jyYgppe8_RWUG9Qcp1Mo9YctDwJs6SNioewZSs_o4ueACLZcCwcX3fe_DW70tu8L-sr10FgoguwITkhf5l2MY/s200/t2t+winners+workman_hucko.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Winners!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZp5d1mwzkfLT-o_9zFxTSFVcVOGrb8jr1_-JHBKmeGpEUz-9ERk9v1Lcsrv3IT1ZBg__0NwyQBNoqgP-dI1IyO0U_cs88Y944hC_3bCbxa8jernTkqUA5cjdg8MmSZlJyoJDfwDcF8Q/s1600/New.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZp5d1mwzkfLT-o_9zFxTSFVcVOGrb8jr1_-JHBKmeGpEUz-9ERk9v1Lcsrv3IT1ZBg__0NwyQBNoqgP-dI1IyO0U_cs88Y944hC_3bCbxa8jernTkqUA5cjdg8MmSZlJyoJDfwDcF8Q/s200/New.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice how the sun hasn't yet risen?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When the media buzz was over, I had a few minutes to chat
and take photos with my </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tower Masters </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and WCL Teammates before heading down
tower to change into warmer clothes.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxXhiNyOZWj8tIfyqW_F2CltzYvichLPtZr2dPVHosjlLwJrBGYbI3D5CEQcIehoXWpHMJqXZxLnqlvx0E4HXhQXDUKQcXKUXybPDCeaPkJgxAqZUXJY-sjr6QAf0opmNXJzJZUDqsoo/s1600/DSC02950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxXhiNyOZWj8tIfyqW_F2CltzYvichLPtZr2dPVHosjlLwJrBGYbI3D5CEQcIehoXWpHMJqXZxLnqlvx0E4HXhQXDUKQcXKUXybPDCeaPkJgxAqZUXJY-sjr6QAf0opmNXJzJZUDqsoo/s200/DSC02950.JPG" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does it even end??</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCpUBt5ZUxKwzJ6473S5910cm1mpqI1eT4t-Hrz9bqeEthg8xc8NekGE4Sx6JtCVNX6zgsaijkH369y10uvmAXO_fms7dBcESSoAVP4ZgGM6zFTBARzES78UK-tTyHcuysVFh6JBvF_Y/s1600/DSC02954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCpUBt5ZUxKwzJ6473S5910cm1mpqI1eT4t-Hrz9bqeEthg8xc8NekGE4Sx6JtCVNX6zgsaijkH369y10uvmAXO_fms7dBcESSoAVP4ZgGM6zFTBARzES78UK-tTyHcuysVFh6JBvF_Y/s200/DSC02954.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging with the Doc</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the bottom, I met up with Thomas and Chuck and since we
didn’t have anything else planned for the morning (as there was neither an
after climb buffet or awards party) we decided to go find a place to have
breakfast. After climbing up ~100 floors* we were all hungry.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Damned if I know the actual floor count. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After stopping by Thomas’ and Chuck’s hotels, we eventually
made our way to “Georgia’s Dinner” and sat down for a breakfast of French
toast, eggs, and bacon. We talked at length about our the duel on the upper
stories of the building (among other things) and it appears I was pushing Dr.
Scott as hard as he was pushing me. What a dogfight!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally it was time to go. I said goodbye to my climbing
friends and then meandered through downtown Manhattan to pick up subway back to
Michael’s place. Along the way I took a stroll through Battery Park and took a
detour through Wall Street.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oYHN8OxIPKHyvz_FDEFmSUMOMykHE-_iZD2Cq8Kw5u1ccyQDb4pCfhyphenhyphenIQkDDoFPWkSTNMMQYA7seZf01GFxOkFwecdhOIRpbvKzXdou_-fo5aK8ppDWvFuntagNSNoAjvkFozfjAm_k/s1600/DSC02956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oYHN8OxIPKHyvz_FDEFmSUMOMykHE-_iZD2Cq8Kw5u1ccyQDb4pCfhyphenhyphenIQkDDoFPWkSTNMMQYA7seZf01GFxOkFwecdhOIRpbvKzXdou_-fo5aK8ppDWvFuntagNSNoAjvkFozfjAm_k/s200/DSC02956.JPG" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">^ I climbed this ^</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVuxSoJxGmr3BhkIWpD_3m2Nm2dplYEL205O52pvmn8rc90mERAF_TU_NIjOVg_49vQTIpQNuFVrBTs6aQ7nr4OAxYwBvZGxZDbTG-HiMlcvjyWiSLe4FdivmrsXvRwuB2zSTSkvWG9k/s1600/DSC02958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVuxSoJxGmr3BhkIWpD_3m2Nm2dplYEL205O52pvmn8rc90mERAF_TU_NIjOVg_49vQTIpQNuFVrBTs6aQ7nr4OAxYwBvZGxZDbTG-HiMlcvjyWiSLe4FdivmrsXvRwuB2zSTSkvWG9k/s320/DSC02958.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wall Street "Charging Bull"<br />
(edit: I just noticed that I accidentally photographed some random Chinese dude fondling the statue's testicles whilst his wife snaps a photo to commemorate the moment)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took a shower at Michael's place and afterwards took the
subway back to Grand Central. While waiting for the train, I stopped by Shake
Shack (conveniently located downstairs) for a coffee milkshake*.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*As their location is peanut free, my preferred peanut
butter option wasn’t available.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This time, I didn’t miss the train.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Final Thoughts</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1WTC may be the tallest skyscraper in the U.S., but the
tallest race course still belongs to Sears. According to Chuck’s altimeter, the
race course is approximately 70 feet (21.3 meters) shorter than Sears. That
height is equal to 4 stories of my practice building. Climbing at 1WTC race
pace, it would take me about 40 seconds. However the 1WTC course has a bunch of
running; I’m guessing perhaps 20 seconds
of running more than Sears. Therefore, I
estimate that WTC1 should be about 20 seconds faster than Sears (at my pace).
Maybe less. Remember, Sears has a sweet upper third (changes direction &
close rails) and is much easier to pace since you can wear a watch, mp3 player,
or even a metronome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a lot to like about 1WTC:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> - </span>The tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--> - A
competitive race with lots of media attention<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--> - It is in
NYC*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, there is also a lot to dislike about 1WTC:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> - </span><!--[endif]-->5:00 AM start time. Even if you lived Queens or
Brooklyn, you’d still have to wake up by 3:00 AM<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> - </span><!--[endif]-->No after climb party or buffet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> - </span><!--[endif]-->No electronics and over-the-top security (two
checkpoints + we had to climb with our ids)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> - </span><!--[endif]-->Porto-potties<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> - </span><!--[endif]-->Having to pass a bunch of slow firefighters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> - </span>$100 registration <u>and</u> $250 fundraising
- It is the most expensive race I’ve
ever climbed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> - </span><!--[endif]-->It is in NYC*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Feel free to debate</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of my dislikes are not The Tunnels to Towers fault. In
fact, I bet $10 that the 5:00 AM start time was the Durst Organization’s way of
flipping off T2T. Classy move Durst. Classy move.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In closing, I will say that letting slower firefighters
climb in front of the competitive climbers is typically a bad idea. Fortunately
there were fewer firefighters this year and
all of them got out of the way - unlike last year - and having them go
first didn’t slow me down. Plus, I totally get why the T2T chose to let the
firefighters start the race. Respect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Race Grades:</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Effort: A+</b> ;
There are only a handful of races where I’ve pushed myself harder. Most notably
Strat (2015), Boston (2016), US Bank (2013). In those three races I physically
bonked. I came very close to bonking in this race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Strategy: B</b> ;
Clearly I went out too fast and suffered in the latter half of the race, but at
least my “Jesu” technique kept me honest during the first 20 floors or so.
Considering I didn’t have access to a stop watch or a metronome, I can’t give
myself a lower score than a B.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Technique: B</b> ;
Average. The stairs are wide I could only grip the inner (right) rail. The
rails themselves aren’t the best – one of those double rail systems with a
smaller diameter inner rail. After floor 70, my right shoulder started to tire,
but I continued using good form until the very end. Lastly, I didn’t focus on
single stepping the landings, so I’m giving myself an average score in an
average stairwell. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall: B+/A-;</b>.
This was a tough win both physically and mentally and I’m proud to have ground
this one out. That said, 14:26 isn’t a really super-fast time for me. This
courses should be climbed faster than Sears and my PB at Sears is 14:19.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-78310634616224283102015-11-14T18:43:00.000-08:002015-11-15T09:53:25.741-08:00"Baby, What a Big Surprise"<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My fifth Sears (Willis) Skyrise Chicago climb is in the books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was probably the most stressful event in my racing career because I organized the elite wave. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My friend Dano, the Towerrunning World Association (TWA) Vice President, is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers (WFGT). This year he cut a deal with the Willis Tower, who is also a WFGT member, to provide free registration and waive the fundraising requirement to 40 competitive athletes.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since I’m the Towerrunning USA President*, Dano asked me to organize the elite wave.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">* Towerrunning USA - as the name suggests - is affiliated with the Towerrunning World Association.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In theory it should have been pretty easy to recruit the top athletes. After all, I know most of the top climbers personally and have a fairly robust ranking system in place. But in practice, it took a lot of effort. Not only did I have to handle the application process, but I had to track down people to get registration completed and waivers signed. Suffice it to say, handling 40 climbers was like herding cats, but in the end I managed to attract an extremely talented field.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that wasn’t the end of it. I was also expected to host a pre-race dinner, coordinate packet pick-up, purchase trophies, and manage the awards ceremony. Without help from my friend David Hanley (who lives in the burbs of Chicago) I wouldn’t have been able to get everything completed in time.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I steeled myself for the overnight train ride to Chicago. Every time I’ve taken the train to Chicago I’ve had to deal with a crazy lady keeping me awake at night. Keeping the tradition alive, some poor fool accidentally spilled water on a crazy lady’s laptop and she completely flipped out. Not only did she berate her seatmate for 30+ minutes (loud enough so the entire car could hear her), but she wouldn’t let the conductor do his job and collect the appropriate information from her hapless seatmate.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eventually the crazy lady escalated the situation and threatened her seatmate with a lawsuit. She even requested told the conductor to stop the train in Utica to wait for police (which would have sucked for the hundreds of other passengers). Fortunately the conductor wasn’t a pushover. He finally separated the crazy lady from her poor seatmate and told her to find a seat up front. I hope her hard drive is completely fried and all her important documents unrecoverable.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The remainder of the trip was uneventful and I managed to get a fairly good night’s sleep after reading a couple chapters of “Cider House Rules”.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6ZCGoH3kskO54XIIdOCCxj8xu-n_ScnXdnSFY6LiCKLOIVhXqvGExX92mF4xgX2lp-5yhgoeKzyeYzJL4wwcHx7iHACsJriMkXxW8_FNqbPO-ecj5mi-ZCznxm5AtD5-x5oI_cWBixw/s1600/David%2527s+Picture+of+Stairwell+Door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6ZCGoH3kskO54XIIdOCCxj8xu-n_ScnXdnSFY6LiCKLOIVhXqvGExX92mF4xgX2lp-5yhgoeKzyeYzJL4wwcHx7iHACsJriMkXxW8_FNqbPO-ecj5mi-ZCznxm5AtD5-x5oI_cWBixw/s200/David%2527s+Picture+of+Stairwell+Door.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The door to the Willis stairwell</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I arrived at Union Station at 9:30 AM on Saturday morning and met David, Rudi, Mischa, and Tim Young a short while later. Together we met with the RIC folks (the charity who runs Skyrise Chicago) and picked up all the racing packets for the TWA elite wave. We also discussed a few points of logistics since both Rudi and Mischa are members of the TWA Presidium and wanted the elite wave to run smoothly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After dropping off the bibs at David’s car we parted ways with Mischa and Rudi. It was time for lunch and we were hungry. We decided upon Native Foods since both David and Tim are both vegans. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At lunch I had a chance to get to know Tim. He is super nice but an bit of an oddball – more so than most climbers – and I mean that as a compliment. He has been climbing stairs since his teenage years and he is an extreme endurance athlete. He climbs up and down stairs for a couple hours each day in addition to all his other training. He also either bikes or runs everywhere he goes. I mean that literally. He doesn’t own a car and he doesn’t walk unless he is in a confined area, and even then he often bounces around like Tigger (according to my observation). Because he is always moving, he wears a triathlon kit *all* the time, including while at work*. He also claims to eat thousands upon thousands of calories each day because his metabolism is so high, once topping out at 13,000 calories per day - which even he admitted sounds completely nuts, but true.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Although he admitted he owns a semi-formal pull-over that he can slip on prior to important meetings and other engagements.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet despite climbing stairs for the majority of his life and despite running a 2:30 marathon in training… he has never actually participated in a race of any sort.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tim certainly looked fit, but I was curious to see how he’d fare at Sears which has dashed many athletes hopes and dreams. Been there. Done that*.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*See my 2011 Sears Recap.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After lunch we dropped Tim off at the gym and David and I drove around looking for an electronic metronome. A metronome you might ask? Well if you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I like to pace myself using a metronome and unfortunately, I lost my clip-on metronome somewhere along the way to Chicago. I normally keep it clipped to my bag… but somewhere along the way it fell off. Yes, I realize it sounds silly to keep it clipped to my bag rather than keeping it *inside* of my bag, but I have a good reason for doing so. You see, it is very easy to bump into something and accidentally turn on the metronome. Imagine if it happened while on the crazy lady overnight train to Chicago and I couldn’t hear it beep. Then imagine the look of surprise horror on my face when I try to turn on my metronome on the start line only to find out the batteries are dead. Yes, it has happened to me before.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It took maybe an hour or so (mostly due to traffic), but we found a clip-on metronome/tuner at a local music store. It wasn’t as streamlined as my Seiko, but it would suffice. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We picked Tim up at the gym and then headed over to La Quinta for the pre-race meet & greet. I was pretty nervous because I was the primary host and I’m not much of a social person. On top of that, we changed the event from a pre-race dinner to a meet & greet at the very last minute because La Quinta’s meal options were not gonna pass muster. I crossed my fingers that the event wouldn’t be a bust.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t have to worry. The meet & greet was a success! Since I passed out all the racing bibs, I had a chance to meet almost everyone personally, and in fact my throat became a little raw afterward because I spent so much time chatting.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the meet and greet, David, Bob, Tim and I headed back to David’s place for dinner (Salad) and watched a little TV (Archer) before bed. I was nervous but still managed to go to bed early.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next morning, I was up around 5:15. I quickly changed into my racing gear and headed downstairs for my pre-race meal: An open faced British muffin with peanut butter and blackberry jam*. We left David’s house around 5:50 and headed to the Sears/Willis Tower. The building loomed in the distance as dawn approached.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*#MyOtherHobby #MyJamRules</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the way, have you ever noticed that peel-off timing chip/strap you receive taped to your bib? You are supposed to peel it off and attach the chip/strap to your shoes. Apparently, there is a wrong way to peel it off such that the chip will completely delaminate from the strap. Luckily, the timing chip is fairly sticky and can be stuck back on if you are careful.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We arrived in the lobby around 6:15 AM and we quickly set up the TWA elite registration table. Fortunately, most of the climbers had already picked up their racing packets so there were only a few left over to hand out. I started my warmup routine with about 30 minutes left to go before the start of the race.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In between rounds of burpees I met with Stefani, the Skydeck manager to discuss the awards ceremony. According to Dano, arrangements were made for 2:00 PM (after the race) to hold the ceremony on the Skydeck. However, I wanted to get her permission to move the ceremony up to 1:30 PM since several athletes had early flights to catch. Much to my surprise, Stefani had no knowledge of the 2:00 PM arrangement and she expected we’d have the ceremony after the elite wave finished. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Doh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fortunately, this turn of events worked well for us since all the climbers would be hanging out on the Skydeck anyway. I just needed to communicate this message to the herd of cats waiting at start line.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I finished up a couple more rounds of burpees and then headed to the start. It was already crowded, but I found a spot to finish up my last couple sets. </span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk168b3Sqd5_z9pZcEEG9q0LjC3retD-Lh2453JoaS-RKSxB7b6_z_gsF2CpFoianQYJ5Sonzycg9ikMh3VUOsmizrUhIDo83fwLi2ycyoH0evzMab1BEnsfsMRcrXRJwSIpkX5VIiec/s1600/James%2527+Photo+of+Mohawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk168b3Sqd5_z9pZcEEG9q0LjC3retD-Lh2453JoaS-RKSxB7b6_z_gsF2CpFoianQYJ5Sonzycg9ikMh3VUOsmizrUhIDo83fwLi2ycyoH0evzMab1BEnsfsMRcrXRJwSIpkX5VIiec/s320/James%2527+Photo+of+Mohawk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To be fair, he was legitimately fast </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and cordial in the stairwell</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The front of the line was jam packed and I told a few people the new plan for the award ceremony and to pass it down the line. I also noticed a few unfamiliar faces had inserted themselves into the TWA elite wave line up. I yelled at them to get out of line but to no avail. Apparently the regular elite wave also had a 7:00 AM start time. This one guy with a painted mohawk refused to budge. I was pissed but it couldn’t be helped. I just hoped he was smart enough to get out of the way once the faster elites caught up to him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This edition of the race was pretty stacked, despite losing a few strong climbers at the last minute. Sproule, Gorge, and Tim Dohahue were the race favorites since all of them have done this race in less than 14 minutes – a pace I knew I couldn’t quite match. I could probably stand toe to toe with in a fairly short race (say 5 minutes or so) but Sears is the longest and tallest course on the American circuit. I knew a podium spot was out of reach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The best I realistically hope for was a 4th place finish but I had several rivals who stood in the way. Rudi, Ralf, Zack, Sylvio, Adam, and Tim Y. are all strong climbers who are in my gruppetto . Here was my pre-race assessment of the field, more or less in order of perceived ability.</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rudi – I had beaten him in Doha this past March, but I knew he was having a resurgent career. It would be unwise to count out a former ESBRU winner. Definitely a Dark Horse.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ralf – We’ve traded blows over the last few races. I narrowly beat him in Chicago last year, but he returned the favor in Doha. Ralf was the most obvious threat. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Zack – We’ve raced head to head at both Sears and WTC1. Both times I’ve come out ahead. Barely.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sylvio – I’ve beaten him on several occasions, most recently in Doha. Not my biggest threat, but definitely a concern.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adam – He’s not very well known on the circuit since he has only raced against a few top climbers. Fortunately I’m one of those few. I’ve beaten him in Boston this past February and again in Hartford in April, both by narrow margins. However those were much shorter races so I didn’t know how he’d fare in a taller building. Definitely an outside threat. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tim Y. – He talks a good talk but could he back it up? Definitely the biggest Dark Horse of them all. I wouldn’t be surprised if he won the race. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if he completely blew up.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With all the work I’ve put in during the off-season, I knew I was in the hunt for 4th place. It all depended on what shape my rivals were in. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPI81mr1MzvztADRAggx99Ml_b4y22JSlfzlPp4yOyLWQ-4aCEjGK1Skggbeu09V8ZxM2Q6mIyEAYq2HynQp7PzN5iqsI05PdaxVDytjhtVqtdGMl6oPsQDfqWFqS6OLOK4wpiteWIDs/s1600/James%2527+Photo+of+Alex+Starting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPI81mr1MzvztADRAggx99Ml_b4y22JSlfzlPp4yOyLWQ-4aCEjGK1Skggbeu09V8ZxM2Q6mIyEAYq2HynQp7PzN5iqsI05PdaxVDytjhtVqtdGMl6oPsQDfqWFqS6OLOK4wpiteWIDs/s200/James%2527+Photo+of+Alex+Starting.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple minutes after 7:00 AM they let us into the stairwell. First through the door was Sproule. The rest of us followed in ten second increments: George, Tim, Rudi, and then Ralf. A few moments later I was on deck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I set my metronome* and prepped my stop watch. I jogged through the doorway and into the stairwell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Actually I borrowed a Seiko metronome from Steve Stermer at the last minute. Thanks Steve!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was my fifth time climbing the Willis/Sears Tower and I drew on my experience when setting the pace. Last year I tried 83 BPM and was on track for my goal time of 14:30 until about the halfway point. I started to fall off my pace in the middle of the race but still managed to finish with a respectable 14:45. Last year my 83 BPM pace was just a little too aggressive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This time around I was coming into the race in even better shape – roughly 2.5% better shape according to my training logs – which translated to an estimated finish time of 14:22. As such, I set my goal time at 14:30 and chose to use 83 BPM again. With my improved conditioning, I felt that 83 BPM would feel fairly conservative yet still fast enough to break 14:30 if I didn’t slow down too much in the 60s and 70s where the pace really starts to take its toll. With any luck, I’d still have energy left in the tank in the 80s and 90s and be able to pick up the pace on the upper floors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back in the stairwell for a fifth try, the pace seemed agonizingly slow during the first few floors. I glanced down at my metronome to make sure it was really set at 83 BPM. It was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a few more floors I could hear Zack closing the gap. He was climbing pretty fast and he caught up to me well before we reached the 10th floor. He skipped by on the outside without missing a beat. He was well out of sight before I had even crossed into the teens. Next up was Sylvio. I was in the mid-teens or so when he started to catch up and by the time I reached the lower twenties he too was already out of sight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Passed twice and not even a quarter of the way through the race. This wasn’t the position I expected to be in, but rather than succumb to the urge to chase, I kept steady.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I kept my eye on my watch and made sure I was still on pace. I crossed the 26th floor somewhere in the mid 3:30s. Just a hair under my target pace still feeling fairly fresh. No need to panic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Through the 30s and 40s I kept up to the beat of my metronome. I allowed myself to double step the landings as needed, but made sure to single step them whenever convenient. The pace was no longer easy, but I wasn’t in trouble. Sure, I was in the red zone, but I wasn’t past the point of no return. As I crossed the 52nd floor I checked my watch again. 7:10 on the dot. I was just under a 14:30 pace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I climbed into the 60s and the going got tough. I was double stepping the landings more frequently than before, but still I marched onward to the beat of my metronome. Doubts began to fill my mind but I held them at bay. I was struggling, but I knew I could hold on for at least few more minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few floors later I sensed someone climbing up ahead. As I turned the corner I caught sight of Ralf. He was clearly having a hard time with the pace and soon enough I was nipping at his heels. As I got close enough to pass, Ralf used a burst of speed to gain a half flight, but the burst was short lived. I reeled him in and passed on the inside. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the time I reached the 70s I could hear someone else climbing up ahead. It had to be either Sylvio or Zack although it was too soon to tell. Honestly, I was so focused on climbing (or perhaps so unfocused because of the climb) that I had nearly forgotten I still had two climbers to catch!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I caught up to both Sylvio and Zack in quick succession. I could smell blood. The sounds of their heavy breathing told me they were struggling. I was also in pain, but I knew I held something back in reserve. Both climbers let me by and I led the pack for a few more floors. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I hit the 80s I finally dropped them. Just a few minutes remained in the race, but I knew they were the hardest ones. I struggled through the 80s but still managed to hold on to the beat of my metronome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hit the 90s in pretty good shape. By that point the stairwell had narrowed significantly and I could use both rails at once. I increased my pace to ensure I’d break 14:30. It was tough. On one hand I still had strength in reserve. On the other hand, this was the hardest part of the race.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I mentally checked off each floor as I approached the upper 90s. I knew the only person likely ahead of my was Rudi but he was nowhere in sight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I continued alone into the 100s. Just a few more floors!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was climbing faster than my metronome but I wasn’t truly sprinting. “Shouldn’t I be going faster?” I thought to myself. I had the energy but not the willpower. I didn’t let loose until the final couple floors and even then I didn’t (couldn’t?) use my full strength. I felt like I was climbing through molasses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hit 102 with a full head of steam. One floor left to go! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At that point the strangest thing popped into my head:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What if the last floor had an extra couple flights like they do in the Albany Corning tower - which is a truly unpleasant surprise the first time you encounter it? Who knows? Maybe Sears has some kind of mechanical room underneath the Skdyeck (say for HVAC or something) which is unmarked so that when you finally climb to the top (not the real top, but where you think the top should be) you think you should be done but then you suddenly realize you really aren’t finished because you see several more flights of stairs leading upward… and because you just sprinted the last few flights you are *<b>really</b>* tired and totally unprepared for a few more flights. Wouldn’t that just totally suck? </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yeah... </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Totally.... </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Damn, I wish I had studied Stan’s stair chart a little more closely*. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*If you had trouble following that last paragraph, don’t worry. I don’t know wtf I was thinking either.