Preparing for Willis

In just one short week, I will make my way to Chicago to climb up the Willis tower. Although I’m prepared, I’m quite nervous because I have high expectations. I want to crack 15 minutes this year which would be a truly impressive feat. Last year I climbed Willis in 16:52 and to reach my goal, I’ll need to shave off nearly two minutes. To do that I’ll need an 11% increase in performance from last year, which is a pretty tall order.

Since this race is the last big race before the Empire State Building Run-up, I’d like to do well enough in this race to be considered for an elite spot in New York. This adds increases the pressure of this race by an order of magnitude. Even if I break the 15 minute mark, I’m still not guaranteed a spot at the ESBRU.

There are several improvements that I’ve made that will help me break 15 minutes this time around. In order of magnitude (from smallest gain to biggest gain) here are my top improvements:

1)      New Shoes: I just picked up a pair of New Balance Minimus sneakers. Although I’m not quite used to them, they are so much lighter than my current pair of sneakers. The shoes themselves weigh as much as my orthotic inserts. No joke.

2)      Experience: My biggest mistake last year was starting out way too fast. Since I’ll be using a metronome to pace myself, I won’t be making the same mistake twice.

3)      Diet: I’ve improved my diet considerably since last year. Even though I haven’t lost any weight, my percent body fat is at an all-time low (just under 10%) meaning I’ve shed a few pounds of fat and replaced it all with muscle.

4)      Training: I’ve trained my butt off during the year, even when times were tough. I’ve shaved off over six seconds in my training stair case, nearly a 13% increase in performance since last November.

Even though I’m well prepared, there are a few things that worry me. In order of magnitude (from smallest worry to biggest) are:

1)      New Shoes: I’m not used to the way my new sneakers feel. They feel alright as long when I use the inside rail, but are definitely uncomfortable when I use the outside rail (and take an extra couple steps on the landing). I hope they will feel more normal with practice.

2)      Pacing: Since I’m not sure of the step height (it changes on the upper levels) and I didn’t use my metronome last year (as a reference point) I’m not sure which setting to use. I may have to bring a ruler with me to the race.

3)      Weight: My body composition has improved, but I haven’t lost any weight. I’m probably spotting most top 20 climbers a good 15 pounds.

4)      Building: Tall buildings are not my forte and Willis is the tallest climb in North America.

5)      Training: Although I’ve seen a big improvement in my practice building, I’m not confident that my sprint training will boost my performance in a longer race. I have recently incorporated some longer distances to my training plan (thanks to feedback from Sproule). On my Sunday bike ride, I’m averaging about 25 miles whereas before I was only averaging 10-15 miles. I’ve also increased the amount of time on the step mill by 25%. I just hope it isn’t too little too late.

My official prediction is to crack 16 minutes with a stretch goal of breaking 15 minutes.

Chocolate Overboard

Throughout August and early September I made some pretty good gains in climbing fitness, but then I spent a week on a cruise ship for vacation. I was worried that I’d lose all of my recent gains since I wouldn’t be on my normal schedule and I’d have easy access to junk food.

As expected, I couldn’t resist the temptations of overeating. A perfect example was Friday evening, midway through the cruise. That day I had a moderate breakfast, lunch, and dinner and I planned to hit the fitness center that night and have a light post workout snack. But just before my workout, I bumped into “Chocolate Night” at the 24 hour buffet. The crew had set up a dozen or so chocolate sculptures, a chocolate fondue fountain, and laid out dozens of chocolate desserts: chocolate ganache cake, chocolate brownies, chocolate éclairs… you name it, it was there. Before I could stop myself, I had already eaten a couple plates worth of chocolate delights.

Miraculously, I didn’t gain any weight even though I consumed thousands of extra calories throughout the trip. I figure that one reason was because I wasn’t stuck behind my desk and I was on my feet for much of the day so I burned more calories than on a typical work day. However, I think the biggest reason I kept off the weight was because I kept to my normal exercise routine. Although I didn’t use the stairs on the cruise ship (other than for normal everyday use) I went to the fitness center every single day for a good hour and made sure I pushed myself as hard as I would have at home.*

* It wasn’t easy. Several times I went to the gym after a late dinner in order to get my workout complete before closing time. Trust me on this… working out on a full stomach isn’t the most pleasant experience.

