Short and sweat

All the kings horses and all the black tape...

Today's run (street): 2.6 miles

So very hot and humid this morning. I probably should have stayed indoors, cranked the AC, and set the treadmill and floor fans to max. Instead, I decided to brave the mid-August swelter. I can usually endure any type of weather for three miles (or in today's case, something less to that) and would have done 3+ today, but I had very little time to run and shower before my first meeting of the day.

Gimme swelter

Despite conditions, I was eager to get outside,. When I picked up my Garmin, the bottom half of the strap separated from the top, despite the awesome repair work I've been doing with electrical tape. My sister-in-law told me about some material that will fix rubbery plastic like this wristband, but I fear it's too late to save the FR210.

I ended up taping the watch all the way around and that secured it well enough to get through 2.63 miles. I really don't want to do that every time I want to take it on a run. The watch itself works fine so I guess, for now, I'll stick it in my SPIbelt. There is a hack to fix a Garmin that suffered wristband failure, but it requires that the first two loops that connect to the watch case be intact. One side is beginning to rip, so maybe not.

So what to do? I can continue carrying it with me or I could buy another watch. I've had this Garmin for about five years and it has served me well. I don't like replacing technology that still provides utility, but in this case it wasn't the technology that failed me.

An entire post about a little rubber loop

If you look closely you can see my perfect repair job

Today's run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

I've had my Garmin FR 210 for over five years and I've been pretty happy with it. Sure, it sometimes takes more than five minutes to grab a GPS signal and a close look at the GPX file on Google Earth shows why there's always a margin of error in the reported distance. Those things can be managed. It's why I Gmap every run I do for exact measurement. However, there's one thing about Forerunners that gives me pause. If the strap wears out, it can't be replaced.

There are hacks I've seen online that address this flaw, but they're a little complicated. So far my strap has held up, but the retaining ring has broken twice. The first time it happened I was able to fix it with electrical tape because it broke down the middle. Today it broke again, this time along the edge where it's harder to wrap tape or otherwise secure it. I did my best to repair the loop, but it looks ugly and I worry that it will break and I'll lose my watch.

An online forum had a poster who suggested using a plumbing O-ring. But I'd have to go to Home Depot for that! Amazon sells one for $4.49. Maybe I'll make the investment, since they're offering free shipping. Based on all the posts about these things wearing out. I'm wondering why Garmin doesn't include a replacement.

I suppose I could go super low tech and use a small rubber band, but anyone looking closely at my watch may realize that I'm not quite the style icon they thought I was. For now, it's being held in place by a whole lot of tape. If it breaks, I'll have an excuse to buy the Forerunner 630 with a color display.

Kicking cross-training to the curb

BH Fitness X1: it was fun while it lasted

Today's run (street): 3.3 miles

The snow began to fall as I ran through the streets of my neighborhood this morning. It didn't amount to much, although I'd hoped to see some accumulation during the time that I ran. The streets remained clear for the thirty or so minutes that I was outside. Since then, the snow has mixed with rain.

Earlier in the day, I took on the task of disassembling our BH Fitness elliptical machine. This was a disappointing end to a machine that promised both quality and durability when we made our purchase. It was probably a mistake to buy this unit, rather than opting for the cheaper Schwinn model that we liked at Dick's. After nine months waiting for parts that never arrived from BH Fitness, we had no choice but to give up on the machine.

Had we bought the Schwinn, I'm fairly sure that it would still be working today. Further, if it did break, the manufacturer would have surely provided the necessary parts. BH Fitness and Fitness Showrooms (where we bought our elliptical) will never see another dollar from us. Still, I'll be sad to see the X1 sitting on the curb, waiting for the sanitation people to pick it up.

We're hoping that the stores will have some post-holiday sales on fitness equipment so we can replace the X1. It's been almost a year since I've had a weekly cross-training option and I miss the variety. At least now we know the value of buying equipment that can be easily repaired.

I've continued to fight my cold head-on by running every day since Tuesday. It was a chilly 30° this morning but that didn't discourage me too much. Today's run was about getting in some miles and raising my heart rate, but performance wasn't a priority. I probably overdressed but the short distance prevented me from overheating. Tomorrow may be the last opportunity to get in a trail run before I return to work on Wednesday. If the weather improves I'll head over to Stillwell. If the rain and snow continue, I'll probably take a pass on the trails.

Chillin' with my biggest fan

May the force be with you

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

I decided to run on the treadmill this morning because I knew it would be humid and I wasn't too keen on gearing up for an outside run. In the past, a day like today would have been the reason to run outdoors. Things changed when we bought a stand up fan at Target and put it in front of the treadmill.

The treadmill itself has been a problem, with an ongoing issue with tread belt slippage. Although that's annoying, the machine comes in handy on days like today. I put the new fan on its highest setting, turned on the treadmill's small fans and started my run. Due to the slipping/jerking of the tread, I generally keep my speed at 6.5 MPH and below. I ran fairly slow today and set the grade to 2%, since elevation seems to minimize the slipping.

