Training without straining

On February 22, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

After yesterday’s long run I considered taking the day off from training. It’s the last day of our vacation and it made sense to relax a little. I had a headache when I got up (due to a sinus condition) and my wife suggested that we take a walk around the neighborhood as a low impact activity. We set out with my daughter and walked for 40 minutes but, in the end, I still felt tired and my headache was still there. After lunch I decided to do a light workout on the elliptical using only the arms. I have discovered that by setting the resistance to 3 or 4 and standing in front of the unit (facing the back of the display) I can get a very good upper arm workout that’s similar to the upper body effort of cross country skiing.

I did the upper arm workout for about ten minutes and then ran an easy mile on the treadmill, mostly to see how the Garmin distance tracking matched up to the treadmill’s. After yesterday’s long run I bumped up the Garmin’s calibration slightly in hopes of reducing the 3% variance from actual distance covered. I was pleased to see that both the Garmin and treadmill were in synch with the Garmin running slightly ahead by a couple of 100ths of a mile. This is similar to what I experienced when comparing the Nike+ Sportband to the treadmill’s distance tracking.

Today’s walk, elliptical and run activities didn’t add up to a highly taxing fitness day but after getting my pulse rate up on the treadmill, followed by a quick shower, I feel pretty good and ready to contend with the start of a new work week.

Heart of the matter

On February 20, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I ran a half mile calibration run this morning and was disappointed to see that my Garmin 50 is still off in recording actual distance. I set the unit back to neutral (no compensation) since that gave me a constant variance that I can correct when recording into MapMyRun. The Garmin Connect site doesn’t allow the user to modify uploaded data so my distances (and therefore speed and pace times) will continue to be under reported by about 3%.

I wasn’t too energized during this short run, probably because I knew it would be over quickly. I want to do an extended run in the next few days but it didn’t seem like the right time to try that. Instead I decided to train on the elliptical machine. I find that to be a good workout but I never feel like it’s an equivalent effort to running. As an experiment I used the Garmin to see how it tracked distance and to monitor my pulse rate since the elliptical’s readings are practically random. I started out at low resistance and after a minute or so I discovered that the Garmin was not recording distance at all. I think that’s because the foot pod relies on foot strikes and the elliptical does not mimic the impact of running. The HRM was working fine and I watched the numbers increase as I added levels of resistance.

The interesting thing was that when I reached my normal level of resistance (5) my pulse rate was almost 15% lower than my average pulse rate when I’m running. It wasn’t until I increased to level 10 that I came within a few points of my running pulse rate. I stayed at that level for a while and was really sweating by the time I reached the 40-minute mark. According to the display I was producing 102 watts of energy on the elliptical compared to the 58-62 watts I’m used to seeing when I use the machine at level 5.

So, knowing this, I will double my usual resistance to maintain the level of conditioning that I follow during my weekday runs. I used to think of the elliptical was my easy workout and a break from my intense daily runs. Going forward it will be a different form of hard work. I welcome the challenge!

Fitness Showrooms: Deal or bad deal?

On January 29, 2009 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

The latest episode in the ongoing saga of our BH Fitness elliptical machine played out yesterday when the Fitness Showrooms tech replaced the X1 display and logic board for the third time since November.

Unfortunately this didn’t solve the problem with the inaccurate heart rate monitor (HRM) nor did it fix the problem with the angle of the display. So the net result of all of this is that we’re back to the starting point with a unit that doesn’t provide a key capability. We are actually worse off than when we started because the original display was properly centered but the last two displays have sat off center.

What’s frustrating is that the Fitness Showrooms tech told my wife that the HRMs don’t work on these machines and that includes the one in their showroom. While Fitness Showrooms was happy to use the HRM as a selling feature they’ve refused to rebate the cost to buy an accurate, wearable HRM. Although I like the design and feel of the X1 I am tempted to send it back and buy another brand that has more features and that works as promised.

If I do decide to buy another elliptical I won’t be getting it from Fitness Showrooms. Their position is that we should address our problems with the unit directly with the manufacturer, BH Fitness. Fitness Showrooms represented the HRM as a key feature in order to make the sale. But, to date, they have not stood behind what they sold.

When bad things happen to good elliptical machines

On January 8, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I’ve talked before about how the elliptical workout complements running and I have been very happy with my machine, the BH Fitness X1. The only issue I have with the unit is that its heart rate monitor has been completely inaccurate. The people at Fitness Showrooms have been responsive to my complaints and ordered a replacement unit that was installed yesterday. I was very excited to use the unit today but was ultimately disappointed to see that the service tech installed the HRM and display unit off center so that the display is very difficult to read while in use. Well, at least that would be fixable with some adjustments. I was further disappointed when I started using the machine only to see the starting pulse at 175 and the HRM reading out between 190 and 43 throughout my workout. The readings (which did not in any way tie to my level of exertion) jumped around so much it was almost like the monitor was generating random numbers.