Fast forward two weeks and I’m back in top shape even though I suffered through a nasty cold a few days after my trip and had to curtail my training for a couple days. My motivation level is back to normal and since I still have 5 weeks of training to go before Willis, I think I can make some solid gains before the race. I honestly think that breaking the 15 minute barrier is possible this time around!

Training for the Stairwell

I often wonder how other stair climbers train. I’m looking to improve my own training regime so I’d love to learn a thing or two from other climbers. In this post I will share my own personal training plan; hopefully others can learn from it or better yet... offer up suggesting for improving it.

Before I get into the specific details of my training program, it would help to know a little bit about my personal stair climbing goals and training limitations:

·        I know many climbers excel at other sports and often have training plans aimed at competing in multiple disciplines; I primarily train for stair climbing races, so my training regime is focused mainly to get better at climbing.

·        I do not have easy access to a tall building. My training staircase is only 7 stories tall, so my stair case workouts are typically sprints.

·        I’d like to run, but I have too many chronic injuries. I hope to get healthy enough to run again someday.

·        I’m heavier than most climbers since I used to lift weights. I’m not yet ready to sacrifice upper body muscle mass to cut weight, so I continue to incorporate upper body strength work into my work out plans. I like my beach muscles!

·        I have limited time to exercise, so my workouts last about one hour.

·        Since I’m relatively heavy (175+ lbs) and I incorporate a lot of sprints into my workouts, my training regime is geared toward shorter climbs (200 meters or less).

Now that you know a little bit about my background, here are my key workouts for the week:

Strength Training

After warming up, I do the following exercises.

·        Two sets of 26 squats immediately followed by 26 lunges (13 on each side) while holding two 30 pound dumbbells. Rest 2.5 minutes between sets.

·        Three sets of 15 deadlifts with 2.5 minutes rest between sets. I usually start off at 95 lbs. and increase the weight each set. When I’m 100% healthy, I typically max out at 185 lbs. (about 10 lbs. heavier than my body weight). When my sciatic nerve is acting up, I will skip the deadlifts completely do a 3^rd set of squats & lunges instead.

·        Two sets of hamstring curls with 1-2 minutes rest between sets. I mainly go for muscle endurance with this exercise rather than pure strength. I typically do about 40-50 curls each set with a little more weight on the 2nd set. The 2nd set is done until exhaustion.

·        Two sets of Tabata leg presses with 3-4 minutes rest between sets. I’ve worked up to about 220 lbs. with this exercise, but keep in mind that not all leg press machines are calibrated the same way. I used to keep the weight “up” during the 10 second rest periods, but I found that it puts undue stress on my hips which can aggravate my recalcitrant piriformus muscle & sciatic nerve. This does make the exercise a little bit easier; before I switched technique, I would normally end my 2nd set around the 3 minute mark.

·        20 minutes of pull-ups or 25 minutes of push-ups (depending on the week). I often ride a spin bike in between sets.

Since stair climbing requires a fair amount of anaerobic strength, most of my training is done using low weights and high reps, which promotes muscle endurance & leg strength instead of pure power. After all, even short stair climbs last upwards of 4 minutes, which is hardly a sprint.

Climbing Machine Workout

I use a Climber to build my cardio endurance and I follow a very specific routine so I can measure my performance from week to week.

·        6 minute warm-up:

o   2 minutes @ 110 steps per minute (spm)

o   2 minutes @ 120 spm

o   2 minutes @ 130 spm

·        1 minute active rest (holding the rails @ 140 spm)

·        4 sets consisting of 4 minutes @ 170* to180 spm followed by 1 minute active rest after each interval

·        3 minutes active cool-down:

o   1 minute @ 140 spm

o   1 minute @ 130 spm

o   1 minute @ 120 spm

*as a reference point, I would be hard pressed to keep up 170 spm for longer than 10 minutes when fresh

This is my primary exercise for developing my cardiovascular endurance since it gets the heart rate going without overly taxing the muscles. Since this exercise is essentially interval training, it is designed to build up my VO2 max. However, the intervals are long enough to mimic the race conditions of a longer climb. I’m truly suffering after during the 3^rd and 4^th intervals; the last couple minutes are a true mental challenge.

On a good day I might be able to achieve a 1 to 1 ratio of time spent at 170spm vs. @ 180 spm. My goal is to decrease this ratio (i.e. more time done @ 180 spm).

