SkyRise Chicago 2014 - Check!

That’s Walter and his wife Bridget (left), me and Rebecca, and my parents.  We are standing on one of those glass “shelves” at the top that let you look straight down through thick glass to the city below.  Pregnant Bridget is the only one that didn’t climb the Willis Tower yesterday.  

We started just after 7am.  Rebecca and my dad ran up to the top, finishing in 18 and 33 minutes, respectively.  My mom and Walter stayed with me.  Since I used the stair railing to climb, Walter held my right crutch.  My mom carried a bag of gatorade, energy chews, gloves, and an empty bottle of gatorade in case I had bathroom emergencies.  

I still can only step up with my right leg.  With all the excitement, I knew I was probably going too fast.  Then RIC CEO Joanne Smith stopped on her way up to say “hi” and check in on my progress.  I was on the 4th or 5th floor at that point.  Last year she passed me while I was barely moving.  She couldn’t believe how much faster I was going now.  As she went on, I realized that I had been speeding up a little to impress her or something.  I tried to slow down and conserve my energy.  

I planned on awarding myself with headphones and music at the 10th floor, which gave me a short-term goal to focus on.  At 10, I put on my music and kept on going.  Before I knew it we were at 33, the first rest area.  Last year It had taken me over 2 hours to get to this point.  This year it took me 45 minutes.  I was worried I was going too fast and would burn out.  I had to pee and look!  The bathroom is right by the stairwell! Sweet!  What? It’s locked?  How stupid!  I went around the corner to pee in the empty Gatorade bottle while Walter watched for any poor folks that might walk by.

This Chicago fireman did the entire climb in full gear with a tank on his back!

We headed up.  About that time Rebecca and my dad had rejoined us, meaning they ended up climbing the whole thing twice.  The next 33 floors flew by.  We were at 1:50.  I took a 5 minute break to sit and cool off at the rest area on 66.  My shoulders and wrists were killing me.  Then we kept trucking.  

Around 80 we got to the section of tighter staircases that I hate, because the climbers behind me have to wait for an opportunity to pass.  Every few floors, I told everyone to hurry up and pass so that I could go on again.  My dad started telling people to chill out and be patient.  A few people recognized me from the event web site, which was kind of funny.  My friend, Mark Stephan, passed me at a good clip.  Around 85, my shoulders were burning and I knew I had reached my exhaustion point.  I started taking 10 and 20 second breathers.  

Then I remembered to pray.  I started whispering to myself, “Dear Lord, give me strength.  Dear Lord, take away the pain.”  I said it over and over again.  Nothing was happening but it was good to focus on the prayer instead of my pain.  

I overheard Walter and my dad saying that I was going much faster.  Then Rebecca said that I was going at the fastest rate since she had joined at 33.  We pushed to the top and I let out a howl!  103 floors!!! 

After last year’s climb, I was frustrated that I had only made it 70 floors.  I promised myself that in 2014 I would climb the whole thing in less time than it had taken me to do 70 floors (5:15).  Then as I trained this year, I realized that was going to be too easy, so I cut the goal to be under 4 hours.  I never thought I could make it in the 3:03 that I squeaked out!  I’m very pleased, I have to say.  

It was a really cool event and it felt just awesome to get my blood pumping like that and reach the point of exhaustion.  Vince Lombardi has a great quote: “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.” That’s what I felt like yesterday.  Good stuff.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you need to find a way to get that feeling.

Thanks so much to all those who donated money (Rebecca and I together raised well over $1000!) to the RIC!  Very generous.  

So that is the story of this year’s SkyRise Chicago.  

Dear Lord, please give me patience.  Fill me with positivity and optimism.  Let me remember that even with so many difficulties, there are just that many more opportunities to overcome.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit.  Let me focus on things in my life that please You.  Thank you for Rebecca.  Thank you for my supportive family.  Thanks for Walter and all the folks I’ve met at RIC.  Thanks for giving me strength and taking away the pain.  I love you, Lord.  In Your name, Amen.

G’night - 

Chip

Climbing the Willis (Sears) Tower Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I’ll be making my second attempt at climbing the entire Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower).  It’s for the SkyRise Chicago event benefitting RIC, where I did my rehab.  It’s not at all necessary but if you feel like donating, click HERE for my contribution page.

Actually if you click on the main page for SkyRise Chicago, you can see a pic of me finishing last year.  Kind of cool that they threw that up there.  You can see how Rebecca is happy that I have finally finished, yet slightly afraid of my menacing warrior face.  I let out a primitive “AHHHH!!!!” at the end like a professional weightlifter.  Felt awesome!  Walter, one of my main therapists, is behind me there, too. 

Last year I had hoped to complete the entire tower but failed.  I started at the bottom and barely made it to the 33rd floor without passing out.  I had perhaps been overly optimistic (is there any other way to live???).  33 and 66 are the two rest areas.  Rebecca and Walter had talked me into getting to at least 53 so that I could say I did over half of the 103 floors.  But I had an idea.  In a couple minutes I had talked them into taking me up to the other rest area at 66 so I could attempt to finish.  After 5 hours and 15 minutes, I came to the top!  Only 70 of the 103 floors, but at least I worked my heinder off and felt great.  

That was a year ago.  I had also not been really ready since Rebecca and I had just gotten married a week prior and then spent the rest of the time checking out Bourbon country, Asheville, NC, and Gatlinburg, TN, as a “mini-moon” (she insisted on calling it that so that we could go to Mexico in February!).  This year, I hope to once again start at the bottom, but complete the whole thing in less than 4 hours.  So here’s my math:

Last Year:

70 floor, 1400 steps, 5:15 hours

= 4.5 minutes per floor

This Year:

103 floors, 2109 steps, 4 hours

= 2 1/3 minutes per floor, 6.82 seconds per step

So that means I have to go about twice as fast as last year and complete 50% more of the tower.  SURE LET’S DO IT!  Ha!

My last practice climb didn’t go so hot but hopefully that was a fluke.  I have been training in my 18-story apartment building.  If I start on the 2nd floor by the laundry and go to the top, it is exactly 252 steps.  Then I walk with one crutch and one hand on the wall to the elevator, go to the 2nd floor, and start over.  My biggest training climb was 1400 steps, which is equivalent to the 70 floors I did at the event last year.  I was way faster at about 2:15.  The Willis Tower is harder, though.  Higher steps and tons of people trying to pass me by the whole time.  But I’m hopeful.  Please say a prayer for me! 

Some of my friends are climbing, too.  Shannon, an upper level injury, is climbing for his 4th year.  I can still only lift up my right leg which makes stairs tedious so he is way faster than me.  Mark Stephan will probably beat us all again, doing it for his 5th or 6th year.  He can’t even feel anything below his neck.  What a champ.  Rebecca and both of my parents are climbing as well, and Walter will be back in action, helping to make sure I don’t fall.  Rebecca will fly up, basically.  Her feet MIGHT hit the stairs.  My dad claims to have done 105 floors up AND down in 22 minutes, but I am very skeptical.  Still not, bad for 66 years old.  My mom is walking up with me, titanium hip and all.  All champs.  

Prayers for everyone.  Stay strong.  Life is only as hard as we allow it to be. I need to remember that.   

Happy November!
Chip