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I readied myself for a few more flights of pain just in case (‘cause hey, you never know).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fortunately, the last floor is pretty normal and a few moments later I dashed out of the stairwell and onto the Skydeck. I glanced down at my watch as I crossed the finish line. 14:18… I had beaten my goal time by over 10 seconds which meant I dropped my PR by over 25 seconds!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEHa4L1ueghrQKll22sIGiDsCIDeqJ1CU37yPqk31MJyjjtT2klRVSb13EujD8fkCvr1k2sixXPyX0U3_6My4z-SfsGoAFP8nbiXlZlgZjIkKJgP-mtZLc33CEMHkbrBKC4Zp_uy8t4o/s1600/James%2527+Photo+of+Alex+Finishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEHa4L1ueghrQKll22sIGiDsCIDeqJ1CU37yPqk31MJyjjtT2klRVSb13EujD8fkCvr1k2sixXPyX0U3_6My4z-SfsGoAFP8nbiXlZlgZjIkKJgP-mtZLc33CEMHkbrBKC4Zp_uy8t4o/s320/James%2527+Photo+of+Alex+Finishing.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I stumbled a few more steps and sat down next to Rudi. I was winded but not totally exhausted. The race volunteers handed me a finisher’s medal and a bottle of water and I stood up to walk off the fatigue and to find out how the other climbers had fared. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After talking with a few others, I suspected that Rudi cracked the podium since he managed to pass Tim Donahue on the upper floors. That meant I’d probably be dropped down to 5th place since Tim Donahue had climbed the building in just over 14 minutes. At that point, the only other climber whose results were unknown were Tim Young – who didn’t even wear a watch in the stairwell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Skydeck was getting crowded with all the finishers and I still had an awards ceremony to run. However, to get the show started, I needed to see the official results. I rejoined Rudi and we took the elevator downstairs to visit the timing table. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things were chaotic downstairs, but we managed to get a couple print out sheets of the current leaderboard. You can find the official copy <a href="http://www.theracershub.com/results_view.php?id=2722&result_type=db" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sproule was in 1st place as expected and Rudi found out he sneaked ahead of Gorge to take 2nd place. I found myself sitting in 6th place overall with a time of 14:19; one place ahead of Tim Young (14:21), but one spot behind Sylvio (14:14). Prior to looking at the results sheet I had assumed that I had beaten Sylvio since I pulled away from him in the 80s. Apparently he managed to keep it together and minimize his losses near the top (remember, he started ~20 seconds behind me). I was a little disappointed having dropped down a place, but still thrilled to be near the top of the standings.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtuizSjBbmE_VhsHhSrqsJXTkq_P7FwQV2QBN4mxWCw1WtpYvfLT5U5Occpj3nVvAKJfiYVCb5H5RATPzPUFNH6rKgHUWQ4O-WYXQhcm7O_hMF4Etr1OJmmzdXLyqQpoyXBKtqOABC8A/s1600/James%2527+Photo+of+Results.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtuizSjBbmE_VhsHhSrqsJXTkq_P7FwQV2QBN4mxWCw1WtpYvfLT5U5Occpj3nVvAKJfiYVCb5H5RATPzPUFNH6rKgHUWQ4O-WYXQhcm7O_hMF4Etr1OJmmzdXLyqQpoyXBKtqOABC8A/s200/James%2527+Photo+of+Results.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rudi and I rushed back upstairs to the Skydeck. We knew the other climbers were anxiously awaiting the results. When we finally arrived, we were enveloped by the crowd.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We handed off the results sheets to elite crew and a few minutes later I ushered everyone towards the TWA backdrop to start the awards ceremony. It took a few tries, but eventually the herd started to move.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I asked Mischa (the ranking TWA official) to say a few words and then I handed out the awards to the top three men and women. Since we were pressed for time, I wasn’t really nervous and the ceremony went by without a hitch – although I admittedly didn’t study the women’s results as closely as I should have and nearly forgot who was in 3rd place. Total mind blank.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwvxNTumzZUOmYtkB3ar2LEO3vq6Ug0kOlKdQe5coAw4AosJp5Nr4BtSVe2WW1tpRqFEJQ_bbP-8K5ZVVJpnFfarnLXHY9tZrdeLQO8OxqDA3fvRfHS0ZcDRYw42ocS4g6dJ7-cEo7ek/s1600/Lisa%2527s+Photo+of+Gorge+and+Alex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwvxNTumzZUOmYtkB3ar2LEO3vq6Ug0kOlKdQe5coAw4AosJp5Nr4BtSVe2WW1tpRqFEJQ_bbP-8K5ZVVJpnFfarnLXHY9tZrdeLQO8OxqDA3fvRfHS0ZcDRYw42ocS4g6dJ7-cEo7ek/s320/Lisa%2527s+Photo+of+Gorge+and+Alex.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I chose this photo only because </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I appear really buff in it</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfkBc_oBykfqJicC1fxc9gM52UPY3Ly19wBN2fBrLfKfVqsaCcb_c9kyiR4CbbUHA9JWSAFnSnVfjX6ojDuZ0GOX-ZSzBAjI3NjBhA_gbo53Uc0UhoFSlqmlRKMnJRaMtlr_wipMMaP0/s1600/Mad%2527s+Photo+of+Sproule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfkBc_oBykfqJicC1fxc9gM52UPY3Ly19wBN2fBrLfKfVqsaCcb_c9kyiR4CbbUHA9JWSAFnSnVfjX6ojDuZ0GOX-ZSzBAjI3NjBhA_gbo53Uc0UhoFSlqmlRKMnJRaMtlr_wipMMaP0/s320/Mad%2527s+Photo+of+Sproule.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'll be turning 40 soon too ya know</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the ceremony we all rushed downstairs. Believe it or not, we had another race starting at 9:00 AM at 300 N Lasalle!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite knowing very little about the race (how many floors was it?) I was pretty relaxed. After successfully organizing the elite wave and setting a huge PR at Sears, a huge burden had been removed from my shoulders. I was in pretty good spirits when I checked into the race and headed downstairs for the opening ceremony.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A short while later I found myself waiting near the front of the line next to the stairwell entrance. My body felt pretty strong but my lungs were sore from Skyrise Chicago. I knew a shorter course like LaSalle should favor me, but I didn’t like the fact I didn’t do any homework about the course and that I wasn’t racing at 100%. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rudi entered the stairwell first and I followed right behind.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had no idea what kind of pace to use, but I figured it was best to start slow and see how I felt later. I set my metronome at 90 thinking that should be comparable to my Willis pace, which should feel nice and easy in such a short building with fairly short steps.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Within a few floors Zack caught up to me and passed (deja-vu) and I was left climbing by myself. The pace felt nice and relaxed and I focused on climbing efficiently.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The course suited me pretty well. It had fairly long flights and I could use both sides of the rail. Perfect for my climbing style.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the next few minutes I climbed by myself. The pace still felt easy by the time I hit the 20s so I kicked up my metronome a couple of notches to 92 BPM. I knew I was climbing way too conservatively but I told myself that was okay. After all, I had already left my mark at Willis Tower and this race was really just for fun. Plus, if I pushed myself too hard I might compromise my immune system even further and risk getting sick so I might as well just enjoy the climb. In between breathes, I forced myself to smile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I crossed the 30th floor (about half way) and checked my watch. I was already in the 4:30s. That would put me in the 9:00 minute range, far slower than I had intended. I started to regret my decision to take it easy. Despite my best efforts to have fun, I was feeling like a quitter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was in the lower 30s and I could hear another climber starting to catch up. I fiddled around with my metronome and increased the pace to 100 BPM. I climbed another 10 floors and still I could hear someone a few floors below. No way was I gonna let someone catch up to me this late in a race! I took off with about a dozen floors to go. Too little and too late. I crossed the finish line somewhere in the 8:20s. I was a bit winded - having sprinted the few remaining floors – but nowhere near my limit. Disgusted with myself, I quickly reset my watch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moments later, several other climbers came barreling through the doorway. They appeared to be in much worse shape than I was, but it was clear that they had all posted much faster times. With a mental groan I once again regretted my decision to take it easy.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite feeling a guilty about treating the race like a fun run, I was still pretty thrilled to have finished the double header. I could now take it easy and relax!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eventually I made my way into the crowded elevator and headed downstairs for the post-race buffet. It was a pretty nice spread with both food and alcohol (Bloody Mary’s and beer). A short while later I learned that Tim Young narrowly beat out Rudi for first place with a time of 7:13 or so. I mentally kicked myself since I knew I could have been in the hunt had I put in the effort.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, all-in-all I still felt pretty good. My disappointment with LaSalle was overshadowed by my stellar performance at Sears which was the main event of the weekend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The remainder of the day was spent socializing with my climbing friends. First we had a casual brunch at Wishbone* and then we headed back to David’s place to get washed up. Later David took Tim and I to the Garfield Park Conservatory, a large indoor garden which was a real treat. It has rooms full of tropical plants, ferns, moss, and even a room full of cacti. The greenhouse closed at dusk and afterwards we picked up Jason and headed to Lou Malnati's for some real deep dish Chicago pizza.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*I ended up jogging 10 blocks or so with Tim to get to Wishbone which is more than I’ve run <i>cumulatively </i>(excluding stairwell landings) over the past year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKsEhskTMDw3VkB8Wy1VP5op1E1p1f39AZtbQhV9B7qtgigM4BRS0bnSXlips5J5svYwZo2dXNCU263Kw3pgfwfepsvO0LFZFysy_PaD5tyKBdzTv9xQkl3RV7yatSwwCChXZjUv7mRE/s1600/David%2527s+Photo+of+Flat+Stanley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKsEhskTMDw3VkB8Wy1VP5op1E1p1f39AZtbQhV9B7qtgigM4BRS0bnSXlips5J5svYwZo2dXNCU263Kw3pgfwfepsvO0LFZFysy_PaD5tyKBdzTv9xQkl3RV7yatSwwCChXZjUv7mRE/s200/David%2527s+Photo+of+Flat+Stanley.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Flat Stanley &</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the Greenhouse</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QtVxelmUaVuq8FaPB3MMJYjNEK3Vd1e9TIAWUpxWuj3ax80XJc5H1H4vnfmGQWIovOESvf0a568JuxgES6ca-063tOrwpNRIQYNUAHgbGbltN8mg43mL3tKvEDCDxHBtTM4G2-aZDHc/s1600/David%2527s+Picture+of+Pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QtVxelmUaVuq8FaPB3MMJYjNEK3Vd1e9TIAWUpxWuj3ax80XJc5H1H4vnfmGQWIovOESvf0a568JuxgES6ca-063tOrwpNRIQYNUAHgbGbltN8mg43mL3tKvEDCDxHBtTM4G2-aZDHc/s320/David%2527s+Picture+of+Pizza.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When in Chicago...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally it was time to head to Union Station to take the train back home. I bid farewell to my friends and caught the 9:30 PM train back to Albany* with another climb in the books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*without any crazy ladies, thank you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Race Grades:</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Effort: B</b> Instead of collapsing to the ground after the finish line, I just needed a minute or two to catch my breath. That means I had something left in the tank near the end.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Strategy: A+</b> 83 BPM was spot on. It felt slow for the first 20 floors but by the 70s it had me gritting my teeth. Nearly perfect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Technique: B+</b> I climbed efficiently, but lost time on the landings when I started to feel the pace in the upper half of the building.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall: A- </b>I’m pretty happy about my race. I left only a little bit on the table. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Final Thoughts:</u></b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately a few top climbers bailed Skyrise Chicago at the last minute. Most had valid excuses, but not all. Those extra slots could have gone to some other super-excited deserving athletes who were on the wait list. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you look at the history of the race, 14:19 is a damn good time. IF I stay healthy in 2016 (notice the capitalization), I bet I’ll have a decent shot at breaking the 14 minute barrier, which IMHO separates the boys from the men. According my data, only seven Americans have broken the 14 minute mark (Love, Purcell, Berg, Schmidt, Stewart, Leninger, & Donahue).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I still remember my first race at Sears in 2011 (the year Sproule & Cindy set the record) when I climbed up in 16:53. I was in awe of the top 10 climbers who all climbed sub-15. It just so happens that my 14:19 would have been good enough for 6th place that year. Funny how perspective changes. I will add, however, that Sproule’s record (13:03) still seems insurmountable. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I first started climbing competitively, people thought I was just a sprinter and too heavy to compete in the taller buildings. I almost believed them. Almost. To set the record straight, I’m not a true sprinter. I don’t train for raw power and I’m vulnerable in climbs lasting 2 minutes or less. My real forte is in the 3 to 5 minute range, although I’ve been training hard for the past few seasons to extend my range into the double digits.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where did this year’s big improvement come from? The biggest change was staying healthy. I suffered through a few severe viruses in 2012, 2013, and 2014 which set me back a few months each time. This year I was able to chip away at my goal bit by bit with very few interruptions and my Sears time dropped accordingly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rudi has officially come out of retirement. He’s just been teasing us these the past couple seasons.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kudos to Sylvio and Zack who both made big gains during the off-season. I was also impressed with Scott Stanley who made some huge gains as well. 16:38 is no joke. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With a time of 14:21, Tim Young proved he can talk the talk and walk the walk (or run as the case may be). I’m certain he is a sub-14 caliber athlete, especially considering this was his first race ever and he wasn’t climbing at 100%. I definitely hope to see him again both socially and inside the stairwell.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If I had to re-do this race again I’d be tempted to try 84 BPM. Fitness wise I’m not quite ready to break 14 minutes, but I’m close.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One important lesson I learned is that when you re-pass somebody in the stairwell during a time trial, you still need to make up those seconds at the end of the race. You have to drop the hammer when you re-pass! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I still feel bad about taking it easy at 300 LaSalle. If I was truly worried about my health, I should have just climbed for fun without a watch or a timing chip. There isn’t any middle ground. You either race or you don’t. On the train ride back home I asked myself how I would have felt if I beat Sproule at a race only to learn that he didn’t take the race seriously? I know I would have felt gypped. I guess let myself down as well as my rivals.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn't take any pictures. The pictures you are courtesy of James Harris, David Hanley, Madeline Ronk, and Lisa Zeigel.</span></li>
</ul>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-7938804870193535322015-08-28T11:45:00.001-07:002018-11-21T08:01:56.325-08:00Tools of the Trade Part 1: The Metronome<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you’ve been reading my blog posts, you’ll know that I
often use a clip-on metronome when climbing stairs. Several people have asked
about using a metronome and instead of providing a tailored answer to each
individual, I figured it would be a good idea to share my experience on my
blog*. This post explains the benefits of using a metronome and how to set the
appropriate pace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*In the hope
to win a few more metronome converts.</span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Introduction:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical
ticks (beats, clicks, etc.) settable in beats per minute (BPM). Although
primarily used by musicians to keep a steady time, metronomes are also used by
athletes to keep a steady pace. I find it particularly useful for climbing stairs
because unlike running – where strides can be variable – stairs have uniform
heights*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*For those diehard stair snobs: This is generally true in a <u>specific</u>
stairwell although you can expect slight variation between individual steps.
For example, when I measured the stairwell in One Boston Place, the steps were
typically about 7.125 inches tall, but there were a few outliers that measured
closer to 7 inches (on the low end) and 7.25 inches (on the high end). This
type of variation won’t impact pacing by any meaningful amount. However, there
can be significant variation between steps in <u>different</u> stairwells. I’ve
raced up buildings with steps as short as 6.75 inches and other buildings with
steps as tall as 7.875 inches. This variation will play a role in pacing. More
about that later…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My metronome journey started in Boston and to this day I
still have nightmares about my first race up the Hancock Tower * where I jack
rabbited up the first few floors. They went by so easily and I felt like I was
going to utterly crush the race. By the time I hit the 10<sup>th</sup> floor I
was still going fast… but suddenly I wasn’t feeling so strong. My heart rate
was at the tipping point and my legs were starting to feel like butter. Soon I
was forced to slow down to a more realistic pace. When I reached the 40<sup>th</sup>
floor I was totally cooked… and I still had over 20 floors to go. At one point
I even started single stepping (oh the horror!). To this day, I still don’t
know how I made it to the top alive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Technically this was my 2<sup>nd</sup> climb, but I consider
Boston’s Hancock Tower my first time competing at a high level.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That day I learned that jack rabbiting is the ultimate race
killer. My new mantra was “A steady pace wins the race”*. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I urge you to repeat this mantra several times before
setting foot in a stairwell. Srsly.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few races later, I started dabbling with using a metronome
to make sure I didn’t bolt up the first few floors. Fast forward a few years
with a couple dozen races under my belt using a metronome and I’m now
completely convinced of its efficacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why use a metronome?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The best strategy for doing well in a race – no matter what
the discipline (running, rowing, stair climbing, etc.) - is to keep a fairly
even splits* throughout the race, potentially going even faster towards the end
of a race (i.e. posting negative splits)**.<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span>When you apply this concept on a flight of stairs, a
metronome is the best way to set and keep a steady pace. Every beat, you take a
step. It’s that simple. Marching to the
beat of a metronome***is the poor man’s equivalent of setting the pace on your
favorite piece of fancy gym equipment (treadmills, steppers, Stairmasters,
etc.).<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*The term
“splits” means a time or pace through a given portion of a race. For example,
let’s say you want to run a 6 minute 1600 meters (about a mile) in 6 minutes.
If you break 1600 meters into 4 equal 400 meter parts (e.g. a lap around a 400
meter track) to achieve even splits, you’d want to do each part (or lap) in 1:30.
Your splits would be 1:30 at the 400 meter mark (1<sup>st</sup> lap), 3:00 at
the 800 meter mark (2<sup>nd</sup> lap), and 4:30 at the 1200 meter mark (3<sup>rd</sup>
lap).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">** Which explains my mantra: “A steady pace
wins the race”. To be clear, this strategy is applicable to any endurance
sport, but works best in a time trial format on a uniform course. Fortunately
for the sport of stairclimbing, most races are done in a time trial format
inside a fairly uniform stairwell.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">***Most
people can keep a steady beat. Sadly there is a small fraction of the
population that find this difficult. If you are part of this population then
sadly a metronome may not be very helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As Sproule Love once said: you have to “keep your powder dry”
in a race, which means don’t waste all your energy in the beginning of a race. You have to make sure you have something in reserve
for the final few floors. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up not only bonk,
but to bonk HARD. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is beyond the scope of the article to prove <i>why</i> even/negative splits are best, but
I’ve raced enough to convince myself that it’s true. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What kind of
metronome should you purchase?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YGKiyrbeWowuGwCsnV_y6xf8HlS4yALc4g1ttGn6AFppnmYVjPTAnNdJL8R6XuahCv4y9KVBk7lHBH0MPkMDTC4SHVmUycgBpQqqiGExFaSdBWNq-VqgtQOY4WPsIuJ8ETPHKxSTowM/s1600/Metronome.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YGKiyrbeWowuGwCsnV_y6xf8HlS4yALc4g1ttGn6AFppnmYVjPTAnNdJL8R6XuahCv4y9KVBk7lHBH0MPkMDTC4SHVmUycgBpQqqiGExFaSdBWNq-VqgtQOY4WPsIuJ8ETPHKxSTowM/s200/Metronome.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I personally use the Seiko DM50 clip-on metronome*. It is
very light, portable and easy to use. In fact, I’ve even adjusted the pace
while racing! I often clip the metronome to the shoulder of my tank top. This
position is close enough to my ear so I can easily hear the metronome even on
it softest setting. In my expert opinion, the Seiko DM50 provides excellent
value for a fair price. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*Warning: shameless product plug ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you’d rather use your iPhone as a metronome, there is
probably an app for that. Alternatively, you could create (or find) a suitable
music file that uses a steady beat. The downside of using a music file is that
you can’t adjust the beat on the fly (unless, of course, you have an app for
that).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Setting the right pace
on your metronome<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are several different methods for setting the right
pace on your metronome. There are a variety of factors which can make setting
the pace somewhat tricky, so read through each method first before committing
to a specific one. I’ve tried to lay out each method in a logical order.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Case #1: Continuous
Climbing</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A good example of a continuous climb would be on a uniform
outdoor staircase. This is the easiest case and it lays the foundation for many
of the other methods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Necessary Variables:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Total number of steps</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Goal Time (in seconds)</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Equation #0: Number of Footfalls = [A] x (# Steps)</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A = 1 (when taking one step at a
time)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A = 1/2 (when taking two steps at a
time)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A = 1/3 (when taking three steps at
a time*)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*#showoff</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Equation #1:
Metronome Pace (BPM) = 60 x (# Footfalls) / (Goal Time) <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The “60” factor is the conversion
factor from seconds to minutes (i.e. 60 seconds/minute) and the “# Footfalls”
term comes directly from Equation #0 above.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Example: if you want to climb a 200 step flight of steps in
100 seconds (e.g. an outdoor staircase) taking two steps at a time, your
metronome pace = 60 x (½ x 200)/100 = 60 BPM</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Case #2: Regular stairwell with turns (with time goal)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Metronomes are perfect for keeping pace on a single flight
of stairs, but unfortunately, most stairwells have a lot of turns which make
pace calculations a bit more complicated. First off, turning (while climbing)
takes more energy than then climbing midflight steps. Secondly, turns often
screw up your footfall pattern. Finally, footfall patterns may differ from
person to person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Someday, I’m going to write a post about different footfall
patterns while climbing up various stairwell configurations, but that is beyond
the scope of this article. The most important thing to know, however, is that
your footfall pattern <i>matters</i> when
climbing a stairwell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because of turns, we have to scrap equation #0 and figure
out the number of footfalls on our own. With this method, we’re going take a
single section of the race (say just a single floor or two) and calculate the
pace for that section only. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For illustrative purposes, let’s use the same 200 steps we
used in the first example with the same goal time of 100 seconds. Let’s further
assume that this stairwell is inside a uniform 11 story building (i.e. 10
floors of steps) such that each floor has 20 steps with a mid-flight landing: 10
steps à
landing à
10 steps (in shorthand this is written as “10/10”). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let’s calculate the pace needed to climb a single 10/10
floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goal Time = 100 seconds / 10 floors = 10 seconds per floor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With this 10/10 stairwell configuration, there are two basic
footfall patterns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Case 1</u>: Single stepping the
landings (10 footfalls per floor)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Case 2</u>: Double stepping the
landings (12 footfalls per floor)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because the number of footfalls varies, each case will
clearly yield a different metronome pace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Using Equation #2, we get the following paces:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Metronome Pace (case #1) = 60 x 10 footfalls / 10 seconds = <b>60 BPM</b>*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Metronome Pace (case #2) = 60 x 12 footfalls / 10 seconds = <b>72 BPM<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The key takeaway is that your footfall pattern on the turns
makes a huge difference in setting your pace, and knowing is half the battle**.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Thoughtful
readers will realize this is the exact same answer we found using our first
method.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">**Go, Joe!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Case #3: Pacing
from experience (same building)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Often, you may not know the exact number of steps in a
building and methods #1 & #2 won’t be of very much use. But maybe you are
fortunate enough to be able to practice in or race up a building multiple
times. If so, this is the best method for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With this method, all you need to do is keep track of your
metronome’s pace and race time each time you climb up the building. After each
climb, evaluate if you should have used a faster or slower pace and adjust
accordingly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you notice that I
always record my pace and finish time. I find that this is probably the most
reliable way to figure out the appropriate pace for my next race up the same
building. If you ever use a metronome, I urge you to do the same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The main benefit is that you don’t have to do any fancy
calculations. It completely ignores your footfall pattern - which probably
doesn’t change much from race to race unless you really focus on it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The biggest drawback is that it doesn’t help you the <i>first time</i> you climb a building.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Case #4: Pacing
from experience (different buildings)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There comes a time when you face a building for the very
first time and you have no idea what the stairwell looks like. You can’t rely
on methods #1, #2, or #3 to help figure out your pace, so what do you do?
