I had the crazy idea to do this challenge today. I got the idea when I read a comment (somewhere, I think it was Youtube) where someone asked, "I wonder which is harder Sand Dune Park or Santa Monica Stairs."
Instead of waiting a week, when I didn't have a race to run, I decided that I would do it this week. Call it impatient or competitive, I couldn't wait. In addition to doing the challenge, I rode my bike to both of the locations. The ride was
42 miles round trip and, of course, was accompanied by two flat tires at about miles 28 and 33. It was due. The first flat tire was fine, it was the front tire. I had one CO2 cartridge, but the second was my back tire. By this time, I had finished two courses of the Santa Monica Stairs and was spent. The physical pumping of the tire was exhausting. Those last 9 miles on my bike were killer.
Ok, so which is harder? I can't quite tell right now. They are both physically challenging. Sand Dune Park: the picture doesn't do the hill justice. It's STEEP and every step I took I would slip down half a step. My calves were on fire. The park was also about 5 blocks in from the beach and a steep hill up from the coast. So my ass was already tired from the long ride and the steep climb. Santa Monica Stairs: 142 steps of pure (ass) hell. My butt/thighs were burning. After the second climb my thighs felt like they were in complete atrophy. hahaha Try it! It was tough, but I'll probably do this challenge again. What can I say, I'm a masochist. haha
I was in Westwood today. And you know you're old when stores have closed that were open when you went to grad school. Westwood is constantly changing, I think, because of the high rent for the commercial spaces. It's adjacent to UCLA, but the college clientele cannot sustain the market in that area. It was nice to persuse my old stomping ground, that seems like a world-away. Don't worry the Hammer is still there, and so is Diddy Riese, but the ice cream sandwiches are now a buck fifty! wtf?
