Fitness Adventures: Rockefeller Center Stair Climb

As most of you know, I didn't have a free minute this past weekend. This is the first chance I've had to blog about any of it. Here is a recap of the Rockefeller Center Stair Climb that occurred this past Sunday, February 27th:

Question: Why are these events always so early?
Answer: Ugh.....

On Sunday, I woke up at 6:30 and was ready to leave my apartment at 7:30. My line up time was 8:55 so I was supposed to arrive around 8:30. An hour should have been more than enough time to make it to 30 Rock.

This event was for MS, and with your help, I raised the $250 I needed to participate (thank you to everyone who donated!). Here I am before leaving the apartment. The Sarge is inspecting my ankle, and the Professor is inspecting the Sarge-

I took a photo of the dedication bib on my back, which I will explain below-

I dedicated my climb to Tony I.

Tony was the boyfriend of a woman I work with. And that woman is the closest thing to a Mom I have at work. In fact, she knows more about me as an adult than my own Mom does. And before I continue writing about the stair climb event, I want to tell you a little about her...

I don't think I've mentioned her here before, but her name is Maureen. She's a "nice Irish girl from the Bronx" and the mother of 3 grown boys. She's a total nurturer and care giver by nature and since she had all boys, I like to think of myself as the daughter she never had. In my opinion, she's had a rough life, but she really persevered and did what she had to do. She sacrificed a lot for her boys and always put them first. She's one of the strongest women I've even known - I bet stronger than she realizes.

Maureen and I first met when I was 22. She was in her late 30's - but younger than I am today. At the time, I had my long dark hair and dressed in black every day. She now admits she was scared of me at the time (lots of people say that - I hid behind my hair, extra weight & black clothes for years), but of course she's not any more. She knew me at my heaviest weight, my most depressed, and knows first hand how unbelievably lazy I was (opting for the elevator to go 1 flight).

Though we initially knew each other only in passing, we started working together closely on my first day as an Analyst: September 10th, 2001. Needless to say, I was with her on September 11th when we got the news about what was going on in Manhattan. It's impossible for me to think about 9/11 without thinking about her. She is interwoven into the memories of that tragedy for me - not just that day, but the days and weeks that followed. We went through it together. And though I didn't personally know anyone who perished senselessly as a result of that day, 3 of the 343 firefighters who were lost were close friends of hers.

Maureen has been with me through some of the biggest events in my life (buying a house, separating from my husband, selling my house, my divorce, discovering my alopecia, moving to Brooklyn, losing my beloved cat Smokey, and the scores of milestones on my weight loss journey). In a lot of ways, she's seen me grow up. Since she knew me "before", she's continually impressed by how I've changed and what I've accomplished over the last few years, and she's one of my biggest cheerleaders. She's not only extremely proud of me (you know, the way a real Mom would be) for everything I've done, but she was especially proud of me - and touched - that I ran the Tunnel to Towers 5K last year, because of her connection to the firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11.

She is one of the few people I am genuinely close to at work and although she makes me nuts at times (like a real Mom), I know how lucky I am to have her in my life. She's a really amazing woman but she would never admit that, so I just did it for her.

But back to the event - I mentioned this stair climb event was for MS. And since her former boyfriend had MS, I asked her if she would be ok with me dedicating my climb to him. She allowed me to do that, which explains my dedication bib. (Tony I, may you rest in peace, but you're still in our thoughts.)

Now, it shouldn't come as any surprise to hear that Sunday mornings can be tricky to navigate when it comes to the MTA. And at one point I doubted I would get to Rockefeller Center at all. Since I don't want to recap all the gory details, I'll sum it up here:

I left my apartment and waited a long while for a bus, eventually catching a B62 to Queens. (I should also point out I was *freezing* because I expected it to be much warmer than it was. I had no coat, scarf or gloves, making the wait very unpleasant.) I got off in Court Square even though I knew the E wasn't running. The shuttle had just left, so I went into the subway. After swiping my card, I learned the M doesn't run on weekends (I admit that's my own stupidity), so I went back upstairs/outside to wait for the next shuttle. But I was even colder now and felt like I just couldn't waste any more time, so I gave up on the shuttle. I tried to hail a cab, but at 8am on a Sunday in Queens there were none to be found. Then I had the bright idea to run to the 7 Train. I did that, but had arrived just in time to see one pull out of the station. That's when I broke down in tears. I was so cold and so frustrated. I really thought I was never going to get there and that if I did, I'd be too late to participate.

