IMCT Running Club

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Dr. Medulla
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Re: IMCT Running Club

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I am, without a doubt, cursed with rowing machines. Around halfway into December, the monitor for the rower just started stopping and restarting mid-row. And the company no longer manufactures it, but the current monitor can be installed on my rower. Not cheap—US$300—but I ordered one. Installed it and … it doesn't work. Turns on but it doesn't read the strokes. Watched all kinds of installation videos and tried all the tricks, but nope. Maybe it's defective, I dunno. So I'm waiting on instructions for returning it. But it means I won't have a monitor going forward. I can still row, but I can't see how fast I'm going/how far I've gone. I'm trying to be positive and think that it'll break me of my obsessive self-competition and record keeping. And it's not like I'm training for something, just exercising. Still, how hard should it be to find something that works properly?
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Kory
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Re: IMCT Running Club

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Dr. Medulla wrote:
11 Jan 2021, 4:37pm
I am, without a doubt, cursed with rowing machines. Around halfway into December, the monitor for the rower just started stopping and restarting mid-row. And the company no longer manufactures it, but the current monitor can be installed on my rower. Not cheap—US$300—but I ordered one. Installed it and … it doesn't work. Turns on but it doesn't read the strokes. Watched all kinds of installation videos and tried all the tricks, but nope. Maybe it's defective, I dunno. So I'm waiting on instructions for returning it. But it means I won't have a monitor going forward. I can still row, but I can't see how fast I'm going/how far I've gone. I'm trying to be positive and think that it'll break me of my obsessive self-competition and record keeping. And it's not like I'm training for something, just exercising. Still, how hard should it be to find something that works properly?
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Re: IMCT Running Club

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Dr. Medulla wrote:
11 Jan 2021, 4:37pm
I am, without a doubt, cursed with rowing machines. Around halfway into December, the monitor for the rower just started stopping and restarting mid-row. And the company no longer manufactures it, but the current monitor can be installed on my rower. Not cheap—US$300—but I ordered one. Installed it and … it doesn't work. Turns on but it doesn't read the strokes. Watched all kinds of installation videos and tried all the tricks, but nope. Maybe it's defective, I dunno. So I'm waiting on instructions for returning it. But it means I won't have a monitor going forward. I can still row, but I can't see how fast I'm going/how far I've gone. I'm trying to be positive and think that it'll break me of my obsessive self-competition and record keeping. And it's not like I'm training for something, just exercising. Still, how hard should it be to find something that works properly?
Hello,

If that's your only mode of exercise - yeah, that's pretty bad. I've gotten to where I use the bike with trainer and no monitor of RPM's or resistance so I just go for time and guess/pick a subjective level of resistance and speed (I alternate a consistent pace for an hour and a Ramones workout - go easy for a track from the first album, then go hard for a song for 45 minutes). If I run or stairmaster, I keep track of pace and incline. The bike workouts are a good relaxing release.

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Re: IMCT Running Club

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Kory wrote:
11 Jan 2021, 4:46pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
11 Jan 2021, 4:37pm
I am, without a doubt, cursed with rowing machines. Around halfway into December, the monitor for the rower just started stopping and restarting mid-row. And the company no longer manufactures it, but the current monitor can be installed on my rower. Not cheap—US$300—but I ordered one. Installed it and … it doesn't work. Turns on but it doesn't read the strokes. Watched all kinds of installation videos and tried all the tricks, but nope. Maybe it's defective, I dunno. So I'm waiting on instructions for returning it. But it means I won't have a monitor going forward. I can still row, but I can't see how fast I'm going/how far I've gone. I'm trying to be positive and think that it'll break me of my obsessive self-competition and record keeping. And it's not like I'm training for something, just exercising. Still, how hard should it be to find something that works properly?
Is it made in america?
Sort of—Taxachusetts.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Dr. Medulla
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Re: IMCT Running Club

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gkbill wrote:
11 Jan 2021, 4:49pm
If that's your only mode of exercise - yeah, that's pretty bad. I've gotten to where I use the bike with trainer and no monitor of RPM's or resistance so I just go for time and guess/pick a subjective level of resistance and speed (I alternate a consistent pace for an hour and a Ramones workout - go easy for a track from the first album, then go hard for a song for 45 minutes). If I run or stairmaster, I keep track of pace and incline. The bike workouts are a good relaxing release.
Yeah, I'm fully committed to rowing. One of the reasons I quit cycling was it was just full-on obsessive speed the whole time. Rowing, apart from also working the upper body, has a rhythm of work and relaxation in ever stroke, which is more appealing. So I'll just go for time now and do my best to push myself without a monitor.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: IMCT Running Club

