I'm not crazy...I'm just bored!!

Fight for Air Climb

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Location:

Herriman,UT,USA

Member Since:

Jan 01, 2009

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

St George Marathon: 3:23:54 (10/6/12)

Half IM: 5:44:03 (8/25/12 - course was long!)

25K trail - Buffalo Run (16.5) 2:34:50

Half Marathon: American Fork - 1:30:44  6/23/12

Spectrum 10K 43:42   3/17/2012

Best 5K: Spanish Fork 21:55 05/30/09

Short-Term Running Goals:

Okay, so for 2013 I am going to have FUN! Not that running isn't always fun, but I had a wonderful breakthrough year last year and I want to play this year :) AND get faster! So, my first goal I'm going to put out there is my yearly mileage goal.
It is 2,186 miles from my driveway to my sister (QP's) driveway! I want to spend this year on a virtual trek cross country running those miles. So, that is how far I will run in 2013...from my house to QPs. It will take all year and yes, this is measured on Hwys so it isn't really exactly how I COULD run it, but good enough. 43 miles/week...totally doable, and a fun goal to track how far I've traveled as I go along. Who knows...maybe I'll even run PAST her house :)

I will do more trail runs, Boston, Pacing duties, another Half IM and some other tris. I'm excited for this next year and look forward to having fun with all of you out on the roads, and trails! Maybe bag a few peaks this year too!!

Long-Term Running Goals:


Big Dreams: 5K in 20:2X; 10K in 39:XX; Half in 1:29:XX; Full in 3:15:XX; complete the Rim2Rim2Rim run and not die; Comrades; Iron(wo)Man.

Run for the rest of my life!

Personal:

4 children: twelve, eight, five and baby Fartlek - 2 1/2. Wonderful supportive husband that lets me drag him and the family all over for race after race!

Finished 13 marathons and LOVE running that distance! I'm definitely hooked to the marathon monster and hope to constantly improve my endurance, speed and stay injury free!

I've also found a love of trail running! I hope to keep improving on this front.

After being injured with a broken foot at the first of 2012 I found a tri group and started training with them and am now loving tris! The half IM was harder than I'd ever imagined...and am ready to do it again. I'll earn my bike butt and someday have enough time to train for a full IM.

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
BIKE MILES Lifetime Miles: 1168.40
LUCY MILES Lifetime Miles: 25.25
Adidas Lifetime Miles: 319.66
Orange II Lifetime Miles: 390.41
Boston Mizuno Lifetime Miles: 568.97
Fargo Nikes Lifetime Miles: 500.03
BEANS Lifetime Miles: 755.00
Orange Bostons Lifetime Miles: 527.59
Solomon Trail Lifetime Miles: 363.98
PI Tri Shoes Lifetime Miles: 4.00
Boston Mizuno 10s Lifetime Miles: 140.75
New Orange Lifetime Miles: 157.05
Race: Fight for Air Climb (10 Miles) 06:00:00, Place overall: 1
Total Distance
0.00

STAIRS!!!!

Yup, no miles...none :) Today's challenge was a new one. Rossy talked me into participating in the Fight for Air Climb at the Wells-Fargo building on his team. I guess it was a team of people that worked for Wells Fargo...I got in on a technicality that I am a Wells Fargo CUSTOMER and pay their salaries! :)

Either way, Rossy just called me "The Ringer". When he first mentioned it, I thought "HA! I can barely walk up my stairs without getting winded and my legs burning, no way could I do 24 flights multiple times!" But, then Rossy knew exactly what to say to me "The women's record is 30 ascents, with all the running you've been doing you could easily challenge that." How can I resist a challenge like that?!? I mean really...have you met me? :) So, I signed up and decided to give it a whirl! Why not? What do I have to lose? It will give me killer climbing legs for hills and since that is all the Newton's run lately, I'm in!

We had 6 hours....6 hours. I haven't even run for 6 hours straight before, how was I going to climb that long? I played a lot of head games with myself, but figured I'd put up a high goal and then just go get it! So, I set my sights on 33 ascents for my 33rd year! Breaking the record and getting a nice round number. Rossy said each trip was a quarter mile...straight up. That put it into perspective for me :) Someday, I might even figure out the amount of vert I got in!

We started just after 6AM and my first trip up I got locked IN the stairwell :) We get to take the elevator down, but the guys who had busted a move to the top the first time didn't leave the door open. One other girl and myself were stuck. We went down to about 15 before we saw the guys on their way back up. I decided to head back up at that point, but she continued down. After that one snafu (which I didn't count in my 'official' total), it was nothing up climb UP the stairs, walk to the elevator, ride down, go outside for the 15 foot walk to the stairwell entrance (oh, how I cherished that quick cool down!) and then climb back up. For six straight hours. I never took a break. I was set on that goal! Plus, the ride down gives you a chance to refuel and to recover cardio enough that you think it was fun and you want to do it again! Crazy!!

The volunteers were amazing! The first hour it was just us 10ish people climbing the stairwell, but by 7 or 8 there were more and more people. The volunteers were on the landing every 5-10 floors and so I started being their entertainment. I had gotten used to signing with my ipod (yes, tacky...I know!) while I was ALONE, but then they kept just popping up all over. So, I made a quick bond with them and would sing and dance for them :) They loved it and cheered me on every time! I mean...breathless, off-key singing?!? I AM almost as good as Beyonce :) I just need a little more shake to my dance moves. I looked forward to seeing each of them! They really kept me going.

