Elliptical machine, Schwinn A40.

Because of the sports hernia, I’m not going to run for a few days, or perhaps I’ll do a walk/run with only a little running. Today I’m glad that we invested in this little elliptical machine, the Schwinn A40. I’ve used it now enough to appreciate it’s features and failings.

Features:

• It has enough resistance for me and is comfortable enough to use.
• I believe the calorie count - it compares well with other ellipticals and with my running.
• The “distance” display shows a value that is fairly consistent with the calorie count.
• It’s one of the least expensive elliptical machines, at $330, yet it is quite sturdy.

Failings:

• The display is very hard to read. Even in a lighted room I need a flashlight, and I’ve attached one with Velcro, but it’s awkward to use.
• The machine makes some squeaking and clicking noises. They’re not so bad that they interfere with listening to TV, however, and might be less if the machine were on a more-stable floor.
• The little battery-powered fan, aimed at the face, is laughable. There is no breeze.

The unit is powered by ‘D’ batteries, and an optional AC power supply is available. The batteries seem to last for a while, so we haven’t looked for a power supply.

The A40 has several different programs, but I have so far only used it on “quick start” and simply set the resistance to maximum. At that setting, the user burns 13 to 14 calories per minute at a turnover of about 70 RPM. A stronger person can run it faster, but might also prefer an elliptical with higher resistance. Oddly, it doesn’t develop the maximum resistance immediately when started and set - the resistance doesn’t build up until several seconds have passed.

Today I ran the elliptical. Time: 30:03, calories: 433, distance: 3.39 miles, speed 6.8 mph. I care about the time and the calories - the rest of the information is a curiosity. I forgot to write down the average turnover rate, but I think it was 68 or 69 RPM. More interesting is my own breathing rate, which indicated a strong aerobic pace, comparable to running at a near-race pace.

Lessons of the Week

Sunday, February 10:

North St Paul Community Center overhead track, walking, five miles in 1:09:00, pace 13:48. This was a test, to see if walking would hurt the Achilles as the elliptical machine did. It’s my perception that the calf muscles driving the Achilles actually extend and contract over a longer stroke while walking than while running, so I expected that the tendon would begin to hurt after two or three miles. Surprised again: It wasn’t so. I could barely feel it after the full five miles, and even then I need to use some imagination.

But it’s a good lesson. For what it’s worth, I can walk very briskly without annoying the Achilles, and for at least as much distance as I can run without annoying it. That could turn out to be useful information.

Heart rate was measured several times on this walk, and varied between 94 and 98. I actually started to feel it in the quads toward the end, but I think that after a little training I could sustain a 14-minute walking pace for an entire marathon, finishing in 6:08 or so. Might be useful information some day. Next: Jog four miles on Tuesday, bring the heart monitor.

Friday, February 8:

North St Paul Community Center elliptical machine, 300 calories in 21:45. Today’s lesson: The elliptical machine is at least as tough on the Achilles tendon as running. I think more so. My last run was Monday, today is Friday, and the Achilles began to hurt in just 21 minutes. Hurts going down stairs, too, which is my personal acid test. I had somehow expected that the elliptical would not re-injure the tendon, perhaps because it didn’t bother the plantar fascia at all. I learned an important lesson.

And now I know why Monday’s 5-mile run was more painful than the identical 5-mile run two days earlier. I used the elliptical machine on the day between! Duh! Took me long enough to catch on.

Monday, February 4:

Plans go awry. Since I had such a pleasant and pain-free run on Saturday, I had hoped and even assumed that Monday’s run, after a two-day respite, would go even better. In fact I planned to run six miles, expecting no pain. But the Achilles tendon was stiff for at least the first full mile, and then began to hurt at the very end of the fifth mile. I ran one extra lap (120 meters) just to be sure, and it was indeed time to stop. No sixth mile, and the tendon hurt going down the stairs, which is the most sensitive indicator of this injury. Nuts.

The pace was deliberately a little slower than the “natural” pace that muscles wanted to run, five miles in 44:51 (exactly the same as Saturday’s time), pace 8:58. Splits 8:57, 8:57, 8:58, 8:59, 9:01.

