...the motivation to go running just hasn't been there the last week or so, and seeing as how I am on a bit of a sabbatical from playing soccer on Sundays (my return is set for the 23rd) I probably need to get some good workouts in more than ever...

My solution, and my workout of choice now 3 times since last Tuesday, is to go run stairs. Howe Street, from Lakeview Blvd up Capitol Hill, is the location. It is 13 flights of stairs, at 20, plus or minus a couple, per flight. After the first 9 flights, the stairs have a short gap where the "road" crosses a residential street, then it is another 4 flights up to a cul-de-sac which comes off of 10 Ave, which eventually turns into Broadway further south.

The usual method by which I approach it is this: starting from the bottom, I walk/jog all the way to the top, alternating between every step for a flight, then 2 steps at a time for a flight. Then, I walk/jog down to the residential street, and sprint back up the top 4 flights (2 steps at a time). Then I walk/jog all the way back down, and try to "jog" (although it often becomes almost a walk) up the 9 flights to the street (2 steps at a time). Then return to the bottom, and this is one "set."

I'm depressingly slow, but I hope that if I do this workout at least once a week (and at least 3 times in the last 2 years I've told myself I would do this!) it oughta get much better, and Really help build my leg strength, as well as provide a nice anaerobic workout. Right now, I'm trying to do at least 3 "sets," then maybe a few bonus sprints, or maybe even one or two trudges all the way up and back.

So i did this tonight, then came back home and went through a quick upper-body workout, with some dumbbell stuff, but mostly a lot of push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.