The guys at the door on the outside of the stairwell were amazing too! Each time I'd come by I'd say some clever thing them "....one more time!" Toward the end (11ish) they finally weren't sure whether to really believe me or not :) I just never stopped! One time I grabbed a coke out of my bag (I am NOT a soda drinker, but when I'm on a long run, there is nothing more I like than a shot of flat coke! So, I brought one here as my alternate fuel :) ), and said "can you hold this for me?" "sure!" "okay, I'll be right back!" and I ran off up the stairs. I left the chuckling and laughing at that door more times than I can count. Totally made each trip worth it! I've never been in a race with such amazing volunteers! They seriously made this race for me.

There was a group of 3 guys that had Wasatch 100 shirts on and they were killer climbers! They did 2 stairs every step (I told them they were cheating, because they were missing half the stairs so they had to do double!) and were just machines! I always looked forward to them lapping me. I know that sounds dumb, but I knew that we all shared the same crazy! They are just more so :) One time I was at 21ish when I saw/heard them coming. I picked it up! They nearly caught me at 23 and I said "I can't be demoralized ONE more time and let you pass me!" Then I ran up the last flight. Of course we all took the same elevator down, but we all got a good laugh out of it.

The morning started dark and clear and the view from the top was breath taking! A few short hours later there was zero visibility and the view was gone. I felt bad for all my running peeps out in the blizzard and was happy to have an excuse to stay inside :)

I DID finally accomplish my goal and hit 33!! Everyone cheered me on when I got to 30 to tie the record, then I took a few victory laps :) Only problem was...I still had over an hour left to climb! So, I kept on climbing. I made it to 40 ascents. Taking the women's record and obliterating it! Felt good to come through as The Ringer! :) I climbed till the bitter end and actually my 40th trip up they had just unplugged the bottom counter, but the top one was still on! So, I don't know if it was official or not, but I figured with the snafu at the first I get those extra few minutes.

It was amazing to see ALL the people, young, old, fit, working on it...all climbing for a cause! Some were fast climbers and others just stuck to it! I got a few ascents never being passed, but I also got passed quite a few times too. Rossy was killing it! He always seemed to get 3 or 4 climbs in for each time I saw him. Met some really neat people and watched those 3 Wasatch 100 guys blow the men's record of 42! They hit 47 (I think) ascents. Wow. I'm telling you...I might just have to train for this one next year :) Now, I finally have a title to defend!!!

I went past lots of cameras, but never got my debut :( I checked all the stations that ran stories on the climb and I didn't make any of their cuts. Stink. So, I have no pictures. I know there was a lady from Rossy's team taking pics, so I might get one of those to post. Overall, this was amazing. I feel great! My hip hurts from turning right over and over and over again! But, other than that it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Next year, I think we should organize a FRB team and show these people what athletes can do!!!

40 ascents in 6:00:00 and with Rossy's calculation of .25/ascent I put the race as 10 miles. Too much vert to compute :)


Awesome Elixers Miles: 20.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Burt on Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 23:04:22 from 72.223.80.89

6 hour stair climb. 7 hour blog. Haha! JK! Great job! Way to obliterate!

From RAD on Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 23:15:29 from 67.171.119.50

7? I'd say at least 8 :)

From Burt on Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 23:22:18 from 72.223.80.89

Hey, I read it all. I even enjoyed it.

From RAD on Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 23:25:09 from 67.171.119.50

That is what I'm here for! I'm the free Entertainment :)

From bye-wing on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 01:32:53 from 124.122.7.231

Well done, what a different way to spend a Saturday. I never heard of a stair walk/race before. And just think - you are all set for your 40th birthday. So the "burning" question is...How are those legs of yours feeling today :)

From Tom Slick on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 07:47:29 from 168.179.157.87

Way to go, You Da Woman!!!!! But can you do it Prego????

From Lily on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 09:00:36 from 67.199.178.95

Awesome Woman! You hold the new record! It actually sounds kind of fun! :)

From Russ on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 09:30:54 from 74.114.3.253

Nice job RAD! That is pretty amazing. And 10 miles straight up would give you 52,800 vert, so maybe 1/3 that for an average 30 degree stair angle? That would be 15,840 feet. I'm not even close to being a mathematician, but that sounds about right. Nice! This is some great base climbing for the Buffalo Run and beyond.

From Bec on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 10:04:15 from 72.191.19.182

That race seems so insane, perfect for you I would say. I really wouldn't mind doing a race like this, they have one here in San Antonio to go up the tower (once). Crazy you did it so many times. I would think you running down would be faster than the elevator ride. Bet that elevator ride got mighty stinky.

From Chad on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 10:09:35 from 168.177.153.60

You must have been really bored.

From Jake K on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 10:37:21 from 155.100.226.191

that is a lot of climbing! Nice job shattering the record, ringer!

From Nancy on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 20:17:23 from 76.23.21.118

Great job Rachel. I've never heard of it. Can anyone enter? How much did it cost?

From Smooth on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 22:45:40 from 67.2.127.125

WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! You never cease to amaze! :)

From RAD on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 22:59:33 from 67.171.119.50

bye-wing, legs feel great. Well, a lot better than anticipated :)

Slick, we will have to wait until the next life to find that out. No more babies for me!!!

Lily, it was really fun. You'd love it!

Russ, I'm hoping you're right...about all of it! :)

Becca, I think they have to fumigate the building after we'd been there all morning!

Chad, that comment totally made me smile! Yup, VERY bored. What else are you going to do on a Saturday morning for 6 hours? :)

Jake, At least I can be a ringer for something, right? :)

Nancy, yup anyone can enter! It is a fund raiser for the American Lung Association. Just Google "Fight for Air Climb, UT" and you'll find their page. You do have to do a minimum fund raising goal to climb, but other than that it is only $35 to enter.

Smooth, you'd love this challenge. I say in a few years we try it out!!!

From Rob on Wed, Feb 27, 2013 at 07:41:30 from 206.71.84.68

I just found this report. That's pretty awesome, in a weird way. You should go do the Empire state run. Way to take the record.

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