Fortunately, there is an <s>app</s> method for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let’s take a look at two different buildings:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Building A: The building you’ve never climbed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Building B: The building you are very familiar
with (you know metronome pace, goal time, & step heights)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Preferably, buildings A & B should be similar in height but
it isn’t a show stopper if they aren’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First off, you want to figure out your proposed goal time
for Building A. I’ve provided a method for doing so in <a href="http://alexclimbs.blogspot.com/2012/07/power-up-tower-part-2.html">Power
Up a Tower: Part 2</a> (assuming you can estimate the height of the race
course). You can also estimate your proposed goal time via other methods as
well (e.g. comparing prior race results, etc.). In fact, I encourage you to use
all the methods at your disposal. It never hurts to do a sanity check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once you have your proposed goal time for Building A,
calculate the “percent maximum power” using the graph below (the table is taken
from <a href="http://alexclimbs.blogspot.com/2012/07/power-up-tower-part-2.html">Power
Up a Tower: Part 2</a> in case you are wondering).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl74R3LOOxHd_AFFxNZ9bqFi1AXmjiZT4rGMLXaUzYo92EQR824RURDFLSeo9sTXFL7-K86rQICJczpAhIEyTUVVS4EWP7ulbdrvoaSuF4ZuqW3sypsenZyD4CdjXMDqkU5RInI6wGsW8/s1600/Power_up_a_Tower_Pt2_fig2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl74R3LOOxHd_AFFxNZ9bqFi1AXmjiZT4rGMLXaUzYo92EQR824RURDFLSeo9sTXFL7-K86rQICJczpAhIEyTUVVS4EWP7ulbdrvoaSuF4ZuqW3sypsenZyD4CdjXMDqkU5RInI6wGsW8/s640/Power_up_a_Tower_Pt2_fig2a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then find the “percent maximum power” for Building B (i.e. the
building you are very familiar with).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Your metronome pace for Building A can now be calculated as
follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Equation #2:</b> <b>Pace<sub>A</sub>
= Pace<sub>B</sub> x (% Max Power<sub>A</sub>/%Max Power<sub>B</sub>) x (Step
Height<sub>B</sub>/Step Height<sub>A</sub>)</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pace<sub>A</sub> and Pace<sub>B</sub>
are your metronome paces (in BPM) for Buildings A and B<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Step Height<sub>A</sub> and Step
Height<sub>B</sub> are the typical heights of the steps in building A and B
(using either inches or centimeters… just be consistent)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note: Since you’ve never climbed building A before, I
suggest you bring a ruler to the building and measure a few steps on the race
course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is a quick example to show what the equation is doing:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Building A has 7.0 inch steps. We predict our goal time to
be about 5 minutes (say 30 stories)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Building B has 7.5 inch steps. You can climb it in about 10
minutes (say 55 stories) using a pace of 60 BPM on your metronome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(% Max Power<sub>A</sub>/%Max Power<sub>B</sub>) = 67%/64% =
1.05<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This positive ratio means you’ll have to use a faster pace
(which makes sense because Building A is a <i>shorter</i>
race)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Step Height<sub>B</sub>/Step Height<sub>A</sub>) = 7.5 /
7.0 = 1.07<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This positive ratio means you’ll have to use a faster pace
(which makes sense because the steps in Building A are <i>shorter</i> than those in Building B).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Therefore: Pace<sub>A</sub> = 60 x 1.05 x 1.07 = 67 BPM<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This method completely ignores all the turns (which is key
to method #2). Instead it assumes you’ll attack Building A pretty much as you
would Building B - which is probably a pretty good assumption of the buildings
are somewhat similar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Final Thoughts:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A metronome won’t make you faster - only hard work will do that - but it can help you race <u>smarter</u>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I recently had to climb up the World Trade Center One in NYC
without my metronome* and I did just fine without it. However, I made sure not
to go out too fast right at the start of the race – something I learned through
practice and regularly using my metronome.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> *stupid security
rules </span><b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-72605025745826637762015-04-03T14:08:00.002-07:002015-04-03T16:02:33.137-07:00World Championships Run Down.<div class="MsoNormal">
Doha, Qatar.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I never imagined I’d visit the Middle East, but anything is
possible in the world of stair climbing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The tower running world championships were held in Doha this
past weekend and I couldn’t pass up this once in a lifetime opportunity to race
against the best tower climbers in the World.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a three day event with meetings on Thursday, preliminary races on Friday, and the finals on Saturday. That meant I
had to leave Tuesday night in order to get to Doha by Wednesday evening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The trip to the NYC was pretty uneventful and I arrived at
JFK with plenty of time to spare. They began lining us up to board the aircraft
nearly an hour before takeoff and I noticed that only a few of the passengers
appeared to be Arabic. Pretty much everyone else appeared to be just your
average New Yorker*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*FYI - New York is a huge melting pot of cultures and
ethnicities.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I was getting ready to board the plane, the airline
announcer called out a several passengers to come to the front desk. Among those
names I thought I heard “Veronica Stocker” – which is one of my WCL teammates
from the West Coast. Could she be headed to Doha too? I only knew of three
other teammates traveling to the race… and they were all traveling from
Chicago. I looked around but Veronica was nowhere to be found, so I though
perhaps it was just a coincidence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The flight was pretty uneventful and I even managed to sleep
one or two hours. The airline food was fairly good and they had a good
selection of movies and TV shows. Plus I had an empty seat next to mine. No
complaints!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After landing, I noticed Veronica standing in line to
disembark. I guess it wasn’t just a coincidence! I flagged her down and she was
happy to see me. Together we went through customs. Next we to get Veronica’s luggage
from baggage claim… but much to my dismay (and Veronica’s horror) her bag was
nowhere to be found. She ended up filing a claim at the luggage inquiry desk. The
airline reasoned that the bag never made off of her transfer flight which ran
late (hence the airline calling out her name at JFK). Her bag would have to be
sent to the hotel when it arrived on the next incoming flight*. Although the
missing bag fiasco lasted nearly 45 minutes the delay didn’t matter. The
Chicago bound flight with my other teammates landed well after us and our
hotel’s shuttle service didn’t want to make two separate trips for the team.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*and luckily Veronica got her bag the very next day. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While waiting for our WCL teammates we met a couple of pro
triathletes* and their team’s manager. They were also invited to race, so needless
to say I was pretty intimidated. How do you make small talk with pro athletes
when you’d be competing head to head in a few days?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Specifically Will Clarke (a 2008 Olympian) and Romain Guillaume from the
Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally our teammates flying out of Chicago arrived: David,
Jason, Karen, and Cindy. After a group photo, we all piled into the shuttle
(actually two separate SUVs) and headed to the Aspire Tower (aka the Torch)
where we’d be living and climbing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjuDrRiMg1r2gESDqtvFeE2qT0tNwx8-vjE9jOegjrCs_oEtBGLU9Wr5CqieavR47_-BLulNoArFmzvHWsdmn8sYvFkcKUpDjcQK1jcHozBl-ley5oypD1iw77noA74solWgXQJn6mdE/s1600/11068294_10152584361031525_4475817309161243740_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjuDrRiMg1r2gESDqtvFeE2qT0tNwx8-vjE9jOegjrCs_oEtBGLU9Wr5CqieavR47_-BLulNoArFmzvHWsdmn8sYvFkcKUpDjcQK1jcHozBl-ley5oypD1iw77noA74solWgXQJn6mdE/s1600/11068294_10152584361031525_4475817309161243740_n.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Looking WCLTeam... and David</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the time we reached the hotel it was almost 8:00 PM. We
quickly checked into our rooms and then headed to the “Flying Carpet”
restaurant for dinner. There we ran into a few other athletes as well as the
Towerrunning heads: Sebastian, Rudi, and Dano (I think only Mischa was
missing). I know these guys fairly well because I’m part of the Towerrunning
council as the Athletes Representative. We also met up with the last couple
members of our WCL team: Napoleon and his daughter Jaime.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over dinner we talked about the upcoming race and our
pre-race strategy. If I was fast enough, I’d be racing three separate times. Tomorrow’s
1<sup>st</sup> preliminary round would whittle down the field to the 30 fastest
climbers (per gender). It would be a time trial going from the ground floor all
the way up to the top at the 51<sup>st</sup> floor. The 2<sup>nd</sup>
preliminary round was only for seeding purposes and would be held just 5 hours
after the 1<sup>st</sup> preliminary. It would be a time trial “sprint” race to
the 30<sup>th</sup> floor. For the finals (held the following day) the seed
order would be based on the average position of the two preliminary rounds.
Racers would then be lined up on a huge starting grid (similar to F1 car
racing) and be a mass start. The race would consist of about 150 meters of
running before hitting the stairwell. The race would end on the 50<sup>th</sup>
floor, one floor below the top.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just making it into the finals was going to be difficult. According
to Rudi, there were 30 or so elite climbers registered on the men’s side as
well as a couple pro triathletes (who we already met) that would be racing.
There were also several very strong local athletes who’d be participating too,
which meant there were 40+ strong athletes competing for 30 spots in the final.
The women’s field was a bit more open, although getting into the final with a
decent seed would still take a fast climb.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupO9HGYWOphLOoIueJsxhxVRd6nEWIoq7l0C2eJzTh7xyVi5M7VMOGoG6jfZXoJZ5YczoBA0EQOgJN6kpgDmuA9JQvTzvV7DorKqaAyAYXc0OMRyLtKGm0n5RsHdZTlV6u7xQnRhVsaQ/s1600/DSC02243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupO9HGYWOphLOoIueJsxhxVRd6nEWIoq7l0C2eJzTh7xyVi5M7VMOGoG6jfZXoJZ5YczoBA0EQOgJN6kpgDmuA9JQvTzvV7DorKqaAyAYXc0OMRyLtKGm0n5RsHdZTlV6u7xQnRhVsaQ/s1600/DSC02243.JPG" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Torch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After dinner we went outside and took a few more pictures of
the torch. Later, a few of us checked out the stairwell. We entered into the
stairwell on the 6<sup>th</sup> floor, but only David and I climbed the entire
building taking measurements of the stairs along the way of course*. When we
reached the 50<sup>th</sup> floor we tried to find an elevator, but instead we
ended up in the middle of a fancy restaurant instead. We walked down a few more
floors and once again found ourselves in the middle of another restaurant. We
were about to go down a few more floors when we were confronted by an angry
member of the wait staff - after all, we were both sweaty messes by that point
in the middle of a fancy restaurant. He stiffly directed us to the elevator. It
wasn’t all bad though; while we were waiting to go down the hostess peppered us
with questions about the upcoming race**. She wanted to do the race,
too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The steps are all 6.75 inches tall in case you are
wondering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">** I think she was flirting with David.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
David and finally headed back to our room (we were sharing one
room to save costs) and got ready for bed. The next day would be busy.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although I was exhausted, I had a pretty poor sleep. David
and I spent several hours chatting in the dark after both of us woke up in the
middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep. I managed to get maybe 6 hours
of sleep only because we slept until 9:30.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning we met up with a couple teammates for
breakfast. Then several of us decided to
explore the nearby area. It was so hot outside that we soon gravitated to the
next door mall to see what shopping was like in Doha. Summary: Pretty much like
every other mall in America – only cleaner and with signs in both Arabic and
English. I bought a pair of shorts in Carrefour (the French Walmart) since I
was overheating in my khakis.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4unNtMG8MErhoLlmg2ClQEjNS5WiLbw4dV-8IauoPNZLOzCQcdaiNWbd5p-SxCEQKCvR3W8JDax4yRzolMlMbDSbw6ik0Izip8RY6TybxbAAljt6Ds-48RuNGnVTJ8DgIe5KyJme4eQ/s1600/DSC02258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4unNtMG8MErhoLlmg2ClQEjNS5WiLbw4dV-8IauoPNZLOzCQcdaiNWbd5p-SxCEQKCvR3W8JDax4yRzolMlMbDSbw6ik0Izip8RY6TybxbAAljt6Ds-48RuNGnVTJ8DgIe5KyJme4eQ/s1600/DSC02258.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indoor "Venice" & GAP Store... in Qatar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the mall several of us hit the gym* and I had an easy
workout on the elliptical machine. My goal was just to get my body moving and
burn off a few hundred calories. Since the race was less than 24 hours away, I
tried to keep my heartrate in the low 140s to make sure I didn’t tap into my
energy reserves. It wasn’t a tough workout but it sure got me sweating. After a
quick shower I headed to a late lunch. Then I explored the bottom floors of the
stairwell to get a better feel for the race course.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The gym is meant only for men because of Islamic tradition,
but we found this out after Karen finished her workout. They staff didn’t seem
to mind - probably because Karen’s muscles are bigger than mine (she is a former
bodybuilder and still trains like one).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just after 4:00 PM, the Towerrunning council got together at
the Aspire Dome for an obligatory meeting. I won’t bore you with the details,
but the key takeaway I came out with is that stair climbing is fast becoming a
legitimate sport.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a short dinner it was time to get our race bibs for
the next day. The bibs were given out more or less in assumed seed order and I
came out with bib #14. That gave me a bit of confidence since although there
were several better athletes seeded higher (e.g. the pro triathletes and other
serious athletes) it meant I had a pretty good chance to make the finals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the meeting, I met up with Napoleon and Jamie to show
them the stairwell. Once again we climbed all the way to the top, but this time
around I was smart enough to know to climb down a few floors and take the
freight elevator down rather than disturb the patrons eating at the restaurant.
Before heading back to our rooms we did a few pacing trials in the
stairwell to mimic tomorrow’s pace. I'll make you a metronome convert yet, Napoleon! <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76EHN7kIPP_dGMKc5EcxSON_2XrvkXOif01r-WD2gC9gpidZhBKWeNWK2Vj7Don_nA2tuHXFof8xY6tNCNSt_j6vNrW5PAUfKHj9O4e4VmjdCQGEmoy8DuD6WL6kKH_-fzKMbHAd0OTs/s1600/DSC02263_C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76EHN7kIPP_dGMKc5EcxSON_2XrvkXOif01r-WD2gC9gpidZhBKWeNWK2Vj7Don_nA2tuHXFof8xY6tNCNSt_j6vNrW5PAUfKHj9O4e4VmjdCQGEmoy8DuD6WL6kKH_-fzKMbHAd0OTs/s1600/DSC02263_C.jpg" height="320" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dinosaur and his Daughter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the climb I headed off to bed. I was nervous about
tomorrow’s preliminary round and I wanted a good night’s sleep to prepare.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I woke up around 8:00 and had a light breakfast. My race was
at 10:00 AM so I went back to my room to try and relax. At 9:30 I began my
warm-up. I did 5 minutes of stretching and then headed to the stairwell for a
warm-up. I went up from the 4<sup>th</sup> floor and took the elevator down from
the 16<sup>th</sup> floor (climbing 11 floors total – there is no 13<sup>th</sup>
floor). I did a total of three climbs
with the last one at race pace. Race pace felt challenging, but I knew I should
be able to handle it throughout the race.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The nerves were really on edge at the start line. We would
be given 20 second gaps between climbers to minimize passing. As the 14<sup>th</sup>
climber, I would be starting right after Ralf and right before Jason. I did a
couple rounds of burpees to stay warmed up but pretty soon it was my turn to
get on the start line.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had several goals for this race. First off, I had to climb
fast enough to make sure that I stayed within the top 30. That meant I couldn’t
slack off very much because I figured the cut-off time wouldn’t be too far off
my regular race pace. Secondly, I wanted to make sure I kept up with my peers -
If I made the finals, I didn’t want to be too far behind. That meant I <u><i>really</i> </u>couldn’t slack off too much.
Lastly, I wanted make sure I didn’t
expend too much energy because if I made it through the 1<sup>st</sup>
preliminary round I’d still have to race
in the 2<sup>nd</sup> preliminary round later in the afternoon (more about that
later) as well as tomorrow’s finals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> goals were pretty much
in line with one another, but the 3<sup>rd</sup> goal was in direct conflict with the others.
Basically I had to climb fast... but not too fast. Easy stuff right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fortunately, I had a pretty good idea how to pace myself for
the race. I dialed my pace to 99 BPM which was just a little bit slower than
the race pace I used at One Penn Plaza the week before*. At One Penn I kept to
my metronome’s pace during the 1<sup>st</sup> half but was able to pick up the
pace in the 2<sup>nd</sup> half which turned out a very competitive time. I
figured that if I just kept that same pace during this race – without accelerating
during the 2<sup>nd</sup> half - I should still be fairly competitive.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I used 94 BPM at One Penn Plaza, but the stairs in that
building are about ¾ inch taller.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The race officials let us into the stairwell in 20 second
intervals. When it was my turn to start, I turned on my metronome and began running
towards the emergency exit (i.e. the stairwell entrance).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The race course is as follows: a short run to the emergency
exit and then another short run down the hallway. Next up is a short flight of
steps followed by a short run around the tower’s core and into the main
stairwell (Stairwell B). The stairwell itself entirely made from concrete and
is painted with a non-slip gritty paint. The rails are fairly close together
such that you can use both rails simultaneously. Up until floor 22, it is an
open stairwell, meaning you can more or less see all the way to the bottom if
you look over the inner rail. These floors are uniformly 11/12 (11 steps, landing, then 12 steps). The stairwell turns to the left and the steps measure 6.75
inches tall. After floor 22, the stairwell is closed, meaning there is a solid
wall between the inner rails. The flights are uniformly 14/14. The stairwell
continues to turn to the left and the steps are all 6.75 inches tall. On the 50<sup>th</sup>
floor there is a separate door that leads up to the 51<sup>st</sup> floor.
There is a 2<sup>nd</sup> stairwell (Stairwell A) with minor differences which
I’ll discuss later. (Note: There is no 13<sup>th</sup> floor)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I ran pretty fast at the start of the race to make sure I
didn’t lose too much time. When I hit the stairwell I immediately climbed to
the beat of my metronome. Since the first 22 floors are all 11/12, it was fairly
easy to keep one foot on the landing. Even when I placed two feet on the
landing, I made sure to accelerate to keep my vertical pace constant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On floor 22 I had a minor delay. The solid wall blocks the
view of the next flight, so when I hit that floor I started running out of the
stairwell. I probably lost a second or two as I had to quickly change
directions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From here on out the race became a little bit harder because
of the solid wall and the 14/14 configuration. This configuration made it a bit
harder to execute turns efficiently. In fact, at some point along the way I scraped
my knuckles on the wall - although I didn’t notice the bleeding until after the
race. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hit floor 27 (my assumed halfway point) in about 3:50 which
I thought was pretty good. My heartrate had peaked but I felt I could go
faster. I resisted the temptation to accelerate and continued my climb.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right around the 40<sup>th</sup> floor the climb became
painful, but with only 10 floors left to go, I knew the suffering would soon
end. I glanced at my watch. 4:50? Wow, I was doing awesome*! I still had enough
energy to burn but I rather than spend it, I held it in reserve. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*4:50 at the 40<sup>th</sup> floor seems a little fast
right? Keep reading… </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I crossed the mat on the 51<sup>st</sup> floor and kept
walking. I stopped my watch at 4:50. What? My watch must have stopped somewhere
in the 30s. Such is life. I manually counted out the seconds until the next
climber arrived (possibly Jason?) and I was only 10-15 seconds ahead. Since
racers started at 20 second intervals that meant the next climber clearly
gained some ground.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was a little winded but I was able to recover quite
quickly. A lot of the other climbers were sitting on the floor recovering so I
knew they put more effort into the race. As such, I had a sinking feeling that
my time wasn’t very competitive with my peers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I asked Ralf how he had done and he told me that he had timed
himself at just over 8 minutes. He then told me that he counted out the seconds
and I was a good 30 – 35 seconds behind, which meant he clipped my 10-15
seconds. I also asked Jason how he did. Apparently he was passed a three times
during the race, but managed to re-pass once. He didn’t know exactly how far
ahead the two passing climbers were ahead of him, but it appeared that our finishing
times were in the same ballpark.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wandered around a bit more and then learned that a bunch
of guys broke the 7 minute and those who didn’t were closer to 7 than to 8. All
of those times put mine to shame. Although I felt fairly certain that I had
finished in the top 30, I doubted I’d make the top 20.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next few hours were somewhat of a blur but I did cheer
on the women’s finishers at the top of the climb. I also had a light lunch in
preparation for the 2<sup>nd</sup> preliminary round at 3:00 PM, assuming that
I had made it into the top 30.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It turns out I never found out my final time because there were
problems with the timing chips. The Towerrunning officials had to manually
calculate times based on the race footage. Even as I write this I still don’t
know my official time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After lunch I found out that I made it into the top 30
although my friend David wasn’t so lucky. I think he placed 33<sup>rd</sup>
which put him just outside of the final cut. The timing issues just made it
worse. At one point the officials said he was in and I went back to the room to
tell David the good news. But an hour later the officials said he just missed
the cut. I felt horrible and I’m sure David was crushed by the news (despite
preparing himself for the bad news). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I tried to relax before my next race, so after lunch I went
to my room to surf the internet and read. At 2:30 I began my warmup – repeating
the same routine I did during the 1<sup>st</sup> round – and made it to the
start line around 2:55. They made us change our bibs based our results from the
1<sup>st</sup> round. I was given bib #11 which was clearly a mistake but the
officials didn’t have enough time to fix. I felt a little embarrassed when
several better climbers asked me about my preliminary results. I know it wasn’t
my fault, but I hated having to explain the situation time and time again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This time around they’d be giving the climbers 30 second
gaps, so was pretty sure I wouldn’t be passed by any climbers, despite the fact
I was seeded amongst better athletes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The race course was basically the same this time around
except we’d be ending on the 30<sup>th</sup> floor rather than the 51<sup>st</sup>
floor. I doubted that I’d be passed in such a short race although the Columbian
behind me thought differently and gestured that he wanted me to give up the
inside rail when he passed me. Of course that gave me a good reason to make
sure I stayed well enough ahead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent a few minutes thinking about my race strategy.
Should I push hard and gain a few spots which give me a slight head start in
tomorrow’s final? Or should I race conservatively to make sure I’m fresh for
the final?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I decided to race conservatively. I figured that I was
already behind some of my peers so it would be pretty difficult to gain ground
(since they’d be taking results of both preliminary rounds into account). I
felt it was more important to be fresh for the final considering that I was
already likely seeded near the back of the pack.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I set my metronome for 115 BPM which is a pretty fast clip,
but fairly slow for a sub-4 minute race. To but things into perspective, I won
in Boston in 4:24 with an equivalent pace of 125 BPM, and today’s course was
even shorter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When it was my turn to go I ran to the fire door, around the
tower core, and into the stairwell. It felt pretty easy for the first 10 floors
or so, and I hoped it would be fast enough so I wouldn’t be caught be the
Colombian. I still felt pretty good until the 22<sup>nd</sup> floor, but once
again I nearly exited the stairwell (see my first race above) and I chastised
myself for the mental lapse. Things started getting tough after this point
because the turns are more difficult and fatigue was starting to set in. I
could have picked up the pace at this point, but I was determined to stick with
the plan and make sure I didn’t completely exhaust myself and burn out my legs.
I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch at 4:10. Not an impressive time
for sure, but hopefully it would be in the same range as my peers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once again I was tired, but was able to quickly walk it off.
I then grabbed a quick snack (Gatorade and a banana) and waited for my peers. I
spoke with Silvio and Jason a few minutes after they crossed the finish line
and it appeared I managed to clip them both by 5-10 seconds, but after speaking
with Ralf, I learned that he came in about 10 seconds ahead of me. That meant I
more or less held my position without expending too much energy. It was a fair
trade.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the race, David, Karen, Jason and I went for a bus
tour of the city. For the past couple days we were trapped indoors and we
wanted to get a feel for the city. A small bus picked us up from the hotel and
about 45 minutes later we were on top of a double decker bus taking in the
sights of the city. Here are a few things I learned:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Only 20% of the population is Qatari. The majority of the
residents hail from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Thailand, and many other
countries.</li>
<li>Doha is wealthy. It is shopping paradise for high end
Western brands.</li>
<li>The cars were all pretty new and there were plenty of high end
vehicles on the road (Lamborghini, Porsche, etc.).</li>
<li>The city is growing and there is a lot of construction.
They’ve reclaimed a bit of land from the bay and all the sky scrapers were
built within the last 10 years.</li>
<li>Traffic is fierce, but they are building a subway to help
congestion.</li>
<li>I felt very safe. There weren’t armed guards walking around.