I refused to look at the time and stress myself out further. In fact, standing on that (outdoor) platform, still freezing, I had to use a lot of positive self talk to calm myself down and get a grip. A few minutes later a 7 Train arrived and I took it to 42nd St Bryant Park (why didn't I think of that route to begin with?! I would have been there 20 minutes ago!).

When I arrived at Bryant Park, I emerged from the subway and just ran - literally ran - the 6 blocks to Rockefeller Center. Top of the Rock, baby! That's where I'm headed! (by foot!)

I actually arrived just in time - it was 8:35. I had 10 minutes before I had to line up. I have to say, I could tell immediately that this event was really well organized. And considering how stressed out I was, it was greatly appreciated and helped calm my nerves. That 10 minutes was just enough time to check my bag, de-stress, drink 2 bottles of water, and go to the bathroom and get my 'before' shot -

Before I continue, I'll mention that I have very few photos of the actual event due to their 'no cameras in the stairwell' rule. Because of that, I didn't want to get caught with it and have it confiscated. But I had it with me, tucked into my sports bra, so I could snap pics as opportunities presented themselves. (Yes, this was a terrible idea, considering I've killed no less than 6 iPods this way...)

The 8:55 group lined up and they brought us up one floor to the lobby - via an escalator. I want to point out that the same people who were about to climb 66 flights of stairs *rode* up the escalator -  as opposed to *walk* up. I found this bizarre and ironic and somewhat maddening. Anyway...

After we arrived on that floor, we snaked around the perimeter for the line up. Music was pumping and there were two fitness instructors encouraging us to move and stretch. How awesome and what a great idea! I never stretch! So I did a few minutes of stretching and squatting and light aerobics to warm up as we made our way to the starting line.

Shortly before reaching the start, I began talking to the guy behind me. He was a bit younger than me, German, in great shape and said he had done this climb before. It was fun talking about stair climbing with him, since I really don't have anyone else who's into stairs that I can talk to that really gets it. I told him about my ESB climb and my time, and how I felt I didn't push myself enough, so my goal was to complete this one in about 15 minutes. We were about to start moving again, so I asked him to sneak a quick 'before' photo of me, and then I wished him well.

They had us approach the stairwell single file, releasing us one at a time - genius, right? No fighting & pushing into the stairwell! We could all have our own start time. Brilliant! (I'm only sorry I couldn't photograph the clock/starting line for fear of my camera being taken from me.)

When I was called next to be released, I approached the starting line. But before crossing it (which activates the timing chip), I peered into the stairwell to make sure the coast was clear. It was. I started my heart rate monitor and took off running to the chorus of cheers from the volunteers.

I ran about the first 5 or 6 flights, and then slowed down to a good but brisk and steady pace. My plan was to take out my camera and photograph what I could, but nearly every landing had a cheering section! This was great because it was fun and motivating, but it was awful because I really wanted to take photos and was too afraid my camera would be confiscated. So it stayed in my bra...

Though I have no photos to share, I have to mention that I really enjoyed the actual stairs in the Rockefeller Center stairwell. For one thing, the layout changed often - very few floors were the same (I prefer my flights to NOT be consistent - it's much more fun that way). They varied in the numbers of stairs per flight, some had landings, some just wrapped around consecutively, some were broken up with a longish set/landing/shorter set, some turned around a corner. It was like a funhouse of stairs! You never knew what to expect! I want to do these stairs again!!

The other great thing was that every floor had a dedication poster - with the name of a person who has MS. It was a nice reminder why we were there and who we were raising money for. And another thing I loved - the quotes! Each floor had great inspirational quotes or interesting facts posted on the walls. This gave me something to look forward to - something new to read and ponder with every flight. And as I mentioned, many landings had at least 1 person - sometimes several - cheering. I high-fived some, gave others thumbs up or victory arms; and when asked how I was doing, responded "Awesome!". From start to finish, it was so much fun. I don't think I stopped smiling the entire time.

