A little running

Had a half-hour pump n' run last night. Used 1 pound weights and took a minute walk break every five minutes, while still pumping the weights. The workout went well. My tendon was a bit sore at first, but the soreness disappeared after about fifteen minutes. And this morning, I only had my usual temporary tendon stiffness. I'll continue easy running, but only once a week for the time being.

10+ Calories Per Minute!

Finally cracked the 10 calorie/min. burn barrier. What's the big deal? The big deal is that 10 cal/min was my calorie burn rate when I was running. But during my last workout I burned 10.56 cal/min--while walking.

This is a real turning point for me, and it also shows me I don't ever have to go back to running if I don't want to. The reason I started running in the first place was for fitness and weight loss. In fact, I didn't like running at all for the first 3 months. On the other hand, I took to Heavyhands immediately. A big problem with running was trying to squeeze in weight training. With Heavyhands, I no longer have a time crunch. I get weight training and superior aerobic training simultaneously in the same workout. Talk about bang for the buck!

In time, I grew to love running. It's my body that doesn't like it much. When I'm fully recovered from this Achilles tendon problem, I'll probably do some running once a week--pump n' run, Heavyhands style.

On Not Running

Been just over 3 weeks since I've been sidelined with a sore Achilles tendon. I do miss running, but this is where Heavyhands shines. I've been getting terrific workouts at the same or greater intensity--without running, walking fast, or walking at all!

Walking is only slightly uncomfortable, so my first gambit is pump n' walk in place. Use 1 pound to warm up with, pumping to level 2 and eventually 3 (shoulder and head height). Then I'll do double ski poling, shadow boxing or figure 8's in cycles, gradually increasing the weight. I really don't follow any rigid sequence of exercises or weight. My heart rate monitor (or perceived exertion) lets me know if I'm working hard enough, so I juggle exercises, weight and pump frequency on the fly. After about 15 minutes of moderate effort (about 70-75% max HR), I spend the rest of the workout at 80-90% of max HR. I've even gotten up to 75% just using arms alone. Very tough. Wouldn't want to make a habit of it, unless I couldn't walk at all.

Don't know when I'll be able to run again, but in the meantime I'm getting all the intense exercise I want.