Run the Republic Plaza Stair Climb
On February 22, 2009, J. Mock and I will be racing up to the 53rd floor of the Republic Plaza building. I have never done a stair climb before, but I am thinking it has to be more painful than running an all out mile. Last year the winning time was 6:53, results can be found here. They have an elite wave, which means that you are confirming that you can run to the top in less than nine minutes. I’m pretty sure that will not be a problem. Looking at the results and then looking up some of the individuals running times, a few of the guys in the top five last year were slower runners than me, but not sure how that translates to racing upstairs.
I’m not particularly a good hill climber and since I am tipping the scales at 168lbs these days, I have some added resitance that I should try to loose before the race. In fact, since J. Mock weighs 125lbs and my three year old daughter weighs 36lbs, I think the real challenge would be to place my daughter in her Kelty backpack and have Justin run up the stairs with her attached. That way the challenge is “fair” and we can have a true face off and I stand a chance to defeat Justin.
Actually, I predict that J. Mock takes the title this year and he beats last years time. I think I should be able to place in the top 5, unless some crazy Austrians fly in that I don’t know about. Not that I am doing in specific training for this event, but I do work on the 9th floor and I have been taking the stairs after lunch, so that has to count for something.
On a serious note, I’m thinking that strategy has to come into play. Do I skip a step or not? Honestly, I don’t think that I can skip a step and make it all the way to the top, so do I skip a step for as long as I can or do I just go for the quick single step? I think an event like this will put you into oxygen debt rather fast. I’ve also read that you want to make sure you use the railings and thrust yourself around the corners and up. So I have been practicing that move at work.
Anyway, if you have any advice for me, let me know.
I’d be shocked if I won. I believe one year that Scott Elliot was going to take Danelle Ballengee up in a backpack, the year of her accident, and they wouldn’t allow it.
Cool race … Scott had that idea but I am pretty sure Danelle would not have allowed him to carry her up – as she was fresh of surgery at the time from having her hips “pinned.”
There are few races like that around here for The Ameriacn Lung Association. I’m sure it would really clear out the lungs for sure. That’s totally a race I see myself doing sometime. I find myself always running up stairs. I rarely walk up them, even if I am not in a hurry. My advice is to be consistant as possible and hold your form. Start out smooth, pump arms, pull yourself around each corner. I would skip a step until you get to the point where it is not efficent anymore. By then you should know how much you have left and then just dig as deep as you can if you have anything left….Oh, and think of the 20 reps of stadium stairs at Carlson stadium after mile repeats on the track. Good Luck!
I would think that fresh air would be the biggest problem. Be prepared for that.
Okay, so the equivalent of a “negative split” would be to start by single stepping, and then move to the double step towards the top. Ramp it up. I’m very excited to see how this goes for you!