My two 'landing highlights' are as follows:

• On one landing, a woman was with a man, taking a break. When she saw me walking up, she said "Don't you have a blog?" I said "Yes! BitchCakes!" (it was about all the talking I could do since I get really thirsty as I'm walking up the stairs).
• On another landing, 2 beauty queens with tiaras and sashes were stationed. Naturally, I got very excited. I told them "I'm Miss Grand Central! I should have worn my sash!" as I passed. They cheered me on as I climbed past them.

I just kept walking, and started passing people and then before I knew it, a volunteer said "You're almost there! Just three more flights! Follow that breeze to the observation deck!"

He was right. Just 3 more flights and an open door awaited me. The second I emerged I saw a camera, so I waved hello. But it wasn't the finish line, and I wasn't expecting it immediately, so I didn't have my arms thrown up victoriously as I would have liked to. However, it was still a great photo so I bought it:

I proceeded the few feet to the finish line and collected a medal! I didn't even know there was a medal for this climb! Woo hoo!

A moment later, I saw a familiar face - my friend Rob (aka Fit City, who covered the climb in his blog too) from the dubs dubs (as Melanie calls it). I was so excited to see him because he does a lot of the runs I do and I never see him at any of the events. Of course I wanted a photo with him but little did I know that my camera had overheated and died as a result of being in my bra for the duration of the event. Do'h! Fortunately, his phone did a pretty impressive job - (and note: my eyebrows are in-tact!)

Rob & Me at Top of the Rock, after climbing 66 flights!

It was so beautiful up there that morning. Cold, but just gorgeous - sunny and clear. I was kicking myself that my camera wasn't working because I wanted to take photos of the skyline and the event. We weren't even rushed off the deck like we had been at the Empire State Building. I would have been able to take a ton of photos, but I couldn't since my camera refused to turn on. I had only been up there one time before, in 2006 with my dear friend Michelle who had visited from St Louis. Here we are - this is me about 1 month into my weight loss journey and probably about 190 pounds in October 2006: (Hi Dr G! What a fun weekend that was! I miss you!)

I'll tell you one thing - if you ever told me the next time I'd be up there, I'd have climbed the 66 flights to get there, I would have never believed you. But it was true!

Eventually I just couldn't take the cold, so I returned to the lobby (via the elevator, in case you're wondering) for my post event bagel. Not for nothing, these bagels were a million times better than the ones the NYRR gives us- (note: from this point my camera worked intermittently, so I have a few photos. It's still not totally back to normal and I may need to buy a new one)

I was looking for blog reader/twitter pal, Diana, who also did the climb. But I never did see her (you can read her recap of the event here). However, while milling around, I met this attractive and healthy looking young woman who introduced herself as a blog reader! Her name is Sarah! She's also a WWer about to reach lifetime status! Congrats on your climb, Sarah, and your incredible WW milestone. Great meeting you!

After the event, I also met John. He's a former marathon runner who now has MS and very limited use of the left side of his body. Rob and I spoke with him a while and I remembered reading about him on his poster in the stairwell. It was nice to meet him and see what an amazing attitude he had about MS and about life.

Somehow our times were already printed and posted on the wall, I found mine - my time was 15 minutes and 18 seconds!

I was so happy! And as luck would have it, I ran into my German friend and excitedly told him that my total time was very close to my personal goal. We high-fived.

Then who should I see but the 2 beauty queens who I had seen in the stairwell! The tall one totally got my whole 40's look and we talked about pencil skirts. They actually asked me if I had a card so they could look me up online, but I do not. I am not sure if they thought I was in the pageant biz or what - but I could tell that they bought the whole "Miss Grand Central" thing. I didn't have the heart to tell them I made up the title and crowned myself.

I left there and headed to the F Train. After standing around for a minute with no sight or sound of it, I did something kind of kooky. Now, keep in mind, I'm normally in tight skirts and heels but today I was in compression pants & sneakers - and I still had energy to burn. So what did I do? I climbed from the platform up the 15 or so steps and then climbed back down. And up. And down. I did this for 7 consecutive minutes until the F Train arrived. I figured why not? I had only worked out for 15 minutes at Rockefeller Center so this would bring me towards the 40 minutes of cardio I like to do daily.