There is no social unrest in this part of the Middle East.</li>
<li>Although Westerners are expected to dress conservatively (no
bare shoulders, shorts covering the knee) Qatar appears to be very tolerant of
other cultures.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWJLSKRSGN2QkRuaHP8lmuI0UBVAWP36NNMPnJAe28U5Y6F3szTbM5N9gN-80erT5ijUKQCJ6lMi_TbpD6_GiQGS6il0gn-UF1nUayA-81AqhBtRJpxn6VR-sM6Z_0W-ik-iLOd5NdcA/s1600/DSC02267_Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWJLSKRSGN2QkRuaHP8lmuI0UBVAWP36NNMPnJAe28U5Y6F3szTbM5N9gN-80erT5ijUKQCJ6lMi_TbpD6_GiQGS6il0gn-UF1nUayA-81AqhBtRJpxn6VR-sM6Z_0W-ik-iLOd5NdcA/s1600/DSC02267_Crop.jpg" height="92" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doha Skyline from afar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXD1CHBA1_it3WEk7bGPbwseYya20ZXQBROadfQFokkvHFh4dGf2dqm-4n7m6vby48M_hytcdeGfBJlEc2PhUIj4ikK5RSa-E8AetnijqYSS58sOmJOO1idSPc8iV-W5Vqz-71mO5_b0/s1600/DSC02305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXD1CHBA1_it3WEk7bGPbwseYya20ZXQBROadfQFokkvHFh4dGf2dqm-4n7m6vby48M_hytcdeGfBJlEc2PhUIj4ikK5RSa-E8AetnijqYSS58sOmJOO1idSPc8iV-W5Vqz-71mO5_b0/s1600/DSC02305.JPG" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doha lit up at night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Because of traffic, the tour took longer than expected and
we didn’t get back to the Torch until 8:30 or so. We were famished by that
point*<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*and my bladder was ready to rupture... you know the feeling, right David?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At dinner we learned our starting positions for the final. I
was told I came in 23<sup>rd</sup> during both preliminaries so I’d be seeded
23<sup>rd</sup> for the final. Jason was a couple spots lower at 25<sup>th</sup>,
but all my other peers were seeded a bit higher. I think Ralph was 19<sup>th</sup>,
Norbert 21<sup>st</sup>, and Silvio 22<sup>nd</sup>. Although I was seeded a
few spots lower than I had hoped, I felt that it was worth it to have fresh
legs and lungs for the final.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning I felt nervous (of course) but otherwise
pretty fresh. I felt more or less fully recovered from yesterday’s races. I
skipped a formal breakfast opting for a banana and a granola bar instead. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I stayed in my room until 8:55 AM and then headed outside to
the start line to get my new bib. Today the women would be racing at 10:00 AM
and the men at 10:45. After getting my bib I headed back to my room to relax.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right at 10:00 AM I headed to the stairwell on the 4<sup>th</sup>
floor and cheered for the women as they passed by. Then at 10:15 I began my
final warmup using the same routine as the day before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I arrived at the start line a few minutes before the start
and while waiting around I met up with my good friend Dan and his father (who
visiting Dan in Doha). Dan is a professor at one of the local universities so
when I found I’d be in his neck of the woods, I figured it would be a great to
meet up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The race course for the finals is a little bit different
than in the prior heats. First off, we’d be starting off in a huge starting grid
similar in layout to a Formula 1 start (so I’m told) with two columns of racers
(odd seeds on one side and even seeds on the other). The distance between
racers was about 2.5 meters such that the distance between the 1<sup>st</sup>
and 29<sup>th</sup>positions (or 2<sup>nd</sup> and 30<sup>th</sup> positions)
was 32.5 meters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To put things into perspective, the 1<sup>st</sup> seed
starts a good 6-8 seconds ahead of the 29th seed assuming a fast 5K pace.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next, we’d have to run a good 150 meters (with a slight
uphill) to the main entry of the building. I didn’t measure length of the run,
but it took me a good 30 seconds with a quick jog, so I figure it is a good
20-25 second run at a fast 5K pace.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then we’d enter the main building and climb up the main
steps to the M-1 level (i.e. the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor). At the top of the
stairs we’d enter Stairwell B and start climbing as normal until the 30<sup>th</sup>
floor. Here we’d exit the stairwell and run around the tower core (counterclockwise)
and enter Stairwell A (on the other side of the core). I didn’t measure the
run, but I’m guessing it takes 5-10 seconds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally we’d climb up to the finish line on the 50<sup>th</sup>
floor (since Stairwell A doesn’t go all the way up to the 51<sup>st</sup>
floor).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before the start they officials had us line up in the proper
seed order and a minute later we were given the green light to race.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZJ2NDQ0prdN91vW28DOxjR2FU06etmBs_7uL-J_Rs9-d64Q0VBd9pubw7sUSdY_l8wLkafg8jBvFYBTmVjKLDdFUCGCRNoqwQiENyIeh5e3TU8agbarQKycxMqsLIIo8vzkwOa2kP5w/s1600/0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZJ2NDQ0prdN91vW28DOxjR2FU06etmBs_7uL-J_Rs9-d64Q0VBd9pubw7sUSdY_l8wLkafg8jBvFYBTmVjKLDdFUCGCRNoqwQiENyIeh5e3TU8agbarQKycxMqsLIIo8vzkwOa2kP5w/s1600/0084.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lining up. I'm waaay in back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My strategy on the start line was to run at a quick jog to
the stairwell and then climb at 99 BPM. At the 30<sup>th</sup> floor I would
then accelerate and finish the race strong. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wasn’t really happy with all the pre-stairwell running
(since I’m not a runner) but at the start of the race I did my best to keep up
with the others. Although I dropped a couple places on the run, I wasn’t too
far behind my peers when we entered the building. I bounded up the first few
stairs, quickly realizing I was climbing way beyond my 99 BPM pace. Midway up,
I started to decelerate and I entered the stairwell in about 26<sup>th</sup>
place or so. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew that everyone was climbing fast and furious and I
figured the guys still behind would be tearing up the stairwell. Since this was
a mass start, I was not obligated to give up the inside rail, so I hugged the
inside lane as tightly as possible. If the lower seeds wanted to pass, I’d give
them room on the outside; I knew I’d catch up to them again and I didn’t want
to waste <u>my</u> time or energy by giving up the inside lane.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sure enough, every one passed me except Napoleon. By the 4<sup>th</sup>
floor I was next to last (about 29<sup>th</sup> place). Clearly this wasn’t
where I wanted to be (with my aspirations of a top 20 finish) and I was felt a
bit demoralized as we crested the 5<sup>th</sup> floor. On the other hand, I
knew that I was stronger than the lower seeds and I should be able to catch most if not all of them later on in the race. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The real race had begun.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I climbed to the beat of my metronome and caught one of the
lower seeds on the 6<sup>th</sup> floor or so. He was the last person to pass
me so he was never out of my sight. I could tell that he couldn’t maintain the
pace and fortunately he gave up the inside lane for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next I caught up to the long grey-haired guy wearing socks.
He was climbing fairly quickly so I stayed with him for the next ten floors or
so. Meanwhile we both passed the other lower seeds. It was a crowded mess in
the stairwell, but fortunately I didn’t have to expend too much energy
re-passing. We more or less took the inside track as we climbed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were probably in the upper teens when I finally made the
move to pass Mr. Socks. The stairwell was no longer crowded so I darted up on
the inside. By my estimation, I had cleared all the lower seeds leaving only my
peers ahead of me: Jason, Rudi, Ralph, Silvio, Pavel, & Norbert. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was still climbing to the beat of my metronome and I was
feeling pretty good. My heartrate had peaked but I wasn’t in any danger of
blowing up. After passing all the lower seeds I was feeling a bit better, but I
knew I deserved better than 25<sup>th</sup> place or so. I continued climbing
at my pace, hoping that the guys up ahead were blowing up and I was closing the
gap.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And boy did I close that gap!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From here on out, my memory becomes a bit clouded regarding
the order of passing, but I’ll tell it how I remember it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Somewhere in the upper 20s I finally caught up to Jason. It
was quite a relief seeing a familiar face. We’ve raced together a number of
times and I usually finish 10-15 seconds ahead, so passing him gave me a boost
of confidence; my other peers shouldn’t be too far ahead. The “Steel Oath” let
me pass on the inside and together we exited Stairwell “B” and ran around the
deck of the 30<sup>th</sup> floor. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the 3<sup>rd</sup> race in a row I had a brief mental
mishap. This time I nearly exited the deck through the wrong exit. I stutter
stepped a brief moment and continued around the deck to the entrance to Stairwell
“A”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I caught up Rudi either right before floor 30 or right after
(I honestly can’t remember). I called out "Hi Rudi!" and he let me by on the inside. At the
same time we both caught up to Norbert who was having a very difficult race.
Norbert actually moved out of the stairwell (into a side nook) to take a short
break. Apparently the effort of yesterday’s races and today’s fast start had
taken a great toll.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By this point I was climbing faster than my metronome. The
pace was tough, but I still had energy in reserve and I was going for a
negative split for the 2<sup>nd</sup> half of the race. Now that I had passed
Jason, Norbert, and Rudi I was in about 22<sup>nd</sup> place – one better than
my seed – I was feeling pretty confident.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 30s were difficult but by the time I hit the upper 30s I
knew I could keep up the pace until the end. I saw Silvio and Pavel climbing
together up ahead and I surged by them on the inside. I was pretty thrilled. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The only one left on my list was Ralph, but I knew he was
the strongest of the bunch. In our last two head to head races we were only
seconds apart, so I knew catching him wasn’t going to be easy. I was in the
lower 40s by this point and pushed the pace. The finish line was fast
approaching.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I finally caught sight of Ralph on the 46<sup>th</sup> floor
and caught up to him on the 47<sup>th</sup>. With only 6 flights to go Ralph
increased the tempo and we both surged ahead to the 48<sup>th</sup> floor. Only
56 steps remained between us and the finish line.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the 49<sup>th</sup> floor I knew the race was over.
Clearly Ralf had some energy left in the tanks and I didn’t have the power to
pass, especially when we were both going full tilt. I let him go up the final
flight uncontested and I crossed the finish line at the top a couple seconds
behind. My watch read 8:10. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The finish area was absolute carnage (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-8GrT5G6Bc" target="_blank">see David's video</a>). I saw Ralf drop to the
ground a few feet beyond the finish line. Beyond him athletes blanketed the
floor in a tangle of pain and suffering. I walked by Ralf and gave him a
congratulatory tap on the leg and continued onward. I wanted to drop but there
wasn’t any room. I pushed past one of the volunteers into a blocked off area of
the restaurant, but he quickly pulled me back. I replied to him “What gives?
I’m tired and I just want to lie down!*” Angrily I found a place to sit away
from the main pile of athletes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Yeah, I was rude, but I was also in a lot of pain…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After that point I recovered fairly quickly. Although I put
a lot of effort into the final part of the climb, I raced the majority of the
building somewhat conservatively. As a result, I didn’t spend all that much
time above the redline. A couple minutes
later I was up and about chatting with my fellow racers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although I didn’t overtake Ralf, I was very pleased with my
race. The first part may have felt disastrous, but I really turned it around in
the middle and at the end. Rudi and I took a look at the preliminary race
results and surprisingly enough I squeaked into the top 20! But admittedly I
did have a little help; Omar Bekkali – a very good climber - dropped out of the
race with an injury which put me into the 20<sup>th</sup> spot. It also showed
that I passed the most racers in the stairwell which meant I really had a solid
2<sup>nd</sup> half.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After recovering, I went downstairs and met up with Dan and
his father. I wanted to get out of the Torch and do a bit of sightseeing, so I
suggested we spend the afternoon in Souq Waqif, the most famous market in Doha.
I knew about the market because we saw it on the bus tour, but didn’t have time
to wander around. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I went upstairs and took a quick shower and then headed
downstairs for a quick bite to eat. Along the way I ran into David invited him
along. I also had a brief chat with Darren Wilson, the bronze medalist. Apparently
there was a bit of drama at the front of the race. One of the Columbian tried
to block out several of the top climbers. In fact, Darren had to prop up Mark
Bourne (the silver medalist) to prevent him from falling. Although it was bad
news for the guys in front, it was good news for me: with a 30 second penalty
the Columbian would be moved down several spots and I’d be moved up a spot into
19<sup>th</sup> place.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The four of us piled into a taxi and headed to the Souq.
Since it was the middle of the day, it wasn’t very crowded and only a fraction
of the stores were open. Dan explained that the market is a much busier place
at night when it becomes a little cooler outside. The marked reminded me a
little of NYC Chinatown with tiny shops selling trinkets, but it was still fun
browsing the different shops. Besides trinkets, there were shops selling honey
and spices (albeit many of them were closed) as well as lots of places for silk
and other fabrics. There was even a small complex devoted to gold and jewelry
(the Gold Souq).</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiks6b73ZjrrteI5W8Ktl05URpUJgYpbCEruk5j1j67x3tE6TL3DQI9zugbR0KAMZuhenxcQef5ySQY284mcgdq-YmnnBQFgODr2CmFCoVHYVie3KnYOJ243CNx20G2Azb03puu2wsHj1g/s1600/DSC02326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiks6b73ZjrrteI5W8Ktl05URpUJgYpbCEruk5j1j67x3tE6TL3DQI9zugbR0KAMZuhenxcQef5ySQY284mcgdq-YmnnBQFgODr2CmFCoVHYVie3KnYOJ243CNx20G2Azb03puu2wsHj1g/s1600/DSC02326.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Souq Waqif</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVKcuSzGDRg3pXcug6NDFbx00m5gw1DYeKnfwU_fJZO6onkA430txL3ysACA9k2gmYyMZafIoLhxSMMJPls4DItuQcehU4Ldqmo_LUjFG0qKLekZV82QCSCtegTNn8gbnHQdDt_LuYCM/s1600/DSC02331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVKcuSzGDRg3pXcug6NDFbx00m5gw1DYeKnfwU_fJZO6onkA430txL3ysACA9k2gmYyMZafIoLhxSMMJPls4DItuQcehU4Ldqmo_LUjFG0qKLekZV82QCSCtegTNn8gbnHQdDt_LuYCM/s1600/DSC02331.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reunion!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We stopped by a local restaurant for lunch. I wasn’t too
hungry but I had a Turkish coffee and some desert. During lunch, Dan and I
finally did a bit of catching up. I told him all about our common friends. In
return he told me some good news: his wife would be having twins.
Congratulations!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After lunch it was time to get back to the hotel for the
formal Gala. We parted ways at entrance of the Souk and took a cab back to the
Hotel. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During the trip, as I was fiddling around with my seatbelt strap, I
realized I was no longer wearing the strap of my travel bag. I must have left
it back at the restaurant. No big loss I
thought… until I remembered it contained my passport! Quickly we turned the cab
around and headed back to the Souk. Although the odds were good that we’d be
able to retrieve my bag, I was still a nervous wreck. I needed my passport in
order to get back to the US. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The cab dropped us off at the entrance and the driver offered
to wait for us. Quickly, I followed David back to the restaurant (for he has a
better sense of direction than I). When we arrived, I asked the host at the
front desk if they had found a small bag and he pointed behind the counter.
There it was! I showed him my passport to prove that I was the owner and a
moment later it was back in my possession. A huge wave of relief settled over
me and together David and I headed back to the waiting cab.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived at the hotel without further incident and changed
into better clothes for the Gala. We sat with all our other teammates and
watched a slideshow of all the pictures taken over the course of the last
couple days. Ralf arrived a few minutes late to the Gala with one of his Couch
Surfing friends – a pretty girl from Kenya. There wasn’t any room at the
German/Austrian table so he decided to sit with all the cool kids from the US*.
Dinner was buffet style and I ate as much as possible – including dessert.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*As an added bonus, his friend brought along a bottle of vodka
(shhh… don’t tell).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After dinner it was time to get packed. We’d be leaving the
hotel at 5:00 AM to catch our 8:15 AM flight back to the US (the NYC and
Chicago bound flights were leaving within minutes of one another).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Early the next morning the shuttle bus picked us up from the
hotel and dropped us off at the airport – along with Darren and the
professional triathletes. Security was uneventful and we departed ways once we
arrived at our gate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCRu0192OSf8LPfQbqScN1YtrHLWOf_j16RyC8gEeRP3KvN7cTcgXi60bg8AvYswlbqVgshJ4oVLI65kpC2LJnnZAUif1UIdnJhgRs55b8FNtjIC7yPrvghlg3jgN97tKgTX8hbY8hAw/s1600/11082562_10152594800061525_8577637019016964166_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCRu0192OSf8LPfQbqScN1YtrHLWOf_j16RyC8gEeRP3KvN7cTcgXi60bg8AvYswlbqVgshJ4oVLI65kpC2LJnnZAUif1UIdnJhgRs55b8FNtjIC7yPrvghlg3jgN97tKgTX8hbY8hAw/s1600/11082562_10152594800061525_8577637019016964166_n.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a "belter", right Darren?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This time around I knew that Veronica was on my flight and
we managed to sit next to each other in two of the best seats in economy; most
of the seats are grouped in rows of three, but we were able to snag the only
group of two, giving us a bit more privacy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The flight to JFK was smooth and I watched a few movies
along the way. At customs I gave Veronica a hug and parted ways. She had
another flight to catch and I still had to get to Albany. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a long journey back to Albany. The subway right was frustrating. Every time I had to catch
or switch trains, I missed it by a hair – either by my own unfamiliarity with
the different lines or by pure bad luck (like getting stuck behind someone in
the escalator). I missed my train back to Poughkeepsie by mere minutes and had
to wait an extra half an hour for the next. Par for the course. When I arrived
in Poughkeepsie it was already past 7:00 PM, but I was finally on the home
stretch. I arrived at home at a quarter to 9:00 and gave my family a big hug. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doha was fun, but it was good to be home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Race Grades:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Effort: B+</b> ; I
raced a bit too conservatively in the finals to give myself an A, but I’m still satisfied. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Strategy: A</b>- ; On
the first day I did a pretty good job saving my energy at the expense of a few seeding
positions. It was definitely a good trade-off. During the final, I paced myself
a little bit too conservatively during the beginning of the race, but on the
positive side it allowed me to pick up the pace during the 2<sup>nd</sup> half.
Since the start was staggered there seemed to be plenty of space in the
stairwell, although getting passed and having to re-pass was a waste of time and
energy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Technique: B+</b> ; My
running left something to be desired, but my climbing was pretty good. I did
well on the 11/12 configuration but I was less efficient when it switched to
14/14. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> Overall: A-</b> ; I’m pretty happy with my
climb. The biggest thing I would have changed would be to hit the "go" switch on
22 rather than wait until 30. I also think I could have tolerated a slightly
faster initial pace. However, I have to be pleased with my result. It’s better
to have negative splits rather than risk blowing up. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Final Thoughts:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m very happy about coming in 19<sup>th</sup> in a very
deep men’s final. You can see the full results <a href="https://towerrunning.com/worldcup/WCH%20Heat%203.xlsx" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One thing that surprised me was how good the top men’s
athletes are. I raced against some of these athletes at Empire which is longer
course and has a bit more running, but it was still shocking to see how fast
these guys are in a middle distance climb. For example, the finals seemed to
run about 20 to 30 seconds slower than the Stratosphere – our US championship
race - yet the top 5 guys had times that would have equaled or bettered the
record at the Strat. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Boy do I have my work cut out for me over the next couple
seasons.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another thing I noticed was how slow some of the
professional athletes were in the stairwell. These weren’t the “dregs” of the
pro field either; one of the triathletes was on the British Olympic team in
2008. I honestly thought that all the cycling these guys do would have put them
into medal contention, but instead they finished only a few spots higher than
me (i.e. mid-upper teens). If it sounds like I’m knocking the pros, I don’t
mean it that way; my takeaway is that it takes a bit of specificity to be good
at climbing stairs and that several of the top stair climbers really are world
class athletes. <o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-71334407650761039132015-03-13T13:18:00.002-07:002015-03-13T13:18:53.342-07:00Rundown of the Empire State Building Run-up<div>
The 2015 edition of the Empire State Building Run-up is over and I’m having a hard time understanding the results. I was expecting to break 12 minutes this year, but with an official time of 12:50, my estimate was way off. In fact, I was even slower than last year (12:36 – albeit in a slightly shortened course).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What makes this race hard to digest – and this post hard to write – is that all the training leading up to the race and the pace I set in the stairwell seemed to indicate I’d have a pretty good shot at 12 minutes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Although December was pretty much a wash with respect to training & fitness, January was very kind to me. I started off the month at a decent fitness level, but I ended the month in the best shape of my life. In addition to hard training, I focused on getting plenty of sleep and I went to bed early each and every night. I also lost a couple pounds by eating healthy and using the stairs during my coffee breaks*. As a result, I set a couple PBs on the stepper machine and inside the stairwell during my final week of training. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I don’t actually drink coffee, but I made sure to get up from my desk every couple of hours for a short break. During these breaks I’d climb up my building (6 tall stories ~ 27 meters) twice. It was enough exercise to get the blood pumping, but not enough to get soaked in sweat.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also knew that I didn’t have a particularly strong performance in the 2014 edition of the race so I figured I had plenty of room to improve. A year ago, I was in great shape but was fighting off a virus which reared its ugly head after racing in Boston the prior weekend. Because I was worried about my health, I raced very conservatively at Empire and I figured I could easily shave off a good 30 seconds from my time this time around, which would put me pretty close to the coveted 12 minute mark.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_du0_JjyEgLew3oBrorkTia8lYNiu6JvuNZxOYHlaQ-M_RD1xiOcinWHw9DcMdrS77gSoWH9yddOsL9dSC0XadX-JwyfrAK85s_7yFcrebcLeiCBPia_clpj1_eQuzhvUd4aStCO3OA/s1600/DSC02170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_du0_JjyEgLew3oBrorkTia8lYNiu6JvuNZxOYHlaQ-M_RD1xiOcinWHw9DcMdrS77gSoWH9yddOsL9dSC0XadX-JwyfrAK85s_7yFcrebcLeiCBPia_clpj1_eQuzhvUd4aStCO3OA/s1600/DSC02170.JPG" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friend or Foe?<br />Answer: Both</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The day of the race arrived with little fanfare. I had a decent night sleep, woke up, and went to work. I left work around 12:30 PM and relaxed at home for an hour or so before heading to the train station. I took the 3:10 train from Albany/Rennselaer down to Penn Station in NYC. I arrived at the Empire State Building around 6:00 PM and met up with my friends (and fellow Tower Masters) Steve Marsalese and David Tromp. We had about an hour to kill before they’d let us into the building so we tried to find a coffee shop to hang out at. No luck - It was rush hour in NYC. Fortunately, I knew of an indoor food court in K-Town that usually had free seats up on the 3rd floor. Sure enough, the place wasn’t very crowded upstairs and we hung out for the next half hour or so. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And guess who we ran into at the food mall? Another Tower Master - Bruce Yang! Talk about luck*.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Read my post from last year’s race to find out why Bruce is my lucky charm.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNdZdzcxxhclOHMNZyTBxu36_DwR_wjUB1lOvhCTwzRP1Qgu_jcTxL2Tgz8i0dU3XgrjxcmTGdtzWrZWHEzQUBwdVRk1JZ0DnhK2htPBCQcy5zjV7WAgwZ49mNvb7Bxq7S9CkWhbYB0A/s1600/DSC02172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNdZdzcxxhclOHMNZyTBxu36_DwR_wjUB1lOvhCTwzRP1Qgu_jcTxL2Tgz8i0dU3XgrjxcmTGdtzWrZWHEzQUBwdVRk1JZ0DnhK2htPBCQcy5zjV7WAgwZ49mNvb7Bxq7S9CkWhbYB0A/s1600/DSC02172.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower Masters!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Just before 7:00 PM, David and I left Steve and Bruce (who were racing in a later heat) and headed over to Empire. The lobby was somewhat chaotic. All the elite climbers were just milling around. We were told to be there at 7:00 PM sharp – no earlier, no later – but very little information was being passed on to the climbers on where to go. So we all just hung out in the crowded lobby. After about 15 minutes of waiting, we were finally allowed to go upstairs, pass through security*, and check in our bags.<br />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*For some reason the Empire State Building thinks it is more important than every other famous building in America (e.g. Sears Tower, Hancock Tower, etc.).</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After bag check, I started my warm up and active stretching routine. We still had about 30 minutes until the start of the race so to keep myself ready, I simply did a round of 12 burpees every 4 minutes or so.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Soon the organizers gathered all the elite athletes and herded us downstairs to the start line. We still had 15 minutes to kill so I just continued my burpees in the hallway. I found the temperature to be uncomfortably hot and hoped the stairwell wouldn’t be as stifling*.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Don't worry, the stairwell wasn't nearly as hot.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A few minutes before the official start, the race director, Steve Lastoe, announced a few individual climbers in the elite wave (including me!*) to the media & photographers before the start of the race. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I showed off my biceps. If you got’em, show’em.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shortly afterwards, the ladies were off. Now there were only four minutes left until the men’s start. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The silence on the start line was oppressing, but I felt pretty chipper. I was nervous, scared, excited, and confident all rolled into mixed emotion. I couldn’t wait to get this race over with.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was offered a starting position at the front of the pack, but I silently declined. I wasn’t planning on sprinting up the first few floors and I didn’t want to get in the way of the top competitors. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Placed toward the back of the pack, I knew most of the athletes personally and a couple others by reputation. I already had a mental picture of how this race was going to turn out. Sproule, Christian, Darren, & Thor were the podium contenders and Tim Donahue would be in the hunt for 5th. Next would be David Tromp and me battling it out for mid-pack honors. Rounding out the race would be Jason, David Roeske (who I knew by reputation), Henry, Josh, Dr. Thomas, and Chris - more or less in that order. That left only three other guys on the start line that I didn’t know - most likely Europeans that would be putting pressure in the mid-pack.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My strategy was simple. I planned to get into the stairwell somewhere around 10th place, climb at an even pace throughout the race, and pick off climbers on the upper floors. I raced conservatively in 2014 using a pace of 87 - 88 beats per minute (BPM) on my metronome. Since I wanted to go at least 30 seconds faster this year, I set my metronome at the slightly higher pace of 92 BPM.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With 30 seconds remaining until the start, I turned on my metronome, readied my stop watch, and silently repeated my mantra: “A steady pace wins the race.”</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Suddenly we were off. In a rush we all tried to squeeze through the stairwell door. I got stuck in the doorway for a few seconds, but with only 16 guys or so in the elite heat, it quickly thinned out. I ended up near the back of the pack (in lucky 13th place I believe). By the 4th floor I settled in behind Jason and in front of Henry. I was a little surprised that Henry didn’t sprint out ahead (like he did last year) but by the 8th floor or so he seemed ready to pass me and I let him by on one of the landings. Henry was one of the guys I was aiming to beat this year - having narrowly beat me last year - but I wasn’t worried. If last year was any indication of his racing style, I should be able to close the gap later on in the race. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jason was less than a flight ahead of me at this point with Henry sandwiched in the middle. The three of us kept the pace up for another few floors and I could smell Henry’s feet – he wasn’t wearing shoes in order to reduce the amount of weight he’d have to carry up the stairs. I silently prayed that Henry would pick up the pace a bit or slow down so I could pass; The combination of climbing pain and foot odor was becoming deadly!*</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I’m joking!</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For the next few floors I was right on Henry’s heels; every time I’d turn the corner and reach up to grab the rail, I’d bump into Henry’s hands. Finally he let me pass by and several floors later I caught up to and passed Jason. We were somewhere in the lower 20s. By this point, the stairwell changed from a series of switch backs (flight -- landing & 180 degree turn -- flight) to just a single long flight connecting the floors followed by a short run on the landings*.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Nobody I know has ever had a chance to map out Empire's stairwell, but I learned something new during this climb: Not all flights from the 20s upwards are uniform. Many floors have just a single long flight, but many others have two flights (a short flight followed by a really long one). I have pictures of the latter case in my 2014 blog. Yeah, the difference between the two cases is pretty minor, but I'm a stickler for these kinds of details.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jason was about half a flight behind me at this point and somewhere in the 30s we caught up to and passed Chris – who kindly stayed on the outside to give us plenty of room to pass. I also remember crossing a long hallway and nearly slipping on spilled water from the a water aid station. I don’t remember which floor it was on, but the moment my foot started to slide I thought of David Tromp; he recently told me that a few years ago he slipped and fell at an aid station… most likely at this very same spot!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jason and I continued climbing together for the next 25 floors or so, but slowly my lead climbed to nearly a whole flight. As soon as I’d finish a floor I could hear Jason behind me starting it. This pattern continued up until the mid 60s.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was grinding out floor after floor marching to the beat of my metronome. I could feel fatigue start to set in the 40s and by the 50s it was starting to get painful. We hit the 60s and it was all I could to hold on to my pace. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At this point, I was no longer thinking about anything other than keeping pace and climbing. I remember passing Jamie Kate (from the Woman’s heat) somewhere along the way and giving her a tap of encouragement, but by the time I caught up to and Madeline I couldn’t even manage a grunt of acknowledgement. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had dropped Jason by the time I hit the 70s and was still cranking out my 92 BPM pace. I was catching up to another climber, too – I could hear him up above but couldn’t yet see him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I thought I was doing fairly well at this point. At other races Jason is usually right on my tail and I knew Henry was further down below, so I figured I was in a pretty good position. Plus, I was hot on the trail of another climber. Could it be David Tromp? My lungs were ragged, but my legs were still pretty strong. Things seemed to be going to plan.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I glanced down at my watch to see how close I was to breaking the 12 minute mark. My watch read 11:50. What the heck*? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Cue brake screech.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was still in the 70s - at least a minute or so away from finishing. What was going on? With around 10 floors to go I’d be lucky to break even the 13 minute mark!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Time was running short and there weren’t very many floors left. I increased my pace and by the time I hit the 80s I was less than a flight behind the guy ahead of me. It was David… but not David Tromp. It was David Roeske! I slowly closed the gap and by the time we hit the 85th floor I was looking to pass, but there wasn’t any room to get through.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The last flight is a long one and leads directly onto the observation deck. I moved to the right to try and squeeze by, but I David was in the center grabbing both sides of the rails and I didn’t have enough speed to break through. David slipped on the final few steps and for a brief moment I thought I had a chance to finally go around but as he fell, I lost my forward momentum. David quickly recovered and managed to stay a step ahead. I don’t exactly know what killed my speed, but I suspect there is an immediate left turn as you exit to the observation deck and I was on the outside lane (which is a longer - and therefore slower path)*. The other likely scenario is that as David fell I simply didn’t have any room since I was basically right behind him. At any rate, it took us both by surprise and slowed us both down.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Hopefully someone can confirm the actual layout of the course.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had one shot left. I could still pass on the observation deck where there would be more room to maneuver. The finish line was in sight – albeit closer than I remembered from 2012 – and I continued on the right hand side to pass on the straight away.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To my absolute horror, there was a girl from the women’s elite wave jogging directly between us and the finish line. At that moment, I knew I was totally fucked. She was on the left side so David slid over to pass her on the right side – effectively cutting off my passing lane AGAIN. We both passed the girl with David still slightly ahead. The finish line was only yards away and there was little I could do. We jostled for position but there wasn’t enough time or space to pass – especially on tired legs. We crossed the line with David literally a half a step ahead. After finishing, I sat down on an empty foot stool just beyond the finish line and looked down at my watch. It had just passed the 13 minute mark when I finally turned it off.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I sat there completely spent in the cold February air wondering what the heck happened to my race. I heard the announces call out Jason, Madeleine, Jamie Kate, and a few other climbers and when I had finally recovered enough to walk around again. Although I was upset at having a mediocre finishing time, I was happy the race was over. Racing up one of the most iconic buildings in the US and giving it your all is something to be proud of.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jason, Josh, and I hung out on the deck for a few more minutes to admire the NYC skyline at night, but being a cold day in February wearing only shorts and tank tops, we soon headed downstairs to the 80th floor for the post-race award ceremony. It was nice to finally chat with the other climbers, change in to warmer clothes, and grab a bite to eat. A TV monitor displayed the times and there I learned that I was 12th overall and the 11th male athlete. I had missed my top ten spot by a fraction of a second - David Roeske and I were both given a time of 12:51. You can see the full results <a href="http://nycruns.com/the-empire-state-building-run-up-presented-by-marmot/" target="_blank">here</a>*.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*You’ll notice that in the official results I’m actually listed one spot ahead of David with a time of 12:50. My chip time was likely faster than his because he started the race in the front row and I started at the back (meaning his timing chip would have started a second or two before mine). However, make no mistake… David crossed the finish line ahead of me.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBa6KQ-YMr_m4I_3TXgDLxMa2seme0Vl2dmI7T0TJ0OfTVtRaeQVwM0nc1_jthZHGPru92Rrt5zrvJcevKJP1LJB6PG5lGPy9639q4YRk4QTjMDRAj9Tx-e7tTcqx_mtfI0gy9q3R43rc/s1600/DSC02175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBa6KQ-YMr_m4I_3TXgDLxMa2seme0Vl2dmI7T0TJ0OfTVtRaeQVwM0nc1_jthZHGPru92Rrt5zrvJcevKJP1LJB6PG5lGPy9639q4YRk4QTjMDRAj9Tx-e7tTcqx_mtfI0gy9q3R43rc/s1600/DSC02175.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Ghost" & "The Schenectady Express"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Several of us then headed downstairs the Restaurant/Bar on the ground floor. I met up with some of the other Tower Masters and had a long chat with Darren’s kids and a short chat with Napolean about implementing “age group” rankings for older athletes on TWA. It makes a lot of sense. Currently, to get points in the TWA, you need to be in the top 30. At a competitive race like Empire, the cutoff is really tough to make. In fact, without age group rankings, there is little incentive for older athletes to get a TWA license. As the “Athletes Representative” for TWA, I’ll have to bring up that point to the council.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Around 10:25 David Tromp and I had to head back to Penn Station to get the last train back to Albany. On the train we both had beer and chatted about the race, college days at Clarkson, and ski lessons (our kids are taking lessons at Maple Ski Ridge) before taking a well-deserved nap. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The train came in at 1:22 AM and a few minutes later, David and I said our goodbyes in the parking lot. The drive home was uneventful, but took a bit longer than usual because it had started to snow. When I arrived home, I quickly took a shower and went to bed. My body was tired, but my mind kept replaying the events of the race. Not only was I upset at about failing to pass at the end of the race, but more importantly, I couldn’t explain how my time was slower than last year. I finally fell asleep at 3:00 AM.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>Race Grades:</u></b></div>
<div>
<b>Effort</b>: A- ; I went out at a reasonable pace and kept it throughout the race. After floor 60 it was tough, but I kept going. My only criticism is that I didn’t pick up the pace when I crossed into the 70s. Although my lungs were burning, my legs still had power to give.</div>
<div>
<b>Strategy</b>: B- ; My strategy “a steady pace wins the race” works well in time trials, but less so in a mass start since position can be critical. Passing is tough near the end of a race. Getting into the stairwell in 13th place didn’t help. </div>
<div>
<b>Technique</b>: B- ; I climbed efficiently, but lost time on the landings.</div>
<div>
<b>Overall</b>: B ; Honestly, I thought I had a good race up until I checked my watch and realized I was nearly a minute off of my goal. However, I put in a pretty good effort, so I can’t say I had a bad race. I'm just not pleased with my overall time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>Final Thoughts:</u> </b>I’m still having trouble understanding how I could be slower than last year by about 10 seconds and nearly a minute slower than my 12 minute goal time – considering I set my metronome at a faster pace. I’m still confused, but I know the clock didn’t lie. After considerable thought, here are some reasons why I went slower. </div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>The stairwell was initially more crowded this year. In 2014 there were 9 climbers and this year we had 16. I definitely lost a few more seconds waiting to get into the stairwell. This year I started the race in 13th place, ahead of only Henry, Josh, & Dr. Thomas.</li>
<li>This year I jostled for position with Henry for the first 15 floors. Letting him pass on the inside also cost me a second or two. He stayed ahead for only 10 floors or so, and although I was able to march to the beat of my metronome while climbing, I’m sure I lost time on the turns (as I bumped up behind him). </li>
<li>After the race was over, Jason and I discussed how we climbed in the middle of the race. It turns out that I pulled ahead of him on the stairs, but then he’d catch up on the short run between flights. Apparently, I was bleeding time during these short runs. Even if I only bled a quarter second or so each floor, I probably lost a good 15 seconds over the course of the race (compared to Jason). Of course, the real question is <i>how did I do this year compared with last year?</i> That is a tough question, but I have a feeling I went slower this year. Looking back on my notes from last year, I climbed at a fairly easy pace and I was alone for the vast majority of the time. As such, I was able to pay more attention to my technique on the landings (in fact, I even described my technique in my blog). I’m guessing I lost maybe 15 - 20 seconds compared with last year, but made up some of that time with a faster climbing pace on the stairs.</li>
<li>This race has a substantial running component and I estimate there are about 3 minutes worth of running*. Assuming I can do the entire race in about 12:30 minutes (which I still think is possible) that means that nearly 25% of the race is on flat ground where my metronome never came into play. In addition, I’m definitely not a runner so I’m at a pretty significant disadvantage compared to the other athletes (most of which who are runners). I now suspect that my goal time of 12 minute was too optimistic. I have a feeling 12:15 would have made more sense.</li>
</ol>
<div>
I feel like a cop-out for saying this, but I don't think Empire is my kind of race. It is a long course, which requires a bit of running, and had a mass start. Basically, it plays to all my weaknesses. If I ever get invited back, I'll have to dial back my expectations to 12:30 or so.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>Lessons Learned:</u></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Start position matters. Being bottle-necked in the stairwell entry is a waste of time and energy.</li>
<li>Passing is very difficult at the end of a race. It is much better to be in front rather than behind. Strangely enough I was in this exact same position at the Sears (Willis) Tower back in November. Sears was a time trial so it didn’t quite matter as much, but the mass start at Empire is a whole different ballgame. David Roeske taught me a lesson I won’t soon forget – and I have to give him props for staying in front when it mattered most.</li>
<li>In a mass start, a metronome is useful, but don’t become a slave to the beat. Sometimes a quick surge to pass or create space is better than slowly jockeying for position over the course of several floors.</li>
<li>Don’t wait till the end of the race to pass. Make a strong move with at <i>least </i>5 floors to go. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-46494908973719084182015-03-01T11:50:00.000-08:002015-05-26T11:53:07.903-07:00There (Vegas) and Back Again<div class="MsoNormal">
Vegas. Clown cars. Stairwells. USSCA Championship. It was an
adventure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the past few weeks I’ve been steadily improving. Not
only did I manage to drop a couple pounds, but I set several PBs in training.
My confidence should have been sky high but it wasn’t. Two weeks before the
race I pulled one of my quadriceps muscles on my left leg. I assumed it
happened during one of my Friday “power hours” in the stairwell, but I only
noticed it the following Monday during my leg blasting workout (lunges, squats,
etc.). The muscle felt tight rather than sore, but I still managed to finish my
work out successfully and gave it little thought. However at the end of the
week, my leg still felt a bit off – despite setting another PB inside the
stairwell. The following week, I toned down my leg blasting workout and then
set another record on the Precor Stepper. Obviously the results were positive,
but my leg felt strangely weak (in addition to the stiffness). In the days
leading up to Strat I tapered of my workouts and kept my fingers crossed that
the weakness would recede.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday rolled around and it was time to depart. I had a
quick workout during lunch – forgoing my pacing exercises, instead doing 3
minute intervals on the elliptical machine followed by a sets of 20 pull-ups.
It go the heart pumping without exacerbating my strained quad. After lunch I
finished up a few tasks at work and then headed home for a brief rest and last
minute packing check. I got to the airport around 4:45, headed through
security, and went to my gate. There I learned my flight was delayed for a
couple hours and I’d probably miss my connecting flight. They booked my on a
different flight on Saturday morning, which would still get me into Vegas by
during the afternoon. On the downside I had wasted a half day of vacation for
nothing. But on the upside, I’d get to sleep in my own bed and still make it to
Vegas on time. Not really a fair trade, but it still worked.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrQ5qFlIz9vu-ArA5B10aCUyZwESwYzIGlz_H2xZljL7VRaEcE1YFW7Z72DILNHnPSW1LwP-8Q4C2iz57G8CoY3MyJ3FNdbpnW5-cJGhct_Sk_QC8J7v1V6w_tjc_xZeaCBuUDUgWMBE/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrQ5qFlIz9vu-ArA5B10aCUyZwESwYzIGlz_H2xZljL7VRaEcE1YFW7Z72DILNHnPSW1LwP-8Q4C2iz57G8CoY3MyJ3FNdbpnW5-cJGhct_Sk_QC8J7v1V6w_tjc_xZeaCBuUDUgWMBE/s320/1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi Sue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I made it to Vegas the following day and took the 108 bus to
the Stratosphere*. I met up with David Hanley and dropped my things off. Then
we hooked up with a bunch of other fellow climbers at the ALA “before climb” party
at the top of the tower. At the party I nabbed my #1 race bib and
timing chip.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The 108 North is one of the best and cheapest ways to get
to the Stratosphere. It takes you right from Terminal 1 and drops you right at
the north end of the Strat’s Casino. The bus stays off of the Strip so the ride
only takes 20 minutes. It was the best
$2 I spent the entire trip. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After hanging out with everyone, I had a quick dinner with
the Ronks and then headed back to the room. I brushed my teeth and crawled into
bed. I read for a few minutes and soon fell asleep. It was just past 8:30. I
was tired and still on East Coast time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning, I awoke around 5:30. I read silently for a
bit and then had a light breakfast (an orange and a couple small oatmeal bars).
Soon David was up and we chatted for a bit before getting changed for the race.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Around 7:15 I left the room and headed toward the start line
to chat with a few other climbers. No sense being nervous alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Around 7:25 I taped up my fingers* and headed to the gym to
start getting warmed up. I ran into Michael, Josh, Maggie, and Sproule who were
already warming up. I did a quick active warm-up and then spent 6 minutes on
the Precor Stepper. Just like at home. Before leaving, I chatted with Sproule
who was slowly pedaling on the recumbent bike. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*The stairwell has a rectangular cross-section which gives
me blisters. Rather than wear gloves (which I hate) I use athletic tape to help
prevent them from occurring.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So Sproule… why are you in Vegas? I figure you are either
1) Chasing points or 2) Looking to set the course record… or perhaps both?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey, I’m just here to race! I’ve been out for so long I
have no idea what to expect.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So says the 4<sup>th</sup> place finisher at Empire.
Enigmatic as always.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We wished each other luck and I headed to the starting area
to change into my racing shoes and check in my bag. After a couple rounds of
burpees, I made my way to the starting queue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The starting 5 was pretty much lined up the way I expected
our finish order to be: Sproule, Me, Oz, Jason, Josh, and Dr. Thomas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here was my take on the podium contenders. I figured Sproule
pretty much had the race in the bag, unless he had a poor race and either Oz or
myself pulled a rabbit out of the hat. I figured I’d be favored to secure the 2<sup>nd</sup>
spot, but I knew that Oz was in fantastic shape and 2<sup>nd</sup> place wasn’t
assured. The truth is that when Oz is at his best, I can’t compete with him in
a tall climb (like Sears), so in a medium height climb like the Stratosphere we
were gonna be rolling the dice Vegas style. The dark horse of the race was
likely Jason. He was looking to finally break onto the podium; Ever since Sears
a couple years ago he’s been hot on my trail…. and I knew sooner or later my
luck would run out. Fortunately, I didn’t think it would happen today. Jason
had just competed (and won) a race in Minneapolis the day before, so I assumed
he wouldn’t be climbing at 100%.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuZwkJ67iCPcEee_bsiIUsvKY72r4s1jSCqbSSSv1-dE5XjawK3v2TzFt-UJWNjg2R0DT6HGa5rZZt5-9oWY53rnJsh0PXh1jOM1kHExCYxXm65CkvLj0wgMGuGaAQdEEMiEb3er5qXs/s1600/start+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuZwkJ67iCPcEee_bsiIUsvKY72r4s1jSCqbSSSv1-dE5XjawK3v2TzFt-UJWNjg2R0DT6HGa5rZZt5-9oWY53rnJsh0PXh1jOM1kHExCYxXm65CkvLj0wgMGuGaAQdEEMiEb3er5qXs/s320/start+line.jpg" width="240" /></a>While waiting in line, I did a final set of burpees. Then, a
few minutes before 8:00 AM, the organizers marched inside the building up a few
flights of stairs to the starting line (the entrance to the core’s main
stairwell). We were all pretty nervous, so we just chatted with one another as
we waited for the official start. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Several minutes ticked by and we were still waiting. It was
already well past 8:00 AM when we found out that one of the volunteers
(emergency crew perhaps?) had hit their head and needed to be taken out of the
stairwell. Meanwhile, I was no longer properly warmed up, so I did a set of
burpees in the hallway to keep my heart-rate up and my body warm. It must have
been a pretty serious injury because by the time we finally started the race
(maybe 30 minute late?) I had already completed 3 rounds of burpees.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally the organizers got the “all clear” message and it
was time to get the race started. Everyone wished each other luck (again) and
the race was on. Sproule entered the stairwell as I turned on my
metronome and got my stopwatch ready. I
followed him in 30 seconds later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve done this race a couple of times before, although both
times I wasn’t happy about my performance. In 2013, I went out too
conservatively (at 90 BPM) and played catch up during the latter half of the
race, finishing with a time of 7:57. In 2014, I went out a little too fast (at
97 BPM) and ended up slowing down during the 2<sup>nd</sup> part of the race,
finishing with a time of 7:56. This year I was in better shape so I decided to
give 97 BPM another shot. With luck, I figured I might be able to break 7:45.
At worst, I figured I’d still be able to break the 8:00 mark.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hit the stairwell running but quickly settled into my 97
BPM pace as I climbed up the 2<sup>nd</sup> flight of steps. The pace felt easy
and I tried to stay relaxed. I focused on keeping one step on the landings and
keeping up to the beat of my metronome. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Time slipped by and within a couple minutes the pace was
beginning to get difficult. I scanned the stairwell for location markers* and I
was somewhere in the 300s. I kept on climbing and soon I was in the mid-400s,
which is the approximate half way point. I glanced down at my watch when I got
into the upper 300s (probably 370s, but I’m not sure) and I was right around
3:50. I was pleased, because I knew I was pacing myself just under my goal time of 7:45. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I didn’t memorize Stan’s chart of the Stratosphere, but
basically the “tower core” section doesn’t have any true floors. Instead, there
are various position markers given in vertical feet. When you get about 800
feet up, you enter the occupied levels: floors 101 through 108 which uses a
more traditional stairwell.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I crossed into the 500s I was really starting to feel it.
I still had some energy left in the tank, but I wasn’t sure I could last
another 3-4 minutes. I double stepped a couple of the landings, but I fought
back and single stepped the next few*. Last year I had already given up by this
point and I was determined not to succumb this time around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*for those of you who aren’t stair climbers, this warrants
an explanation. To save time, it is best to place a single foot on the landing,
pivot 180 degrees on the ball of your foot, and continue climbing the next
flight of stairs. If you place both feet on the landing, it means you just
wasted a half second or so (basically taking a one-step mini break).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the 600s I was fighting a losing battle with the turns. I
started double stepping the landings pretty regularly, although I managed to
hold on to the beat while climbing. When I got into the upper 600s I was nearly
at my limit. My brain was basically in the “off” position although a single
coherent thought crossed my mind “Hey – at least the flights are pretty long!*”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Translation: Thankfully the stairwell doesn’t have very many (slow) turns.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this point I was begging the markers to accelerate
through the 700s, but alas they were still plodding along at a leisurely pace.
I knew I had only a couple more minutes to go, so I kept up the brutal pace.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Suddenly I crossed through the fire door into the occupied
section of the tower. This is the only tricky section of the climb because the
fire door brings you to an intersection where you can go either left or right.
It isn’t clearly marked and even if you *<b>know</b>* you are supposed to turn
right, it is still pretty tricky because your brain doesn’t always remember
things when it is oxygen deprived. Better climbers than I have screwed up this
intersection and I didn’t want to be the next victim. My brain screamed “turn
right” and thankfully I turned right.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fire door took me by surprise and it honestly took me a
couple of flights to convince myself that I was indeed inside the occupied
section which is the essentially the home stretch of the race. I was supposed
to be accelerating up these final few flights but I was pretty much in a daze.
I tripped on the next floor but caught myself before I fell. I wanted to sprint, but my body had a
different idea. I climbed a few more flights and tripped again, barely managing
to stay upright. Yep. Sprinting wasn’t gonna happen*. “Just keep climbing” I
silently told myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I may have tripped a 3<sup>rd</sup> time too, but I
honestly can’t recall.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember hitting floor 107. I knew there was only one
floor left to go, but it took me a moment to actually believe it. My body was
shutting down but I managed to haul myself up the last couple flights. I
crossed over the finish line, glanced at my watch (about 7:51) walked a few
steps, turned off my watch (7:54) and collapsed to the ground.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was in rough shape. As lay prostrate on the floor
waiting for my heart-rate to come down, I was in so much physical pain that my mind
was a complete blank. After about a minute or so, I crawled to one of the
recovery chairs and put my legs up*. I barely even noticed that Oz had crawled
next to me and he did the same thing. After a couple minutes Oz was able to get
back up, but I needed a couple more minutes to catch my breath. Believe it or
not, I was actually in worse shape than Oz who is well known for his post race collapses. At some point we discussed our
times. Oz clocked himself in at 7:54, which was only a few seconds slower than
my unofficial time of 7:51. Although I
had a slight advantage, the race was too close to call - it is pretty common
for self-timed results to differ from the official chip times by a few seconds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I’m not sure it really helps, but that’s what Mr. Paradis,
our cross country coach, had us do after practice back in High School.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-9n2Jnoo0XDxlryxPYvzSHephiP-BbF5f0CZmkaQ6pQo10q5jV9e6o5uEqgDYtEA3GFa7fLnSFhK7xGHo1yjjSc6nxjoUeHGLZEeilqDSeyltAKzTSR5gheuOmnwMW-KFrCdr7Li1Dg/s1600/Tired.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-9n2Jnoo0XDxlryxPYvzSHephiP-BbF5f0CZmkaQ6pQo10q5jV9e6o5uEqgDYtEA3GFa7fLnSFhK7xGHo1yjjSc6nxjoUeHGLZEeilqDSeyltAKzTSR5gheuOmnwMW-KFrCdr7Li1Dg/s200/Tired.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally I dragged myself off of the floor and grabbed a
glass of orange juice and a banana. I was still tired, but my senses were
coming back. I sat down next to Mark Trahanovsky and Sproule and I closed my
eyes to listen to their conversation – I didn’t have enough energy to chat,
although it was pretty clear that Sproule had won the race by a good 30
seconds. They left after a few minutes (Mark offered to drive Sproule to the
airport) so I sat there alone eating my banana. Normally, eating a banana takes
only a few seconds, but I had to eat this one slowly. My stomach was having trouble tolerating solid food. When I finished, I lay down on the couch to rest a few
more minutes. I was still pretty in pretty bad shape.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally ready to
join the rest of humanity. After chatting with a few of my fellow climbers, we
gathered for one big team photo and then headed back down to get ready for our
first US Stair Climbing Association (USSCA) meeting. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took a quick shower, ate a granola bar, and headed to
Madeleine’s room for the meeting. I was running late, but so was everyone else.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The meeting was pretty quick. Suffice it to say, I’ll be
serving as the interim President until we become incorporated as an official
non-for profit, and our first order of business is getting incorporated. I have
a feeling it is going to take a lot of work – and I’m not sure I’m the best
person to get things done, but I think I can at least get the organization
formally recognized before the end of the year. That will have to suffice for
now. We quickly finished the USSCA kickoff meeting and headed to the award
ceremony. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking at the published results, I had officially took 2<sup>nd</sup>
place, just a few seconds ahead of Oz. More importantly, I was less than 30
seconds behind Sproule – which was one of my unofficial goals for the race.
