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| - Me: 24 mins 37 seconds. The average person: 30 minutes.
OMG! Are my lungs actually bleeding?!!?!?!
Today I did the Enbridge United Way CN Tower Climb -Corporate Climb, to benefit the city and those less fortunate. This is my first time climbing the CN Tower for United Way and all I was expecting was to be completely sore after and a massive line-up prior to the commencement of the event. Both of my expectations became a reality, and there were some 'surprises'....
1. The CN Tower was probably the safest place anyone could be today. For the run, they had a "hands-free" policy, meaning you practically can't carry anything into the tower: no cellphones, mp3s, water, etc. Participants were allowed fanny packs, but they were inspected. En route into the Tower's stairwell, we passed through numerous security check points, I was scanned by a manual metal detector about 3 times at 3 different check points. I also had to go through the hands free security system that frisks you with air. (It's supposed to be non-intrusive).
2. It wasn't so crowded in the stairwell. I thought there would be a huge rush to get to the top of the stairs, like a stampede, but no, there were actually enough room for everyone to go at their own pace.
3. The stairwell was cold! Which made climbing the tower more comfortable. I would have died if it was hot and stuffy.
4. There were EMS personnel at different points in the stairwell, just in case some people don't make it or pass out along the way.
5. My lungs were killing me after reaching the top. (I kept looking at the EMS personnel at the top and wanting to go see him about the pain.) It was painful to drink, painful to breathe, painful to cough and I felt blood at the back of my throat. When I asked people who had done it last year about their experiences, NO ONE told me about the bleeding lungs. When I told my co-worker my lungs hurt, she said "oh that's normal, you're supposed to feel like you have bronchitis." Wow... I wished I had known earlier. Oh well, at least I know now how bronchitis feels.
Despite some surprises, I really recommend everyone to climb the CN Tower at least once, especially for charity. After all, it's Toronto's landmark and it used to be the world's tallest free-standing structure.
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