I figured out how to beat the cross training system, guys! :)
- 90 minutes elliptical, heart rate 160-185
- 45 minutes cycling, heart rate 125-140 (mostly low 130's)
- Strength training, achilles exercises/stretches
I went to bed really early (due to a marathon work/clinical sequence) and got really good sleep. I woke up at 3:30am with tons of energy, so I went to 24 hour fitness since it's open and had a great workout, it felt so good! And even better, I figured out how to make it more like running, it was so fun. -I started paying attention to the miles on the machine. I'm not sure why I haven't done that before. I'm sure all of you elliptical gurus have known this secret for a long time. I've only been looking at my heartrate on my Garmin. I figured this out after mile 3 and then from mile 4-10.5, I would just hit my lap button on my Garmin. Holy cow! It wasn't boring at all because then each mile became a game and a goal, just like the good old running days. I could have kept going but I had to get ready for school. I'm definitely going to do it from now on. I just took my x-training to a whole new level folks...
Details: I was on the elliptical that doesn't have any moveable arms - the Crossramp one (I like that one best because then I can move my arms like I'm running...I'm sure I look like THE biggest dork ever since everyone else holds onto the bars, but at least I'm a dork getting a good workout). My levels were: ramp level 11, resistance level 12.
Here's the breakdown:
- Miles 1-3: 28:17 min (9:24 avg), avg HR 138
- Mile 4: 8:37 min, avg HR 167
- Mile 5: 8:05 min, avg HR 176
- Mile 6: 8:47 min, avg HR 170
- Mile 7: 8:11 min, avg HR 177
- Mile 8: 8:30 min, avg HR 169
- Mile 9: 7:53 min, avg HR 179
- Mile 10 7:56 min, avg HR 181
- 1/2 mile cooldown
My heart rate seems pretty high for a 7:50's mile, so I'm either out of shape or the resistance is a lot more than just running outside. Either way, I'm looking forward to doing some interval work, tempo runs, marathon pace, etc! I'm so happy! | 