So now what? Take a week off? Two weeks? I’m getting close to that decision. With plantar fasciitis and some other pains it’s OK to run without fear of compounding the injury. But this is different; a ruptured Achilles tendon trumps all running and most other leg exercises. I’m not going there.

The trouble is that it doesn’t hurt AT ALL until I run, and even then not until I’ve run some distance. It seems that the only way to determine whether it is healing is to re-injure it! I need to be able to run 26 miles on it, and so far have only managed five.



Today's breakfast: Organic oatmeal, organic reduced-fat milk, dried banana, organic blueberries, organic walnuts, Don's nut/fruit/berry mix, organic medjool date, dragon fruit.


Yesterday's lunch: Organic swiss chard with organic red cabbage, cranberries, and pistachios, organic apricot jam, clementine, organic roasted cashews.


Friday's dinner: Organic corn with rice pasta and tomotoes, organic blue-corn chips, guacamole by Sunshine, organic refried beans, asiago cheese. Seconds, thank you!

Elliptical Miles

One half mile on the treadmill, and the foot began to hurt, so I switched right away to the elliptical machine and burned 450 calories there. The machine said 3.8 miles in 32 minutes. Heart rate got up to 146, which is rather high but: (a) I’m a little out of shape; and (b) I was still digesting breakfast, which does make some difference. Good exercise, but I prefer running.

I had an appointment for my second pair of custom orthotics today. And I got a bill for $405 for the first pair today as well. Medicare covers the doctor visit, but not the orthotics. I suppose the second pair will cost a similar amount, but I hope they are a little more appropriate for running. Anyway OUCH!


No-hormone no-antibiotic beef roast with organic sweet potato, organic carrots, onions.

Estimated Weight Watcher Points = 5.

Elliptical

813 calories burned on the elliptical in 30+ minutes, finishing HR 130. No problem, plenty of sweat. Did I feel a twinge from the plantar fasciitis heel? Not sure, so I’ll ice it.

Breakfast:

Organic oatmeal, organic milk, blueberries, organic strawberries, organic nectarine, kiwi, Dove dark chocolate. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 5.

Snack:

Watermelon, honeydew melon, organic seedless grapes, blackberries, sugared organic ginger. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 4.

Salad:

Organic romaine lettuce, blueberries, organic strawberries, kiwi, pistachios, blue cheese, raspberry vinegar. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 3.

Dinner:

Organic whole-wheat spaghetti, grass-fed bison & spiced ground hormone- and antibiotic-free pork, organic spaghetti sauce, Jim's wonderful cabbage, organic nectarine. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 7.

I ran!

Slowly, for about 2/3 mile, using very short steps. After that distance the plantar-fasciitis left heel ached just a little, so I switched from the overhead track to the elliptical machine to burn another 420 calories.

The run was not timed. The elliptical “running” took 31 minutes, 13+ calories/minute, 170 strides per minute, “ramp” set to lowest position to most-nearly simulate running. Like all such machine exercises I dreaded doing it, snored all the way through it, but in the end was very glad I had done it. But I’d rather be running!

I’m icing the heel now, and I’m pretty sure that I didn’t re-injure it today. Perhaps I will do more short runs like this, gradually increasing the distance but stopping at the first little sign of pain, cross-training to fill the rest of the time.



Grilled free-range chicken marinated in key lime and organic lemon, organic nectarine, organic swiss chard, sweetened cranberries, pistachios, steamed with a little organic butter. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 5.

Biking Is Supposed to be Easy on the Knees

Sunday and today I treated my sore foot to a one-hour bicycle ride each day. Sunday morning early, I rode into a high-end housing development and tore up the hike/bike trails there, but never saw a soul. Today I rode into the county park, by way of my favorite dirt road along the RR tracks, then onto the park’s grass hike/horse trails. Again, never saw another person on those trails. A real shame. Plenty of people in the camping areas of the park though, that’s a good thing.

One problem: Both days my right knee hurt, directly under the kneecap, after about 45 minutes of hard biking. I hope that goes away. Can’t run, can’t bike? Tell me it’s not so! Tomorrow the (ugh) elliptical machine at the club. Barf.

But I’m going to get that plantar fasciitis fixed one way or another! No running.


Grilled free-range chicken marinated in lime, pickled beets, sugared ginger. Weight Watcher estimated points = 5.