Day Fifty-Five (Mon., Apr. 27th) – And She’s Buying a Stairway to Heaven, But Why?

Monday’s Workout:
• 30-minute Cardio
• 2-on-1 training (1 hr)
• Massage!
• Spin Class (1 hr)
• Santa Monica Stairs (167 steep steps, 5 ½ flights, 1 hr)
• Gym Boot Camp (1 hr)
• Chiropractor

Monday was a lovely day so I would have been happy to do the usual Monday bike ride, but my shoulder problem made it impossible to do that. So, I was scheduled for cardio and other training in the gym. Now, since I can’t do upper body workouts, I’m left with abs/core and lower body workouts and that’s all I’ve been doing for the last eight days. I actually DON’T MIND that, except that it can get boring after awhile AND my legs do need a break. On Monday it was especially important that I didn’t overexert my legs because I was going to climb the Santa Monica Stairs for the first time. I had seen a video of the stairs and I wasn’t happy about doing them, but I was determined not to think negatively about them (i.e., I was doing some positive self-coaching). Early in the day, though, I was not feeling great and had to run out on Jason during our 2-on-1 session a couple of times (nope, not the swine flu, but something was not agreeing with me!).

After a massage it was time for my second-ever spin class. I like spinning; I just wish I could do it a hundred percent. It doesn’t tire my legs out all that much; does that mean I’m doing it correctly? We all work up a pretty good sweat, and even with my extra seat cushion, my butt hurts more than when I’m doing outdoor cycling. Whoever designed these spin seats must have been in a bad mood.

I had a little nap after lunch; I think I was just “zenning” to get ready for the stairs. Or, I was still not feeling great and my body wanted to rest. Anyway…we headed to the stairs and we started at the top. That meant that if I wanted to get home, I had to get my butt back UP the stairs one last time. There are 167 steps, give or take, with only two “landings” in between.
The steps are wooden and wide enough for 3 people side-by-side…so you stay to the right and let people pass you in the middle (I was certainly not passing anyone). There is a handrail which I avoided using on my first trek up the steps. Now…I mentioned before that I was worried about my knees, so I concentrated on pushing up from my heels, and thus I was mostly flat-footed for every step. My heart rate zoomed to past its maximum (over 160) fairly quickly during each ascent. But I have to say, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was exhausting, of course, and I had to stop to catch my breath and let my heart rate go down at the halfway mark and at the top, but it wasn’t horrible. I kept my mouth shut the whole time, too…I was NOT going to be negative as I was the first time I attempted the Dunes. We had about an hour to do as many ascents as we could. I managed 5 ½ for my first time. I guess that was pretty good. Going up didn’t hurt at all; it just took my breath away and made my heart rate zoom. But DESCENDING the stairs was very difficult!!! Omigosh, my quadriceps were like JELLY and I HAD to hold on to the railing to ensure I didn’t go tumbling down. At one point when I was about to start a descent, I had to back off and wait for my thighs to recover. Holy mackerel, I was not expecting that. They weren’t hurting, as I said, but they were just weak from the climb. Now I’m deciding whether I prefer the stairs or the dunes. Immediately after the stair-climb I think I might have said I prefer the Dunes over the Stairs, but now that I’ve thought more about it, I might prefer the stairs. They are shaded the entire way and the ascent is measurable, and it’s not as hard on the knees if you climb properly. The Dunes however, are low impact and my heart rate doesn’t shoot up as quickly, but they are usually done in the sun and that sand can get hot, baby, even while wearing sand socks. So, I think at this very minute, if I HAVE to choose, I’d take the stairs over the dunes. This could change after this Friday’s Dunes workout. Stay tuned ;-)

I had another leg workout in the gym before heading to the chiropractor. He cracked my neck and I heard three distinctive cracks on one side. Yikes. It still makes me nervous when they do that but it sure does help. The doctor also took two x-rays because we wanted to be sure that I didn’t have an actual injury instead of just pinched nerves. I will return on Wednesday evening to get the diagnosis.