Taking it to the Stairs

Have you ever taken it to the stairs? I have, faithfully.

I kind of stumbled (no pun intended) onto the sport of stair-climbing all on my own. I had seen the Fight for Air Climb on the news (always after it happened), and I was intrigued. A lot of people shun taking the stairs (and opt for the elevator), but I've always been a little less main-stream. The fact that there was a national stair-climbing event (with local venues all over the country), and participants would not only pay a registration fee to climb lots of stairs (but also be required to raise an additional $100  to participate) was something to behold.

I have done the Fight for Air Climb (affiliated with the American Lung Association) four times (three times in Des Moines and once in Chicago), and  my fifth Climb is happening in April (also in Des Moines). I take this event seriously, which means a little extra stair-training is in order in the months prior.

Although I do a lot of my training on the stairway in my house, occasionally I also head downtown and train on the stairways of  an office building. Like with running, it's best to change-up the routine now and then. When I train at home, I have only the one stairway (which gets a little monotonous, especially when I have 50+ flights on my agenda). Utilizing a place where I can run multiple flights (before having to run back down) gives my stamina a little more of a challenge.

Recently, I have been faithfully taking it to the stairs on a weekly basis.

My first official "training session," happened in early February. It was my first time doing multiple flights (in awhile), so I chose a random number of "total" flights to do (100) or a maximum time limit (30 minutes) as my goal. I'm a tall gal (5'9), so it's easier for me to take the steps two-at-a-time (instead of single-stepping). Also, come Climb day, I'll be taking the steps two-at-a-time as well, so it just makes sense to do most of my training that way.

The building I use is a four-story office building, but also has a basement....for a total of five flights of stairs. I refer to each five-story (basement-to-top floor) climb as a "set." To get to 100 flights, I'd need to do 20 sets (5 flights X 20 "sets" = 100 total flights).

I started out taking the steps pretty fast, and by the time I had done four sets, I concluded that I needed to slow down. Even though I climbed the steps by "two's," once I reached the top floor, I took my time descending.

All went well, but the strain in my quads was a little much. Hoping to conquer 100 flights for my first official outing was pretty aggressive (and...how do I say this....STUPID). I decided on 16 sets (instead of 20), for a total of 80 flights (instead of 100), and called that good.

Despite the usual endorphin rush, my body did feel somewhat tired (but in a good way). The next day, however, was a much different story. It was around (approximately) the 20-hour post-climb time...and the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) set in. Not itty bitty baby DOMS, but big Momma Bear DOMS. And they were angry. My calves (on both legs) felt like knotted-up golf balls, and hurt with every step. I've experienced a similar calf pain a few times when I've had to walk during a long race (like a half marathon). The muscles would seize up and hurt worse than labor during child birth (I've given birth three times...I know what that feels like).

Fortunately, the pain didn't last long. Within a couple days, I was back to walking like normal without wincing.

The following week, I went back to the office building for another stair-training session. Afraid of over-doing it, I decided to not do as many sets. Instead of 80 flights, I did 60 instead (12 sets of climbing). I kept a decent pace, took all of the steps by two's and was able to "run" most of it.

The DOMS were a no-show this time around. Thank Goodness!!

For my third session, I mixed it up a little. I had been wanting to do a brick workout (of sorts). Run first, stair climb, then run again. The weather had been unseasonably warm, so I left my house and ran downtown, literally, to the office building (approximately 3/4th of a mile). Once inside, I ditched the jacket and started climbing.

The climbing seemed to go fast (again, I took the steps by two's). Not sure how many sets to do, I settled on doing 14 (70 total flights). I wanted to attempt 80 flights (like I did that first time a couple weeks ago), but I still had that run (to get me back home) awaiting me when I was finished so I thought it best to not be too ambitious on the stairs.

I finished the 14th set, and took my time descending the steps back down to the bottom of the building. I put the jacket on, and headed outside. I started running, and was pleasantly surprised that it didn't feel too difficult following the 30+ minutes of stair climbing.  

My fourth session also had me doing 16 sets (80 flights). I was starting to already see some results. The climbing no longer felt like a challenge anymore, so I started to work a little more on my speed. As mentioned, I always take the steps by two's (going up), but coming down is a different story.  I take the steps one at a time for the descents...and it actually takes longer going down than it does going up, which gives me a great opportunity to catch my breath and have a mini recovery between sets.

The next morning, the husband and I left for a mini vacay in Florida (to support our son and his team at the NJCAA swimming/diving finals in Fort Pierce). As luck would have it, our room was on the 9th floor of our hotel. The elevator was also very slow-moving, so after that first ride up to our room (after check-in), I didn't step foot in the 'vator again.

We stayed there for five days. Over the course of that week I climbed a total of 300 flights (which includes the 80 flights from the night before we boarded the plane). It became a bit of a contest, affectionately dubbed "Race the 'Vator," where I'd take the stairs and the husband would take the elevator in a contest to see who would make it to the room first. 

Our hotel had 16 floors (actually 17 floors, if you count going to the roof), and I spent several minutes each day taking advantage of them.

Back in Iowa, the following week I returned to the office building. For my fifth session, I did 15 sets (75 flights). Again, all of the climbing was done by taking the steps by two's.

Last week, my session had me doing 17 sets, for 85 total flights. Similar to marathon training, it's a fun challenge to see just how many flights I can do at a time. Realizing that all of these sessions have been pretty intense, it's probably time for me to have a scaled-back week (also similar to marathon training). Also, I have not done any "strength-building" sessions....doing a small number of sets, but taking the steps by three's. Yes, I have done that in my own house. It goes much slower because it requires a lot more focus on balance, but it's every bit as intense.



So, why all of this crazy stair-training? Why not? Stair-running is a great (indoor) alternative to running hills, or doing hill sprints. It combines strength work with intervals, and gives you a great aerobic workout as well. You can vary the speed (walking or running), intensity (taking the steps by singles, doubles or triple "stepping"), and the duration of the workout can easily be altered if fatigue sets in.

The Fight for Air Climb is a fabulous event. It's a great challenge to climb the stairs for all of those who can't. Personally, I know a lot of former smokers who have "kicked butt," and it's in their honor I climb all of these stairs. Also, my mother-in-law suffered from COPD, and passed away last May. She had been a lifelong smoker. Even though she had quit smoking in recent years, the damage had been done. I think of her with every step I climb.

Any interest in participating? Here's a link to the Fight for Air Climb, so you can find an event near you. Or, if you don't feel like climbing yourself, you can donate to those of us who do ( Like ME ) and together we all can work towards cleaner air and healthy lungs for everyone.

Have you ever taken it to the stairs? Ever participated in a stair-climbing event?

I'm linking up with Deb from  Deb Runs for the Wednesday Word....which, for today, is Faithful. Head over and see what everyone else is saying about it.