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We got an elliptical because we don't want to go to our super spreader gym right now. VH uses it more than I (if it's above 30, I will walk Scout for 3-4 miles a day - a tired dog is a good dog). It's pretty cool - it has tours of various areas around the world. I did one on a beach in South Africa with penguins.
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Dr. Medulla
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Re: IMCT Running Club

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JennyB wrote:
12 Jan 2021, 12:37pm
We got an elliptical because we don't want to go to our super spreader gym right now. VH uses it more than I (if it's above 30, I will walk Scout for 3-4 miles a day - a tired dog is a good dog). It's pretty cool - it has tours of various areas around the world. I did one on a beach in South Africa with penguins.
So it has its own monitor and stuff? Cool. It'd be neat if the penguins attacked you, as a spur to work harder. Maybe that's just me.

(Also, for those invested in my life, I exchanged emails with another person at the rowing place who looked at the photo and said, yeah, that thing is busted. So they're sending me a replacement. Hopefully that fixes the problem.)
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: IMCT Running Club

Post by JennyB »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
12 Jan 2021, 1:45pm
JennyB wrote:
12 Jan 2021, 12:37pm
We got an elliptical because we don't want to go to our super spreader gym right now. VH uses it more than I (if it's above 30, I will walk Scout for 3-4 miles a day - a tired dog is a good dog). It's pretty cool - it has tours of various areas around the world. I did one on a beach in South Africa with penguins.
So it has its own monitor and stuff? Cool. It'd be neat if the penguins attacked you, as a spur to work harder. Maybe that's just me.

(Also, for those invested in my life, I exchanged emails with another person at the rowing place who looked at the photo and said, yeah, that thing is busted. So they're sending me a replacement. Hopefully that fixes the problem.)
It does! And I like that idea.

Hope the replacement goes smoothly.
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Re: IMCT Running Club

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I took two weeks off from running after my positive COVID test on NYE and did my first run today. Out of curiosity, I did my timed 3.75 mile run and came in at a solid 28:15. For reference, my last timed runs over the last month or two were 27:42, 27:29, 27:45, 27:48, 28:12.

So my slowest in awhile, but not too far off what you'd expect from taking two weeks off from running. My first two miles were strong, but the last two is where I lost pace/energy. Cool to see that my symptoms were mild enough that it didn't seem to affect my cardio.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

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Re: IMCT Running Club

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matedog wrote:
15 Jan 2021, 8:01pm
I took two weeks off from running after my positive COVID test on NYE and did my first run today. Out of curiosity, I did my timed 3.75 mile run and came in at a solid 28:15. For reference, my last timed runs over the last month or two were 27:42, 27:29, 27:45, 27:48, 28:12.

So my slowest in awhile, but not too far off what you'd expect from taking two weeks off from running. My first two miles were strong, but the last two is where I lost pace/energy. Cool to see that my symptoms were mild enough that it didn't seem to affect my cardio.
Good for you! I'm sure you've heard it before, it's not a race, you're in it for the duration, your stamina will return, don't over do it.
Me, I haven't run for about 6 weeks, one of my knees is hurting, so I'm trying to heed my own advice and give it time to mend. Tried a 3.5 mile walk 2 weeks ago, too soon, hurt the rest of the day and the next.

Someone mentioned alternatives to running. I've had a treadmill, hated it, sold it. We have an elliptical, but I can't go long on it either. I do use it for a warm up each morning before I run to loosen up the old joints. But even with a TV mounted on the wall in front of it, I can't seem to go for any real length of time.
Last edited by Sparky on 15 Jan 2021, 8:42pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Dr. Medulla
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Re: IMCT Running Club

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matedog wrote:
15 Jan 2021, 8:01pm
I took two weeks off from running after my positive COVID test on NYE and did my first run today. Out of curiosity, I did my timed 3.75 mile run and came in at a solid 28:15. For reference, my last timed runs over the last month or two were 27:42, 27:29, 27:45, 27:48, 28:12.

So my slowest in awhile, but not too far off what you'd expect from taking two weeks off from running. My first two miles were strong, but the last two is where I lost pace/energy. Cool to see that my symptoms were mild enough that it didn't seem to affect my cardio.
That's got to be a relief, given how varied the effects of the virus are (assuming yours wasn't a false positive, which still seems a reasonable possibility).
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Dr. Medulla
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Re: IMCT Running Club

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Should there be any doubt that I'm as sharp as a sack of wet mice (thank you, Foghorn Leghorn), I got my replacement part for the non-functioning monitor. I opened up the package and it looked exactly like what I had, meaning the first one wasn't broken. Well, fudge. Still, what the hell, let's install this one for yuks. And, no surprise, it still didn't work. And then—this is where I'm confirmed to be kinda dumb—I noticed an unconnected wire. Had that always been that way? I don't know, but it seemed worth replacing (the company shipped multiple spares). Zip zip zip and, yup, it works now. So yay.

