The Big Climb

I am pleased to share that, despite my lack of posts in the last two weeks, I did indeed survive the Big Climb.  I think my love of playing soccer paid off well for climbing stairs, since I was able to use my soccer muscles to power up two steps at a time part of the way.  Then when I got tired, I would drop back to one step at a time.  The biggest challenge was that my heart was POUNDING from the exertion!  I think I might have to find a little bit more exercise to get my heart muscle into better shape if I try to do this again.

Just so you get the full picture of how crazy I was to join in the Big Climb, I thought I would post a picture of the building from where we started.  The stair climbers went from 8:30 in the morning through 5 or 6pm. 

They assign each of us to a 15 minute start time on one of two stairwells.  I opted for the non-racing stairwell and heard that it was the more friendly one!  Along the way in the stairwell, we saw signs honoring people affected by blood cancers.  It's quite a neat way to remind us of the cause and keep motivating the climbers to take another step.

When we finished all 1,311 steps (ACK!!), we were able to have a small post race snack in a room at the top of the tower.  Once I had recovered my vision (just kidding!), I enjoyed the view of the Puget Sound and thought that those with offices along that wall must get no work done because they are so busy enjoying the view of the waterfront and the water.

I was very thankful to be a member of Team Robel and participate in the climb this year.  Yanni Robel has been battling leukemia herself and has had to deal with several complications.  I am awed by her determination to keep fighting and look forward to welcoming her to our Light the Night walk this fall.  On her Big Climb bib, she wrote that she was walking in memory of Tyler and in honor of our CML friends.  While I wish that I knew them for some other reason, I am honored to be involved with this CML community!  There are some amazing people that we would not have met without the disease.

Although I wish Tyler could have been there in person, he was definitely there in spirit keeping me going up those stairs.