I can’t believe it took me 15 years of living in Los Angeles before I checked out Ferndell. Shameful! Ferndell is a lovely 1/2-mile trail in Griffith Park that follows a meandering stream through a lush and green forest that seems downright out-of-place in a desert city like Los Angeles.
I’ve known that Ferndell was there. I even knew where it was. The trailhead is off a major street, Los Feliz Boulevard, that I’ve Read the rest of this entry »
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Uncategorized | Tagged: Ferndell, Flipping Out, griffith park, hike, hiking, Jeff Lewis, Leif Erikson, los angeles, Los Feliz, St. Andrews Stairway, stair climb | 
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Posted by David
Greetings from a pedal boat on Lake Balboa!
That’s my friend Tavi and me, and we’re pedaling away in the middle of a 27-acre man-made lake in the Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: exercise, Lake Balboa, Lake Balboa Park, los angeles, pedal boat, san fernando valley, workout | Permalink
Posted by David
The 10th annual Los Angeles Fight For Air Climb was on Saturday, and I was ready to go. I even had my personal mantra written on my arm.
The ‘PR’ stands for personal record, and the ‘ER’ stands for emergency room. And since I had no intention of going to the ER, my only choice was to accomplish the personal record. And how would I do that? By climbing the third-tallest building in Los Angeles faster than I’ve ever climbed it before.
Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: American Lung Association, Aon Center, charity, exercise, Fight For Air, Fight For Air Climb, los angeles, maximum cruising altitude, personal record, race, roof, stair racing, stairwell, tower running, workout | Permalink
Posted by David
The moment before I start a stair race, I’m calm, focused, and ready to go hard. Look – a professional photographer captured that moment!
Most of these races have an official photographer on hand, and a week or so afterward, you can Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: American Lung Association, Big Climb Seattle, Columbia Center, Fight For Air Climb, los angeles, San Francisco, stair race, tower running | Permalink
Posted by David
Recently, while flipping through the channels, I stumbled upon a new show called “Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian.” I’m not a Kardashian fan, and have never watched any of their shows, but two days later, as a result of tuning in, I completed a killer workout on some awesome stairs.
My friend Tavi came too!
I tuned into “Revenge Body” right when a woman was explaining why Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: coyote, Eldred Stairs, Eldred Street, exercise, Khloe Kardashian, Latreal Mitchell, los angeles, Mount Washington, Revenge Body, stair climbing, stairway, working out | Permalink
Posted by David
I’ve swum laps at a number of city pools around town over the years. I can count five off the top of my head, with my favorite being the pool built for the 1932 Olympics. Most of the pools are pretty easy to get to, but there’s always been a closer one, in my own neighborhood, that has eluded me. It’s called the Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: exercise, los angeles, MAX Trainer, pool, Self magazine, swimming, swimming laps, Valley Plaza Pool, workout | Permalink
Posted by David
This weekend’s Fight For Air Climb in Los Angeles, benefiting the American Lung Association, was the single toughest stair race I’ve ever done. For the first time in my 34-race career, I questioned whether or not I could finish. It was challenging, yes, but also excruciatingly painful and downright frightening.
The morning began wonderfully. I arrived at the event when plenty of time to prepare, warm-up, and stretch. Even though the 63-story Aon Center in downtown Los Angeles is a tall, monolithic structure, I feel quite comfortable racing there. And I should: this was my fifth consecutive year doing this race.
The building and race has a special place in my memory, because Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: ALA, American Lung Association, Aon Center, exercise, Fight For Air Climb, los angeles, race, stair climb, stair racing, stairs, stairwell, tower running, vertical running, workout | Permalink
Posted by David