And now that I know it works, I'm going to order a little bluetooth add-on that will allow me to use an app that streams virtual rowing footage from around the world.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: IMCT Running Club

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Dr. Medulla wrote:
01 Feb 2021, 2:48pm
Should there be any doubt that I'm as sharp as a sack of wet mice (thank you, Foghorn Leghorn), I got my replacement part for the non-functioning monitor. I opened up the package and it looked exactly like what I had, meaning the first one wasn't broken. Well, fudge. Still, what the hell, let's install this one for yuks. And, no surprise, it still didn't work. And then—this is where I'm confirmed to be kinda dumb—I noticed an unconnected wire. Had that always been that way? I don't know, but it seemed worth replacing (the company shipped multiple spares). Zip zip zip and, yup, it works now. So yay.

And now that I know it works, I'm going to order a little bluetooth add-on that will allow me to use an app that streams virtual rowing footage from around the world.
Hello,

Well, all's well that ends well and that kind of stuff. I've had to fix the Stairmaster twice and it's been worth the effort to not give in to the "Well, It's broke so I've got to buy a new one" school of thought. I've bought parts from Sportsmith as they stock replacement parts for discontinued equipment (hey, it's cheaper!) and they've been great about accepting returns, advice, etc. Congrats!

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Re: IMCT Running Club

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gkbill wrote:
01 Feb 2021, 3:33pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
01 Feb 2021, 2:48pm
Should there be any doubt that I'm as sharp as a sack of wet mice (thank you, Foghorn Leghorn), I got my replacement part for the non-functioning monitor. I opened up the package and it looked exactly like what I had, meaning the first one wasn't broken. Well, fudge. Still, what the hell, let's install this one for yuks. And, no surprise, it still didn't work. And then—this is where I'm confirmed to be kinda dumb—I noticed an unconnected wire. Had that always been that way? I don't know, but it seemed worth replacing (the company shipped multiple spares). Zip zip zip and, yup, it works now. So yay.

And now that I know it works, I'm going to order a little bluetooth add-on that will allow me to use an app that streams virtual rowing footage from around the world.
Hello,

Well, all's well that ends well and that kind of stuff. I've had to fix the Stairmaster twice and it's been worth the effort to not give in to the "Well, It's broke so I've got to buy a new one" school of thought. I've bought parts from Sportsmith as they stock replacement parts for discontinued equipment (hey, it's cheaper!) and they've been great about accepting returns, advice, etc. Congrats!
Thanks! Yeah, I feel foolish—maybe; I can't say for sure that that wire was disconnected before, mainly because I don't know how I'd miss that when it was so obvious this time—but it works and that's all that matters. Curiously, I tried a few short rows to see what kind of readings I get, and this newer monitor has me about 50% faster. I can't say which is correct—or more correct—but I think it's the newer one, as my numbers on the previous one were much more modest than the previous rowing machine I had. I know that these monitors are hardly precise, save for comparing against themselves, but the gap was rather pronounced. It's much less so now.
Last edited by Dr. Medulla on 01 Feb 2021, 4:50pm, edited 1 time in total.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: IMCT Running Club

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gkbill wrote:
01 Feb 2021, 3:33pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
01 Feb 2021, 2:48pm
Should there be any doubt that I'm as sharp as a sack of wet mice (thank you, Foghorn Leghorn), I got my replacement part for the non-functioning monitor. I opened up the package and it looked exactly like what I had, meaning the first one wasn't broken. Well, fudge. Still, what the hell, let's install this one for yuks. And, no surprise, it still didn't work. And then—this is where I'm confirmed to be kinda dumb—I noticed an unconnected wire. Had that always been that way? I don't know, but it seemed worth replacing (the company shipped multiple spares). Zip zip zip and, yup, it works now. So yay.

And now that I know it works, I'm going to order a little bluetooth add-on that will allow me to use an app that streams virtual rowing footage from around the world.
Hello,

Well, all's well that ends well and that kind of stuff. I've had to fix the Stairmaster twice and it's been worth the effort to not give in to the "Well, It's broke so I've got to buy a new one" school of thought. I've bought parts from Sportsmith as they stock replacement parts for discontinued equipment (hey, it's cheaper!) and they've been great about accepting returns, advice, etc. Congrats!
Yeah Im a cheap bastard so I always tend to go the fix it myself route. Ive saved lots by fixing all kinds of stuff.

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