Stair Climbing Workout

My staircase is too short to mimic a stair climbing race, but it is perfect for doing interval training. This is the most physically demanding workout since it taxes both the aerobic and anaerobic systems.

·        Warm-up with a slow climb to the top followed by a minute of jumping jacks and active stretches

·        Interval 1: Outside Rails + 3 minute rest

·        Interval 2: Inside Rails + 3 minute rest

·        Interval 3: No Hands + 3 minute rest

·        Interval 4: Outside Rails + 3 minute rest

·        Interval 5: Inside Rails + 3 minute rest

·        Interval 6: No Hands + 5 minute rest

·        Interval 7: Outside Rails + 3 minute rest

·        Interval 8: Inside Rails + 3 minute rest

·        Interval 9: No Hands + 5 minute rest

·        Interval 10: Outside Rails + 3 minute rest

·        Interval 11: Inside Rails + 3 minute rest

·        Interval 12: No Hands + 16 jumping squats

Each interval is done at about 85-90% capacity and lasts about 45 seconds in duration. Three minute rests are sufficient for the first few intervals, but are barely adequate for the latter half of the workout. I incorporate longer rests when I climb without the rails during intervals 6 and 9 since these climbs quickly burn out the legs. I try to keep even splits for each climb; if I climb too fast in the beginning, I’ll pay the price during the last few climbs. I take the elevator down only during my longer rest breaks (intervals 6 & 9). Otherwise, I alternate climbing down backwards and forwards (one flight backwards followed by one flight forwards). This method reduces the stress on the calves and Achilles tendons and still allows me to descend the stairs at a reasonable pace. 

The above exercise routines form the core of my training plan, but I also incorporate cycling, indoor rowing, and swimming (during the summer) on my "easy" days as well as a few sessions of push-ups, pull-ups, and core exercises each week. I normally take one day off per week, although I will usually sneak in a 30 minute session of core exercises if I'm home for the weekend.

I'd like to improve my workout plan in order to get faster in the stairwell; I'm very open to suggestions for improving in it. Comments would certainly be welcomed!

  

Struggling with Motivation

Since the Bennington Monument race in May, I’ve suffered from lack of motivation. One root cause is that my fitness levels have hit a plateau. A year ago, my climbing times were steadily improving, but in recent months, I’ve seen little to no improvement. This fitness plateau has had a profound effect on my motivation. I call it the “all pain and no gain” syndrome; I hate putting my body through grueling workouts without having any measurable improvements in fitness.

To make matters worse, I had a string of business trips where my eating habits and exercise schedule went out the window. When I finally got back into my regular exercise schedule, I had gained a few pounds and my fitness levels decreased proportionally.

I’ve overcome several obstacles over the last few months and although motivation is still a challenge, I’ve learned a few helpful hints that have helped me stay motivated.

1)     A little bit of exercise is better than nothing at all.

This tip is more about preventing discouragement rather than increasing motivation when I had limited time to exercise. During my latest string of trips I felt awful whenever I bagged a workout; partly due to guilt and partly because exercise helps me cope with stress. On the other hand, I felt pretty good on the days I exercised, even if I only managed to sneak in 15 minutes or so. These short sessions helped minimize the loss of fitness. It also helped me get back into shape once I resumed my regular schedule.

2)     Don’t always focus on performance.

When I train hard, I usually have a goal in mind (e.g. certain number of reps, weight lifted, and pace/duration climbed). When I got back into the stairwell after a long business trip, I felt sluggish. Between jetlag, weight gain, and limited training, I had lost my edge. Midway through my first workout, I stopped timing myself up the stairs and ripped up my time tracking sheet. Rather than feel depressed because I couldn’t achieve my usual goal, I focused solely on having a good workout.

3)     Put on your workout clothes.

For several weeks I dreaded going to another grueling training session. Simply walking over to the gym was mentally challenging since thoughts of the upcoming workout were always at the forefront of my mind. To make it easier, I tried focusing on simply getting dressed. Putting on my gym clothes was painless and easy and it took my mind off of the upcoming workout. Once I was dressed, I usually felt ready to exercise.

4)     Reset your fitness benchmark.

My fitness peak plateaued in March and decreased a bit in June. Resetting my fitness benchmark helped in a couple different ways:

·        Before I reset my fitness benchmark, I was climbing faster than my body could handle. I’d burn out prematurely and feel like crap because I failed to achieve my goal. By resetting my benchmark at a lower performance level, I could finally complete my workouts.

