There is a place if you really have to go. A place where character is revealed. A place of honor. A place of humility. If you absolutely, positively have to train for something other than riding a bicycle and get your fat ass in shape ASAP, then this is the place. A decade ago I went here to get in shape for two weeks of self contained backpacking/hiking through the Philmont Scout Ranch in Sangre Cristo region of the Rocky Mountains in New Mexico. Base camp was at 5000 ft and we hiked as high as 12,444 ft. The phrase "how up is up" was coined our our journey up Mnt Baldy. It worked. I met weight, had no issues with altitude and was in perhaps the greatest shape of my adult life. This place is the the old Northwestern Bell building now named the Century Link building in downtown Des Moines.
We start at the bottom, Basement Level 3, and walk the stairs to the roof and back down to B3. IIRC it is 17 stories. When training for the mountains we would do this 6 times. 6 times in one evening. The closer we would get to the date of our event the more we punished ourselves. We would wear hiking boots not light weight trainers. We would also wear our backpacks with 50 lb of gear. 6 times up and 6 times down schlepping 50 lbs on our backs.
The day after doing this my legs would feel like I did a very long and hard bicycle ride. Sore and sometimes not wanting to move or get up and down, Two days after the stairs sessions my torso would fall out of bed and the legs would not move! Always the second day after. Legs on total repair mode. Getting up and down made me look like a 115 year old man! Of course, practice makes perfect and after several sessions at the House of Pain it would not be as bad afterwards.
So this Wednesday Donnie told me to get my ass there. I probably have done these stairs two or three times after our trip so it's been a decade. And I need to do this just to lose the weight that bicycling and my lifestyle is not doing. Since this was the first time I would arrive at the House of Pain via bicycle I decided to use my hiking boots, These are the upgraded ones that I took to Philmont. It was cold outside and I really did not want to change shoes. Just remove the out warmth layers I was biking in then hit the stairs. Two members of the Violators or Mary's Heroes or whatever we call our Off Route Ragbrai Team were there two. Donnie's third week in a row. I'm the "newbie." Lots of people who were training for Climb for Air were there as well (they are climbing the stairs at 801 Grand PFG today). Great, I can suffer with company.
I only did two sets. Next week more. As usual I spent too much time talking and that energy would have been better served for my legs and cardiovascular system. but it has been a long winter and I have not been able to chat with Donnie of Joe. I have off route ragbrai ideas that I need to share ect. I did however, do better than some skinny people and that helped my pride.
After the second set I knew it was time to go. First of all I already had 20 miles + on the bike, a single speed, and just 2 or 4 more to get home. And then at 345 am that fookin' alarm would go off and I would have to ride 12.5 miles to work, work 8 hours and ride 15 home on most likely a windy day. None of the others here in the House of Pain were going to do that. Others were dropping out, too. Cut losses and build up. Maybe 3 or 4 times next week.
Thursday my legs were sore. Felt like I did a hard long bike ride. Getting up and down hurt a bit but I could ride strong. I felt strong. Friday my legs still hurt but not as bad if I had done 6 set of stairs. And right now the pain is receding. Until next time...
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