Heart Rate on Satan's Staircase!

Tonight I waited too long to get outside and run, so I opted to go to the gym. I decided to try The Race RX Heart Rate Running Guide that I got a couple of weeks ago. I think the theory behind it is to workout for "x" minutes and keep your heart rate in the "xx" zone. Today's workout was for 20 minutes. I chose Satan's Staircase (ie the elliptical) to try this out.

I have 3 different zones, with a low and a high heart rate goal.
Zone 1: 141 - 150
Zone 2: 158 - 165
Zone 3: 167 - 174
So for 20 Minutes I was to be in these Zones:

M Zone
1: 1
2: 2
3: 2
4: 3
5: 3
6: 2
7: 2
8: 3
9: 3
10: 3
11: 2
12: 2
13: 3
14: 3
15: 3
16: 2
17: 3
18: 3
19: 3
20: 2


In order to keep my heart rate in these specific zones, I had to put the elliptical on level 8, 9, and 10. I had a hard time getting my heart rate up to zone 3. And yes, there is a ZONE 4 (176 - 185) that should start on DAY 2!!!

I have a friend that followed this training program before his marathon, and he swears by it. He did the workouts twice a day, then once a week went for a long run. He improved his time, and said that he felt pretty strong.

I used the new nifty little heart rate gadget that came w/the GARMIN 610. Once I got it on me, couldn't figure out how to get the watch to show the beats per minute. Just started pushing buttons and "viola" it appeared. Pretty neat!

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'" - Peter Maher, Canadian marathon runner