Baby Steps

On Tuesday mornings, I meet a group of Flyers at 6AM to do speed work. Normally, the group alternates between running intervals one week, and hill repeats the next. We do different hills and different sets of intervals in various locations to keep things fresh. 

This week, we tried something new. Some new folks in the group suggested that running on stairs would be a good workout, so we headed for Bethesda Terrace in Central Park to give it a try. 

My day started out with the close to 2 mile run to the meet point, followed by another mile plus to the stairs.

Once there, the rules were explained.

- Single steps only. No taking 2 steps at a time.

- Focus on leg speed. Think of running on hot coals. 

- Run fast (duh!)

We ran 5 x 5 sets up and down the stairs. The Bethesda Terrace stairs have two "sides" separated by a bridge of sorts. Between sets, we wouldn't stop, but rather jog over to the opposite side. You can see the two sets of steps in the picture below, but it was a very different scene at 6AM in November. As you might imagine, we had the steps to ourselves.

The effect was much different than I had imagined. I expected a hard core quad workout, but it turned out to be more cardio. Trying to run fast without taking two steps at a time meant moving the feet REALLY quickly. I almost felt like running in place. 

I think this was an excellent workout. For one thing, it was very different from the usual speed work we do, and it's always good to mix it up. Also, it was great way to work on leg speed -- something that I could definitely benefit from. 

Finally, it was FUN. We had a good group of folks, and although there were a range of paces, we never got far apart -- there was nowhere to go. At the start, some folks were singing the theme to Rocky, invoking the image of the boxer training on steps in Phili. Later in the workout, when the going got tough, someone yelled "where's the singing now?!"  Sure enough, the singing returned.  You can't keep a Flyer down.