Am I cheating on running ... ?

Thanks to one of those unexpected coincidences, I recently came across a used Concept2 Model D indoor ergometer (rowing machine) for sale on Craig's List. If you know anything about Concept2 rowers, they are very hard to find used, because they tend to get snatched up quickly. They are durable, reliable, and awesome!

Rowing is my preferred cross-training exercise. I can swim enough so that I won't drown in a pool, but I don't particularly like it (even though I recognize it's a great no-impact workout). I have my bike set up on a trainer so that I can ride in the garage, but cycling is just okay for me. As I'm optimized as a runner, I don't seem to have the leg strength to drive the bike hard enough to get a good cardio workout. Of course, as a rower, I'm mediocre; the times that dedicated rowers post on Fitocracy are well beyond me. But I like that the cross-training is no-impact and an all-around body workout.

So when I saw the used Concept2, I pounced on it. Some Fitocracy members gave me advice about what to check out in a used rower, and this one tested as close to new. I was so excited that when I paid for it, I actually waved it toward me and said, "Come to Daddy...."

Why do I want a rowing machine of my own when the gym has one? Well, the gym isn't open as late as I would like, and its weekend hours are even stingier. Plus, there are occasions when I can't leave the house (the very rare snow-in; more frequently, Mr. Mom duties) and would like to get in a good workout.

Still, I wouldn't have felt anywhere near as excited about a used treadmill, for which I feel like I'm maybe "cheating" on running.

Yeah, I know it's a silly analogy. But there are very real reasons I much prefer to have my own rowing machine than my own treadmill. I'd use a treadmill a lot more than I plan to use this rower, which means I'd need to do more frequent maintenance of the treadmill. I'd much rather leave the treadmill maintenance to the gym, and deal with the (lower) maintenance requirements of the rower.

In addition, unless I'm stuck at home, or the outside weather is too foul, I can run on the roads or at the track. If I had a treadmill, I could run at home anytime I wanted to, but my cross-training options would be more limited.

The question now is, do I look for a cheaper gym membership just for access to treadmills?

Fully converting my road bike into a stationary bike

When I first started getting into shape a few years ago, I was briefly indifferent between running and biking. Running had the advantage of being the most efficient workout from a calorie-burning perspective (I was trying to lose some weight) while biking offered the advantage of being more useful as a means of daily transportation.

I realize that it's not a "one or the other" situation. Duathlons involve running and biking, and of course if you throw in swimming, you get a triathlon. However, I fairly quickly gravitated more strongly toward running. Among other things, biking outside seems much less safe than running does.

Warning: "24" + endurance exercise = addicting!

24: It's like potato chips; you can't stop at just one episode

If you've been reading my blog at all, it should be no surprise to read that "24" is my favorite TV show of all time. I realize it's not everyone's cup of tea, and my kids know they aren't allowed to watch it until they've turned 16, but I can probably watch it endlessly.

I've watched every episode as it aired since mid-way through season 2, and then I re-watched every episode from the first hour of season 1 on DVD, and now I've re-started at the beginning of season 2 (well, actually, the last few hours of episode 1) streaming via Amazon Prime. It's still as addictive as ever for me.

I didn't get a chance to go running today, so in the evening, I told my wife that I was "going to see Jack Bauer," which is shorthand for "I'm going to work out." I hopped on my bike in the garage (I've got one of those magnetic bike trainers) and started pedaling as "24" began to stream on my Kindle Fire.

Stripped of commercials, each episode of "24" lasts just under 45 minutes. Cycling isn't as satisfying for me as running is, so 45 minutes is just okay. I'm already in danger of wanting "just a little more" . . . but "24" ends every episode in a cliffhanger! It took great self-control to get off my bike. I could easily see myself losing control and continuing to bike and watch until 2 am. Good thing I don't have an addictive personality.

The most ridiculous calorie counter on any cardio machine I've seen

I know calorie counters on exercise machines are pretty inaccurate, with one estimate that they can be off by 25-30 percent. Even after inputting my actual weight on the treadmills at the gym I go to, I figure the machines overestimate by about 2 calories/minute.

Tonight, however, I met the most hilariously inaccurate counter I've ever seen. It was on a Star Trac stationary bicycle, which claimed that I somehow burned 331 calories in just 20 minutes.

Ha ha ha ha!!

That would mean that an hour of pedaling would be the same in terms of calorie burn as about an hour and a half of running for me, when the effort scale runs in the other direction. A much more realistic estimate for 20 minutes on the stationary cycle would be something like 130-150 calories burned.Granted, I did have the resistance setting up to level 10 (out of 20), but even so, I can't fathom how this machine could've been so wrong.

Now, it doesn't matter to me because I track calories as a matter of habit, not because I'm looking to lose weight; and I can correct the inaccuracy for my own tracking. But imagine the calorie counter who is trying to lose weight and is lulled into a sense of complacency....