1 week away!

I did 2 workouts today as I finish up my harder training before tailing off. I did 90 floors in 20 minutes while carrying 20 lbs today. I realize that makes me look like a jackass in the gym but I've stopped caring about that. All drinking will stop by Monday Wednesday and I'll pick up my packet to find out when my starting time is. Good news, they're letting us wear iPods this year. I'm torn on which song to use for my 6 minute climb. I may go with Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups, or the last 6+ minutes of Modest Mouse's Spitting Venom. Whatever I choose will be permanently associated with pain from then on though. I'm taking this extremely serious but all in good fun. I miss competing; I miss winning. I honestly think I have a shot at it. Only 1 person broke 6 minutes last year and he's out this year. I need to drop 48 seconds for 42 floors. So pretty much what, 1.023 seconds per floor or something like that?

Here's what happened last year. I knew to pace myself early but I still flew up the first 9 floors. That's about where most people "in shape" start to become aerobic and their muscles run out of excess Oxygen. My goal this year is to not hit that wall until around 15 floors. Having an extra 6 floors of speed would really help my time. Last year I grounded out floors 10-mid 30's and then I don't remember how hard I ran those last few. There's a landing on floor 19 and 40 so my legs had to adjust to just running on flat ground for a hallway. (2 women got in my way on floor 40 last year) They're starting people on 12 second increments this year instead of 15. There could be a little more traffic.

My goal this year is to, like I said, get through the first 15 anaerobically, then push through to about the 35th floor, and then just all mental for the last 7. I was able to sprint up the last of 5 trips to the top of the mounds on Wednesday so I know my legs have more boost in them. I'm just convincing myself I'm in much better shape this year (I am). All I can aim for is to be under 6 minutes. If someone runs another 5:30 and wins, so be it, I'll just train harder next year, but if I can get under 6 minutes I'll be in really good position for placing high.

3691 total floors