·        Once my benchmark was set a reasonable level, I was able to see improvements from week to week. This bolstered my confidence and motivation because I knew I was getting my edge back.

5)     Sign up for a race.

Even though racing season is still a few months away, signing up for a race helps me keep focus. Earlier this month I signed up for the Willis Tower (Sears Tower) race in Chicago and made a promise to be in better condition than I was at the end of last racing season. Whenever I feel like skipping a work out or overeating on junk food I ask myself - how will my actions impact my race?

6)     Have a rival and an idol.

As a competitive stair climber I know the capabilities of most climbers on the circuit, especially the folks on the east coast. As such, there are a few people that I know I can beat if I can just shave off a few seconds. Likewise, there are folks who I can’t touch in the stairwell, but want to emulate. I use both for motivation. When I’m getting tired during my stairwell sprints, I often try to visualize racing against one of my rivals to help get me to the top of the stairwell. Similarly, I think about my idols when I plan my workouts & diet; after all, if can pick up a few seconds by imitating my idols, then someday they will become my rivals!

After a solid 6 weeks of regular training, I’m feeling much better about the upcoming racing season. I’m still struggling with my weight, but I’m also a bit stronger and my power outputs have improved. I can’t wait for my next race, but at the same time I’m glad I have a couple of months to train. I want to be in the best shape of my life come race day. I’m planning for a top 10 finish, so I need to shave off at least a minute from last years’ time!

Every Little Bit Helps

I read a great article today about Bradley Wiggins, the 2012 Tour de France winner. Check it out here.

In particular, I liked item #9:  Bradley’s systematic plan to make a number of small gains, such that the aggregate gain would be significant.

This same approach is applicable to stair climbing. By changing training & racing methods slightly in a number of different categories, the overall impact could be huge. For example, a half of a percent gain in one area only nets a 4.5 second improvement in a 15 minute climb. However if multiple incremental improvements are made in a variety areas, these tiny improvements can make a big difference. For example, 6 marginal improvements will cut nearly 30 seconds off of a 15 minute climb!

The best part of this approach is that several marginal improvements often take less effort than a large gain in a single area. Here is an illustrative example:

To be a better climber an athlete needs to be able to increase their power/weight ratio for the entire duration of a race. To do this an athlete needs:

1)      A lower body weight

2)      Stronger muscles & better muscle endurance (anaerobic system)

3)      Stronger cardiovascular system (aerobic system)

*Assuming* each of these areas has an equal impact on performance, it would be possible to make a 3% improvement in any one area, but it would probably be much easier to make a smaller 1% gain in each of these three areas. In my case, I have a very hard time losing weight and I bet it would take a good one month effort to lose 1% of my body weight. However losing 3% would take much more than 3X the effort; I’d probably have to consistently improve my diet for the next year or so in order to lose the weight. I would have a much better chance making marginal improvements in both my cardiovascular endurance and anaerobic muscle endurance.

Over the next 4 months as I train for the Willis Tower, I’m going to challenge myself to make a number of marginal gains in a number of different areas. Here is my list of goals & actions.

1)      Injury rehabilitation: My lower back, butt, and right hip are prone to injury because of an inflamed piriformis nerve. I also have chronic Morton’s Neuroma, another painful nerve in my foot. In order to train like a champion, I need to be at 100%. Below are some ways I can help myself recover.

a.      Get wider shoes to help my neuroma

b.      Get up and stretch every 10-15 minutes at work & at home

2)      Injury prevention: Simply put, suffering another injury will prevent me from training. My Achilles tendon is often sore because of descending stairs. Likewise I don’t want to re-aggravate my piriformis once I’m finally healed. Here are some ways I can stay healthy:

a.      Strengthen my calves and stretch them more often

b.      Practice going down stairs backwards to relieve stress on the calves

c.      Don’t perform certain exercises (i.e. deadlifts & running) until I’m back at 100% and do these exercises in moderation once I’m healthy.

3)      Strength: Quad & Glut strength are both key to stair climbing. Here are the goals I hope to reach at the gym in time for the Willis Tower race:

a.      Tabata leg presses: 2 sets @ 230 lbs

b.      Dead Lifts: Three sets of 15 reps using 95, 145 & 185 lbs. These are light enough weights to ensure I don’t hurt myself, but I’ll need to heal a bit I get back to dead lifts.

