The CN tower climb - the post mortem
Actually, that title's closer to the truth than ought to be the case! I really did for a stage feel rough on the climb, and, well, the more morbid contract writers of United Way had ensured that they included the word 'death' on the disclaimers we were signing before starting the ascent. Just in case, you understand!
United Way very kindly give you a t shirt at the end of the event with your time on it, as a souvenir, and perhaps a reminder to exercise more before next years climb! Watching the t shirts of the finished climbers go past as we were approaching the start, there were a couple in the teens (ie sub 20 min), a lot in the 20s, some in the 30s…. then the sounds of ridicule from Jonathan behind me when a woman walks past with something like 37 minutes on the shirt. I wasn't liking this! I had been ill all week, and, in the context of what my legs have been able to do for the past 5 years, the climb, not the time, was the challenge in itself. That said, I didnt want to take hours!
What was i hoping to do it in? Well, frankly, the elevator! But Bruce, our team captain, was asking us for our targets as we queued up to sign our lives away. Kim was aiming for 30 min, Jonathan nearer 20. Then he tells Bruce that "Matt is going for 20.." "Yeah", says Matt enthusiastically. "20, maybe even 15....... floors" (I really wasnt joking!)
So my personal stats: Steps: 1776. Floors 142. Stops 4 (yes, that’s really lame and yes, I was knackered – I had to leave Kim at about floor 118 and I needed 5 minutes more than her to finish off those last 20 floors, although the breather was nice!) Time 38.01. I was happy to follow Kim all the way up in her ‘slow and steady wins the race’ pacing. Which was definitely for the best, as if I had been in control I would have been jogging up the first 50 or 60 steps thinking ‘no sweat’, only to die a death on floor 10. Personal satisfaction gained? Yes. Humiliating time? - probably, but as was pointed out to me later, all the people with the slow times probably didnt bother wearing their T shirts as they walked away. Clever people!
And what did we gain? Well, we raised a few more thousand for United Way. And this is the cool bit. Our GTA practice has raised $1.1m in the past month for United Way, which will fund more than 200 social and health service agencies. 79% of our staff have contributed. You can read more at www.unitedwaytoronto.com and see what rewards others will get for our efforts.
For me, my reward was the top of the tower. But, unlike my previous visits, I really wasnt in the physical state to enjoy the view! Kim very kindly stayed behind to walk with me to the office, and in the process learned a new English word. Chunder. Enough said.
I'd do it all again tomorrow. Except maybe the mars bars...!
United Way very kindly give you a t shirt at the end of the event with your time on it, as a souvenir, and perhaps a reminder to exercise more before next years climb! Watching the t shirts of the finished climbers go past as we were approaching the start, there were a couple in the teens (ie sub 20 min), a lot in the 20s, some in the 30s…. then the sounds of ridicule from Jonathan behind me when a woman walks past with something like 37 minutes on the shirt. I wasn't liking this! I had been ill all week, and, in the context of what my legs have been able to do for the past 5 years, the climb, not the time, was the challenge in itself. That said, I didnt want to take hours!
What was i hoping to do it in? Well, frankly, the elevator! But Bruce, our team captain, was asking us for our targets as we queued up to sign our lives away. Kim was aiming for 30 min, Jonathan nearer 20. Then he tells Bruce that "Matt is going for 20.." "Yeah", says Matt enthusiastically. "20, maybe even 15....... floors" (I really wasnt joking!)
So my personal stats: Steps: 1776. Floors 142. Stops 4 (yes, that’s really lame and yes, I was knackered – I had to leave Kim at about floor 118 and I needed 5 minutes more than her to finish off those last 20 floors, although the breather was nice!) Time 38.01. I was happy to follow Kim all the way up in her ‘slow and steady wins the race’ pacing. Which was definitely for the best, as if I had been in control I would have been jogging up the first 50 or 60 steps thinking ‘no sweat’, only to die a death on floor 10. Personal satisfaction gained? Yes. Humiliating time? - probably, but as was pointed out to me later, all the people with the slow times probably didnt bother wearing their T shirts as they walked away. Clever people!
And what did we gain? Well, we raised a few more thousand for United Way. And this is the cool bit. Our GTA practice has raised $1.1m in the past month for United Way, which will fund more than 200 social and health service agencies. 79% of our staff have contributed. You can read more at www.unitedwaytoronto.com and see what rewards others will get for our efforts.
For me, my reward was the top of the tower. But, unlike my previous visits, I really wasnt in the physical state to enjoy the view! Kim very kindly stayed behind to walk with me to the office, and in the process learned a new English word. Chunder. Enough said.
I'd do it all again tomorrow. Except maybe the mars bars...!
posted by CBC at 8:10 pm
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