Last night, my colleagues and I hiked the Grouse Grind. I was a bit slower than my previous time at 53:32, but I was happy with the results. I tend to start thinking about other things and loose focus on the current task. When I realize I am doing this, I refocus and attack each step with more fervor. It was a good night to tackle the grind, with an overcast, the slight threat of rain and cool temperatures, meant it was a less stifling climb.  It made for a rather cold walk home, but I definitely love the cooler temperatures when I’m working so hard.
I wasn’t working nearly as hard as Sebastian Albrecht, mind you. He was attempting to beat is previous shared record for the highest number of consecutive climbs in a day. I’m assuming he chose yesterday to break the record since it is the day after the longest day of the year and it was a Monday. Therefore, there are fewer people (read tourists) on the Grind at that time. As part of his fundraiser effort, he had to complete each climb within an hour, otherwise, he would pay $500 out of his own pocket to the cause. Yesterday, he broke his shared record of 12 by one, to complete 13 climbs in a day. That is nearly 13 hours of straight uphill. Unbelievable. I have new inspiration and perhaps I will attempt to complete the grind twice consecutively, some day.