4)      Endurance: Long climbs require a phenomenal cardiovascular system. Here are my goals for my primary cardio exercises:

a.      4300 meters on the erg machine in 15 minutes (PB = 4195 meters)

b.      45 seconds (x12 average) up my practice stair case* (PB = 45.68 seconds)

c.      16 minutes on the Step Master at the 180 setting* (PB = 8 min@180 + 8 min@170)

*Assuming body weight = 175 lbs.

5)      Diet: Proper nutrition helps the body recover and stay healthy. Although I have a healthy diet, there are a couple things which I could do to improve it.

a.      Cheat less often when I’m out with my friends & family (i.e. less junk food)

b.      Incorporate more green vegetables into my diet.

6)      Weight Loss: Decreasing weight improves a climber’s power to weight ratio. At this point, I’m not willing to lose my upper body muscle mass, but I could certainly lose a few pounds of fat and still be healthy. My goal is to weigh in at 172 lbs (~8% body fat). A few actions are:

a.      Limit the amount of bread that I eat in the morning

b.      Cheat less often when I’m out with my friends & family (i.e. fewer calories)

c.      Increase the volume of low intensity workouts on the weekends

7)      Proper Sleep: Without rest, the body cannot recover from physical stress. I generally need close to 8 hours of sleep per night. During the work week, I often get fewer.

a.      Aim to get ready for bed at 11:00 PM

8)      Reduce Stress: I’m not sure what the correlation is between stress levels and athletic performance, but I’m convinced that mental stress cannot be good for my overall health. Since I’m overstressed, here are a couple ways I can reduce my stress levels:

a.      Leave for appointments 5 minutes earlier than usual; I’m prone to road rage when I’m running behind schedule.

b.      Bring along a Snickers bar with me on trips; when my blood sugar is low while driving, I can get angry.

c.      Practice meditation at least 3 times per week.

9)      Better Racing Gear: Gear which improves climbing efficiency or increases power/weight ratio will cut time off of my climb.

a.      Use a pair of minimalist shoes; it will shave off nearly a pound of weight!

b.      Climbing gloves may increase the efficiency of using the rail while climbing; at the very least, they will help prevent blisters.

10)   Improved Racing Strategy:

a.      Calculate my expected race pace and necessary time splits early in the race; don’t rely solely on my metronome.

11)   Improved Racing Technique:

a.      I’m positive I can adjust my step pattern to ensure I always land with one foot on the landings.

b.      Use the metronome to assist pacing; Last year at Willis I sprinted up the first few flights and I paid dearly for it in the middle of the race :P

Power Up a Tower: Part 2

In Power up a Tower: Part 1, I showed the relationship between work (J) and power (watts). I also introduced the power to mass ratio metric (watts/kg) which can be used to measure the performance of different climbers climbing the same building. Finally, I showed an example of how the power to mass ratio of climbers depends on the height of a climb. In this post, I will attempt to predict how an athlete's average power to mass ratio changes with respect to the height of a climb.

Before I discuss climbing, I’m discuss to show a related topic; running. Admittedly, I’m neither a serious runner nor a scientist, but I conjecture that running speed is proportional to power output. At the very least, here is a paper that supports this assumption. Although this paper ignores important terms like drag and acceleration, at low speeds these terms are relatively small.

Since a runner’s sustained power output will drop as race length increases, it would be interesting to see how much it drops depending on the total distance run. I’m particularly interested in races lasting between two and twenty minutes in duration, nearly all stair climbing races fall into this range. I couldn’t find data for individual runners across this range, so instead I plotted data for world class athletes. In most cases, I took the average pace for the top 10 races done at a given distance. See table below:

Average Running Pace per Race Distance

Here is a plot that shows the pace as percentage of the 100m dash pace, a pace very close to a runner’s top speed.



