Training hasn’t been as consistent as I’d like it to be (recently) but I am making progress. I spent most of the winter and early spring in the gym and have been pleased with the results. However, now the weather is heating up and the next climb is only three months away. That can only mean one thing – stairs. I started a couple of weeks ago with some short 30 story rounds. It felt pretty good – not at all difficult (at least not as difficult as they were last year). This weekend I kicked it up a few notches with back-to-back 104 story climbs. Those were a bit tougher (especially the second set) but I still felt pretty good at the end.
I’m going to stick to the ~100 story climbs on the weekends through May. Then, I’ll bump it up to 150 stories a workout and see how that works. While it sounds like a lot it’s really nothing compared to a day on a mountain. The combined pain and boredom does wear on me a bit but that’s a good thing. It takes a certain amount of mental toughness to climb over 100 stories when you’re already tired and that commitment will pay off when I’m climbing the real thing. As my friend Patrick said recently:
My mantra for the next month is, “Little Bear doesn’t care!” Just under a month until we go for one of Colorado’s toughest 14ers. Anytime I’m hurting when I train I’m telling myself, “Little Bear doesn’t care!” Climb On!
During the week I’ll stick to the routine I’ve had for a few months now – treadmill, elliptical, and weights at 24 Hour Fitness. In fact, I’ll be doing that tonight. My hope is to keep the routine somewhat balanced, and spend some time outside as well, to avoid the rut I got into late last year. I think I have it figured it out now but the next three months will tell.