Although it was hot, I didn't really start to sweat until I'd covered a mile. In fact, the force of the air coming off the fan was almost too strong and I'd wished I'd chosen the middle speed. Fans are cheap and they can do so much to improve the indoor experience on hot days like today.

The treadmill repair guy is supposed to come next week and (hopefully) we'll get the tread issue resolved. In the meantime, we've been waiting months for parts for our elliptical. If you are thinking about getting a treadmill or an elliptical machine I would avoid buying anything made by Sole or BH Fitness.

Tedium reducing treadmill technique

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

As unlikely as it sounds, I was looking forward to doing a run on the treadmill this morning. I usually break up my training week with an elliptical session on Thursday's, but our machine is down. Our treadmill, that had been down for the last nine days, was put back into service yesterday. At least we have one indoor option as we wait for the repair person to get the elliptical working again.

With a new motor and tread replacement, the treadmill felt like a brand new unit. While this model (Sole F63) isn't whisper quiet, the sound level was noticeably better than the last time I'd run on it. I'm assuming the repair person performed a calibration because I felt that my perceived effort matched the speed that was displayed.

I followed my usual treadmill routine, starting at a moderate pace and increasing the speed every couple of minutes. Speeding up the pace actually made it a better experience because it broke down the activity into two minute periods. Focusing on the intervals between speed increases helped reduce the tedium of the experience. The time went by quickly and before I knew it, I was done. As much as I liked today's workout, I'm planning to go back outside for tomorrow's run.

The elliptical is damaged and the treadmill is down

Crack(ed) pipe on the X1 elliptical

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes
I had great expectations for years of problem-free workouts when we took delivery of our Sole F63 treadmill two years ago. Our Pro-Form L18 treadmill had served us well for 13 years despite the daily pounding it received. The Sole is good unit, with a powerful motor, generous tread area, and some nice features. We did have some problems with belt slip, early on, and we needed to replace the console, but those issues got resolved under warranty.

With the impressive long term performance of the Pro-Form machine, I expected the Sole to do just as well. However, a few weeks ago, my wife and I noticed that the sound from the motor had become especially loud. A visit from the repairman revealed a number of problems with the unit, and he ordered replacement parts. The parts are still covered under warrenty, but not the labor. You can't have everything.

As we wait for the repair person to return next week, our only indoor option is to use the elliptical machine. This machine, a BH Fitness X1, has been a solid performer, despite some initial problems at the beginning. It was expensive, relative to other units in its class, but its build quality is better than what you might find at Dick's Sporting Goods.

As it happened, the elliptical machine has also joined the disabled list, having cracked one of the struts that connects the pedal assembly to the dynamic arm assembly. I've been able to restore functionality by tightly wrapping the pipe-end with duct tape, but the torque from the crack has cantered the foot bed a couple of degrees to the left. It's not that bad and the unit is still usable. We worried that the slight shift would lead to leg or knee issues, but neither my wife nor I have experienced anything like that.

Our treadmill repair person is an independent contractor and I'm hoping that he might be able to replace the elliptical's pedal assembly after repairing the treadmill. I guess these units wear out, I'm just surprised how little time it takes before that happens.

Flat out on the treadmill

Today's run (treadmill): 2.6 miles

It's frustrating when thunderstorms move in after days of perfect running weather. I anticipated wet conditions this morning and planned a treadmill run for the morning. We are still having issues with our Sole F63, but the company has responded well. They sent us a replacement console that I installed and that fixed the problem with the speed control. However, the incline function is popping an error that requires recalibrating the treadmill. I can easily do this but the process to go into programming mode isn't working.

Sole is sending some additional boards and cables that will hopefully allow me to get past this issue. In the meantime the unit works great as long you you only want to run level. That was good enough for me this morning, I started at an easy pace and worked up to the mid-8:00 range by the end of my run. It was a good workout, and though I don't really like running on the treadmill, I'm glad I had that option today.

A zap to the Sole



 Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

The recent change in seasons has reduced the humidity in the air and this is considered good news for runners. However, the consequence of dry air comes from running indoors, when static buildup plays havoc on your treadmill. That was the case this morning for my wife. She is a dedicated treadmill runner and rarely misses a workout. This morning, while adjusting the speed control, my wife felt a burst of static electricity that blew out some of the controls of the unit.

Our treadmill still works, but you can only select speeds of 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. MPH. My wife likes to do tempo runs on the machine and this involves multiple changes to speed and elevation during her workout. Today, she smartly adjusted to a higher incline to make up for slower belt speeds, but it's a compromise to her regular routine. We're hoping the Sole repairman can get to us quickly and restore the F63's controls to full functionality.

I rarely use the treadmill, preferring instead to run outside in the morning. When it rains I am forced to run indoors so I'm hoping that the weather stays dry until the machine is fixed. I had a great run this morning, the temperature was 57 and the humidity was low. I worked on my form and posture as I ran and tried to push my cadence to gain more speed. It's fall racing season so I'm also thinking about incorporating more core work in the days leading up to my next race.

I feel bad for my wife who will need to adapt her routine until the treadmill issues are resolved. She's dedicated to her 5:00 AM workouts but I'm not sure she'd be too keen on joining me on my 4:00 AM runs.