Figure 1

Here are a few notes and observations about this data:

• The shape of the curve looks like a decreasing exponential.
• This data represents a theoretical maximum for humans. Even for world-class athletes, it would be nearly impossible to replicate these speeds across the whole range of distances. For example, Ryan Hall would handily beat Usain Bolt in a marathon, but Usain would dominate in a sprint. With training, these athletes might be able to excel in other races, but they probably would still have different (yet similarly shaped) speed vs. distance curves.
• Max speed (and hence power output) looks like it can only be achieved for about 20 seconds. You will note that the men’s 200m has a greater top speed then the 100m since the initial acceleration is less of a factor in the longer race. However, for the women’s race (which lasts over 20 seconds) the average pace for the 200m race is slightly slower than the average pace for the 100m race. For longer races, there is a significant drop off in average speed.
• There is an odd drop off for the women’s 300m race. This is probably because very few races are done at this distance; hence the world record pace is somewhat “slower” than what would be expected.
• For races shorter than a mile (about 4 minutes in duration) average speed (and hence power output) drops significantly as race length is increased. However, for longer races, average speed drops very little as race distance is increased (about 60% - 70% max speed). In fact, if you extended the curve out to include the marathon distance, you would see that the marathons are done at about 55% max speed.
• There is a distinct gap between the curves for males and females. Part of the gap can be explained because top women are a bit slower than men. For reference, the world record for 800 meters is 1:41 and 1:53 for males and females respectively. Since it takes females about 12 seconds longer to cover the same distance, it would be expected that a female’s % maximum power during the race would be slightly lower at this distance.

To make this information useful to stair climbers and eliminate some of the discrepancies highlighted in the last bullet above, I’ve transformed the X axis to show “Time” instead of running “Distance”. I’ve also relabeled the Y axis to show “% of Max Power” rather than “% of Max Speed”.

Figure 2

A couple observations:

·        The data is virtually identical for males and females up to about 2 minutes (about 800 meter mark) but then diverges by about 2% of Max Power.

·        I made the assumption that Power & Running Speed are directly proportional.

This is a very useful tool for stair climbers since it can be used to predict race times for any building assuming the climber knows the vertical height of the race course and has results from at least one other climb.

Here is an illustrative example: A climber wants to race up a building which is 300 meters tall. Prior to this race, the climber raced up a 100 meter tall building in 4 minutes. What is the predicted time up the 300 meter building?

Step 1: Find where the climber’s previous race lies on Figure 2. Example: For a four 4:00 minute race, the climber was working at about 69% of maximum power (taking the average between male & female curves).

Step 2: Estimate how long it will take to do a long race. Example: For a 300 meter race, it is going to take a bit longer than 3X as long as the 100 meter race. Therefore, let’s guess it will take about 15 minutes.

Step 3: Find where the climber’s estimate lies on Figure 2. Example: For a 15 minute race, the climber would be working at about 62.5% of maximum power (taking the average between male & female curves).

Step 4: Calculate the climber’s pace & predicted finish time using % maximum power found in step 3. Example: The climber should be about 10% slower when climbing the 300 meter race compared with the 100 meter race (i.e. 69%/62.5% = 1.104). At that pace, the climber would be able to climb 100 meters in 4.42 minutes (i.e. 1.104 x 4 minutes). This translates into 13.248 minutes (i.e. 3 x 4.416 minutes) in the 300 meter race.

Step 5: Repeat steps 2 through 4 using the predicted finish time from step 4 as your new guess. Stop once your guess matches your results from step 4. Example: Guessing that the finish time is 13.248 minutes (@ step 2) then the climber would be working at 63% of maximum power (@ step 3). This value predicts that the climber should be able to do 300 meter in 13.14 minutes (= 69%/63% x 3 minutes x 300m/100m) which matches closely with the initial estimate of 13.248 minutes.

A few final notes:

·    As mentioned before, the curve is derived from a “theoretical best”. Some climbers will do better in longer races and others will do better in shorter races. In my case, I tend to do better in shorter climbs, so using results from a shorter race to predict how I’ll fare at the Sears tower won’t be very accurate (i.e. my race time will be slower than what is predicted).

·    This method only takes into account vertical height of the race. It won’t be very accurate for races like the ESBRU which includes a fair bit of running.

·    This method assumes that races will be done at a constant pace (i.e. constant power) throughout the entire race. From experience, I know if I go out too fast in the beginning, I’ll pay for it dearly in the 2^nd half of the race.

·    Other variables like number of turns, hand rail placement, etc. are also not factored into this method. When using this this curve to predict how you’ll do in a race, hopefully your trial time was done in a similarly configured building. From experience, I know that turning around corners eats up time!