I’ve asked the supplier for a modest refund so I can buy a watch with a built in heart monitor. I’ll wait to hear how they respond. In the meantime I’m open to suggestions on who has the best HRM watch for under $100.

I heart my elliptical machine

On December 27, 2008 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Even after icing my lower back last night and early this morning my hamstring pull was still aggravated. I read online that you can run with a grade 1 hamstring pull but very soon after I started to run this morning I realized that was a bad idea. We are having guests over today and knew my window for training was short so I decided to see if the elliptical machine, with its low impact motion, would feel better than running. It was a good decision to use the elliptical as I couldn’t feel the injury at all. I did 45 minutes at medium-high resistance which ended up being a decent workout. My machine displays a number of metrics, including watts, which are a measure of energy expended. I was told that watts are a constant that can be observed on different equipment so you can compare training efforts across disciplines. That will be a useful benchmark for tracking progress going forward. As much as I love this machine I’m still waiting for Fitness Showrooms to install a new heart rate monitor. They said the part should arrive soon…

Although the elliptical is a great alternative to running it isn’t running. It’s a method not a sport (have you ever met someone who categorized themselves as an “ellipticaler?”). Tomorrow will either be a rest day or I’ll try a light run depending on how I feel overnight. I am disappointed to encounter an injury, however slight, over my vacation. I was hoping to build up some distance in anticipation of the 4 mile race. There’s still over a week left before I return and plenty of time to hit the track.

A new way to use the elliptical

On December 15, 2008 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

A combination of pushing too hard and stretching too little this weekend aggravated a muscle in my leg. My wife told me I should skip today’s exercise but I just couldn’t. Mondays are elliptical days for me and although I felt it had less impact on my muscle strain than running I decided not to use it for my legs. Instead, I straddled the elliptical machine but only worked the arms. Unlike the normal use where resistance is minimal at the first level, this experience was more akin to cross country skiing. Increasing the resistance made the effort very challenging. I ended up doing 15 minutes which was enough to get my heart rate up for a while. It wasn’t the same amount of exertion as running but today was scheduled to be a light to moderate workout. Besides that, my upper arms are not used to working that hard and I didn’t want to pull a muscle there either. I had not heard of anyone using the elliptical this way but I plan to use it for upper arm training even after my short break from running.

Fitness Showrooms responds

On December 8, 2008 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

In an earlier post I mentioned that the heart rate monitor on our new BH Fitness elliptical was wildly inaccurate. I requested a solution from Fitness Showrooms and they responded very quickly by ordering a replacement part. They will send a tech to install it when it comes in. I don’t know what kind of response I would have got from a big sporting goods chain but I am very pleased with the level of service we’ve received from Fitness Showrooms.

Problem with my elliptical machine

On December 6, 2008 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

We looked at a number of elliptical machines before buying ours. After much discussion with friends and lots of online research we ended up buying an X1 from BH Fitness. It’s a quality unit and we bought it from a company called Fitness Showrooms that sells high end equipment. Our unit was reasonably priced and it seemed to be built better than the units they sell at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Overall we are happy with the unit and the service (we had some small installation problems and a tech from Fitness Showrooms came by and addressed most of them). One problem that remains is that the heart rate monitor is completely inaccurate. I wonder if it was installed backward because my starting point is usually a HR of 170 and after a fairly intense session it drops below 100. The Fitness Showrooms tech told my wife that the HRM won’t work if there is a computer in the same room or even on the same floor as the elliptical unit. I know enough about wireless networks to debate that. First, although it isn’t listed in the manual I’m assuming that the the elliptical’s control panel operates on a different frequency as my home network. Second, the HRM doesn’t work even when when the computer is off. I’m going to ask the dealer to fix it or rebate me the value of the HRM so I can buy one like the Polar RS100 watch.

Workout diversity – running and elliptical training

On December 2, 2008 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

It’s been a long time since I’ve been consistently active and I have to be careful about over training. The elliptical machine is a great alternative to a daily run and I’ve discovered that setting the resistance to 3x requires an exertion similar to running on the treadmill. The advantages of the elliptical is that the burden on my knees and feet is much lower and the arm motion, especially with resistance, provides some upper body exercise. The elliptical does not provide a consistent aerobic challenge so I find I can go longer but I don’t feel like I’m helping to improve breathing and lung capacity. During my days off I did some longer sessions, 25 minutes on the elliptical followed by 25 minutes running on the treadmill. Those sessions definitely provided a more rounded workout.

Cross training with an elliptical machine

On November 24, 2008 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I run every morning and as I increase my distance I worry about the impact on my body. We got a BH Fitness elliptical machine on Friday and it gives me an opportunity to alternate between running and a lower impact form of aerobic exercise. I used it this morning instead of running (first time I’ve not run since early Sept. – I feel a little guilty). It will be interesting to see if I feel more rested tomorrow when I run.

I had a long weekend and ran longer than usual on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’m thinking about entering a 5K race some time in early 2009.