Finally, the F arrived and I sat for a moment -

I took the F Train to 6th Ave to transfer to the L Train. And when I saw that the next train was expected in 6 minutes, I did the same thing - running up and down the stairs until it arrived. (There were a lot of people waiting for the L Train, so I just hope I don't show up on Subway Douchery)

When I emerged in Brooklyn and there was no bus in sight, I decided to do another crazy thing: RUN! My apartment is just under a mile from that stop and I already had on my Nike Frees and compression pants, so why not? I cued up the Girl Talk and ran towards Greenpoint.

The funny thing is, about half way there, who should I see standing and watching me with a huge smile on his face but my handsome friend Josue. (this is us last May)

I smiled when I saw him smiling back at me, but I kept running. I told him "can't talk, timing myself" and continued home. He's pretty much in the greatest shape of anyone I've ever known, so of course he ran next to me - well, he barely jogged - he's incredibly fit. He told me he would ask me questions and I could answer yes or no. He's so cute. He understood I couldn't talk and I knew he was proud of me. He ran nearly the rest of the way with me until we had to part ways.

I texted him on Monday to apologize that I couldn't talk. Look at this conversation - How amazing is he? I love that guy!

But back to Sunday - when I got home I took a quick 'after' pic, showing off my medal. As usual, the Professor is thoroughly unimpressed.

And then I had just a few minutes to get changed and meet my friends Sherry, Amanda and Robbie for vegan waffles in Williamsburg. (I had been looking forward to this meal for weeks!) When I considered my options for getting to West Cafe, I realized something kind of exciting - it had warmed up since the morning and it was actually warm enough to ride my bike! Yes, my bike! That's right - for the first time in over 3 months, I threw on my bike helmet, grabbed the HK Cruiser and headed to B's Bikes to air up my tires. And then I rode! Oh my god, I RODE MY BIKE!!!!!

I was smiling like a lunatic, I was so happy. So, so, so happy - you have no idea. I may have been separated from her for about 100 days but it's like we never parted. Within seconds I was already standing and riding on the pedals - something it took me years to be able to do and now I do it without a second thought. I missed her so much!!

My friends are very punctual (love you guys!) - either that or they wanted these waffles even more than I did because they were already there. This is Amanda and Robbie, who are vegans and whom you likely recognize by now. (Ladies: feel free to comment on Robbie's good looks, he's very handsome, isn't he?) 

And here's Sherry & Me - (note: She's not a vegan, but told me she wants to get a shirt that says "I <3 Vegans!" And I *love* her for that!!) She and I ordered the Mexican Spicy Chocolate (and yes, they were even more amazing than they sound!)

Look at that close up - Don't you just want to stick your face in there?! OK, I'm going to shut up before I get carried away. But seriously, don't you?!

After waffley goodness, it was back on the HK Cruiser home. Oh, remember how I mentioned recently that my right shoes are all too big all of a sudden? Well the same is true of my biking slingbacks. One of them came off as I was riding. This is not good. I need to buy smaller biking shoes...

So that was Sunday's excitement. Here are my activity stats for the day:

I still haven't had a chance to cover Saturday's run or talk about the WW Success Story photoshoot. I'll try to get to them if and when I can but just so you know - I don't plan to reveal much about the photoshoot. I want the outfits to be a surprise and I feel like it was such a special experience that I want to keep a lot of it to myself.


And before I go: PLEASE VOTE FOR ME to be the FACE OF FITNESS! Vote daily through March 6th if you could because the winner gets a trip to Hawaii!!! Think of the photos and adventures I could blog about! :)

If you made it this far, thank you, I know this was a long post. Now you know why it took 4 days... Thanks for your patience! xo


**Oh, and if she allows me to post a photo of her, you'll see Maureen next week because I'm doing a 5K on Sunday in North Manhattan or the Bronx (I'm not sure) and she's going to be there, cheering for me at the finish. I even bought a green shirt with a shamrock on it JUST FOR HER. I told her I wouldn't wear green for anyone else, but I'll do it for her. Just this once...