Bennington Part 2: Race Day

I had a wonderful time in Bennington this past weekend and our WCL came in first place! Take a look the results here. I’m very happy with the overall results since we just barely managed to form a team for this event.

Race day started off smoothly. Since the race started at 10:00 and Bennington is only 41 miles from my house, I was able to wake up at a reasonable hour and still get to the race early. At race check in, I met up with my friend Bob and his son Ben*. A few minutes later, my friend Steve Marsalese arrived and our team was complete... until I learned we needed a minimum of 5 climbers to form a team! Fortunately, I saw Fred Eames at race check-in and I managed to sign him up on our team at the last minute. Fred is probably one of the best 60+ stair climbers in the US and he held the Corning Tower record (4:50) for 8 years prior to the era of David Tromp, Jean Francois Harvey, and Jesse Berg. What is even more impressive is that Fred set the record when he was in his

*Bob traveled all the way from Indiana to do this race with his son Ben, who is a graduate student at RPI (a nearby college).

The weather was perfect in Bennington; Bright and Sunny and not very hot. About 30 minutes before the race, our team ventured into the Bennington monument for a look at the course. Here were my observations:

·        Much cooler on the inside of the building

·        Very dark! Several sections were unlit

·        The steps wrapped around the inside walls with 90 degree turns

·        There were only a couple landings, so running was kept to a minimum

·        The rise/run ration was very small; in other words the steps very short (only about 5.5 inches tall) and were very broad. Maybe they were a couple feet long? I did not bring a ruler L

·        The outer rail was situated at a convenient height, but the inner rail was much too high to grip effectively. This was probably done for safety reason since the tower was originally open (they added an elevator shaft later). I could only grip the vertical posts going around the turns.

·        The stairwell and handrails were a bit rusty (but not dangerously so).

·        The final 20 stairs or so is a narrow circular staircase which is difficult to navigate.

After we made it to the top, we spent some time trying to figure out the best way to climb the circular staircase. The two methods that seemed to work well were:

1)      Take the outside part of the steps one at time with “quick feet”.

2)      Take the inside part of the steps two at time by leaning toward the center and keeping one hand on the rail and another on the stairs themselves.

I planned to race with the 2^nd option because it seemed much faster.

We then descended via elevator to await the start of the race. About 10 minutes before the start of the race, I began my usual warm-up and then lined up with Steve & Paul Curley (another well-known climber and former pro cyclist) to start the race.

At 10:01 sharp, I bolted up the stairwell. Since was such a short race, I went out hard and fast. I couldn’t use the inner rail effectively, so I simply ran up the stairs taking two steps at a time. Fortunately, I was able to grip the vertical railing supports to aid in turning. I glanced at my watch around the 40 second mark and was still keeping pace. However in the span of about 15 seconds, I went from feeling tired but strong to feeling like crap. Right around the 55 second mark, I hit “The Wall”. My breathing was okay but my quads simply stopped working. I knew I was close to the top, so I plodded along as fast as my legs would manage. Soon enough, the circular staircase was in view and the end was literally in site. I entered the final stairwell… and promptly fell down. My muscles were so full of lactic acid that I lacked basic coordination in my legs. I pulled myself back up and fell down again a couple steps later. My feet kept on getting tangled up in the stairs. I got up again and fell down for a third time about half way up. At that point I was in a panic; I was so close to the finish and I just couldn’t climb up the damn staircase! I crawled on my hands and knees for the rest of the way up and just finished the race. When I heard my time (1:22) I said a couple choice curse words. I was pretty disappointed since not only did I fail to meet my goal time of 1:18, but I also failed to reach the 1:20 mark. It took a few minutes to catch my breath and in the meantime I greeted the other climbers (Steve, Paul, Fred, etc.) as they finished the race. Although my breathing was soon back to normal, my quads were on fire and I shook out my legs to relieve the pain. Eventually, we all descended the tower via the elevator.

Down at the bottom, I had a quick snack (free Cliff bars!) and socialized with the other racers. I had another 90 minutes or so to wait until my second run-up and I spent a bit of time thinking about what went wrong during the race and how could I improve during my 2^nd attempt.

First, I lost a bit of time at the end on the final circular stair case. I don’t really know how much time I lost by tripping up a few times, but I guess I lost about 2-3 seconds. To prevent falling during my 2^nd attempt, I planned to stay to the outside taking one step at a time using “quick feet”. Although this method of climbing might little bit slower, I figured this method required less coordination and would ultimately save a couple seconds.