Rounding out the top five were Jason and Josh respectively in yet another tight
race. The biggest upset (in my opinion) was Jeff taking 6<sup>th</sup> overall,
edging out Dr. Thomas by single digits. On the women’s slide, I finally got the
chance to meet the winner, Stephanie Hucko, as well as 3<sup>rd</sup> place
Kacie Cleveland. You can see the full results <a href="http://www.raceresults360.com/rr360/race/yPOqdS/#/results::1426015385428">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Stephanie is originally from Australia. Go figure.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later we headed to Randy’s house for his annual “Scale the
Strat BBQ". By that point my energy had mostly returned, and I was feeling
almost normal again, although I still had a slight headache left over from the
race. The food was great and the companionship even better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt_R5Dq_LEtwLLy9oMi1kWPxi5Uvoz4S77IXIAk4gbUehbzY3ubMQHXI6t1381-2ai4vM9CzUvZrpi6_TIkMI5rWKI23EeQ8Lfzai9ctNfVuF7BJStrUFKg0-yRrQOK6w9mCqRlldmVo/s1600/where+are+we.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt_R5Dq_LEtwLLy9oMi1kWPxi5Uvoz4S77IXIAk4gbUehbzY3ubMQHXI6t1381-2ai4vM9CzUvZrpi6_TIkMI5rWKI23EeQ8Lfzai9ctNfVuF7BJStrUFKg0-yRrQOK6w9mCqRlldmVo/s320/where+are+we.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where are we?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the BBQ, a bunch of us (12 to be exact) climbed into
David’s minivan and headed back to the Strat (watch the video <a href="http://youtu.be/ZmGxlmiER7U" target="_blank">here</a>). We decided to spend the rest of
the day exploring the various casinos on the Strip… intent on finding all the
hidden staircases Vegas had to offer and climb them. The coolest set of stairs
we found was at the [*]. The complex is shaped like a [*] and we found one
staircase that follows the inner sidewall – snaking itself around to hug the
side of the building. Because of the angle, you could see the entire staircase
all at once. We were like kids in a candy shop.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Deleted by admin to
protect identity of the building. No sense in having the casino find out
about our little escapade. I don’t want them to close the stairwell to the
public and ruin the fun for future climbers. Contact me for details if you ever
find yourself in Vegas and want to see the stairwell for yourself. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After dinner at the casino, it finally time to head back
home. “Z” gave me a ride to the airport around 11:00 PM and while checking in,
I learned my flight was cancelled! I’d have to stay another 24 hours in Vegas…
and miss another day of work. I took the 108 bus back to the Stat and asked a
friend to let me crash at their place overnight. It was nearly 2:00 AM by the
time I go to bed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning I was running on fumes. I was tired, but I
didn’t have a good night’s rest (since I was still stuck on East Coast time). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I gave Michael a call before checkout and found out he was
also at the Strat, literally two doors down the hallway! I closed my phone and
chatted with him in the hallway to discuss plans for the day. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hung out with Michael and Ariel for the rest of the day.
We hit the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas. It is an excellent museum and well
worth the $20 cover charge to get in. My only complaint is that the topic is
depressing: Illegal business & murder. Thoroughly interesting, but also
pretty morbid.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After dropping Ariel off at the airport, we went out to eat
with Steve, his dad (who lives in Vegas) and one of his buddies from New York.
Holsteins - best burger on the strip.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Michael dropped me off at the airport after dinner and I
hopped on a plane back to the East Coast. I got maybe a couple hours of sleep
on the plane so I was running on fumes by this point. When the flight landed in
Philly, I found out my flight to Albany was cancelled. I was pissed. I
accidentally walked out of the terminal trying to find the help desk* so I ended
up going to ticketing and then spending another 30 minutes getting back through
security. I was scheduled to get on the next flight, but it was completely full
and I was put on standby (after all, there was an entire plane of people that
was stuck in the airport). The lady at the terminal help desk told me there was
less than a 50% chance I’d be able to leave Philly that day because of a bit of
bad weather coming in later that afternoon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Hard to believe I’d miss the big red exit only sign… but my
brain wasn’t functioning clearly.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Fuck it, I’m renting a car” I thought to myself and walked
out of the airport.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I met up with another stranded passenger and offered to give
her a ride back to Albany. It turned out she was a friend of an old co-worker
so at least we had something in common to talk about during the 4 hour drive. I
drove and she navigated. I finally got back to Albany in the mid-afternoon and
after taking a quick shower, I took a long much needed nap.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moral of the story: Vegas is awesome, but getting there
& back sucks eggs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Race Grades:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Effort: A+ ;</b>
Looking back, I honestly didn’t think I put that much effort into the race up
until 600s, but the clearly the aftermath of the race tells a different story;
the only race where it took longer to recover was at the US Bank Tower in 2012.
Maintaining the pace through the 700s and the final 7 floors clearly took a lot
out of me. For my own sake, I hope that never happens again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Strategy: B+ ;</b> “A
steady pace wins the race” really fits the Stratosphere. 97 BPM was a decent
pace for this building, but it was slightly too fast for my present condition.
A slower pace would have worked better overall. Say 95 BPM? Maybe even 94 BPM?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Technique: A- ;</b> I
climbed efficiently, but lost time on the landings during the latter half of
the race, mainly because I was so doggone tired. Fortunately, the relatively
long flights (with fewer landings) mitigates some of this. I definitely used
the rails to haul myself up the building and I have a blister to prove it –
even with all the athletic tape (right ring finger, on the “fat” part closer to
the pinkie side).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Overall: A ;</b> This
is a solid A. In my current condition (or at least my condition on race day)
I’m probably capable of a 7:40 in this building with the right pacing. But who
knows? Back in 2013, I climbed in 7:57 and had plenty of energy to spare in the
latter half of the race because went out pretty slow (at 90 BPM). After the
race, I thought I was capable of a 7:30… and I know I’m in better condition
today.<o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-43475222420538275712015-02-16T11:22:00.000-08:002015-02-16T11:25:49.413-08:00The Boston Monkey<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a few days after the Empire State Building Run-Up, I traveled to Boston to “Race Up Boston
Place”. I did this event a year ago and even though I had a great race, I
forgot to swipe my timing chip and had to go back into the stairwell to swipe.
Those few precious seconds cost me both the win and the course record, so I was
coming into the race with a huge monkey on my back*. You can read about last
years’ experience <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.alexclimbs.blogspot.com/2014/02/curse-of-bambino.html" target="_blank">here</a></span></u>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Actually, it felt like more like a baboon or a gibbon, but I’d
have to consult a primatologist to be sure.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day after Empire (i.e. Thursday) my lungs were still a
bit raw but I felt energetic. I was still disappointed with my performance at
Empire and I felt like hitting the gym hard to take out my frustration.
Fortunately reason trumped emotion. Knowing I needed to save my energy for
Boston, I kept my workout fairly light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day before the race, my lungs were nearly recovered and
I spent my lunch hour in the office stairwell doing pacing intervals to prepare
for the race. Although half of the ascents were done at close to race pace,
they were short enough so that I wasn’t taxing my legs or lungs. After my
pacing intervals, I knew I was ready to race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That evening I headed to my friend Kurtis’ house in Worcester (a city just west of Boston) to crash overnight. I got a late start
– having spent extra time after work to make a salad for dinner – so I arrived
at Kurtis’ house later than I had planned (nearly 11:00 PM). We stayed up for
another hour or so and I finally went to bed just after midnight. Although I
should have given myself more time to sleep the night before a big race, I
hadn’t seen Kurtis and Renee in nearly a year and wanted to chat and catch up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I woke up around 6:20 AM and slipped out the door by 6:40. I
got into Boston around 7:15 or so, but I missed the exit to get off I93. I was
using the same map that I printed out last year to get to the race and wanted
to get off at exit 24A… but the interstate exits seemed to skip from 23 to all
the way to 26. By the time I finally got off the interstate I was completely
lost. <b><i>T minus 35 minutes</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The good news was that I brought along my portable GPS, but
the bad news was that the GPS was on “low battery” and I didn’t have the USB
adapter for my car charger*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I thought it was in the glove compartment of my car… but it
was really sitting on top of my bookshelf at home.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I parked my car at a gas station and frantically entered the
address into the GPS. <b><i>T minus 30 minutes</i></b>. It found the
location easily enough, but it took several harrowing minutes for the GPS to
connect to a satellite and give me directions. <b><i>T minus 25 minutes</i></b>.
Finally the GPS showed me where to go and I followed the directions towards
downtown. I got off the interstate again into a the messy web of Boston side
streets. None of the street names looked familiar but I kept scanning the area
for a familiar landmark. Finally I saw what I was looking for: One Boston
Place! I found the parking garage I was supposed to use, but it was further
down the wrong end of a one way street. <b><i>T minus 20 minutes</i></b>. Fortunately, I managed
to go around the block and pick up the street again. I quickly parked my car in
the garage. <b><i>T minus 15 minutes.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I ran over to the building memories of 2014 came back to
haunt my mind. A year ago, I arrived fairly early, yet <i>still</i> managed to screw things up – forgetting my bib’s safety pins,
getting locked in the wrong stairwell, etc. etc. But this year I was smarter…
right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I rushed into the building and headed to the lower level to
get my #1 bib. Rather than mess around with gear check (on the 39<sup>th</sup>
floor) I decided to just leave my bag behind the check-in counter. It wasn’t
the safest option, but it saved a few precious minutes – minutes I didn’t have.
I quickly stripped off my warm-ups (I
was wearing my racing gear underneath) and changed into my racing shoes. After
stuffing my bag behind the check-in counter, I headed to the men’s bathroom *. <b><i>T minus 10 minutes.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*’cause every ounce matters.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With less than 10 minutes remaining, I headed back upstairs.
I began my warm-ups right on the staircase landing (a separate stairway – not
the actual race course). I had just enough time to crank out two sets of
burpees before I had to get in line. Two sets wasn’t optimal, but it had to be
enough. With less than five minutes before the race, I made it to the front of
the line. <b><i>Count down aborted. Mission success.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In line I met Paul Curley, stair climbing veteran and
official timer of the ALA, as well as my new friend Chris Price, an Australian
who I had recently met at the Empire State Building Run-Up. Also in line I met
the racer with the #2 bib - Adam Celleme - a local racer who I knew by
reputation. He has done this race several times and owns a PB of 4:31 (set in
2010). Assuming he was still in good shape, I knew it would be a close race*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*To put things into perspective, 4:31 is an impressive time. Last year’s
winner came in at 4:25, beating me in a tight (albeit mistake prone) race. Few
people on the circuit today could go faster. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having barely made it to the race on time, I had very little
time to think about my race strategy, let alone preview the stairwell.
Fortunately, the day before the race, I re-read last year’s blog so I more or
less knew what to expect. With 30 seconds before the start, I set my metronome
to 121 beats per minute which worked well last year. If I could keep up that
pace, that would put my on track to hit 4:20 or so, which would handily break
the Javier’s record of 4:23 set back in 2010. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the seconds ticked by I reviewed one last thing in my
head: Don’t forget to swipe my chip.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The clock passed 8:00 AM and I ran into the stairwell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 121 pace was tough, but maintainable. My mind wasn’t
really into the climb – I was still stressed out about nearly missing the race
– but I had my metronome to push me through the first 10 floors while I climbed
on autopilot. As the floors passed by, I noticed that my movement was turning
on the auto-lights. Every couple floors or so, it would become kind of dark,
but with a sudden click, the stairwell would become illuminated once again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the mid-teens I was finally in the zone. My heart rate
was peaking and I could really feel the strain of the pace. I surprised a
couple of the race volunteers who were chatting idly on one of the landings.
Once they saw me, they moved out of my
way – and quickly scurried back to their assigned stations. By this point I
could no longer hear Adam behind me, although I could still hear the volunteers
cheering for him down below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I knew the midpoint of the race was somewhere between the 18<sup>th</sup>
floor and 19<sup>th</sup>. I checked my watch as I approached the 19<sup>th</sup>
floor. It was something like 2:07 or maybe 2:10? I don’t really recall – my
brain being oxygen deprived at that
moment – but I do remember being fairly pleased. I climbed into the 20s still
going strong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pace was becoming tough as I climbed out of the 20s.
Suddenly (floor 28 to be exact) the stairwell switch from right hand turns to
left hand turns. It totally broke my rhythm – almost like somebody sucker
punching me in the gut and knocking the wind from my lungs. It took a couple
floors to get back into the groove.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 30s were brutal. I could barely hold on to the pace and
gripped both rails at once for dear life. When I hit the 36<sup>th</sup> floor
it felt like someone had taken a hot poker and branded my lungs. I began
counting down each individual flight – not just the floors – in order to cope.
In the back of my mind I knew I was supposed to kick it up a notch and finish
strong, but I couldn’t will my body to go any faster. My legs were ready, but
my heart and lungs were at their limit. By the 40<sup>th</sup> floor I had
nothing left to give, but I knew it was almost over. I climbed the final few
flights (all four of them) and the finish line was in site. I held out my right
hand and swiped my chip. I made sure not to forget this time around*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*It also helps that the timing mats were marked with a huge
red “<b><span style="color: red;">X</span></b>”.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXpjOV5g5-7o3v-nMo_eJS3vKAbkZTcarPZ2qHLMsQZddc6sD0DERLez-TM8lMtODPzs9k2Yvaqm32-kNp47Hvmpi3kmbuN3iEzs-T0QwTMmBHq1wUGrRvyyEcGoCjFjMJGbAbUipks4/s1600/10984162_1123467517669993_6399361807884577623_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXpjOV5g5-7o3v-nMo_eJS3vKAbkZTcarPZ2qHLMsQZddc6sD0DERLez-TM8lMtODPzs9k2Yvaqm32-kNp47Hvmpi3kmbuN3iEzs-T0QwTMmBHq1wUGrRvyyEcGoCjFjMJGbAbUipks4/s1600/10984162_1123467517669993_6399361807884577623_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red;">X </span></b>Marks the Spot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After swiping my chip, I quickly turned off my stopwatch. It
said 4:24 and I was fairly confident that I had at least tied the building
record of 4:23. I may have been a second or two off from last year’s unofficial
pace – but by finally taking the record, I had thrown off a huge monkey off my
back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sat down in a chair, leaning forward with my forearms on
my legs to try and recover. Although I didn’t see Adam finish (as I was too
tired to lift my head) I could hear him cross the finish line. He wasn’t too
far behind so I knew it was a close race – although I suspected I had pulled
far enough ahead to take the win. Next came some of the usual suspects – Paul
and Chris although I wasn’t sure in which order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a couple minutes I finally had enough energy to sit up
straight and talk. I was finally able to chat with the other racers and hear
their thoughts about the race. Adam pretty much secured the #2 spot, but
apparently Paul and Chris battled it out for 3<sup>rd</sup>. From what I
gather, Paul started 10 seconds ahead of Chris, but Chris managed to catch up
and pass. Later on in the race, Paul took the lead again… but did he manage to
take back all 10 seconds? It was too close to call. We’d have to wait until the
final standings were posted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the top, I also had the opportunity to meet someone who
reads my blog other than friends & family. Thanks Nick – you really made my
day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After recapping our individual races, Chris and I headed
back downstairs to retrieve our bags. We stopped at the 39<sup>th</sup> floor
to get Chris’s stuff and get a post-race snack (I had an ice cream bar). Then
we went down to the check-in table to get mine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just as I was getting my bag, I ran into another person who
reads my blog. You read that right. There are *<b>multiple</b>* people that
read my blog! Just to prove it, here is a photo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YwBUUdkvY5rLFkAZdkJjx8-Qbh41t98YfwPD9xjhA6XJuNB_pN7CrxoRiddfDP9HzpLysFXCcsXtOSPzKPVG742suejz8ugC5LQQ8LKU65kuH-vCsLP7BF32aHtKiWb_9ZiRLjeR_8M/s1600/Daryl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YwBUUdkvY5rLFkAZdkJjx8-Qbh41t98YfwPD9xjhA6XJuNB_pN7CrxoRiddfDP9HzpLysFXCcsXtOSPzKPVG742suejz8ugC5LQQ8LKU65kuH-vCsLP7BF32aHtKiWb_9ZiRLjeR_8M/s1600/Daryl.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not short. Daryl is just tall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Daryl – a reader of my blog – came all the way from Canada to
do this race. He is a fire fighter is climbing stairs to train for the fire
fighter games. He chose the right venue since this Boston is one of the most
competitive fire fighter climbs on the East Coast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After parting ways with Daryl, Chris and I went back to the
39<sup>th</sup> floor to snap a few photos and gather some post-race goodies*.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*read: another ice cream bar.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuNN9tcR7hySaZEAtLqvEuLneNoVdrM4xuivRb3UflL-HNjJ3v_uMzib38I-y2M74bujfVFNPqQiSMvLi5KuOgWyJ9iTrIsd5vL1ZZTfE_Srcpw__sYC967DauQosUlL6_rrqtcTLzy8/s1600/Chris+and+Alex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuNN9tcR7hySaZEAtLqvEuLneNoVdrM4xuivRb3UflL-HNjJ3v_uMzib38I-y2M74bujfVFNPqQiSMvLi5KuOgWyJ9iTrIsd5vL1ZZTfE_Srcpw__sYC967DauQosUlL6_rrqtcTLzy8/s1600/Chris+and+Alex.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WCL & SCA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chris and I then headed back downstairs to check out our
official race times:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took 1<sup>st</sup> place with a time of 4:23 – officially
tying the record. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adam took 2<sup>nd</sup> with a time of 4:28 – becoming just
the 5<sup>th</sup> person ever go sub 4:30.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chris managed to hold off Paul for 3<sup>rd</sup> place with
a time of 4:58.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paul came in 4<sup>th</sup> with a time of 5:03, putting
guys half his age to shame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can see the full results <a href="http://www.coolrunning.com/results/15/ma/Feb7_RaceUp_set2.shtml">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After checking our times, Chris and I headed to the
post-race party at Scholar’s Boston Bistro to grab a drink. Unfortunately, both
of us had to hit the road before the start of the awards ceremony, but we had a
chance to hang out for nearly an hour and discuss our favorite subject:
Climbing stairs!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chris is one of the founding members of Stair Climbing
Australia (SCA) – an organization devoted to promoting stair climbing in the
land down under. Although SCA mainly covers the Australian climbing circuit, it
has a lot of useful training tips for stair climbing. In fact, I got the idea
for my “Training Time” posts from one of Chris’ posts on the SCA website (check
out the site <a href="http://www.stairclimbing.com.au/">here</a>). I’m glad I
finally had a chance to meet Chris in person after reading so many of his
articles on the SCA website.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At 11:00 AM, it was time to get back on the road. After
parting ways with Chris, I headed back to my friend Kurtis’s house to unwind.
After Empire and Boston, I was pretty much drained so it was a real treat to
hang out with one of my oldest friends. Plus, I got to eat whatever I wanted
(pizza, nachos, etc.) and play one of my favorite board games: Twilight
Imperium (think Risk… but in space). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjNjg1AEceHkCLmGFP5wGg_TAM6ypm7OQBZ9nSVxCUVl7epMmAG3FyG0OBdMlkC5szpItBhd4TgJ2f5TsKQPh-uQhSjeAaYKeqYlHQn4Xo_lR4uKpQ6RESEQOHls9L6T3tynO0C6Pmic/s1600/TI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjNjg1AEceHkCLmGFP5wGg_TAM6ypm7OQBZ9nSVxCUVl7epMmAG3FyG0OBdMlkC5szpItBhd4TgJ2f5TsKQPh-uQhSjeAaYKeqYlHQn4Xo_lR4uKpQ6RESEQOHls9L6T3tynO0C6Pmic/s1600/TI.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mess with my fleet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Race Grades:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Effort: A- ;</b> I
lost focus near the end of the race and could have pushed harder… but it
would’ve been tough. I was a puddle of oatmeal (steel cut – not quick oats)
when I crossed the finish line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Strategy: A ;</b> My
game plan of “stick with what worked last year” paid off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Technique: A- ;</b>
Solid… but I have to learn how to take the turns faster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Overall: A- ; </b>Fitness
wise, I think I’m slightly better this year, so I was hoping to break 4:20.
Although I felt strong and fully recovered from the Empire State Building
Run-up, I can’t help but wonder if racing so soon after Empire (on 2.5 days rest)
might have depleted some of my energy reserves. In addition, last year I put
together one of my best races ever (before screwing up my timing chip). So all
things considered, I still had a pretty good race this go around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Final Thoughts:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I may have been slightly slower this year (unofficially) it
was a great feeling to finally get both the win and the course record. I waited
a whole year to go for the win and the record. Getting that monkey off my back
was good feeling*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HPP0gEpcMTx_vjRmBXcUbV4HtDHt9CyAUbUkn3XX214nAVRt53Koec6lDPAzh7E00SdKokpkF5s-sP7TPttH0Ds6FPuSOrEH7YZ0fjnuS6g7gzZaCl2uv1_2ggsJu1WbwbsFyY1UBAg/s1600/georgemichael_monkey480_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HPP0gEpcMTx_vjRmBXcUbV4HtDHt9CyAUbUkn3XX214nAVRt53Koec6lDPAzh7E00SdKokpkF5s-sP7TPttH0Ds6FPuSOrEH7YZ0fjnuS6g7gzZaCl2uv1_2ggsJu1WbwbsFyY1UBAg/s1600/georgemichael_monkey480_1.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*No copyright infringement intended.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This building is virtually identical to the Albany Corning
Tower and it is worth comparing how I felt after this race with how I felt in
Albany back in 2013. This time, my legs felt pretty good after the race, but it
took a few minutes to catch my breath
(i.e. stop feeling like I’m at death’s door) and another few minutes to start
feeling human again. However two years ago in Albany, my legs were the limiting
factor. Although my lungs hurt and I coughed up phlegm for a few days
afterward, it was the pain in the legs which I remember most vividly - the
sensation that someone had replaced all the blood in my legs with liquid fire.
I believe the difference has been all the leg strengthening exercises I’ve done
in conjunction with all the stair well sprints over the last two years; I feel
stronger in the gym and the results in the stairwell confirm it. Now my weakest
link (for races 40 stories & above) is clearly my aerobic/anaerobic
capacity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-15150832220207532682015-02-03T06:52:00.001-08:002015-02-03T06:52:59.904-08:00ESBRU 2014<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><i>Editor's Note: Originally written in 2014, this post has been sitting on my desk for nearly a year for a few reasons. First, I didn't have a particularly strong performance. Second, I was fighting off a virus that nearly ruined my season (which started with the Boston/ESBRU combo) and I wanted to forget about the whole thing. The final reason is I'm just lazy at keeping my blog current.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><i>With the 2015 edition of the race right around the corner, I felt it was time to dust off this post and finally publish it. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GE Inspira, sans-serif;"><i>And my expectations for Tomorrow's race? I'm healthy, in great shape, and nervous. I'm likely going under 12 minutes.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">------------</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">ESBRU is
done!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">What a
difference a few days makes. Even though I had a pretty mediocre performance at
Empire, I still had more fun at this race than I did in <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.alexclimbs.blogspot.com/2014/02/curse-of-bambino.html" target="_blank">Boston</a></span></u>*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*In
Boston, I unofficially broke the course record. However, I couldn’t find the
timing chip mat and lost 5+ seconds. My mishap cost me both the race and the
official course record. It was a tough pill to swallow, but a good lesson
learned.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">I was
full of nerves in the days leading up to the race, and sick to boot. I pushed myself
pretty hard in Boston and I picked up a case of “climber’s cough”. To make
matters worse, my immune system took a hit and I also picked up a cold; a runny
nose on Sunday turned into congestion & wooziness on Monday. I kept
Tuesday’s workout (the day before the race) short and easy to make sure I was
fresh for Wednesday’s race. I only did 8 climbs at race pace in my 6-story
office building. Although most of my strength seemed to be back, the top end of
my lungs still hurt, making climbing somewhat uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Tuesday
night was particularly stressful because not only were my lungs still sore, but
a snow storm was coming in. I thought about leaving for NYC that evening to
make sure I would make it to the race, but opted to stay home instead. I hoped that
a good night’s sleep would help me recover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">When I
awoke Wednesday morning, there was about 12 inches of snow on the ground and it
was still snowing. School was cancelled so I had to work from home that
morning. This was actually kind of nice because it meant I’d save a good hour’s
worth of driving (round trip) which meant I had some extra time to relax and
prepare for the race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Around
noon I stopped working, but I didn’t get on the road for at least another half
an hour. Even though I parked my car as close to the road as possible, the snow
was so deep it took me a good 30 minutes to clean my car and shovel a path to
the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">The
roads were horrible and it was still snowing. I nearly had an accident on my
way to the bus station after I slid through a red light. Fortunately there
weren’t very many cars on the road and I had enough time to get my car back
under control before running into the cross traffic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">I
arrived safely at the Albany Greyhound station, but to my dismay it was closed
because of the storm. I dreaded the thought of driving all the way to NYC in
the storm, but luckily the train station was just across the Hudson River in
Rensselaer. I hopped back into my car and drove over the Dunn Memorial bridge.
