I’ve been taking the stairs at work lately—at least, any day that I’m not wearing Shoes of Death (like the platforms with wood heels I wore yesterday). On days that I’m wearing sturdy shoes with rubber bottoms, I try to find several excuses to go up and down the stairs so that I’m climbing at least 20 flights a day.

I’ve been running more, too. And I’ve been trying to push through the uphill portions instead of slowing to a walk. 7 years ago

In April, Adam and I are going to Vancouver for our wedding anniversary. We’re planning on doing a lot of hiking while we’re there, including hiking the Grouse Grind. It’s 2.9 km of steepness, apparently, and all the travel guides recommend that we be in “excellent physical condition” to hike it. And, seeing as I don’t want to hike it on day 2 of our vacation and then be too sore to walk around for the rest of the trip, I definitely need to make some preparations.

I’ve already: bought a great pair of hiking boots and begun breaking them in, been doing 2-mile runs (well, run-walk intervals), done some short hikes with Adam, tried to get in the habit of doing sit-ups and leg lifts every morning before I leave for work, and taken the stairs everywhere I go. I’ve also been trying to walk more often. I was taking the train back from jury duty downtown the other day, and, since I was wearing sturdy shoes, I got off one stop early and walked to work from there. This was not particularly fun, as it had warmed up a lot since morning, and I was wearing a heavy wool sweater and carrying my corduroy coat. Still, I was pleased that I’d fit an extra 20 minutes of walking into my day.

I’d like to get to work early one morning and see if I can walk up ALL the steps in the building. I do 5 flights in the morning, but I think I could do the full 15 without getting too winded.

This weekend, Adam and I are going to head to a nearby trail and hike for an hour or so. Gotta keep breaking in those new boots. 7 years ago