Next, I hit “The Wall” right around the 55 second mark and I lost during the latter third of the race. Rereading my initial post, this was exactly what I was worried about in the days leading up to the race. “The Wall” also happened pretty much where I thought it might happen. I must be prescient! To compensate, I knew I had to use the rails no matter how uncomfortable they were. Although I might lose a bit of efficiency by using the rails, if I could delay the onset of fatigue for another 10 seconds, I’d be able to cut a few extra seconds off of my time.

Last but not least, my legs were pretty much spent after climbing so hard during the first run-up. I knew I needed time for my legs to recover, so I chose to do my 2^nd run-up closer to noon (near the end) rather than go up with Steve and Paul around 11:20ish in order to maximize my recovery. I felt that every extra minute of rest was precious since I was worried that I’d hit the wall even earlier during my 2^nd run up simply because my legs were already toast. I know it might seem far-fetched that my legs were in such bad shape after just 82 seconds of exercise and if it didn’t happen to me, I would’ve been skeptical. The only plausible explanation that I can think of is that I pumped my legs so full of lactic acid in such a short amount of time that I needed a good long rest to recover.

Finally, it was time for my 2^nd run-up. My legs didn’t feel fresh, but I certainly think the extra 30 minutes of rest helped. I entered the stairwell at a slightly slower pace than during my 1^st run up in order to make sure I wouldn’t hit the wall prematurely. I consciously focused on using the inner rail and although it was pretty awkward. I’m glad I did; I tripped a couple time on the steps but holding on to the rails prevented me from falling down. Honestly, it didn’t feel like using the rails helped me climb (i.e. it felt like I was transferring very little power to the rails) but with only a few flights to go, I did not have to resort to a power walk. I got to the final circular staircase and took the outside lane. Taking one step at a time certainly felt slow, but I managed to ascend the final staircase without any incident and finish the race. Unfortunately, my final time (1:27) was five seconds slower than my first attempt. Although disappointed, I wasn’t really surprised. Although I climbed more efficiently this time around, my legs were just too tired to compete at 100%.

A couple minutes later, Bob and Ben finished their 2^nd run-up, which was cause for celebration. Both of them smashed their previous attempt by a good 10 seconds! Once again, Bob edged out his son by a single second*.

*Which makes me feel pretty good; It means I have a good 20 years of racing before passing the torch down to the next generation J.

Since we were literally the last racers, all that was left was the official times to be posted. By this time, Fred and Steve had already left*, but we knew that our entire team made the top ten and Bob, Ben, and I enjoyed what was left of the post-race buffet.

*Steve hails from NYC and had to work that afternoon!

When the results were finally posted, we confirmed our times and received the lion’s share of the awards. Steve and I came in first and second overall and Fred, Bob, and Ben all won their age groups. Best of all, we received a beautiful team award plaque, which was extra special. In most other ALA races, we just receive an additional medal. Better yet, Bob and Ben suggested that I get to keep it for the team! To celebrate, I met Bob and Ben back in Albany for bite to eat a few hours after the race*.

*If you are ever in Albany, you just have to try Crisson’s Bakery and L’il Buddha Café down in Lark Street!

Here are my final thoughts:

·        I thoroughly enjoyed Bennington. It was a perfect day for having a race and because the race is pretty small and is close to home, it doesn’t fill up the entire day.

·        The length of the course taxes the anaerobic system much more than the aerobic system. Although I was breathing heavily throughout the race, my legs gave out first. It is definitely suited toward sprinters.

·        In my estimation, the course favors tall climbers who can use the rails effectively. It also favors short but light climbers who don’t have a lot of upper body mass (i.e. climbers who have a much lower arm/leg power ratio).

·        Grade 1^st attempt: Strategy = B-; Exertion = A; Technique = D; Overall = B-;

·        Grade 2^nd attempt: Strategy = B+; Exertion D; Technique = B-; Overall C+;

·        It is amazing how I close I predicted where I’d hit the wall. I also predicted that the rails would be difficult to use and the how challenging the circular stairs would be to ascend. That said, I *still* underestimated these challenges.

·        Although I’m quite disappointed with my results, I’ll definitely come back. I know with a set of fresh legs and improved technique that I’ll be able to break 1:20. It just won’t be as easy as I initially thought!