Miraculously the trains were still running and I booked passage to Port
Authority, NYC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">The
train ride was smooth and we arrived in NYC without incident. Since I still had
several hours to kill before the race, we took the family over to Rockefeller
Plaza to visit the LEGOLAND toy store and take in another iconic building*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I
placed third at the Rock back in 2012. It is also the place where I met
Sproule’s friend Tim Donahue.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">We
arrived at the Empire State Building around 7:00 PM. The first thing I did was
ask permission to measure the stairs. It took a few minutes to get through
security and another few minutes to talk them into unlocking the stairwell
door, but finally they allowed me to see the first flight of steps. With an
elevation gain of 1050 feet and 1576 steps, you’d expect the stairs to be 8
inches tall… but you’d be wrong*. The steps at the Empire State Building are
just over 7 inches tall!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">*Time
and time again, the published step count and elevation for stair climbing races
are incorrect. Just ask Stan. It is no different at Empire. Although I only had
a chance to measure a limited sample of steps, I’m positive that the steps are
less than 8 inches tall because I climbed steadily at 88 BPM using my
metronome. Had these steps been 8 inches, I would have either broken 11 minutes
or had a heart attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">The NYRR
had a special area for the invitational and MMRF waves and I grabbed a spot in
the corner to begin final preparations. While I changed and repacked my bags, I
saw a few familiar faces – people I knew personally or climbers who I knew by
reputation. In fact, I had a chance to finally one of the fastest climbers in
the world: Darren Wilson from Australia. In the waiting room I also learned
that the finish line had been moved to the top of the 86<sup>th</sup> floor
rather than out on the observation deck. The bad weather made it too dangerous
to run outside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Nearly
25 minutes before the race, they started lining up the different waves, which
was odd, because NYRR’s email strictly forbade us to arrive earlier than 30
minutes before the race. Thank goodness I ignored their instructions and
arrived early so I had enough time to get ready. The other oddity was that they
forbade us to bring our water bottles (presumably due to the enhanced security
at the building).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">A few
minutes later, they allowed my wave (the men’s invitational) to start warming
up while the women’s invitational waited at the start line. The hallway was
pretty hot and after I completed a few rounds of burpees, my face was getting
flushed and my mouth was getting dry. Without a water bottle in sight, I asked
one of the guards the location of the nearest bathroom (which I figured would
have a sink) and he told me there weren’t any, but I could try the Starbucks at
the corner of the building. The door to the Starbucks was locked, but
miraculously I saw a familiar face staring at me through the glass doorway. It
was Bruce Yang! I did my best mime impression to indicate I was thirsty and
needed some water. Fortunately Bruce had an extra bottle of water and motioned
that he’d meet me in the hallway. He then walked out of Starbucks and walked
back into the building near the cordoned off hallway. He reached over to give
me a full water bottle as I shook his other hand to thank him. Triumphantly, I
took a few sips. After saying goodbye to Bruce, I passed the bottle around to
my fellow racers as we watched the women’s invitational take off. Now it was
our turn to toe the line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">My
strategy was pretty simple; keep a conservative pace until the 50<sup>th</sup>
floor and then speed up if I felt up to it. Although my lungs felt better than
they did yesterday, I wasn’t sure I was at 100%. Plus, pushing myself too hard
(like I did in Boston) would be a recipe for getting a full blown lung
infection. As much as I wanted to go under 12:00, I wasn’t in the right
condition or mind set. I figured that 12:30 was still achievable, but I’d still
be happy if I broke 13:00. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Looking
at the invitational field, I knew I would be pulling up the rear. My closest
competitors would be David Tromp and Henry Wigglesworth, but I didn’t plan on
keeping up with either of them this year. Not only was I not feeling great, but
they both were veterans of this race*. Honestly, I didn’t know how to pace
myself in this building, especially on the upper floors when you had to do a
bit of running to get to each staircase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Although
I did this race back in 2012, it was a terrible experience. Even though I knew
what pace I used throughout the race, the circumstances were completely
different. I was in the lottery time-trial and the stairwell was choked full of
people. I ended up passing at least 100 people which both slowed me down and
made me tired. It was so exhausted, that I ended up walking on the upper
levels. Correspondingly, only a fraction of my first experience could be
applied to today’s race.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">You may
think I was selling myself short and giving up before the race had even begun.
Perhaps that is true, but at that moment it felt right. It was also somewhat
liberating since I no longer felt any pressure to perform well. Setting the bar
low would ensure I’d finish the race, even if my lungs started to hurt again.
Plus it would give me the opportunity to measure my pace in a clear stairwell.
I might not feel very competitive this year, but the knowledge I’d gain would
set me up for success next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">I set my
metronome to 87 BPM. This was probably the pace I should of used in 2012 and I
figured it would be a relatively easy pace for me to keep. In fact, if the
steps were indeed only 7 inches tall throughout the course, I would probably
need to pick up the pace during the 2<sup>nd</sup> half in order to finish
under 13 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">As soon
as the NYRR finished announcing the men’s invitational, the official sounded
the horn in one of the most cordial starts in the ESBRU history*. I started off
behind the favorites, beating only Henry Wigglesworth through the stairwell
doorway. I immediately started marching to the beat of my metronome as all the
other climbers pulled away and jockeyed for position. By the 5<sup>th</sup>
floor, everyone else – including Henry – were already out of sight. I bit back
the urge to follow since I knew their pace was unsustainable, secretly hoping
I’d reign in a few people later on in the climb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Search
for “ESBRU Start” on YouTube. Some years had dozens if not hundreds of people
per wave, which meant the start was complete chaos.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8xycG0UnBYi2Fqxwx0LtMkfgc1hDC2MFqQV0RCtMVKSc-eATS7Y9kzHCNTX2fey2sTH4uVii1KymEtLAruaU3ksFndj5qrRkU-eRQpb96Q7DrZqhjNfA5zS5j6Es6Euxr6sJY3TQc5g/s1600/DxORu35QnKEgwO45UBKJYGJB2lTCIFzX_300x233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8xycG0UnBYi2Fqxwx0LtMkfgc1hDC2MFqQV0RCtMVKSc-eATS7Y9kzHCNTX2fey2sTH4uVii1KymEtLAruaU3ksFndj5qrRkU-eRQpb96Q7DrZqhjNfA5zS5j6Es6Euxr6sJY3TQc5g/s1600/DxORu35QnKEgwO45UBKJYGJB2lTCIFzX_300x233.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men's Invitational Heat. I'm in the 2nd row.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">It was
pretty lonely in the stairwell and I didn’t like being the very last one –
especially by such a large margin. I wasn’t in the race mentally, but
physically I was coping quite well. My lungs weren’t hurting and the pace felt
pretty relaxed. By the time I hit the upper teens, I increased my metronome to
88 BPM, not daring to go any higher this early in the race. From experience I
knew that the first part of a race always feels easy; it usually isn’t until
the midway point when the pain really starts to kick in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GE Inspira, sans-serif;">Around
floor 21 or so the stairwell pattern changed. Instead of 180 degree landings
between each floor, each floor had a single flight of stairs*. To get to each
new flight, you had to run several paces across the landing. The pictures below
show this section of the race course. </span><i><span style="font-family: GE Inspira, sans-serif;">Photos courtesy James Harris (photographer) and Tomas Celko (pictured).</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZGsA6wvbSwTOCpcPXnPQxTI7ptUMLKz_28V65aA9GvUa7MnCTVUblKoTzoTwRxhHKAf2700zo3OT4S3wOjjASxjJVlSaEKSmPZc-_FnXxNSpfYdtx3Xw83exgpZDtftkzh7bp0yUiJs/s1600/Tomas_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZGsA6wvbSwTOCpcPXnPQxTI7ptUMLKz_28V65aA9GvUa7MnCTVUblKoTzoTwRxhHKAf2700zo3OT4S3wOjjASxjJVlSaEKSmPZc-_FnXxNSpfYdtx3Xw83exgpZDtftkzh7bp0yUiJs/s1600/Tomas_1.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0BhbNAPz3rZIRzApIEvipnV3AVow6WxbnCxYYtYDp8yBMNsKqurT8O8AyRAOHvxCmlE7mT5cwurYBZdB7zGzeUKXydA0yUrfiwBSSIWDVR8XxIvkSwTqd5dAT6c5yRPRGsk7E1bDyl8/s1600/Tomas_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0BhbNAPz3rZIRzApIEvipnV3AVow6WxbnCxYYtYDp8yBMNsKqurT8O8AyRAOHvxCmlE7mT5cwurYBZdB7zGzeUKXydA0yUrfiwBSSIWDVR8XxIvkSwTqd5dAT6c5yRPRGsk7E1bDyl8/s1600/Tomas_2.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*
Technically there are two flights each floor, not one continuous flight. You
will notice from the 2<sup>nd</sup> picture the stairs begin with a short
quarter turn right followed by a short flight of three steps which ends on a
small landing. After another quarter turn, there is a single long flight of
stairs up to the next level.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'GE Inspira', sans-serif; text-align: center;">Eventually
I got used to this new pattern. My technique went something like this:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: 'GE Inspira', sans-serif;">Finish
the prior flight of stairs. Grab the rail to help accelerate around the turn.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'GE Inspira', sans-serif;">Run
across the landing (it is too short for a full sprint).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'GE Inspira', sans-serif;">At the
base of the next flight, grab the railing as best as possible to help turn the
corner.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'GE Inspira', sans-serif;">Use the
momentum gained during the run to carry your body up the first short flight of
steps and around the landing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'GE Inspira', sans-serif;">Decelerate
back to normal climbing speed on the long flight of stairs - letting gravity do
the work.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'GE Inspira', sans-serif;">Climb
the remainder of the flight. Repeat.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Soon I
hit floor 30. The stairwell was very quiet. Besides the sounds of my breathing
and footsteps, the only other sounds were coming from occasional volunteer. I
remember hearing one of them announce “Here comes the last climber!” Most
likely he was speaking into a radio to help the NYRR keep track of the race,
but it still made me feel lousy. No one likes to be in last place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">A few
floors later, I could faintly hear another climber up ahead. Soon I confirmed I was gaining on the racer
with the #4 bib. He was actually the only climber I didn’t know by reputation.
When I saw him walking on the landings rather than running, I knew he was in
trouble. I’ve been there before! I finally passed him on in the upper 30s and
continued my vertical march.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">I passed
floor #44 imagining I only had the Albany Corning Tower left to climb*. I was
nearly half way (time wise) up to the 86<sup>th</sup> floor but I didn’t bother
looking at my watch. Without a stairwell map it is pointless to try and guess
time splits. The floor numbers kept creeping up and soon enough I was in the
50s still climbing smoothly. I approached the 60s only slightly more fatigued.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">*David
Tromp told me that is what he always thinks when he passes the 44<sup>th</sup>
floor a couple years ago and it has stuck ever since.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">I met
James Harris on the 66<sup>th</sup> floor. He wasn’t racing this event – he was
taking pictures*. I said hello as he took a couple shots. Physically I was
feeling pretty good at this point. My heart rate had maxed out but the pain
level was tolerable and my lungs were holding up. I accelerated for a few
floors but then settled back into my regular pace**. I was still climbing by
myself (albeit no longer in last place) and I didn’t have the willpower to go
any faster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">*His
wife Cindy has won the ESBRU multiple times and is a bit of a celebrity in the
stair climbing world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">**That
is one downside of using a metronome. Once you set a certain pace it is hard to
deviate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">I passed
into the lower 70s and risked a glance at my watch; It was already past 10
minutes!* I didn’t really have a clue if I was on track to break 13 minutes,
but I did know one thing; the top racers were already finishing and here I was
pussy footing around nearly 15 floors below. Something in my brain snapped and
I shifted into high gear. It was probably too late to make much of a
difference, but I had to do <i>something</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">* Maybe
my watch said 10:17? Or maybe10: 43? I don’t really remember.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">In the
upper 70s or lower 80s I passed my friend Madeleine (who was in the women’s
invitational) and a few moments later I passed another girl. Even though
Madeleine was in last place, I was happy she was making it a competitive race.
I on the other hand didn’t even show up to the fight. Ashamed with myself, I
bolted up the few remaining flights and passed the finish line. I stopped my
stop watch just as it passed 12:33.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Winded,
I looked for a place to rest as a volunteer grabbed me a cup of water. The last
ten floors were really draining, but compared to Boston, I felt pretty good. I
was fairly pleased with my time, which would have been in the lower 12:40s had
we been able to run across the observation deck to the normal finish line.
Although I was a little upset with myself for not picking up the pace sooner in
the race, I still managed to come close to my goal. Plus I set new PR by a
margin of about 1:15. I was definitely pleased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">After
the race we headed down to the post-race buffet and award ceremony. I think it
was on the 80<sup>th</sup> floor? It was nice to chat with the other racers at
the buffet and congratulate all the podium finishers. I got a chance to look at
the time sheet and I was surprised to learn I was only 6 seconds behind Henry
Wigglesworth. After the first couple floors I never even saw him in the
stairwell. I must have made up a significant amount of time near the end of the
race, which meant my slow and steady strategy nearly paid off. You can see the
full results <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://web2.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/aes-programs/results/startup.html?result.id=b40205&result.year=2014" target="_blank">here</a></span></u>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc68igMH7KI4N0e0YWyFKuShkMSmyq5b-jBbSFiYw9e_xOUhG8sJSY0Ra1q23YsRgWfBpDFBEhPUEC0P4eWzdpmv71Ia6rETErg14BlcVdur_EquBjyKcROg6y4nYlkJPfMSqP0rLjH88/s1600/10751_748663658477166_465210338_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc68igMH7KI4N0e0YWyFKuShkMSmyq5b-jBbSFiYw9e_xOUhG8sJSY0Ra1q23YsRgWfBpDFBEhPUEC0P4eWzdpmv71Ia6rETErg14BlcVdur_EquBjyKcROg6y4nYlkJPfMSqP0rLjH88/s1600/10751_748663658477166_465210338_n.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best climbers live in Albany!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">The only
sour moment came during the announcement of the podium finishers on the men’s side.
I was pretty upset when the NYRR announcer commented “Yet again, no American
male sits on the podium.” Although true, it was the way he said it that really
set me off. The tone of his voice sounded like he thought the American racers
were 2<sup>nd</sup> rate. What an asshole. After flipping him the bird, I
yelled out “Hey, why don’t <b><i>you</i></b> try it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">This
point deserves a bit more commentary. If you follow Stair Climbing, you would
quickly realize that the sport is dominated by the Europeans and Australians on
the men’s side. We have many good climbers in the US, but there are far more
athletes abroad who compete at a high level. To make matters worse, very few
top Americans race at Empire because of the logistics. The race is in the
middle of the week and this year the acceptance notices didn’t go out until 4
weeks prior to the event. This makes booking tickets & hotel accommodations
difficult for those Americans living further West. In fact, you’ll see from the
results sheet that the top Americans all hail from the East Coast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">After
the awards ceremony, David and I headed back down to the bag check area to get
changed. Next on the agenda was the brewery for a few post-race drinks! I spent
the next hour or so with my friends and family talking about the race and
meeting other climbers. All to soon it was time to leave; we had a bus to catch
back to Albany. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Final
Thoughts:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Effort: D/B- ; </span></b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">I didn’t push myself very hard
(D). However, I just recovered from Boston, so I purposefully went out slow.
That said, I should have picked up the pace around floor 45 rather than wait
until the mid-70s. As such, I’m giving myself a B-.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Strategy: C+/B+ ; </span></b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">My pace was definitely too
conservative (C+), but considering I had just recovered, I get some points back
(B+). I can’t give myself an A because I failed to increase my pace during the
2<sup>nd</sup> half of the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Technique: B+ ; </span></b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">The stairwell takes a bit of
getting used to, but I finally feel comfortable with it. With practice, I think
an A is possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Overall: C/B ;</span></b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";"> Because I didn’t push myself
hard enough, I give myself a C. I purposefully held back because I wasn’t at
100%, so I’m giving myself a few points back (B).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Lessons Learned</span></b><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">As
a race, I did pretty mediocre, but as a practice session it was extremely
valuable. Now I know what to expect and can make the proper adjustments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">If
I had to do this race again today, I’d set my pace at 92 BPM and see how I felt
at the 45<sup>th</sup> floor. I feel fairly confident that I could break 12
minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">My
lungs barely had time to recover after Boston. If I do the Boston/Empire combo
again, I can’t afford to get sick. If I didn’t have unfinished business inside
the stairwell at One Boston Place, I’d contemplate skipping the race next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Because
of Empire’s unique shape (i.e. broad landings & long single flights) it is
more sound proof than your typical stairwell. You can be within a floor of
someone and not even notice. Don’t assume you are significantly behind or ahead
of your fellow racers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "GE Inspira","sans-serif";">Screw
Greyhound! The train is far more reliable in bad weather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-25055020842248764422015-01-06T13:46:00.000-08:002016-05-26T13:17:30.336-07:00Climbing into the New YearI always dread the holidays.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First off, the shopping days leading up to Christmas are stressful. I have trouble finding the right gift for people and more importantly - outside my immediate family - I'm never quite sure who is even on my Christmas list.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here is a good example: I made a dozen or so jars of blackberry jam this fall intending to give them out as gifts to my son's teachers, coaches, etc. But then I was told* that teachers don't want homemade "crap" and just want gift-cards so they can buy what they actually want. So apparently I'll be eating my homemade crap for the next few months - which suits me just fine. My jam is awesome.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*he/she shall remain anonymous</span>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Secondly, I'm a creature of habit. Unless I'm in my normal routine, I find it very difficult to train and eat right. The holidays provides a perfect storm: Lots of travel & lots of good food. For example:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>My step mom's cooking</li>
<li>My dad's holiday treats</li>
<li>My aunt's cooking</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Not to mention all the fast food stops while on the road.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I did a better job with exercising, but I was never in the groove and I had to improvise a bit. Here is my journal:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Monday, December 22: Weights (pre-trip)</div>
<div>
Tuesday, December 23: Precor Stepper (pre-trip)</div>
<div>
Wednesday, December 24: Off - traveling</div>
<div>
Thursday, December 25: Hill repeats on my dad's mountain bike (3 times ~ 40 minutes)</div>
<div>
Friday, December 26: Hill repeats on my dad's mountain bike (5 times ~ 1 hour)</div>
<div>
<i>Note: My dad's bike needs some work. The gears sometimes slip when I push too hard... which meant the hill repeats weren't as intense as I would have liked.</i></div>
<div>
Saturday, December 27: Off - traveling</div>
<div>
Sunday, December 28: Off - Busy with family</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Monday, December 29: Stair repeats in hotel (16 stories 9 times, 45 minutes)</div>
<div>
Tuesday, December 30: Weights (40 minutes) in hotel gym. Only free weights available.</div>
<div>
Wednesday, December 31: Off</div>
<div>
Thursday, January 1st: Stair repeats in hotel (16 stories 10 times, 50 minutes)</div>
<div>
Friday, January 2nd: Off - Traveling</div>
<div>
Saturday, January 3rd: Elipical Machine & Pullup intervals (moderate intensity)</div>
<div>
Sunday, January 4th: Floor exercises and burpees (light intensity)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All in all, I managed to survive the holidays without too much of a setback. I didn't gain any weight and I managed to exercise enough to keep most of my fitness. But that isn't the complete picture. A couple weeks before the holidays, I caught a virus which curtailed a few key workouts, so in reality, the entire month of December was a complete wash.<br />
<br />
That means that the next four weeks are going to be critical. The Empire State Building Run-up is only for weeks away and I'm going to have to train hard and eat right in order to do well. </div>
<div>
<br />
My fitness levels have to step up a notch and more importantly I need to lose 2-3 pounds before I start feeling race ready.<br />
<br />
Lessons Learned:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Pack more of my own food on road trips.</li>
<li>Staying in a hotel with a decent stairwell was a big plus. I stayed at the Arlington Hyatt which has 16 floors and 240 steps. It was only $99 per night, but they get you with $23 parking (note to self - there was a nearby parking garage that was only $15 per day)</li>
<li>Fix my Dad's bike.</li>
<li>Walking around DC was tiring, but the exercise was welcome.</li>
</ul>
</div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-81917947687029095032014-11-07T13:35:00.000-08:002014-11-07T13:35:56.155-08:00Duel on the 95th Floor<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Die Nazi Bastard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">That pretty much sums up the train ride to Chicago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The woman sitting ahead of me had a nasal voice reminiscent
of Fran Dreshner from “The Nanny”. But
other than her voice, this woman was Fran’s diametric opposite – old, ugly, and
mean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I never quite figured out why she constantly asked for the
time. After all, she used her smart phone on multiple occasions – and even I
know that all modern phones have a time display*. From her loud conversations,
she made it quite clear that she hated children (especially the “brat” sitting
in front of her) and that she was “too good” for men (which explains why she is still single).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I only use a cell phone when traveling and my cell phone might
have been considered modern maybe 10 years ago.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When she wasn’t on the phone, she asked everyone around her
when the train was going to arrive at the next station. You see, she suffered
from Bronchitis and Emphysema (which I deduced from her non-stop coughing fits)
and she declared that she needed to have a smoke break. Immediately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I had to laugh when she proclaimed to the entire car that she
was traveling in Hell. She took the words right out of my mouth!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I changed seats for a few hours to get away from all the
noise and I managed to get a few hours of sleep. But apparently, my new seat
was already claimed and when the owners returned, I was kicked out and had to
go back to my original seat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I’d like to point out that when I initially switched seats I
*did* ask the nearby passengers to make sure I wasn’t sitting in someone else’s
seat. Clearly they were mistaken. When the owners finally returned (around 2:00
AM) I wasn’t about to argue with a couple of 6’3”, 200+ lb gentlemen.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I put in my ear plugs and dozed for a while, but when she
yelled “Die Nazi bastard!” it was enough to wake up the dead (it was after all,
Halloween night)*. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I can only assume she was watching the film “Dead Snow” on
her smartphone.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">At 4:00 AM I finally told her “Please be quiet until the sun
rises” to which she replied “Leave me alone, I’m not feeling well!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Indeed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Afterward, I managed to close my eyes for a couple hours and
even managed a short nap. But by 6:30 AM, the she-devil’s questions resumed in
earnest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The remainder of the trip went by fairly quickly. Although I
was sleep-deprived, the old lady’s nonsensical self-conversations were quite
amusing. Plus, she left the train car for a few extended periods (presumably to
bother other people) and I was able to read a couple hundred pages of the “The
Princess Bride” uninterrupted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When the train finally arrived at Union Station, I met my
friend (and host) David Hanley in the waiting area and together we headed to
the Sears (Willis) Tower to pick up our racing bibs. At the pickup area we met
up with Jason Larson and a few of his friends from Minneapolis. Since it was
lunch time we decided to grab a bite to eat at Lou Mitchell's, an old-school
Chicago eatery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We were all pretty nervous about the upcoming race so four of us (Jason, Jessica, David and I) decided to kill time by taking a walk along the lake shore. Traffic turned out
to be pretty heavy around Soldier Field since there was a pretty serious Rugby
match starting between the All Blacks (Kiwis) and the Eagles (yes we do have a
US rugby team), but David knew of a secret parking area. During our walk we
learned a couple things:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">My bladder
is quite active when nervous.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Rugby fans
really like to drink beer and leave their cans lying about.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Good fortune smiled upon us as we came across a hidden stash
of bottle water left by the drunken Ruby fans. Just the thing I needed to fuel
my hyperactive bladder!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-vDmszv3eNPgCxtcldZWHBAQs4A5DX3g-z5BveZ2I5KH3AWtJr5_XplI8oUR6Pe2c7rbircvQLXUq5qZNsZgDAg5WwXM9JO3mIkgqGjhBlDYOWQa8JLLXeTuqpgzL-WYdXV9WZuQWv4/s1600/water3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-vDmszv3eNPgCxtcldZWHBAQs4A5DX3g-z5BveZ2I5KH3AWtJr5_XplI8oUR6Pe2c7rbircvQLXUq5qZNsZgDAg5WwXM9JO3mIkgqGjhBlDYOWQa8JLLXeTuqpgzL-WYdXV9WZuQWv4/s1600/water3.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well If I didn't, someone else would've</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QJRpg_X5YRGVqBIEVMiu0NhD_Mlv5iIUUmjwJ_uunQkFqXhlut2q9buw2N_MK54J7ar8ZdHBRJ3s5a1bSylqfr9P1NO9B44ppJ_r7Fdd8_Q-Gcum7KzzLTt23-dwraOK7XFL56oHYQ4/s1600/water0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QJRpg_X5YRGVqBIEVMiu0NhD_Mlv5iIUUmjwJ_uunQkFqXhlut2q9buw2N_MK54J7ar8ZdHBRJ3s5a1bSylqfr9P1NO9B44ppJ_r7Fdd8_Q-Gcum7KzzLTt23-dwraOK7XFL56oHYQ4/s1600/water0.jpg" height="200" width="182" /></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp8tIsyvb6uLUYaBQFyueAGlacZv8nCNmRmNBkEUDEf2DcHxcgv-ii-sF5r-Kk5wCDqL74AZrEhPaJad0dX5tt2SfdoTPL1ZHSxCDfsbCTtHwbF2w7phxIUf6Et8lSBOUnlv0hU1Ddng/s1600/water2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp8tIsyvb6uLUYaBQFyueAGlacZv8nCNmRmNBkEUDEf2DcHxcgv-ii-sF5r-Kk5wCDqL74AZrEhPaJad0dX5tt2SfdoTPL1ZHSxCDfsbCTtHwbF2w7phxIUf6Et8lSBOUnlv0hU1Ddng/s1600/water2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another man's trash is another man's treasure</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After our walk, we headed to dinner where we met up with most
of our other West Coast Labels team mates. I won’t name everyone at dinner, but
rest assured that most of the top climbers were present. Although David and I
were some of the last climbers to leave the restaurant, there was enough time
to get back to David’s house to unwind before going to sleep.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The next morning, I woke up at 5:30 and quickly readied my
racing gear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Breakfast you ask? 5.3 ounces of Greek yogurt & one large
banana.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In the car we could see the Sears (Willis) Tower looming in
the distance. A new wave of nervousness rushed over my body, but David and I
kept chatting to relieve the tension.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We arrived at Sears (Willis) right at 6:18. T-minus 42 minutes
until the start. I set the timer on my watch just to make sure I’d make it to
the start line on time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Considering I was wearing a watch, you may be wondering why
I bothered to set my timer. Answer: I just bought my watch on Friday and it
didn’t come with directions. I have yet to figure out how to set the actual
time… but I managed to figure out how to use the stop watch feature.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I decided to start my warm-up routine at T-minus 25 minutes.
