I've been following Emily Sue's efforts in the C25K programme. I think it must help to have a goal and incremental steps that push you, but don't actually kill you.
I have now got myself a goal. Near Kuala Lumpur there are the Batu Caves, which we are visiting in April. The brochure says that they have 272 steps. That's alot of steps.
When I was being interrogated by the nurse prior to surgery she used the "Can you do 4 flights of stairs" test to check whether I was fit or not.
Obviously I am not.
And four flights is only about 64 steps.
Bother.
So, I'm in training. As well as attempting 3 x 30 minute rows a week (which I have actually been doing for two weeks now), I have to work up to 16 x our internal stairs. Precisely.
Initially I thought it was 17 times, but I was counting the 16 step treads, not the 17 risers. In a little mathematical fluke it turns out that 272 is actually 16 x 17, so it still works out an even number. However, I'm working on being able to do 20 x internal stairs so that I'll know I'm right for the day in airless cave conditions.
At the moment I can do 5. And then sit down for 5 minutes with my feet up. But hey, I've got 10 weeks 'til we go, so I should be able to make this. Each week I shall increase the number by 2 sets of stairs, thereby hitting 17 by week 7 and 20 for week 9. (And then I'm going to have to work in hotel staircases for the week we're away before we get to K.L.) This is what I call my C2272S programme.
I will also need to push up my walking, because that is also something we'll probably be doing alot of.
So, my plan for this week (which actually started on Saturday):-
1. Row three times (yep, already did Saturday and today, so that's on track)
2. Walk three times (better get into that, because the LBD hasn't seen my walking shoes for weeks)
3. Do 5 flights of stairs at some point during the day every day (already did that yesterday - when I first realised that I needed to train for stairs - and today I did 2 lots, plus an additional three individual sets incidental to doing some washing downstairs)
Did you notice my total lack of any sort of weigh-in? Sort of bounced. Back to a nasty number. I'd love to say it was because I did heaps more exercise than normal and built muscle. It wasn't. I had a few eating incidents.
Six and a half years later
3 years ago
7 comments:
Is that 16X up the stairs, or 8 up and 8 down?
Good on you for having a plan... especially for having a plan that will push you without killing you. :)
Good luck with the plan (:
Sounds very achievable!
Im actually starting the C25K plan today, nice to see there are others out there doing it too!
Thats a lot of stairs! All the best with your plan, I'm sure you will get there
Emily Sue - 16 x up the stairs (and as a result 16 x down again - or rather 16x down, then 16x up again because our house being built on a slope means that we come in from the front at ground level. Only the garage and laundry are downstairs)
I am a bit worried that the up and down thing is going to mean that I can't keep going up or keep going down for 272 steps. My training keeps changing the muscles used every 17 steps. But there are no 17 storey buildings in town here that I can use for practice, so I'll have to make do with this. I could get about 40 in a row at the hospital - that would be the tallest building in town - I'd need to do that about 7 times (7x up, and 7x down) and they probably wouldn't think I was weird because they've got a big "use the stairs" health push on at the moment.
I assume when you do the 272 stairs you don't have to do them in one massive push. Surely you're allowed to stop for a breather? They don't want tourists to die on the stairs...
Yeah, probably they'd let us stop for a breather. Unfortunately that breather likely does not include a LaZboy rocker recliner.
It's just possible that they would expect the tourist would have a 'reasonable level of fitness' when they've announced in the publicity material that there are 272 steps. They may not be keen to schedule the three CPR breaks I would currenly require.
Fortunately my brother is a paramedic and is coming with us for this trip. CPR covered if necessary.
Funny! I had a bout twenty interesting things to say, but I have forgotten them, what reading the post and the comments ...
I think you'll be fine, training or no training. And you'll love it! Good thing your brother is going with you though.
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