"And so these stairs shall now seem short to me..."

Being a Record of 63 Days of Training for the

Firefighter Stair Climb

About the Event
At 788 feet of vertical elevation, the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle is the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. It takes 69 flights of stairs and 1,311 steps to reach the observation deck overlooking the city. On Sunday, March 4th firefighters will race up the stairs in full fire gear and SCBA to help raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Over 1,400 firefighters from 180 departments are expected to compete in the event,  making the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb the largest single firefighting competition in the world.  Please support me in this endeavour by making a pledge on my donation page.

Where I Train
I train at Fort Worden State Park, in Port Townsend, WA, on a set of solid wooden steps built and maintained by volunteers(read a story about the stairs in the PT Leader).  The view from the stairs includes Mt. Rainier, the Cascade Mtns, Mt. Baker, Port Townsend Bay, Admiralty Inlet and shipping lanes, sailboats, submarines, Indian and Marrowstone Islands, the Coast Guard lighthouse at Pt. Wilson, a perfect crescent beach, driftwood, neighbours walking dogs and playing with children. There is a small group of dedicated firefighters who train at Fort Worden.  I couldn't begin to commit to this challenge without their support.  There are four flights of 19 steps + five "bonus stairs" (The Columbia Centre stairs are also 19 steps to a flight).

Training Goals
I will be posting a weekly training goals post. I haven't trained for an event like this since I was in school with coaches and scheduled practices. Goals may be as simple and specific as the number of flights of stairs to be run in a period of time, or exercises to be completed, fundraising, logistics or more lofty.  I am looking for support, advice, encouragement, words of wisdom and motivation. LiveJournal allows comments--please please post (if you are not registered your posts will be marked anonymous, include your name in the text if you want me to know who you are.)  This Challenge has become the intersection of many important vectors in my life: a desire to understand and support the work of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, love of the Fire Service, East Jefferson Fire Rescue, volunteerism, service, community, sense of place, fitness and health, middle-age, patterns in nature...Expect poetry, pictures, and random thoughts.

Training Journal
I will also post a weekly exercise log: number of stairs run, miles, weights lifted, water drunk, etc.  Again, please feel free to comment. Make suggestions. Ask questions.  I will try to post pictures as we train.   I have been getting excellent advice from  East Jefferson Fire Rescue FF/PM Ryan Tillmann and FF Pat McNerthney who competed in the Challenge last year.  FF/EMT 's M'el Christensen and Max Plattner have been instrumental in encouraging me to get out on the stairs.  FF/EMT Mike Kennedy has been an inspiration.

Thank you all for your support, encouragement and friendship.

Ande Grahn

My Fundraising Page

East Jefferson Fire Rescue Team Fundraising Page

 Me'l Christiansen,  Christi Gelder, Ande Grahn,  Pat McNerthney, Max Plattner, Brian Stokke

More Information about East Jefferson Fire Rescue and Marine 81