Until then I chatted with a few other climbers I hadn’t seen at dinner the
previous night. Strangely enough, I didn’t have to use the bathroom – even
though my nerves were taught and starting to fray around the edges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">With the countdown nearing the 25 minute mark, I started my
warm-up routine. Five minutes of active stretching (high kicks, etc.) followed
by 75 jumping jacks. Then I began my burpee routine to get my heart rate going:
Intervals of 12 burpees followed by 2-3 minutes of rest. After my 3<sup>rd</sup>
interval I made my way to the start line. It was already packed, but I managed
to snake my way through the crowd to get to the head of the line. Here I met
all the other top climbers. After a few greetings and fist bumps, I excused
myself for my final round of burpees. T-minus 6 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Note to self: the starting area is cordoned off by a single
strap. Rather than fight through the crowds, next time just duck under the barrier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Back in line we decided our starting order. In general, this
is a pretty straightforward activity; Faster climbers line up before the slower
ones in order avoid serious bottlenecks in the stairwell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJPqLW6_WkU2PCNzXB6YGKoIhN4w198XZ0Db9ol4E9sa0uZXbU8VSiAyo5pptmNy5Y-nIZSuhFnTGiVRIF-8Jpzb2ZzTO4oqQSfSbzuk5HA4af7DN0XduMaTwcPLvvSPJ8TugLgY3uAI/s1600/Start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJPqLW6_WkU2PCNzXB6YGKoIhN4w198XZ0Db9ol4E9sa0uZXbU8VSiAyo5pptmNy5Y-nIZSuhFnTGiVRIF-8Jpzb2ZzTO4oqQSfSbzuk5HA4af7DN0XduMaTwcPLvvSPJ8TugLgY3uAI/s1600/Start.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you recognize the water bottle?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For example, even though Justin Stewart (last year’s winner) didn’t
really want to go first, nobody else wanted to go in front. We all knew we’d
have to get out of his way pretty early in the race to let Justin pass by,
which could potentially cost either racer a few precious seconds. Justin
basically had to go first since he couldn’t find anyone willing to start in
front.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">However, there is a bit of strategy that comes into play for
some of the other contested spots. By rights, I should have gone third – behind
Eric Leninger, another former winner who is right up there with Justin – but I
knew Ralf Hascher wanted a shot at the final podium spot. I knew he was going
to be a big threat since he was only seconds behind me at the U.S.
Championships at the Stratosphere. As such, I encouraged Ralf to go third so I
could go 4<sup>th</sup>. My logic was as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I assumed Ralph would push pace early and would pass me
pretty early in the race if I in front. Not only would that pass cost me precious
seconds, I would then have to play catch up and pass him on the later floors in
order to take the final podium spot. No easy feat. I’d much rather start behind Ralf so I could
climb up at my own pace for the majority of the race - until catching up to
him, that is </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Starting behind me would be a few of my other fast climbing
friends. Knowing their relative climbing strengths I figured it was probably
something like Oz, Jason, Josh, & Thomas but I don’t know for sure – my
eyes were focused ahead rather than behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">After a few quick announcements, the race was on. I thought
they were supposed to start the elites about 7 seconds apart, but for the first
few racers at least, they only gave us about 5 seconds. I crossed the timing
mat about 15 seconds behind Justin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Flashback…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">S</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ince this past spring, it has been an uphill battle to get
back into shape (no pun intended). I was sick for a big part of the racing
season and I was dreadfully out of shape when the Hartford race rolled around
this past April. You wouldn’t believe how hard it was and how long it took to
get back any semblance of racing fitness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But I did it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">By September I my stairwell times had finally dropped and in
October I was able to set a few training PRs. In the days leading up to Sears
(Willis) I was pretty much where I was before I got sick last February.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So keeping that in mind, I set my goal pace at 14:30. Last
year I posted a 14:53 at Sears (Willis) and since I was in slightly better
shape, I figured I had a pretty good shot at breaking this goal. Other than
that, I simply wanted to beat last years’ time – although I’d still be happy as
long as I broke the 15 minute mark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Now back to the race…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As I entered the stairwell, I set my metronome to 83 beats
per minute, just a single BPM faster than last year. As long as I kept one foot
on most of the landings, I knew that pace should get me pretty close to my goal*.
To see my pacing logic, you may wish to read last year’s race recap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*For those of you who are wondering what I’m talking about when
I mention “metronomes “and “keeping one foot on the landings”, here is a short explanation:
I use a metronome to keep my pace. On every beat of the metronome, I take one
stride - usually taking two steps at a time. Keeping this pace is pretty easy
on a straight flight of stairs, but really difficult when the staircase turns. The
landing is the platform between each flight of stairs and in order to turn the corner
really fast, you want to step on the landing (preferably with your inside foot)
and then pivot around the handrail. When you place both feet on the landing,
you often waste a whole beat on the turn, which slows you down.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The first few floors felt pretty easy. In fact, I managed to
keep one foot on the landings even when pivoting on my outside (wrong) foot. As
I progressed upward, I completely lost sight of Ralf, but I could see and hear
Oz a couple flights below. I told myself not to panic because this was to be
expected. I just hoped I could stay ahead of Oz for a little while longer. I
didn’t want to start playing the leapfrog game with Ralf still ahead of us
both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A few minutes ticked by and I approach floor 25, roughly a
quarter way up the building. To be on track for breaking 14:30, I wanted to hit
the floor around 3:38. I was surprised to learn that I was pretty far ahead of
pace – clocking in somewhere in the 3:20s (I can’t remember my specific time). Apparently
my turning technique on the landings was really paying off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">At this point, I was still feeling okay, but my heart rate
was already peaking. I knew I could continue for at least a few more minutes,
but I wasn’t sure I could keep up the pace through the upper levels. I decided
to start double stepping the landings anytime I landed on my outside foot, which
should occur once every other landing. This was an easy concession; single
stepping each landing was getting progressively more difficult as I was getting
winded*.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Single stepping the landings is faster, but it is also more
tiring.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I glance down somewhere in the upper 20s or 30s expecting to
see Oz hot on my tail. However, surprisingly enough it wasn’t Oz trailing me,
but someone else I didn’t even recognize (I later discovered that it was racer
#1045 – Evan Honse). I could feel his presence slowly closing the gap, but
somehow I managed to stay a couple flights ahead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I checked my watch at floor 51, pretty close to the midpoint
of the race. I was right at 7:12 - just a few seconds ahead of my goal pace. I was
pretty happy to still be on track, but warning bells were starting to ring. I
had eaten through most of my cushion which meant my current pace was too slow.
I didn’t really dwell on the fact – since my heart rate was sky high – I just
kept climbing to the beat of my metronome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In the upper 60s, I was pretty much climbing by myself. I
lost contact with racer #1045 a little while back and Ralf was nowhere in
sight. I was having a hard time concentrating on my technique. I was still
handling the straight flights fairly well, but I was double stepping most of
the landings. I kind of felt like I was hitting each and every landing on the
wrong foot – although I know that can’t possibly be true. I was definitely
bleeding time on the landings, but I didn’t really how much time it was costing
me. I glanced at my watch. 9:41. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a
bad thing goal wise, but it meant I only had about 5 more minutes of suffering
to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> anxiously waited for floor #77 (the upper quarter) to see
how far off I was from my goal pace. I was supposed to be around 10:53, but I
figured that as long as I was close to 11 minutes, I still had a chance to make
up lost time in the final sprint. In the early 70s I glanced at my watch again to
see if I was anywhere near on pace. 9:41. that seemed pretty good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It took me a couple more flights for that to sink in. Crap.
My watch had stopped!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I didn’t panic. Although I was climbing blind (pace wise) I
still had my metronome to keep me company. Plus, I was so tired by this point I
didn’t really have any brain cells functioning to properly worry. It was all I
could do just to hold on to my current pace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I passed by floor #77 and I was nearing the home stretch. I
couldn’t see Ralf ahead of me, but I could hear the volunteers cheering for him.
I was finally closing the gap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In the mid-80s, I could finally smell blood. Ralf was only a
couple flights ahead of me. By the time we hit the 90s, I was right behind him.
Our duel began in earnest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMe8-nKhGhG1tiyUKkAtLdlJ0K5ZwiMilBGbPDObAlrUa0yk2DWPcG4Arpvttp14z8lBU27HLe6D3wZ4bZpUCaPleUSnDcxlX4WdrQ7uYYXZrZ84fN3J9ueUDDVC5pCrDVndiDoBzFpFE/s1600/Top.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMe8-nKhGhG1tiyUKkAtLdlJ0K5ZwiMilBGbPDObAlrUa0yk2DWPcG4Arpvttp14z8lBU27HLe6D3wZ4bZpUCaPleUSnDcxlX4WdrQ7uYYXZrZ84fN3J9ueUDDVC5pCrDVndiDoBzFpFE/s1600/Top.JPG" height="320" width="211" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Granted, my heart and lungs were beyond the point of no
return and I couldn’t even speak, but my legs – the most effective weapons in
my climbing arsenal – were still feeling pretty fresh. I surged ahead in the
lower 90s but Ralf wouldn’t budge. He countered my blow with a jolt of
acceleration and we climbed together for a few more floors. I tried to pass
again with just under 10 floors to go, but yet again, Ralf wouldn’t move over. I
couldn’t go around him easily on the stair case because the flights were too
short. In addition, the railings were too close together to afford any room to
pass. Ralf climbed even faster to fend of my most recent attack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We cruised into the upper 90s and I pressured Ralf to go
faster by keeping the distance between us as close as possible. He surged ahead
and I matched his acceleration with a burst of speed of my own. I gave up
trying to pass. It would cost too much energy to physically force my way
through and clearly Ralf still had a little bit in the tank left to try and
stop me. But I still held the advantage; as long as Ralf couldn’t drop me, victory
would be mine – I had 5 second cushion and all I needed to do was defend my
position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Ralf made one last attempt to break free as we approach
triple digits but I followed close behind. Together we burst out of the
stairwell on the 103<sup>rd</sup> floor. I had won our duel!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Before I collapsed to the ground, I took a look at the
official race clock. It read 15:02, so calculated that I had finished in about
14:47. I had missed my 14:30 goal, but I beat my time from last year, so I was still
pretty happy. Not only that, but I had managed to place ahead of both Oz and
Ralf so my chances for a podium spot were looking good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I lay on the ground for a couple minutes as other racers
started to filter in. Although I was exhausted and my lungs burned, it only
took a couple minutes to pick myself off the floor. For the next half an hour
or so I chatted with other climbers and posed for photos on the Sky Ledge.
Eventually David and I decided to go back down to the bottom and try to get in
a 2<sup>nd</sup> climb*. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Yeah, you read that right - that’s what climbers do for fun.
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">At the bottom, we checked out our official times. My time was
14:45 and I was currently in 3<sup>rd</sup> place! Even though there were still
hundreds of climbers left to climb, I was pretty confident my podium spot would
hold. Nearly all the competitive climbers had already climbed and since the
stairwell gets pretty crowded, it would take a very strong athlete (like Justin
or Eric) to post a 14:45 or less - passing people costs precious time and saps
energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We bumped into Oz and Sue at the bottom. They managed to sneak into the stairwell for
a 2<sup>nd</sup> attempt and were still full of energy and excitement - hard to
believe, right? But true! Our prospects were looking good for a 2<sup>nd</sup> climb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0XOLOpDnijb3BaaON5aRz7JFCOsyfe7zF9YjSVxR7LeWveuZSyacO9M8x9yAPWiwEd5OfEReOJyiBOYXU6sTsuKCDhBxFTgHWljPAkipdXQfom7lLuvpI2XzD5AaNh1q8Ws9gwufDJg/s1600/David_Alex2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0XOLOpDnijb3BaaON5aRz7JFCOsyfe7zF9YjSVxR7LeWveuZSyacO9M8x9yAPWiwEd5OfEReOJyiBOYXU6sTsuKCDhBxFTgHWljPAkipdXQfom7lLuvpI2XzD5AaNh1q8Ws9gwufDJg/s1600/David_Alex2.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We stood in line for about 15 minutes and were only seconds
away from entering the stairwell when one of the volunteers approached us and
forbade us from entering the stairwell. He told us, “You aren’t supposed to
climb the building more than once. Sorry but I can’t let you climb again.” I
don’t know how he knew it we had already climbed. Personally, I’m blaming
David… they probably recognized his West Coast Labels shirt :)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But our wait wasn’t all for naught. While standing in line we
did get a chance to get our picture taken in front of the Green Screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Eventually a group of us decided to go back to Lou Mitchell's
for breakfast. I was hungry, and I happily accepted a couple donut holes
(thanks Lou!) and an extra helping of fried potatoes (thanks Madeline!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">After breakfast, David and I headed back to his house for a
quick shower and lunch. We talked about our most recent adventures and checked
the final race results online. I barely managed to hold on to 3<sup>rd</sup>
place (Yes!) and David easily made the top 50. In fact, he set a PR by 61
seconds. Amazing! You can see the final results <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://theracershub.com/results_view.php?id=2511&result_type=db" target="_blank">here</a></span></u>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The afternoon passed by quickly and soon enough it was time
to go out for a bite of dinner. We met up with Sue, Madeline, and Marisol in
Chinatown and found a nice restaurant to eat, relax, and socialize. After
dinner, David dropped me off at Union Station to catch the overnight train.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNWtwYaIdYjQrJcsayo7cbO8At709YzyIWdy7OCqX3NVapZVPenk_ZgYRY_2V88xFJFyxTjHeHHFmUBNeVnAbQjUIl0e-bob1kH6CMKhoBU8JSuiVUszBkJ3VM3A14ZCd0G8CLEB4QRM/s1600/Eat_me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNWtwYaIdYjQrJcsayo7cbO8At709YzyIWdy7OCqX3NVapZVPenk_ZgYRY_2V88xFJFyxTjHeHHFmUBNeVnAbQjUIl0e-bob1kH6CMKhoBU8JSuiVUszBkJ3VM3A14ZCd0G8CLEB4QRM/s1600/Eat_me.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We DID NOT eat here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The train ride home was thankfully uneventful. Not only was I
able to sleep uninterrupted, but I was able to polish off the final few
chapters of “The Princess Bride”. The train arrived in Schenectady around 4:45
PM the next day - only about 2.5 hours late. I hit the gym around 5:15. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Gotta keep my weapons sharp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Effort:</span></u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> B+. Although it was all I could do to hold on in the
70s, I had a little bit left in the tank near the end of the race. I recovered
a little too quickly to give myself an “A”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Strategy</span></u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">: B+. My pacing was okay. I went out a little too fast
and bled time later in the race. But it was good enough to prevent bonking at
the top. I liked starting behind Ralf because it took some of the pressure off.
However, that strategy fell apart when I was </span></span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">bottle necked</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> in the mid-90s. It
would have been much easier to pass in the mid-80s (where the rails are farther
apart and the flights longer). Maybe I should have taken Justin’s offer to start first?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Technique</span></u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">: B-. I lost a lot of time double stepping the
landings. I was sloppy from floor 30 </span></span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">onward</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Overall</span></u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">: B. If this was my first time climbing, I would have
given myself a B+, but this was my 4<sup>th</sup> time in the building. I made
basically the same mistakes I did last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Final Thoughts</span></u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">: Although Ralf wouldn’t let me
pass on the upper floors, I’m not angry. I did the same thing at the
Stratosphere back in 2013. Anyway, he increased the pace each time I got close
enough to pass, so I didn’t lose too much time. You can’t fault someone for
racing, especially in a narrow stairwell at full speed. It comes with the
territory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">If I were to do this race again, I’d probably keep my
metronome at 83 BPM and pay special attention to the landings. I’d want to make
sure I’d single step the landings at least once every other landing. Another
possibility would be to use David’s step pattern (essentially single stepping the
steps near the landings) and increase my overall pace to account for the slower
turns. Food for thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-29404638887149426892014-09-15T14:15:00.000-07:002014-09-16T18:31:44.693-07:00Training Time #2: Interval Training<div>
Although stair climbing is becoming more popular, there exists very little literature devoted to training for stair climbing races.</div>
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<div>
I've decided to take matters into my own hands and publish some of my own stair climbing work-outs. This is my second post in (hopefully) a series of posts devoted to training for a stair climbs. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
For Training Time #2, I've decided to share a few of my interval training workouts. These workouts focus on increasing anaerobic threshold and VO2 max*, which I consider to be the #1 ingredients to stair climbing performance.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*which is just a fancy way to say building up the heart & lungs.</span><br />
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Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByQCXKkCOEX7bDlTSFhBWjZQRHM/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here </a>to download a few of my interval training routines (via Google Docs).</div>
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This document is a work in progress, so comments are always welcome; I'm always looking to learn and incorporate new things.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
<div>
Alex</div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334627823501547232.post-84657498417358552572014-09-11T14:04:00.000-07:002014-09-11T14:08:32.036-07:00Climbing & CruisingVacations really disrupt my workout schedule and eating habits. This year's cruise to St. Martin and St. Thomas was no exception.<br />
<br />
Having taken a cruise before, I knew that overeating was going to be my biggest challenge - and it was. There is so much food available at every hour of the day I couldn't help myself. Sure, I still ate plenty of fruits and vegetables, but I didn't pass up any opportunity for dessert and I tried pretty much everything my taste buds desired. I left the dinning room uncomfortably full after each and every meal. Yes, I felt guilty, but I still will have fond memories of all the fried sweet plantains and slices of English bacon that I consumed.<br />
<br />
In order to offset my feelings of guilt about overeating, I vowed to keep up my regular training schedule. To that end, I squeezed in a short workout before I went to the airport at the start of vacation and did on an uphill bike ride & push-up session the evening I returned.<br />
<br />
Exercising at home is easy, but while I was away from home I had to be a bit creative. Here are a few of the things I did to keep in shape while traveling.<br />
<ul>
<li>I did a hard stair climbing session (stairwell sprints) in the hotel I stayed at before getting on the cruise ship. The stairwell was very hot & humid (being in Miami) but I took my breaks in the air-conditioned hotel. Table 1 shows a comparison between my practice staircase and the hotel's stairwell. You can see the stairwells are significantly different, and it was fun* to try something new. Here is what I noticed:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</li>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>All the extra turns in a shorter stairwell significantly slowed down my overall speed.</li>
<li>Using double rails gives a pretty good upper back workout compared with using only single rails. Although I didn't really notice during the workout, my back muscles were sore the following day.</li>
<li>My quads never really gave out during this workout, even though I took relatively shorter breaks. I believe this was a combination of:</li>
<ul>
<li>Slower ascent times (i.e. less power used) because of all the turns.</li>
<li>More upper body power utilized because of the double rails.</li>
<li>Relatively shorter overall height.</li>
</ul>
<li>My lungs were pretty raw on the last few ascents, so I know I put in a solid effort.</li>
<li>Double rails are great for descending. By grabbing both sides of the rail I could easily take two step at a time. This method was pretty fast and didn't tire out the calves (i.e. no DOMS).</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
*In the case of stair climbing, the term"fun" and "pain" get kind of mixed up.</div>
<ul>
<li>I did another hard stair climbing workout (stair well sprints) the last day of the cruise. Cruise ships are so tall that you can easily get in a good climbing workout climbing up the main staircase. Table 1 shows a comparison between the cruise ship and my practice stairwell. Here are a few things I experienced:</li>
<ul>
<li>Similar to the hotel's stairwell, I noticed all all the extra turns on the cruise ship's stairwell really slowed down my climbing speed.</li>
<li>An annoying issue was that there were people loitering on the staircase - no matter what time of day - which added a few seconds to many of my ascents.</li>
<li>The elevator ride down is fast, but often would fill up with people stopping on every floor. I received a few funny stares.</li>
<li>My legs never really gave out. I think the extra resting break, slower ascents (because of the extra turns), and taking the elevator down played a role in keeping my quads fresh.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJjZa3EoplhLHJati6CplbVdZOPTn5rWYe3xXcerIU7nJsGBreCf-17_iCSP6CyD9CV8wsFcV_dC_BxgsVrYF28Z7_46VYGpGsrFTQdaATCpLWr0DxIODxmb-zKw1kmw72BKqFWpy-aw/s1600/vacation1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJjZa3EoplhLHJati6CplbVdZOPTn5rWYe3xXcerIU7nJsGBreCf-17_iCSP6CyD9CV8wsFcV_dC_BxgsVrYF28Z7_46VYGpGsrFTQdaATCpLWr0DxIODxmb-zKw1kmw72BKqFWpy-aw/s1600/vacation1.gif" height="228" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table 1<br />
<i>(items in yellow are estimated)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
</ul>
<li>The fitness center on the cruise ship (Norwegian Getaway) was well equipped and it even had a stepper and a rower. It made going to the gym a lot easier, but I still ran into a few challenges:</li>
<ul>
<li>The stepper wasn't the same brand that I typically use so I had to let my breathing rate be my guide when I did my 5x4 minute intervals. I started off a bit too slow, but by the final interval I was really pushing my limit. </li>
<li>The rower was a blessing. Having a "Concept2" rower really made my day since I was able to replicate my standard rowing workout on the cruise ship.</li>
<li>Although the ship advertised TRX cables, Unfortunately, they were only available during a few group fitness classes (which cost extra $$$). The fitness staff was always strangely absent so I never even had a chance to borrow a set. Instead I made do with wall sits, lunges, and goblet squats. I'll need to find another good quad exercise or purchase my own set of cables for travel.</li>
<li>The hamstring curl machine was a complete dud. It was in good working order, but it wasn't ergonomically sound. I think only a contortionist would have felt comfortable in that contraption (wish I took a photo). I need to broaden my repertoire of hamstring exercises so this sort of thing doesn't happen again.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
When I finally returned home from vacation, I dreaded stepping on the scale. The week-and-a-half long non-stop eating binge should have added a few extra pounds to my waistline. I was in for a big surprise when I hopped on the scale and I was still at my pre-vacation weight!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm not sure why the scale didn't budge. I've been struggling with weight all summer and it took a few months (and lots of dedication) just to drop a few pounds. I can only guess that my metabolism was able to keep up with the extra calories because I made it a priority to stay active - which correlates well with my last <a href="http://alexclimbs.blogspot.com/2012/10/chocolate-overboard.html?_sm_au_=iMVslkJ024qW0SJQ" target="_blank">cruising experience</a>. Great lesson learned - but I'm still glad to be back on my regular healthy diet!</div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304132616908423414noreply@blogger.com1